I posted on here the other day about issues I've been having recently that might have been down to some sort of health anxiety issue. Primarily I was of the opinion that it had been kicked off by consulting Dr. Google and also the long wait I had to get test results back confirming I wasn't seriously ill. However I am now beginning to trace things back and wondering whether I've actually been suffering with anxiety for a little while longer.

In my final year of university, I had a set of exams in January and another set in June. Usually around exam time I ran myself ragged and worked all the hours I could, sleeping soundly for four or five hours a night, and grabbing a good eight or nine hours the night before an actual exam. However for my first set of finals I was finding it very difficult to sleep the night before, mind racing about the ensuing exam and eventually dropping off well into the early hours. I put this down to a little bit of worry, and thought little more of it. Also at the beginning of all the exams I got heart palpitations (fast and thudding), which seemed to go as I got into answering them.

The month leading up to my second set everything was as normal, until the day before the first exam (about which I was understandably anxious, but I wouldn't say unusually so) I was getting extreme lower right abdominal cramps, which turned into upper right abdominal cramps. I slept soundly, and fully intended to make it to my exam, until the pain was so bad I ended up unable to get out of the bath for nearly an hour. I reluctantly dragged myself to hospital, where they first suspected appendicitis due to me being so immobilised, and later biliary colic. All tests came back normal, though I was given a diagnosis of a gallstone passing, and ordered to rest for a few weeks.

My exams were thus rescheduled for August. However every night before the exams I wasn't sleeping at all, despite going to bed at a sensible hour, taking sleeping pills, having a warm bath and a milky drink, etc. Once again I was getting the palpitations at the beginning of each exam. One night before the second from last one I was getting severe heart palpitations (thudding incredibly fast), which was scary at first, and I nearly called an ambulance but decided I'd probably just had a little too much caffeine. It lasted for a couple of hours and eventually subsided.

Since this, however, at the gym I was keeping an increasing eye on my heart rate. During extreme exertion it invariably raised to 160-165, which was exactly ideal according to the crosstrainer equipment I was using, however I was beginning to become very aware of it and panicking slightly.

On occasions I have also felt a pressure on my chest, began to panic about it and then when I lifted my shirt or whatever was resting on my chest it went away.

What I really want to know is if any of this is familiar to anyone? I've had extensive tests done on my heart and lungs by doctors (due to the incidents in the thread mentioned above) and they have all said it's completely normal, if a little fast when they've looked at it (typically 100-120bpm on those occasions). Before all this stated my rhr was around 65bpm. I'm just worried this could be something more than just anxiety, though reading all of the above rationally makes me think it almost certainly is just that.

Thanks for any input