Panic attacks / hypochondria

TW - mention of Panic attacks & C Since the last 30 days, I’ve developed anxiety like never before. It all started when one night i woke up with the heaviest chest ever (I had taken nefopam for grion discomfort) before sleeping and was heavily sleep deprived. I’ve always been an anxious person but never this way, i have never woken up with a heavy chest, never. That night I was convinced I had pulmonary embolism and made my father take me to the ER, where ofcourse I was brushed off. Since that day, i discovered a new side to my anxiety - panic attacks. I was never someone to avoid crowds or going out. Infact busy cities and places helped me avoid my issues and anxiety. Now i find myself monitoring my pulse like crazy. The funny thing is my panic/anxiety attacks dont even include a rapid heartbeat or racing heart. I just feel like my heart isnt beating properly and those sensations drive me insane. In the last month I have diagnosed myself with atleast 4 different types of C’s. Its been exhausting Since my body has never experienced physical anxiety like this before, i still somewhat think theres an underlying issue going on. I have done blood work and a lungs x ray. All is fine, i’m just mildly anemic and have cholesterol LDL of 154 (im 24 female) i also have irregular periods (gaps between 30-45 days) i did a pelvic ultrasound, everything was clear. Just my uterus lining was a bit high for the cycle day i was at. I live alone for uni and i cant function normally anymore. I’m hyper fixated on my pulse and heartbeat. I dont even know if its irregular or not, how can I tell? I have lost motivation to do anything and its affecting my masters degree. I have been taking Bromazepam which gives me relief but since its addictive I’m trying not to take more than 1.5mg. I dont want to take it everyday but sometimes my body forces me to. I have ordered L-theanine so im hopeful that helps me. Not to mention i have had on and off grion discomfort and sharp on and off pain in my left breast going towards my back. When that happens in public i freak out and then start fixating on my pulse. I’m genuinely tired, im scared of lymphoma or sarcoma. I dont know what to do. I cant get properly checked again until march when I go home for the break. My family thinks since my bloodwork and x ray was fine, im healthy but I cant convince myself. I dont know what to do anymore

arely1216

Date posted: 30w

I’ve also developed hypochondria, but am too scared to go to the doctor and also don’t have insurance to do that. I had been dealing with bad chest pain for the last few months, but then realized the less I thought about my anxiety, the less I felt the pain. It’s harder than it sounds, but the chest pain is now very very mild. I think my nervous system was all sorts of messed up because of my anxiety, that it’s now starting to go back to normal, so my chest isn’t causing as much pain as it was. I also go to the gym 4-5x a week, go into the sauna, and eat the healthiest I’ve ever eaten. So, I try not to think about my anxiety because I know my mind will start racing and cause the chest pain.

rabiaansari0

Date posted: 30w

@arely1216 How did you train your mind to do that? If i feel even the slightest pinch in public my body goes into flight or fight mode. Typing this currently in Uni feeling so restless, gonna skip class and go home

arely1216

Date posted: 30w

@rabiaansari0 It took me a while to train my mind to get over it tbh :( I was scared of going to sleep because I would wake up in the middle of the night panicking, I was scared of showering because all of my thoughts would come in the quietest moments, I was terrified of everything. 2 of my friends had been dealing with what I was going through way before I started developing my anxiety, so they were able to understand was I was going through. I also had to talk to my parents about it because it was starting to get to the point where I couldn’t be alone either. I’m 26 btw. So, I also think talking to those closest to me helped a lot. Talking to my parents helped a lot because they reassured me I’m healthy because I’m taking the measurements to make sure my body the healthiest it’s ever been. They’re in good health, so I just had to train my brain into thinking “okay my grandparents are in good health, so are my parents, why do I worry I’m not?”

arely1216

Date posted: 30w

Last night I even felt a pinch in my stomach, and right away I told myself “I’m okay.” And right after, I didn’t feel the pain anymore. It took me a while to get where I’m at right now, but trust me, you’ll get there! It all starts with our minds, and your nervous system is in a flight mode right now, so it’s just gonna have to take a little training to reverse it back to how it was before our anxiety messed it up unfortunately

carol.xxx

Date posted: 22w

Health anxiety please help x

Hey friends… I am in a really low place regarding my health anxiety. I am absolutely terrified of cancer. Im only 17 years old and im worrying more about health then living my life its very draining. At the moment I have a very chesty cough which has lasted around two weeks and a runny nose and just full sinuses. I woke up from my sleep tonight and woke up completely wet in sweat and itchy. I am terrified in case ive got cancer. I get so so scared It genuinely is not only affecting me but everyone else around me im pulling them down too. 💔 I am UK based and recently got a job and even then its all I can think about. Im crying my eyes out scared ☹️ To anyone else going through this your not alone and its so consuming. ❤️‍🩹

The Nervous ...

Date posted: 13w

Years of constant Anxiety leading to Panic attacks

I am trying to see if there are others like me. For the past 12 years, I’ve had crippling Anxiety that leads to intense panic attacks. I’ve been in and out of Ambulances and ER rooms and have called 911 several times. The panic is that intense. I can be just driving down the road and out of no where, BOOM! Hit by the anxiety bus. Most of the time it leads to me panicking, thinking I’m going to die or something is fatally wrong with me. The fear is so intense that I can only find a fraction of calmness by consistently checking my blood pressure, putting on a pulsometer and even checking my blood sugar until it passes. I’m not even a diabetic. I’m always having intrusive thoughts that doctors can’t even fix me. I’ve never met anyone else like me. I feel so scared sometimes that I’m going to loose my mind and that I’m going crazy and will end up in a straight jacket. Then I get another attack just thinking about that as well. Starting new medications freak me out too. If I experience ANY minor side effect, I immediately panic and freak out. I’m being so held back by this . This is a constant obsession that I can’t shake. It’s like I walk hand in hand with Anxiety and panic. Anyone else ever had these issues?

Cooki_brooki23

Date posted: 13w

Health ocd obsessed over heart/lung related issues

I have gotten maybe about 8 EKG’s within the lest 2 years? I’ve also gotten an echo done, and I got a heart monitor to track my heart over the course of maybe 2 weeks, back last year. Even though I have been to the emergency room so many times because of panic attacks that I thought were heart attacks, and went with a Cardiologist I still obsess and worry. I always think that I am going to develop some kind of heart problem after getting the tests done. Like if they’re just suddenly going to appear/my heart will suddenly have an issue. I especially get nervous when the pain is in the center of my chest + I get a tight feeling like I have pressure on my chest and can’t breathe completely. Please someone share their experience of how they controlled their health anxiety, especially if it’s related to this.

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Panic attacks / hypochondria

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