Hello! New to all of this......my story & advice!

[Craig80]

Hi to everyone. long post alert!!! lol! but it might be worth a read!

This should also be in the health anxiety section, can a mod please move it, thanks!

I recently stumbled upon this place, and all I can say is [Wow!]. There are so many other people feeling the EXACT same feeling I have been for the past few weeks.

This is quite reassuring, as it rules out a hell of a lot of 'what if's!!!'

and i hope this post will be beneficial to others also!

It started about 4 weeks ago. I had been out, and woke the next morning with a real tight chest. (I was a social smoker, but hadnt smoked for weeks! This night i smoked.)

I paniced!!! I thought my heavy night out with friends was the cause of it. Anyway i felt fine later that day, but with a slightly tight chest all week.

Friday afternoon, i just felt WEIRD!!! I had no idea what was happening to me, but the symptoms were dizzyness, tight chest, chest pain, spinning out for a few seconds at a time, very uncomfortable, worried, and down right scared crappless if im honest!

I looked online for the symptoms and a whole range of things came up!! This made me feel worse as i thought i was seriously ill and was about to pop my clogs any minute!!!

I eventually found an exact match - ANXIETY!

this was it, my symptoms matched every single anxiety symptom i could find!

I was anxious for a week or so, constantly. Even though I knew what was wrong with me, i couldnt help but worry it was something worse! I will admit to being a bit of a hypercondriac, which im sure doesnt help either! [:I]

I had derealisation, tight chest, pains all over the place, wobbly legs, bloatedness, worry, tingles in my arms, legs, fingers, etc, etc.

I felt as though I was fighting with myself to try and stop thinking about what was happening to me, but it was a real struggle! mental torture. I would forget and feel brilliant, then suddently think to myself, oh i havent thought about it for half hour. oh hello symptoms yet again!! grrrr!

One morning I was in my room, and feeling rather anxious. I was having aches and pains in my body an head and was paranoid i was gonna die or something terrible was going to happen. shooting pains in my head and chest, etc, etc. I tried to lay down but i could feel it building up inside and getting worse and worse! I just had to get out the house!

So i headed off to my girls house, change of environment, and the hope it would take my mind off of it. The journey was a nightmare! I was really really worried something terrible was about to happen to me. I cold drive fine, but the feeling was horrible! I even considered pulling in on the hard shoulder when i saw a police car parked up for help!! crazy! Eventually I got there, which was a slight relief, but i just broke down in tears in front of my girl. I have never cried in front of her before, so was quite strange for me!

I just felt like i was having serious mental issues, and was sick of fighting with myself to try and stop thinking about anxiety, the symptoms, and that i was ill, that i was going to die, etc, etc.

She was a great help, and after 15 mins or so my mind was off the subject and I felt 100% NORMAL!!!

Did pretty well for a couple of weeks, and thought i was over it. not thinking about it anymore hardly, feeling loads better, and that I was on top of it all! great stuff!

One day I went to the supermarket, and on 2 occasions felt a shooting pain in my chest which actually made me say ouch to myself! (altho if i wasnt so aware of the slightest things, i would have probably not even noticed it) anyway instant panic!! i thought i going to have a heart attack, i was picturing the whole situation happening, the ambulance coming the lot! arrrrrrrrgh....!!!!

I speak to a friend at work about it all, and she is great! she has had this herself in the past and got over it all after a while! (SO IT IS MORE THAN POSSIBLE TO GET OVER ANY KIND OF ANXIETY, trust me!!!)

As difficult as it may be to believe, but everything we are thinking and feelin

[hayles]

great post x

Hay x

[Ammeg]

ummm well thanx for that... thats all i can say on the matter really!!
ummm i think many of ur opinions are to do with health anxiety and not general anxiety- such as 'all i can say is NOBODY has heart problems....'
I think its important for all anxiety suffers to get checked out physically just to confirm its anxiety.
I am glad u have found a way so quickly to deal with ur symptoms and u already know how to stamp them out quickly.
all i will say is ur last statement about lookin back in years and laughin.. well alot of people on here have suffered for years- i only 4yrs but i know some who has been like it 20yrs and over.
but its lovely to hear peoples stories and ur post has no doubt inspired people!! thanx
Ammegxx

[Craig80]

i only appear to be suffering health anxiety. I have been to the docs and he has confirmed im fit and healthy. i still feel as though im going to die when i have the anxiety though.

99% of people wont have any of the horrible things they are worrying about. in the space of a few days. iv thought iv had heart disease, brain tumor, lung cancer, naff kidneys, HIV, allsorts., due to the areas i have been affected!

I dont have any of those, but my mind still thinks it on occasion, which in turn causes further worry.

i have little experience compared to alot of people it seems, but thats how I see the whole situation at the mo.

The fact is it CAN be done. My friend got over it, and is completely fine now, which is great news to hear (as i imagined having this forever)

Kind of a light at the end of the tunnel! it is possible to get over it all

[Craig80]

actually it may appear i have posted in the wrong section, oops!!

appologies for that, and could this be moved to health anxiety please?

many thanks!

[PUGLETMUM]

YES I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SAID AND HAD FEW LITTLE CHUCKLES READING YOUR POST AS SOMEONE EXPERIENCING PANIC FOR FIRST TIME.

BUT I TAKE EXCEPTION TO YOUR WAY OF HANDLING IT - BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL SAFETY SEEKING MEASURES, DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE HEARD OF THEM? ( PROBABLY NOT AS YOUR NEW TO WHOLE EXPERIENCE) THEY ARE THE THINGS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DO IN ORDER TO LESSEN THE SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY/PANIC AND GUESS WHAT THEY DON'T WORK, BECAUSE HERE IS THE FLAW, YOU WILL START TO BELIEVE THAT IF YOU HAD'NT DISTRACTED YOURSELF IN SOME WAY(AND THE LIST IS ENDLESS, YOU EXITED YOUR HOUSE AND TOOK REFUGE WITH ANOTHER PERSON) THEN THE ANXIETY WOULD HAVE TURNED TO PANIC AND THEN GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU'D JUST SAT THERE AND TOOK THE PANIC!!

BUT PANIC ATTACKS DO NOT GENERALLY LAST MORE THAN 30 MINS, THAT IS UNLESS YOU ARE TALKING YOURSELF INTO ANOTHER ONE, AND ARE THAT FRIGHTENED THAT YOU ARE JUST KEEPING THE WHOLE THING GOING RESULTING IN WHATS CALLED A 'PANIC CYCLE'. SO THE KEY TO FULL RECOVERY IS TO DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WHEN YOU GET ANXIETY OR PANIC, TO JUST LET IT FLOW AND THEN PICK YOURSELF UP AND CARRY ON WITH YOUR DAY.

SORRY TO BE CONTRADICTORY, BUT I HAD MY FIRST PANIC ATTACK AT 14 AND USED YOUR METHOD UNTIL 4 YEARS AGO WHEN I ACTUALLY FOUND OUT HOW TO REALLY DEAL WITH THEM, AND I AM NOW AGORAPHOBIC, SO I DON'T BELIEVE ANY SAFETY SEEKING BEHAVIOUR IS GOING TO HELP ANYONE, AND I HOPE THAT FOR YOUR SAKE YOU DON'T GET ANOTHER ATTACK BECAUSE YOU WILL BE ON THE ROLL OF THINKING THAT ALL OF YOUR MEASURES ARE KEEPING YOU SAFE, LIKE MANY OF US ON HERE HAVE DISCOVERED. LET US KNOW HOW YOU GET ON. ALL THE BEST AND I HOPE I HAVE'NT UPSET ANYONE WITH THIS POST, EMMAS

[Craig80]

thanks for your reply....[^]

the main issue i seem to have is fighting with thinking about it all. i have always been really good at putting things out of mind, but this is a little harder. It has improved no end though compared to the first week or so when it was constantly torturing me!

90% of the time im fine, and im on top of it, even when i think about it i think 'what the fk am i worrying about, I am completely in control', the other 10% when i get a sharp pain of some kind i feel anxious due to worry, but getting myself on top of it sorts me out in minutes. i would rather do that than let my mind go over and over it and eventually make it worse for myself.

surely if i get it out of mind in its first signs of happening is better than letting it run its cause?

i soon forget about it and I cant say that I think 'if' i hadnt taken my mind off of it somehow, then it would have happened anyway therefore its not helping, i just try not to let it get to that stage, but without making a big deal out of it (if that makes sense)

[Ammeg]

just wonderin if u have been to the doctor craig?
Ammegx

[Craig80]

i have, and he diagnosed anxiety as i expected. I went for peace of mind. I had a checkup, and although I am still awaiting blood tests, he said im as healthy as any 26 year old guy can be. I go to the gym, and bike ride quite often too.

If i get a shooting pain in my chest though, my heart instantly sinks for a few seconds and the first signs of worry appear. i just try to put them out of mind asap without making a bit deal out of it.

[Ammeg]

so did he offer u any help for other ways to deal with ur symptoms???
I dont suffer from health anx myself, but have lots of friends here who do.
Ammegxx