Feel like I am going to die

[Gmarc]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here, as I am looking for hep and didn't know where to turn to. To give a little background when I was a very young child I suffered a rare disease called Kawasaki Syndrome. Symptoms include very high fever which can cause some heart damage as well. All through my life I have had to go get echo-cardigrams to make sure my heart was ok. I was fine through high school till I got to college and than I started getting anxiety/panic attacks related to my health. My senior year was especially bad, and these symptoms have continued through my life to the present day.

The past few weeks have brought some weird symptoms such as chest tightening on my left side towards my armpit, feelings like I am going to pass out, and just an increased level of anxiety. I see a therapist and take trintellix and feel like nothing is helping. I feel like my heart is going to give out any moment now, and I am going to die. I have had anxiety about death and dying for a long time as well now, and don't know what to do. I feel like every time I go to the doctor nothing comes up and they chalk it up to anxiety. Any thoughts? Anyone else going through these same symptoms?

 

[alwaysworried]

I know exactly how you must be feeling right now...I get the same way when I get overwhelmed with anxiety. I always feel lightheaded, afraid my heart will stop or give out, one time I even had chest pains which really freaked me out. Usually when this happens I get an intense fear that my body will just give up on me and it's really scary! To try and get myself out of that sort of feeling (usually happens during a panic attack) I try to take deep breaths, letting my stomach expand when inhaling. I find it helps if I lie down (helps with the feeling of lightheadedness), and I try to listen to music or watch a funny video - anything to distract myself from my symptoms. Sometimes it's so bad that I just have to lie there and breathe and wait for it to pass. I know that your past makes you feel you have reason to believe your heart will suddenly give out on you, but if there was really something wrong they would have noticed during your echo-cardigrams. And I'm no doctor, but given that you've been in good health for so many years after your initial illness means you have nothing to worry about. Anxiety can wreak havoc on your body! I know it's really hard to believe there's nothing wrong, but just know that this feeling will come to pass. I'm sorry I can't give better advice, but know you're not alone and that you are stronger than you think hope you feel better soon - no one deserves to go through that kind of fear and panic.

 

[Nat_tat]

As always worried suggested ... music helps me. when I have an attack my heart beats so fast it seems like a heart attack and I usually become physically sick. I had tried a lot of things that didn't work, but lying in bed and listening to anti anxiety music on youtube worked. Try something without words... hope you can find something that helps you feel better

 

[Gmarc]

Thank you all for your replies. I have tried music, video games, the CALM app on my phone and nothing seems to help. I am afraid I am having a Pulemonic Embolism withe shortness of breath and dizzy spells, but this has been going on for a week or so, so I feel like that its not it. It is just frustrating that no matter what treatment I can't get rid of the anxiety.

 

[Seth]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here, as I am looking for hep and didn't know where to turn to. To give a little background when I was a very young child I suffered a rare disease called Kawasaki Syndrome. Symptoms include very high fever which can cause some heart damage as well. All through my life I have had to go get echo-cardigrams to make sure my heart was ok. I was fine through high school till I got to college and than I started getting anxiety/panic attacks related to my health. My senior year was especially bad, and these symptoms have continued through my life to the present day.

The past few weeks have brought some weird symptoms such as chest tightening on my left side towards my armpit, feelings like I am going to pass out, and just an increased level of anxiety. I see a therapist and take trintellix and feel like nothing is helping. I feel like my heart is going to give out any moment now, and I am going to die. I have had anxiety about death and dying for a long time as well now, and don't know what to do. I feel like every time I go to the doctor nothing comes up and they chalk it up to anxiety. Any thoughts? Anyone else going through these same symptoms?

You sound just like me other than the fact that I’ve never had issues with my heart, I’ve had an echo, ekg, and blood tests done and have gone to the ER once and doctor multiple times. This **** holds us back in life, don’t let this go one for any longer. Health anxiety is terrible and has horrible symptoms but it’s temporary and doesn’t do any legitimate harm. All anxiety is, is BS. I wish you good luck in your recovery

 

[Kelculator]

I think one thing is that we are not aware of what goes on with our body most of the time. We experience a lot of symptoms daily that make us go like "now... What was THAT?" And we end up okay. Anxiety makes this a lot worse since of course every little detail means something horrible. Hang in there.