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Learn how doctors clinically diagnose one of twelve kinds of anxiety disorders...and which doctors you should see for an anxiety diagnosis....

Q: Hello Im New

asked by: DeeX on January 16th, 2006

New User

Hello everyone :)

first of all id like to say how glad I am to come across this forum! Ive had a little read and it makes me feel a lot calmer and its reassuring that others have the same problems as me. Thank god im not alone!

I am 21 and I have always been a worrier, recently I have had a really big fear of dieing, I keep thinking something is wrong with me, I have been to the docs so many times over the last year about lumps I have found ( all were nothing)

i went to the doctors about 3 month ago about chest pains I am having, these pains are happening near enough 24/7 the doctor checked my blood pressure, heart beats and told me there is no problem and to come back if it doesn’t go away. I went back to the doctors on thursday to tell him my pains are still here, and he diagnosed me with having anxiety problems, as every time I get these pains I have a panic attack and I get scared. He gave me some propranolol

non of this has put my mind at rest, im sure these pains are not from anxiety, I know these pains are real, and its them that make me anxious not the other way around.

Its a sharp constant achy pain in my chest its goes down my left arm to my shoulder and palm of hand... I also have numb tingly feelings in my hand when I touch some things, this feeling is in my face sometimes too when fabric touches it

has any one got any advice?

Thanks so much for reading :)

xxx

Replies(11)

Justy24

replied on January 16th, 2006

Experienced User

Me Too

Hello,

well I have to tell you I have been a worrier all my life too and recently had a sever bout of anxiety/panic attacks. I had the chest pains and elevated heart rate...Etc... I am also on propranolol and it works!! My heart rate is excellent and so is my blood pressure. As for the anxiety I am taking celexa and ativan.
I was having these sharp chest pains on my left side and down my arm and it would also go numb feeling. I was so freaked out. But it was anxiety that was causing this to happen. Anxiety can cause so many symptoms that is why so many of us feel like we are dying. I am terrified to die too but I am on this whole stroke or aneurism trip now. But I do not get too worked up about it since I am taking medications.

So you are definitly not alone in this at all.
Just wanted to let you know.

Justy24

DeeX

replied on January 17th, 2006

New User

Thanks justy24, it is nice to know other people feel or have felt the same
:) I havnt took any of my propranolol tablets yet, I only have 10mg tablets but quite nervous about taking them, I get worried when taking tablets that they might not agree with me or something :?

Ive got quite bad pains at the moment in my left shoulder going down the side, under my arm im still wondering if they are caused by anxiety as I feel really calm right now , but the pain just comes on its own its usually once they come I get quite panicky, even now as im typing my fingers in both hands a really numb and fuzzy

i just want to get back to normal now :(

Justy24

replied on January 17th, 2006

Experienced User

I Know All About It.

I know exactly where you are coming from. I am taking propranolol 10mg too. Do not be afraid of taking it. It will take away the pain and settle your heart down. Your doctor would not give you something that will hurt you. If you do not like how it makes you feel just see your doctor and maybe you can have something else.

I was scared to take the pills too. I do not like taking pills at all but I am thankful now that I decided to try them out. My heart feels good my pulse is regular and normal instead of racing and no chest pains.

Sure it will make you tired at first, but your body has to adjust like it does when taking any medication. I am taking it three times daily... So, it was an adjustment for me... I wanted to sleep a lot at first now I am good to go.

Anytime you have questions about propranolol I should be able to help you out. I am a nurse at a hospital and can gather information easily if you need to know anything.

Take care,
justy24

DeeX

replied on January 18th, 2006

New User

Hiya

you said u take them 3 time a day.. Do you take them at certain times? Just that my gp told me just take 1 when I start feeling a attack coming on. This can be 5 times one day and 1 the other.

Xx

Justy24

replied on January 18th, 2006

Experienced User

Propranolol

Hello,

yes my doctor prescribed them at 3 times daily. Then she said to cut back to 2 and then 1. Well, when I cut down to 2 I began with terrible headaches and I had to see another doctor because mine went out on maternity leave until april. He told me to go back up to 3/day. They slow my heart rate down because my heart races and they do not want it to go back up to where it was originally. You should take them as your doctor prescribed them to you.
Are you taking them for anxiety or to slow your heart rate or for headaches? Because I am using them only for my heart and headaches. I am taking celexa for my nerves and ativan for when I have an attack, because it is fast acting and and for short term relief. It works wonders.
I didn't take one yesterday and I ended waking up at 3:30am with an attack so I had to take one at 4am and my nerves settled.

I swore I would never take pills and here I am on three different medicatoins.
Take care
justy24

***jo jo****

replied on January 18th, 2006

New User

Hi ya I know exactly how you feel I 'm 22 and have also been a worrier most of my life. I seem to have a fear of dying aswell, and I feel like something is wrong with my heart. I went through a stage of having chest pains and pains down my arm. I dont feel as bad as I used to but I seem to have palpitations a lot now and I seem to have devloped an obsession with my heart. Every time I get a missed beat in my heart I really panick then get scared it will happen again. Do you know what caused your anxiety? I dont take anything for mine but I go to counselling. My doc did give me some anti depressants but after reading the label it scared me to death and decided not to take them.

DeeX

replied on January 19th, 2006

New User

Justy24 - hi, I take the tablets to calm me and down and to try stop the chest pains, I find they do calm me down quite alot but the pains dont go away. I didnt have any problems with my anxiety last night, but the pains are contantly there some times I cant move my arm it gets so painful.

Hiya jojo :) I had the same problem with anti depressants a couple of years ago, I did finally take mine though, but they didnt make me feel any better, I ended up coming off them which I found so difficult it took me 6 month my side effects where horrible.
I think I do know what cause my anxiety, I have always been a worrier so that hasnt helped, but also I lost my dad a couple of years ago, he had cancer and didint get much of a fighting chance, he only lasted about 8 month and was still only 50. This as made me worry alot about my health as this has happened 4 times now in the family.

Recently I have been getting worried about other peoples health too :?

***jo jo****

replied on January 19th, 2006

New User

Yeh think thats definatley enough to cause it and I can understand why you worry about other peoples health after losing someone close to you. I dont seem to worry about other peoples health I feel that its just me sometimes I feel that there is something seriously wrong with me and other times I tell myself to stop being stupid, but that feeling doesnt last long! I have only got to have a pain in my leg and I convince myself i'v got a blood clot. I went through a stage before of getting headaches and I kept thinking I had a brain tumour. Now I just really keep thinking there is something wrong with my heart and I act like I have a heart problem. No-one else seems to understand they just tell me to stop being so stupid. Do you go to counselling? I have got to go tommorrow its only my 2nd visit though. Im glad to be going as this week I have been having so many palpitations. I havent had an actual panic attack in ages though and at the minute I can go out where I want I just hide the way I feel and if I panick I go to the loo or summat and can stop a proper panic attack but I never get rid of the fact that I think I have something wrong with me and cant seem to stop having to "monitor my heart", and it just gets so depressing!!

texan279

replied on January 20th, 2006

New User

Re: Hello Im New

deex wrote:

hello everyone :)

first of all id like to say how glad I am to come across this forum! Ive had a little read and it makes me feel a lot calmer and its reassuring that others have the same problems as me. Thank god im not alone!

I am 21 and I have always been a worrier, recently I have had a really big fear of dieing, I keep thinking something is wrong with me, I have been to the docs so many times over the last year about lumps I have found ( all were nothing)

i went to the doctors about 3 month ago about chest pains I am having, these pains are happening near enough 24/7 the doctor checked my blood pressure, heart beats and told me there is no problem and to come back if it doesn’t go away. I went back to the doctors on thursday to tell him my pains are still here, and he diagnosed me with having anxiety problems, as every time I get these pains I have a panic attack and I get scared. He gave me some propranolol

non of this has put my mind at rest, im sure these pains are not from anxiety, I know these pains are real, and its them that make me anxious not the other way around.

Its a sharp constant achy pain in my chest its goes down my left arm to my shoulder and palm of hand... I also have numb tingly feelings in my hand when I touch some things, this feeling is in my face sometimes too when fabric touches it

has any one got any advice?

Thanks so much for reading :)

xxx

in the last 2 weeks I have had several spells of shortness of breath, racing heart, sweating, numb/tingling scalp, feeling lightheaded/dizzy. Went to the doc and he put me on .5 mg of niravam. Well 2 nights ago at work, I had a really bad attack, lasted about 30 minutes thought I was having a heart attack. Went to er, had ekg, chest xray, and bloodwork. Doc came in and told me all tests were "perfect". While I was talking to him my upper left chest starting hurting. He said it was probably related to my ulcer/gallbladder disease or maybe even a muscle. Well for the last 2 days I have been having the upper left chest pain and it goes to the back of my shoulder and my upper arm and some times just kind of wraps around to my back. Last night I had an attack come on that started with difficulty breathing and then my left arm, leg, and left side of my face started to get tingly/numb, so I calmed myself, sat down and took deep breaths. Everything was gone in a few minutes. You sound like you are in the exact same situation as me, I have always been a worrier. I have been to the doctor/er numerous times in the last 2 months for every little thing thinking I had something seriously wrong. I think it has all built up and now caught up with me and it is all anxiety. My doc told me that anxiety/stress can cause your body to do some weird things and you can have weird sensations/pain almost anywhere in the body. It sounds to me that your problems could be anxiety related like mine.

DeeX

replied on January 20th, 2006

New User

Jo jo
same as me, last night I had a bad headache and it really scared me, sometimes I really think something is going to happen. I have also been waking up at 4am every morning this week feeling scared for some reason. I haven’t told anybody about these problems i’m having, I live with my boyfriend and he has no idea, I hide my tablets and everything, I don’t like to admit to feeling scared or panicky it makes it 10x worse. If I hide it I can ignore it easier.

I am starting counselling is 2 weeks, I have been on a waiting list, i'm not confident it will help as im not good at opening up or knowing what to say.

Texan279

hi, I haven’t been to hospital about mine, just seen my gp a few times, if I could drive there are many of times I would of took myself there, my gp doesn’t seem to think there is any point going to hospital for checks. It upsets me because id like my mind put at rest but id also be sooo scared to in case the results are bad. In fact i’ve been day dreaming about doctors telling me i’m dieing. So that’s keeping me away at the moment

i sometimes still think my chest pains are something else, all my body aches and is straining. My fingers are permanently numb and tingling, not just during an anxiety attack.

billmfoto

replied on January 31st, 2006

New User

Panic Attacks

Hi deex,tex,jojo,justy,
about a month aago I woke up in the middle of the night with the left side of my body completely numb and paralyzed from my face down to my foot including my arm! My heart was pounding, I felt tingling and a hissing sound in my ears all at once. Talk about freaking out !!!
I had the main arteries in my neck checekd,cat scan of my heart, mri of my brain, blood work. Everything checked out ok with flying colors!
Then I started having a strange birtter metalic taste in my mouth accompanied by a weird sensation in my left foot and some times I wake up with my heart pounding and tingling in my left arm.
I started to see a therapist and now every thing seems fine.....
I think we're all subjects of anxiety, what helps me is when I feel something coming on, I try not to panic and understand it's only anxiety and I do breathing exercises which halts the attack.

Bm

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