Constant worry about threads

[cheesy pete]

Hi,

I hope you guys out there can help/reassure me.

I have been worried for some time around having a heart attack. Every twinge in my chest puts me on edge. I have good days and bad days. I can go for a number of weeks with little worries and then I seem to have a bad period such as now.

A couple of weeks ago I was at a meeting in London and I ended up leaving early and going to A&E. They did an ECG and advised me that I had an acid reflux problem. Even though they advised me it was ok, I still can't seem to get it out my head. My arms have ached for months and I seem to be able to cope with that but as soon as I get anything chest related I worry. I've been getting shoulder pains, my ribs have started to ache and i get indigestion/wind.

Can all these things be anxiety related? There are days when getting through work seems to be a real struggle and then all you can think about is the next day. Anyway who can give any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[bottleblond]

Hi Pete

I suffer from acid relux too. I ended up at the emergeny doc twice with it as i was in so much pain, i was convinced i was having a heart attack.
It can be treated quite easily so i hope your GP has given you something for it.

Aching arms ect can be a sign of anxiety/tension and stress. We tend to tighten our shoulder muscles when stressed. Try to make sure your not pulling your shoulder up the way as this can cause all sorts of tension pain. (used to be so guilty of this myself and never even knew i was doing it until someone pointed it out).

I'm sure if you have had an ECG then your heart is just fine. Try to get the acid reflux under control and maybe try some relaxation excersises for the arms shoulders ect.

Lisa
x
:hugs:

[kibbutz83]

Hey Pete, welcome to the High Anxiety club :) I think our bodies serve us well for so many years, and then suddenly/gradually they start rebelling, perhaps because we put too much stress on them? I think that maybe instead of always "expecting" them to run smoothly as they have done before, we would be more able to cope if we realized that things change with age and "wear and tear" :) It's perhaps also a good idea to get to know our bodies, and maybe that there are things that they just "don't like anymore" :) Acid reflux is usually a sign of nerves, anxiety, and too much of a particular food? x

[cheesy pete]

Thanks very much for posts, it really helps. I've been on the acid reflux stuff for a week and a half and whilst it feels a lot better to be honest I just wish it would go.

As for the 'wear and tear' on our bodies I think you are pretty much spot on. Having hit the big 40 last year, things seemed to have changed. I have tried to change my behaviour. I've barely touched alcohol for the last year or so - think it's time to listen to the various signs i'm getting.

[bottleblond]

Hey again Pete

Another thing that helped me alot and was suggested to me but my GP was raising the head of your bed by placing a couple of books under it. This stops the acid settling in the stomach and causing the reflux.
Give it a try. :flowers:


Lisa
x

[sammi]

Hi I suffer from the exact same achy arms especially left arm and lots of pain in my chest iv spent hrs up at a and e I've had numerous ecgs all came bk fine and they say I suffered from acid reflux. I didn't believe it and pushed my gp in to sendin me to a cardiologist who gave me a stress test and told me my heart is fine I was even admitted to hospital cos I refused to believe it wasn't my heart and they gave me a blood test that shows if the chest pain was comin from my heart and it wasn't but I still refuse to believe my heart is fine. That's anxiety for you x

[cheesy pete]

Hey Lisa,

Thanks for the tip re the books. I'll give it a try. I had seen it mentioned before but i didn't think it would actually work.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Geoff2301]

I always reckon the best thing to do is go for a fast jog round the block, a fast cycle ride or a hard session of swimming.......... something that really gets you out of breath and the heart pounding..... if you're still breathing, there ain't much wrong with you!!...... give it a go..... its quite reassuring.

[bottleblond]

Hey Lisa,

Thanks for the tip re the books. I'll give it a try. I had seen it mentioned before but i didn't think it would actually work.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Defo works hun! Good luck and keep us updated!

xx