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View Full Version : A day in the life...sound like you?



skippy66
23-11-09, 12:57
Woke up, very dry mouth - does this mean ive got sleep apnea, and at risk of dying in my sleep?

Had breakfast and cup of tea but got a niggling feeling of something stuck in my throat, not painful, but does this mean esophageal cancer given that i'm on a PPI and this should cure this symptom?

Then got some mild shortness of breath just before spouse left to go shopping for the day - sign of a heart attack or pulmonary edema, embolism etc? or just anxiety coz im going to be alone in the house.

What if i have a heart attack when im on my own with no help around? Heart rate increases, BAM there was a couple of skipped beats.

If it's just anxiety is that because i've got a tumour on my adrenal gland that docs haven't tested for? Should I go to the doctor immediately and demand the test?

Went to the gym to take my mind off things, but avoided the gym, went swimming instead. Whilst swimming my heart flip flopped and sped up - am I having a heart attack or some deadly arrythmia?

So had a sauna to relax. Came out, and my chest started to feel tight - is this angina? chest felt really tight and so did neck and even head. Did I make my blood pressure dangerously high? Am I about to have a heart attack or stroke? Or is it just anxiety? I don't think so - feels too bad to be anxiety.

Sat down for a bit and the chest pain faded quickly. Went for a jacuzzi. Chlorine fumes were very strong in there - am I damaging my lungs in a fatal way? Chest starts to feel tight again, but mild. Got out and dressed. Chest pain gone.

Got home, chest feeling tight again. Im alone and scared. Is this the end? Is it just anxiety? If it is, can anxiety be driving my blood pressure to dangerous levels?

Think about lunch. Food stuck in throat feeling discourages me. I start to feel it again. Should I skip lunch? NO, because I might faint through low blood sugar. Am I diabetic?

Work from home in the afternoon, alone. Can't really concentrate on work because worried about all my symptoms and especially the chest pain at the pool. Start googling 'chest pain caused by sauna' - oh dear, feeling anxious now. Bad search results. Anxiety not mentioned as a possible cause. Only bad causes.

Discover something called prinzmetals angina. think it fits me perfectly. I'm 28 years old by the way. If I have angina, am I about to drop dead? Think about calling doctor to arrange more tests. I know an ECG, stress and echo won't show this condition, so think about more invasive testing. Decide this might be too risky - i might be allergic to anaesthetic, or it might set off a dangerous arrythmia.

Spend the afternoon feeling shaky and anxious, can't relax, heart pounds fast.

Spouse arrives. Make tea. Whilst doing so I go dizzy, very dizzy, for just a few seconds. I clutch my chest to feel my pulse - is it irregular? No, so what's causing this dizzy spell? I must be dying right now. Maybe a brain tumour, or first epilectic seizure. Maybe stroke.

This funny turn passes. After tea I feel breathless again. I'm not overweight. underweight if anything. Does this mean I've got cancer? I can't seem to put weight on - must be deadly cancer. But a couple weeks ago I had a range of blood tests - all normal. Maybe they missed something.

What is this breathlessness? Before going on the PPI I put it down to inflamed esophagus (self diagnosed). But now on the PPI surely this rules stomach causes out. Must be heart or lung related. Maybe chest cancer or lung cancer? can only get 80% of a full breath.

heart skips a beat, twice in a row. Oh no. Breathlessness and palps together are a BAD sign, I googled it once so I know. Think about driving myself to A and E but dont want to waste their time. Decide not to. Breathlessness subsides.

Have 2 glasses of wine. This makes me feel AMAZING. I forget about my health, watch TV. No breathlessness, no chest pain, no anxiety. Feel great. Love life again.

Then, think I should stop drinking because I get horrendous skipped beats with a hangover. Have some water which makes me feel bloated. As the evening goes on, I start to feel worse. Breathlessness comes back. Have a few heart palps. google this again just before bed.

Get in bed. Feel more breathless if anything. Get worried, because breathlessness lying flat must be heart disease - I googled it. But then why have my previous heart tests all been normal?? they must have missed something - it's the only explanation.

Go to sleep, and wake up to go through all this (with varying symptoms) again the next day. Some days are better than others, but the good days mean I may be thinking about my health only 40% of the time. It's still way too high.


Need to break the cycle, but no idea how.

Is this you?

countrygirl
23-11-09, 19:25
loved your post because i could have written it every day for past 25 years - so sorry can't tell you how to get rid of the health anxiety as I have been a sufferer since I was a small child and am now 48 but it helped me to know that I am not alone in how I think all day.

isn't it so so sad that our lives are ruled with our obsessions with symptoms and what they mean. I do have quite a few chronic health problems like IBS - damaged spine - hiatus hernia etc which will always give me alot of symptoms daily but instead of accepting them I worry that this time they are from something else.

It would be very intesreting if others could do the same thing and keep a daily diary of symptoms and post it like you have.