Why can't I get a grip on this?? Help....

[dan84sim]

Hey NMP

I have been told I am suffering form Anxiety by the lovely people at my hospital, what they are not telling though is how to deal with it..

I keep getting this sensation that my nose is blocked and that I am struggling to breathe, my heart races and I find myself checking my pulse frequently, if for whatever reason I percieve it to be slow I panic that my heart is stopping. I swear I can rest my hand on my chest and check it's beating I feel as though it misses a beat or it slows dramatically and I panic. Am I causing this, is my mind making it up, is this due to anxiety??

I have a few symptoms, my throat gets quite sore sometimes, it feels like I am not breathing oxygen and the air that is coming in is really hot and it feels almost suffocating..
Also these headache's are really concerning me, I feel like I have had one for 2 months solid, when I am busy or focussing on something else, I don't notice them, as soon as I relax it is there, above my left temple spreading over the top and towards the back, it's like a constant swelling or pressure feeling headache, occasionally it turns to a split second sharp, shooting or stabbing pain, that causes me to stop straight away, for a second it feels like my whole body is on a go slow, shutting down even, that causes me to panic that I am fainting or dying, it's so aggrevating..

I have had all the checks, bloods, ECG, Stress Test ECG, Lung Capacity, Heart Rate etc etc and I am told I am fit as a fiddle but, and this is what is driving me insane, Why do I not believe them, I tell myself I am ok but deep down I don't believe it.. Is this causing my anxiety to stay and create new symptoms? Is there a secret in controlling this that I have not been told or found out because this has started to really affect my life and it's making me feel like I am crazy....

Any advice would be amazing..

Dan

[nomorepanic]

Dan

Have a good read of the website pages on the left for loads of advice on what to do.

I also recommend reading Claire Weekes, getting relaxation tapes and getting some CBT

[dan84sim]

Thanks Nicola

I want to get some CBT, How do I go about arranging that, do I have to go through my GP?

Dan

[nomorepanic]

Unless you pay for private it has to be done through GP

[jen2503]

Telling yourself you are ok wont make your anxiety worse, if anything it will help it. Anxiety is all in our head. Our fight or flight response is overactive, we need to learn to calm it down back to how it should be.

Finding someone who understands to talk to always helps :) First thing you need to do is to stop being so hard on yourself. It is not your fault you have anxiety,but you are the only one that can get rid of it. It will take time but eventually the time between each attack will become greater and greater until one day you will realise you haven't had an attack for months even years.

We can all beat it. But first you need to believe in yourself. Have faith that your strong enough to do it. Because i know for a fact you are.

[dodo]

This sounds exactly like how it manifests in me. It was like reading about how mine started.

You'll find loads of really friendly people on here who can help out and offer words of encouragement when you need it. All you need to do is ask, but yes this is just anxiety and is a bugger to get rid of.

[Thumbelina]

Hi Dan,

Before and even now sometimes, during each relapse I would go through so many symptoms, sometimes each relapse i would have just 1 hit symptom, sometimes the whole lot, every day new one.

Like sometimes was breathing, sometimes heart rate - I was doing exactly like you are saying checking pulse and putting my hand on my chest, other times would stomack, I also loose couple of kilos in a weeks straight - as I have bad runs straight, then it was head (I had scan), then womens bits, then fainting, then memory problems, then shakes...and many more.

This time and many times before I cant smell and taste and spaced out, like hangover.

I realise it all happened to me so many times before - and i could literally laugh at myself after its over, but when it comes again - its not that funny, becuase it feels real.

We need to flow with the feelings, and let them do its business...its only feeling they are not real, they cannot harm you or me\
M.

[jen2503]

How are you doing now Dan?