very strange panic attack symptoms

[meatybuddy]

Hi there everybody i have been suffering panic attacks for over 2years now and to start with i didnt know what they were i was rushed into hospital with chest pains and a numb left arm.
They did all the usual blood tests and found nothing unusual i even had a exercise tollerance test which also came back normal.

But here are the symptoms i get : my bp raises to 141/90
i feel really uneasy and just want to get out and run away from things (fight or flight thing)
chest aches, throbbing pain in my left inner arm which has just started happening today, lower back ache also started today but i have suffered with back problems since i tore a muscle in my back when i was younger, dizzyness, and loads and loads more but to many to mention.

since last october when my son died my panic attacks have got worse they can come out of the blue just sitting here at the computer or even relaxing on the sofa watching the tv, but the thing that worrys me the most is the chest aches and pains with the slight breathlessnes

as i m writing this im having a panic attack so i will appologise if im rambling on a bit

And i will admit there is a lot i want to ask you all about but i just cant think how to put it.

i also get a lot of neck ache and shoulder ache which gets worse when i move my neck and shoulder. but im still concerned that it could b heart related but my gp and the docs at the hospital tell me my heart is fine and nothing is wrong with my heart. I am on atenolol 25mg for high bp which i am wondering if any of it is side effects from the medication even though ive been on it nearly 5yrs now

Any help on this would be really appreciated

many thanks to you all

darren

Meatybuddy

[Meg]

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/symptoms.htm

First Steps to overcoming Panic and Anxiety (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=942)

That BP is fine if its as high as it goes..

The chest pains and muscle aches are all common anxiety issues
tense muscles (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3766)
Are these heart symptoms? (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4805)
Everything aches - what can I do (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1575)

Have you had a full check up yourself ?



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[nomorepanic]

Darren

Welcome aboard the forum.

Please take time to read all you can on the website and the posts Meg gave you.

www.nomorepanic.co.uk


Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[florence]

Hi Darren

Sorry to hear about your son...surely this must be very tough on you.
The aches , the chest pains etc, seem very common with panic/ anxiety, I have had them too and many here can relate too.
I hope you will find this site helpful and I am sure you'll get loads of support here. Anxiety triggers so many symptoms , the list is actually very long.
I have the shoulders neck problem too, its very stiff and achy most of every day, it seems to me that you hold loads of tension, try some gentle stretches or yoga , it could help.
Let us know how you get on.
Take care.

Florence.

*He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more, He who loses faith, loses all.*

[Trev]

Hi Darren,
I'm really sorry to hear that you lost your son.
I had the exact same pains that you describe. Chest, left arm, neck, throat and went into my head and face on the left. Massive dizziness all the time.
I was also put on atenolol 25mg which I took for about 4 months. I also wondered if they made the pains worse because I made the mistake of reading the ****** side effects leaflet!
Anyway, I'm writing this to let you know I feel loads better now......I'd even go as far as to say virtually recovered. Still get the pains most days but I can ignore them alot more now and so they seem to matter less and come less. I'll list what I did and hopefully some of it may help you.

1) Read about panic attacks etc. First one I found was Claire Weekes book "Self Help For Your Nerves" but this site gives all the info you need I think.
2) Had acupuncture.
3) Was referred by GP to see a councellor for 8 weeks. She helped take me off the atenolol and forced me to do things that I thought I couldn't do. (I'm not suggesting you stop atenolol......that's for you and your docs to decide).
4) Forced myself to go on holiday. I was so bad at the time it didn't seem possible but with hindsight it really helped.
5) Joined "No Panic" and used their relaxation cd.
6) Took up yoga. Evan had panic attacks there but again, with hindsight it's one of the best things I did. (It's Hatha yoga btw which is more chilled).
7) Forced myself to walk around the park longer and faster each time. This was hell at the start and again I had loads of panic attacks but they dwindled as I got better at it.
8) Just took every opportunity to relax that was going. For me that meant playing the guitar (badly!!) or gettting a massage now and then. Every little bit of respite helped I think.
9) Did a 10 week "Stress and anxiety management" course through MIND which your GP should be able to refer you on.
10) Tried to mix with people as much as possible even though this was hell at first........even with mates I knew well coz I couldn't stop thinking I was about to die.
11) Started doing exercise which was a biggie for me personally. Couldn't seem to get it out of my head that I'd die if I raised my heartbeat unnecessarily. I'm only just cracking this one with the help of people on here. But I've now played football twice after a year off and yesterday joined the gym down the road and went swimming.
12) Cut out caffeine totally and tried to eat alot better. I also took a strong multi vitamin (still do) and fish oils every day. Drank loads more water and also lots of bananas and nuts. Tried to cut out the drink which I did apart from the odd time but I paid for it next day.

So I hope some of this may help. You can come out of it in my opinion. I only say this based on my experiences. At one stage around Jan this year I really thought I was done for. I was so low I couldn't feed myself and I'd lost all interest in everything. I worried that I would never recover. But (fingers crossed) I'm back to 99% and working to crack that last 1% and now I'm determined to be better than I was before.
I really wish you luck mate. Stick with it, try to be positive in your thoughts.....even if it is only trying at the start. And give it time. Don't compare each day to the last day. I made that mistake loads until I realised it was going to take time and the best thing I could do was to relax as much as poss to build strength.

Sorry to ramble on but I really feel for you and would love to help.

Cheers,
Trev

[trac67]

Hi Darren,
Welcome to the forum, you will find a lot helpful advise here. I also used to get the symptoms that you mentioned, and they are definatley anxiety related. The neck and shoulder ache are all due to muscle tension, as when we are anxious we tense up, gentle excercise will soon sort that out.
Also you have to believe what your doctor tells you about your heart, otherwise you will continue to worry unneccesarily.
Pm me any time if you need a chat,
Take care
Trac xxx

its "just a thought"

[Maddieg]

Hi Darren,

welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about your son, my mum-in-law died in february and i was extremely close to her. This bereavement has set me off on one of the worst bouts of anxiety and panic i have ever had.

I have spent the last few months convinced i'm dying...i've suffered the same symptoms and the dizziness was the worst as i've never had that before.

I have found this site a great, great help-very reassuring to know that so many others have the same symptoms.

Take care Darren

Love MaddieG xx

[Sue K with 5]

Hi Darren

I am so sorry to hear that you lost your son, the death of someone close can raise all sorts of issues and panic and anxiety are a classic symptom.

You have had such a bad time over the last year or so and your expecations of yourself are so high, you are still grieving and your symptoms will worsen sometimes if you are trying to dampen them down.

The majority of us suffer anxiety and panic attacks, I myself have a terrible time with them, but the truth is no one ever dies froma panic attack.

The symptoms you are expiencing are quite normal, trust me on that one. The fight or flight is a classic symptom, thing is your not sure what your actually trying to run from or why you feel so uneasy and that makes the panic feelings worse.

There are numerous things you can do during these episodes, deep breathing is a excellent one try five breaths in slowly and eight breaths out making sure you tummy is pushed out on the inward breaths and then relax - this helps to stop the panic attacks themselves, we all use this method on here and it does work.

This will also help with your chest pains, anxiety can give you all sorts of physical symptoms. Last night I was having an awful night with anxiety attacks and I did use the breathing and it did help eleviate the panic fears.

Dont be too hard on yourself you have had a terrible time and I think you would benefit from some councelling (if you are not already having some)

Muscle tension explains your other problems which we normally have when we are anxious, the muscles tighten as a way of protecting ourselves.

Please pm if you ever need to talk and take care of yourself, we are always here to talk if you need us



tc xx Sue with 5

scknight

[alexis]

Hi Darren, welcome to the site, as everybody else says you will find great stuff on here.
I have had depression and anxiety for over a year now.I am so much better than last year at this time altho I must admit Im blipping a bit at the moment, but thats all it is a blip and I think when we come out of them we move forward even further.
I have recently started with the rapid heart, I have recently suffered a severe anxiety attack for what i thought no reason, I too was sat at the computer and then ended up in hospital with it, but when I look back over the past few weeks I can see the buildup.
It helps if we think thats all it is a fast heart and can accept that I know its hard especially at the time, It is good to do things like breathing, yoga, relaxing, time for you , when I get over them I go out and buy an "I love me present" its surprising how much better that can make you feel.
so Darren have a good look around, pm if you need any help or to talk or anything, there is also the chat room which kick off about 7.30pm and that to me was invaluable at the beginning.Take care, love Alexis

[seh1980]

Just wanted to say 'welcome aboard' Darren!! :D

"Life is too important to take seriously" Corky Siegal

[meatybuddy]

Hi all thanks for all your advice i really appreciate it, it has helped a lot but what i would like to ask you all is do any of you get a pain in the upper back between the shoulder blades while having a panic attack or is it just me that gets that symptom as ive been looking through a lot of forum posts and cant find anyone who has that same problem with pain betwen the shoulder blades [?].

But i still keep wondering if its heart problems but like ive said in the main post that the doctors at the hospital and my gp have said theres nothing wrong wih my heart.

Am i going mad[?] because i feel like it when i have panic attacks and i also feel that nobody believes me that i get them but i littereally shake inside but my wife or nobody else can see that i am shaking even though i am on the inside..

i think that i do need bereavement councelling (sorry 4the bad spelling) but my gp refuses to send me , it will be a year on the 15th october since my son died and i have tried my hardest to cope with it.




Meatybuddy