raging pain in left arm upon waking...help needed xx

[scaredstiff695]

hi all help is meeded please.

story goes like this.

i woke at 5am when my hubby went to work with horrendous pain in my left arm accompinaied with my usual chest pain(donjt no why every morning i get it doctor just said it was anxiety) anyway i was upset with the pain but decided to just go back to sleep and see if it healed so did untill 6.230 when my kids woke up. The pain was still bad so my instinct told me to ring nhs direct for the first time in a long lomng time still dont no why.

nhs direct...passed me to a nurse who was concerned about the apin and advised me to see my gp this morning, she got me worked up when she constanmtly said have you got some one who can be with you to take your child to school or have you littler one was confused and started getting worked up so she passed me toa out of hours doctor (dont no why i didnt ring them in te first place) the doctor had spoke to me back in january when i was really bad and ad my notes he said to calm down explain the pain. so i did. he said that the nurse was concerned of me having a panic attack hence asking me to get someone to help me (she should have explained that).
he advised me like the nurse to see my gp first thing to be checked out and to check my arm.

any one before read my posts will no my doctors are horrid.

so booked a appointment. walked in the doctor (a different one to beofore and ne that diagnoised my bronchtits ) said hello etc,. explained i had rang nhs direct for pain in my left arm and been advised to come into surgery. he got up checked my blood pressure said it was ormal then said....its a anxiety attack you have been told you haeve aanxiety you dont want anti-depressents so what can we do.. i said im not anxious im doing ok managing things better and cbt is helping me im getting better, (might i had i was sat in gfront of him very very calm, and i will be the first to admit being anxious and my blood pressure was nornmal and it would have been raised).
i said to him i have come about this pain that i woke with its painfull and dont no whats cayused it etc he again said anxiety and if i got it repeadtly then he would do tests (not what i asked)

SORRY for ythe lon winded story. anyway the pain has subsidd or had today but not im gettibng veruy anxious that its my heart. today i have been shopping alone in town and cut my friends gardern fromt and back and been shopping in supermarket and no pain untill now, i think now cos im thinking about it BUT IM SCARED WHAT IF ITS SOMETHING SERIOUS.

IM NOT VERY sad and adament taht anxiety has ruined my life if i dont die tonight from this pain then i will die eventually when i could have been saved because my doctors dont give a flying duck.

im angry taht my children will eventually lose a mummy unduly just because they wouldnt help me.

my sister once said to me EVER HEARD THE TALE OF THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF WELL TAHTS YOU.
i was soooooo upset a the time and shouted as i dont ask to haev anxiety.. but shes right cos of stupid axiety and panic attacks my life is going to be cut short..

cna anyone help im a mess! what could be my left arm pain and how do i sort out my doctors to see im getting better and to stop it. i was misdiagnoised bronchitis anything could happen i frightened beyond belief!

[krees69]

OK
I feel for you. It is a nightmare, but let me reasure you that anxiety is a VERY powerful beast. Your chest/arm pain is more likey to be down to being so tense that your muscles are screaming under the strain. You may well have slept awkwardly, your muscles are just not realxing and are very taught. I found relaxation tapes very useful

Most of us who suffer with anxiety will have a health component to it. Belive me I have had AIDS, MS, hundreds of coronary's. The irony of all this was that it was not a life threatening condition, but anxiety, so is was anxiety that put my life on hold not some terrible condition. Its funny though we never worry about worrying??
My advice
Get to your GP and get your anxiety treated. There is no magic cure, it is about managment. I chose medication CBT/psychotherapy. the only thing I would do differently now (20years on) woudl be to go and see my GP much sooner.
I started living again Yes i have my moments now, but know what they are and what to do about them
Keep fighting
Kath

[scaredstiff695]

hi thanks for your reply.
im allreadyon cbt hun and finding it really usefull and getti9ng better from it.
today ive been shopping alone gadern cutting and food shopping and all panic free unill tonight.

i kinda know its not a heart problem cos if it was my blood pressure would have cshowed something and i would not have been able to carry on and do anyhing esspecially not cut my friends garderns front and back. but im scared stiff still its something seiousa and will die tonight x

[racdun]

Hi ya, I hope you are feeling a bit better this morning. It would be so great if we could have nice understanding doctors to treat us instead of the "take the med or else" ones. Because they have not gone through it they just dont know how awful it can be. But you are like me, I refused meds because personally for me I didnt want to rely on them. I know for a lot of people though they have been a lifeline and got them back to living. It is a personal choice and well done you for sticking up for your decision when facing the doctor like that.
For the arm pain, I would say that its more than likely muscular related too. If you can find a good massage therapist around your area pay them a visit. When your back muscles get tensed up from the daily worries it causes all sorts of aches and pains in our limbs (including tingling and numbness). For me it was money well spent and helped so much. Also magnesium oil is good to rub in to muscles as well as building up depleted stores.
Take care
Rachael

[krees69]

Hi
I absolutly agree with racdun. There is nothing quite like a massage or man/ped.to relax those screaming muscles and if you can push to it a spa day. relaxation tapes are a good investment as well. It really is worth saving up for a special day. I do have tingling and numbness in my arms, but i've been investigated and nothing wrong.
I've never taken any suppliments but i have taken St john's wort and bach flower oils which were useful at the time. I've also had CBT etc and again useful. None of it is a 'cure' but certainly helped. I don;t think there is a 'cure' it's about managment and recognising the triggers
One thing i no longer do is let it get out of control-then it becomes like a never ending anxious torment
I use the meds route, it suited me and it was great to feel 'normal' again, not anxious and able to breath/live. I go and off them and feel safe knowing that i can find a treatment that works if other measures fail. I was quite scared the first time , but now OK4
Don;t rule anything out
Kath

[shoegal]

Hi. I totally feel for you. I think if your pain was anything serious you would know about it and wouldn't have been able to go shopping and do gardening etc. I think you probably lay on your arm awkwardly when you were asleep and that has pressed on a nerve or strained a muscle or something. I know it can be very painful and achy as I suffer from something similar myself. I really don't think you need to worry about it. You Dr might not be particularly sympathetic to your anxiety but I'm absolutely certain that if you had any symptoms that were at all worrying he would not have sent you home. Please try not to worry (easier said than done I know). :flowers:

[scaredstiff695]

hi thank you everyone im fine now still got pain in my arm slightly most defo muscular.
im off meds and always said if it got to the point i was not living then yes i wpould bite my tounge and have to take as hard as that would be though.
but im getting better i have off days but other than that i like to say im bout 90 per cent better well minus the other breathing which i will just learn to live with
thanks agaibn