Anxiety and Imagination

[NervousNellie]

Hi!! I've posted on here so many times about different symptoms that I have with HA. I thought I was doing well, as my palpitations have significantly calmed down, but all of a sudden I've started worrying about my heart again and as a result have been going over my whole body looking for signs of heart disease. I keep thinking that my hands/feet are swollen, my toes are turning blue, etc. I made my husband take a look at all of the areas of concern and he tells me that everything looks normal and it's just my imagination! He also reminds me that I've been tested for any cardiac problems and everyone says that my heart is fine. But I keep thinking that something was missed, yet I'm too scared to go to the doctor's for fear that they're going to find something wrong with me!!! Just this morning, I thought that my fingers were swollen so I put on my rings to see how they fit - they fit just fine - maybe a teeny bit more snug but I was still able to slide them on and off easily.

My question is.....is it possible for anxiety to make you "think" that things are happening that really aren't?? Is it my imagination getting the best of me?:weep:

[Dominic1975]

I dont think anxiety makes you think something is happening that isnt.... anxiety actually makes your body react in a certain way, and provides a symptom, which we link to other illnesses....
Thats the frightening part of anxiety, the fact that it tricks you into thinking it could be anything else

[Vanilla Sky]

Hi nellie, i know what you mean i have the heart thing to. Im now on statins because i have high cholestral. I think you answered my thread the other day i was so scared to take them, well i did and im fine, i also feel better that each day little by little it will be coming down. Have you had all the usual tests done , ecg bloods etc ? Im sure you have, so we have to be reassured by it. How come its the heart with you? With me its because i get chest pain with anxiety so it convinces me. But last week it was my liver and the week before my lungs but it always comes back to heart. It s crazy and i wish i could stop but i have to say i feel ok today and im planning to stop smoking as well. Eliminate all your risks nellie, eg diet exercise etc, thats what im doing youl be fine hon and i will be to ! Love paige xx

[Emaa]

YES! I don't care what anyone says, anxiety can trick you into thinking things are happening when they're not.

I don't panic over the same things over and over again, I panic about different things every day.. But with some things, I convince myself that something looks different - Like with blood clots I'm convinced my legs swollen and a bit more red than the other, everyone else says it looks okay, and when I've calmed down I can see they're right.. But at the time of the panic I don't believe them.

I've done it over SO many things, some are too stupid to even talk about on here lol. But it's mainly always my boyfriend I make check things out for me, and I've started accepting that it is just my anxiety playing nasty tricks on me :(

xxx

[NervousNellie]

Hi nellie, i know what you mean i have the heart thing to. Im now on statins because i have high cholestral. I think you answered my thread the other day i was so scared to take them, well i did and im fine, i also feel better that each day little by little it will be coming down. Have you had all the usual tests done , ecg bloods etc ? Im sure you have, so we have to be reassured by it. How come its the heart with you? With me its because i get chest pain with anxiety so it convinces me. But last week it was my liver and the week before my lungs but it always comes back to heart. It s crazy and i wish i could stop but i have to say i feel ok today and im planning to stop smoking as well. Eliminate all your risks nellie, eg diet exercise etc, thats what im doing youl be fine hon and i will be to ! Love paige xx


Hi everyone and thanks for your replies!!

Paige - I've had all of the cardiac tests (echo, ekg, 24 hour monitor & bloodwork). Everything came out fine except for one EKG - it was done by a student when my GP sent me to the hospital for a fast heart rate and it came out abnormal. When my husband asked the doctor what would cause the abnormality, he said coronary artery disease - that my heart wouldn't be getting enough oxygen!!! The 2 EKG's that the experienced nurse did came out completely normal. These were done about an hour apart and the doc said that my bloodwork was the most perfect cardiac bloodwork he's ever seen, so he ran another round of bloodwork looking for a problem and it came out the same. They finally concluded that it was possible that the student messed something up, but in the back of my mind, I'm always wondering if he DID do it the right way and if I DO have coronary artery disease!! Before that, I had never had an abnormal EKG (at least to my knowledge). I'm only 30 years old, so this scares the life out of me and I just can't let it go! When I was evaluated by a cardiologist a year ago, he did an EKG, echo and 24 hour monitor - told me everything was normal and not to come back because my problems are not cardiac related. Do you think that I can trust that?? Even though it was a year ago??

I guess I'm so worried about my heart because every time I go into the doctor's office I panic, and end up with a fast heart rate and severe palpitations. Then they always focus the attention on my heart. I just don't know what to do anymore and I keep looking for signs that my heart is not getting enough oxygen. The blue toes don't help, so now I'm worried about my circulation, when in all reality, the temperatures have been below zero here and it only happens when my toes are frozen. And it's just my toes - no discoloration in my foot or my legs. I'm freaking out!!!! :ohmy:

[no-fear]

I think irrational thoughts can make you think certain things that can seem very convincing. My last depressive episode, I was absolutely convinced I had chronic fatgiue syndrome, when in reality it was just my bad throat infection taking a long time to heal.

[danna]

OMG... I feel the same way. I've been to many doctors and did many tests but I don't believe the doctors.. It seems that they didn't take a closer look or they wouldn't care to find something that was wrong with me...
It is difficult to be married and have this condition because my husband sees me having panic attacks and later I feel so embarrassed ... it is horrible...
I was feeling better 3 months ago.. but now... after I traveled for 1 month and got sick for a week with a stomach problem and flu... I got really scared of dying... I went to the emergency room 4 times over the last week...
:(