anxiety attacks

[Guest]

I am seeking to find people who may be able to help. After numerous medical exams and multiple doctor and ER visits, I have been told that what I am experiencing is due to stress. The feeling of having a heart attack has lead me to believe that I am going to die from what I am feeling and do not seem to know what is triggering the anxiety attacks. Most of the time I feel some tightness on my chest, occasional pain on my breasts, stomach and back. I've also had a stuffy ear and occasional ringing and the ENT specialist can not find anything wrong. Blood work, multiple EKGs, CT scan, MRI and a EEG have ll come back normal. This has all been good news with is a relief, but I just don't understand what is going on during an anxiety/panic attack. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone or can relate to it?

 

[Guest]

You may not believe this, but this sounds familiar to everyone here. We have all gone through countless tests looking for answers to physical symptoms. Have you been diagnosed with anxiety disorder? The symptoms you are experiencing are common to folks with anxiety problems. I have personally suffered with heart fears (pain, irregular beats...etc), stomach problems, chest tightness, and much more including bleeding hands/feet, swollen gums, random pain, scalp acne, rashes, fever...etc.


My suggestion is that you get a complete physical check up from your doctor to rule out any other possible cause (including thyroid abnormalities which are very common and easily treated). Once your doctor has ruled out all other possible causes, then you should consult your doctor about treatment for anxiety disorder and also contact a good anxiety specialist.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply!


I did receive my results today of a full lab test and thankfully everything, including the thyroid came back normal. I am currently on Atenolol once a day for the rapid heart rates (25mg), Triamterene once a day (water pill) to rule out any fluid in the inner ear that may be causing the stufiness and ringing (18.75mg), and my last pill of Cipro due to a possible ear infection (500 mg and was taking it twice per day for 10 days). In reading some of the post I am also very skeptical about taking multiple medications at once, but I strongly believe its because I use to take none. Oh yeah and I left out that I am also on an Aspirin regimen (81mg) per day because at one point in May I experienced numbness on my face and left arm and was being examined for a TIA. All the results as previously mentioned came back negative (thank God), but a lot of the symptoms are so much like some serious health issues that it freaked me out.


Because I was really not getting any answers other than stress and anxiety, I did contact a Psychologist and started my first session this past Saturday and it wasn't then that I realized that I have plenty of reasons to feel an anxiety attack. So I join all of you out there with anxiety disorders and I too not being a doctor, would be glad to share my doctor and counseling experience so that we may all get through this together. It is awesome to see and realize I am not alone.

 

[Guest]

You might look into this paperback recommended to my husband by a psychiatrist: "Hope and Help for Your Nerves" by Claire Weekes.


Also, try a calming exercise: Relax in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose slowly, 'pushing' the air down as though into your stomach. (Don't fill your chest area with air.) Breathe out through your nose, slowly, while thinking of a single word. ("Calm" is a good one.) Do this for 15-20 minutes twice a day or more. This helps to limit your body's automatic release of adrenalin in response to your panic-y feelings.

 

[Piper]

My husband had his last severe panic attack back in the winter. His blood pressure went up and he said he felt like he was having a heart attack. I called 911, but by the time the ambulance got there it was 45 minutes later and he was feeling better. Instead of going to the hospital, I took him to his doctor later that morning. She ran a lot of blood tests and they all came out fine. She suggested he start medications for this, but he refused to go on them. It scared me to death seeing him have a panic attack that was so severe. I am hoping we can find some alternative ways to help with this problem since he is so determined not to take medication.

 

[janemariesayed]

I am seeking to find people who may be able to help. After numerous medical exams and multiple doctor and ER visits, I have been told that what I am experiencing is due to stress. The feeling of having a heart attack has lead me to believe that I am going to die from what I am feeling and do not seem to know what is triggering the anxiety attacks. Most of the time I feel some tightness on my chest, occasional pain on my breasts, stomach and back. I've also had a stuffy ear and occasional ringing and the ENT specialist can not find anything wrong. Blood work, multiple EKGs, CT scan, MRI and a EEG have ll come back normal. This has all been good news with is a relief, but I just don't understand what is going on during an anxiety/panic attack. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone or can relate to it?

Before when I had therapy my shrink told me what was happening when a panic attack was underway. You are shallow breathing that is all. Your heart then pumps faster to get air around your body. The way through it is to take slow deep breaths and it helps to sip some water too.

The best thing to do is to get therapy. Therapy will help you to get to the root of the cause of your panic attacks and so help you to overcome them. When you next have an attack try to think back to remember what it was you were thinking about just before the attack took place and it may give you an idea of what it is that is bothering you enough to be causing these attacks.

 

[pwarbi]

As others have already said, those symptoms that you describe will be familiar to most people on here, and they are typical signs that a person is having a panic attack. I've learned that anybody can suffer from these, it doesn't matter what sort of person you are as I think that a lot of people think that they can only happen to those of us that are a little sensitive or edgy in the first place, and that's not the case at all.

Finding the cause of the anxiety is always key I have found, and people who I know that regularly suffered from panic attacks and anxiety finally managed to overcome it by therapy and counselling. Even in these days when mental health issues are discussed more readily than ever before, the terms therapy and counselling still scare a lot of people, but it really can help many different people just as long as they are open enough to give it a chance.

 

[Danes]

I understand why you would want to find the cause of anxiety, but I've discovered that sometimes the cause just isn't clear and you may never find out what caused the disorder to develop within you. I think it's best to focus your energies on moving forward and getting rid of the anxiety rather that finding out why it got started to begin with.