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Cally
Casual Contributor

Help is this really anxiety

Hi everybody thought i would give this a try im 50 suffer from anxiety for a long time does anybody else think there having a heart attack all the time i have pain in left arm and right sometimes chest discomfort went to er 3 times last year they told me it was anxiety can anxiety really do this to you

6 REPLIES 6

Re: Help is this really anxiety

Hi @Cally and welcome to the forum.

Anxiety for me is a very physical experience and I've questioned the same kinds of things before (is this anxiety, am I having a heart attack etc). I can feel funny heart sensations and chest, neck and shoulder tightness. Sometimes I have pains in my ribs also. It effects my stomach, I can feel it in my legs - pretty much everywhere in my body!

I think it's worth talking to a Dr if you're ever worried that there is more to it, but to answer your question of whether anxiety can really do that to you, from my experience yes it can.

Are there any things you do that help to calm it down or lessen the intensity of it for you?

Re: Help is this really anxiety

Hi @Cally,

 

I'm Sahara. I suffer from anxiety too. Last year I went to the ER with bad chest pain and nausea- I even vomited. I thought I was having a heart attack for sure. As it turned out, all the tests were fine... my heart is in good condition. It was only anxiety after all!

 

I say only anxiety, but that's a bit misleading, because in my experience, anxiety can be a debilitating, chronic condition which can lead to loss of quality of life. I can also get heart palpitations, sweats, mild dizziness, fear, panic, and sometimes want to avoid social situations and especially avoid people who are in authority positions. I also have a lot of aches and pains in my shoulders and arms sometimes form tensing up my muscles (without even realizing that I am tense.)

 

My journey has been a long one... I have had about 10 years of therapy/counselling, on and off. I now understand what anxiety is and how it effects me, which helps a lot. When you understand something, it becomes a lot less ominous. 

 

I do a lot of yoga for my aches and pains and I also make sure I get a lot of 'down-time', where there are no expectations on me. I don't take medication for anxiety anymore, but I am not against it... I would certainly take it again if I needed it.  

 

Would you consider getting treatment for anxiety?

Re: Help is this really anxiety

Yes i get treatment it helps some i could be fine for months then i get a sharp pain in left arm and it starts all over again thinking im having a heart attack

Re: Help is this really anxiety

That would feel so scary @Cally It's great to hear you've connected with support and I do hope that talking about things on the forums has been useful too. This resource may or may not relate to your experience but I thought I'd drop it in just in case. It's an online workbook on understanding and managing health anxiety. Take care of yourself and hope to see you around the forums 🐼

Re: Help is this really anxiety

Hi @Cally

 

I have anxiety - actually I was writing how it is a lot less since I have been taking medication for my BP which makes me tired, keeps my BP in order and is sometimes prescribed for anxiety and it seems to be making me tired and helping my BP and I am a lot less anxious about my elderly relatives who are very ill, and my own family as well - I feel this is rather odd because I am so used to being tense about things and a lot of this has been under control

 

But whatever else is happening if you have unusual pains in the chest it is always best to have it checked out - even if they say it is only anxiety - and as @Sahara said - the word "only" sounds weird but yes - anxiety does weird things to us - it can make us unwell in a lot of ways - and it is psychosomatic but that is only a word

 

It can be really and totally miserable to have severe anxiety - it's natural to feel anxious at times - that is normal - but it can be a really hard thing to deal with - stress is just that - stressful - and it's something we can learn how to deal with - and make it less of a problem

 

I wish you the best - what you feel is normal as unpleasant as it is and I am glad you have opened up

 

Dec

Re: Help is this really anxiety

hello @Cally, checking in to see how you are today, sending you hugs Heart

Hello @Owlunar, @Sahara, @CheerBear

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