please reply

[jobear]

hey

ive been posting a few things on here now for a few weeks... on new years day i had the worse panic of my life and was taken to hospital were i was in AnE for hours thinking i was dying and having a heart attack. They did an xray and blood tests for my heart and kidneys also an ECG and found nothing, they said it was down to acid reflux ect.

im stil getting breathless and feel like my chests heavy and or someones pushin against it.

other symptoms include:

headaches ( which dont seem to go when i take paracetamol )
face preasure ( which seems to be under my eyes/above my cheek bone) seems to feel like a numbness maybe?
back pain
abdo pain ( they said i MIGHT have IBS and gave me some tabs which dont seem to be working
feeling sick ( seems to be mainly in the morning )
bloatedness
tingling sensation ( mainly in arms ) but has been known to be in diffrent parts of the body
vision seems slightly blury
constantly tired
muscul pain
chest pains
sweating
back/shoulder pain


there are a few more that come and go, but it just feels like its not anxiety and that theres REALLY something seriously wrong with me.
I'll also include that ive had high bp sinse my pregnacy, had my baby 2 months ago and it hasnt gone back down, but tests they have none have showed nothing is wrong. so im worrying like hell about that, duno if its all my anxiety or my hormones are still everywere?
do you think it could be something else other that IBS? been on these tabs for over a month and things seem to be getting worse. seem to get pain before i go to the toilet as well then when i go i feel better.. strange i know but the pains not very nice.
but yeah i REALLY need some reasurance, i just dunno what to do or think anymore.
Thanx for reading this
Jo x

[Nechtan]

I can relate to most of those things Jobear and in my case they are anxiety related.

headaches: I don't get these
face preasure: I get this alot. It feels like stress but is more likely tension from anxiety.
back pain: I get this often and again think is tension related.
abdo pain: Not very often but occassionally.
feeling sick: If I am very anxious I can feel this way but know I will not be physically sick
bloatedness: I've not had that.
tingling sensation: Yes. Again because the body is so tensed up with anxiety we can get these sensations.
vision seems slightly blury: This comes in spells and I hadn't had it for a long time but have suffered it the past two days. It seems to come when I get that exhausted feeling.
constantly tired: That is because your nerves are overworked from the anxiety. Its not a nice tiredness and you can feel agitated.
muscul pain: Like so many others this comes from tension.
chest pains: I don't get those.
sweating: I don't have this.
back/shoulder pain: Again tension. This could also be the root of your headaches.

I can also relate all too much to the breathlessness. I get this constantly and it used to really worry me. But please try to remember that your brain is tricking you. Your breathing may be shallower than normal but you are still getting enough breath. Your body won't allow otherwise. If you were not getting enough breath then the involuntary system would force you to take in deeper breaths. It is not a nice sensation but will not harm you and will pass.

Most of the symptoms you are experiencing are all related to one thing. Anxiety overworks the nerves and in turn they tire leaving us with an exhausted feeling. At the same time when we are anxious we have a tendancy to tense up for prolonged period which tires the muscles in the limbs, neck, back, etc. This leads to stiffness, aches and pains in those areas.

The worst thing about so many symptoms is that it can be confusing and you feel like you are at the hands of an onslaught of so many things. This leads to more anxiety and therefore more tension so we get caught in this circle of worry. The best thing is to try to relax- though that is hard. If you can then you will benefit from it and some of these symptoms will go.

The other thing is that you will find everybody has a different set of symptoms. Some of the ones you posted I do not have but if you look about the forum you will see other people experiencing them. Likewise I probably have some symptoms you don't have. But they are all symptoms of anxiety and although all are not nice they are harmless and will pass. The worst thing we can do as add fear and worry to them as it just helps prolong them.

All the best

Nechtan