anxiouslisa

These are very helpful, thank you.

@seven_swans yes, I experience this also and its all anxiety. My heart rate shoots up waiting for lab results, doc appts Etc and it's awful. I'm constantly checking my heart rate which actually makes it higher knowing I'm taking my pulse. You've had a workup and all seems fine. I know it's hard, but believe what your docs are saying. I've been like this over 20 years and I k ow easier said than done. But hopefully knowing you are not alone in having these symptoms helps. Sometimes I feel so alone.

@Nat1996and @Daisymae my anxiety has been back since july. I started lexapro which helped until December when holiday stress came along. It's been escalating ever since with constant heart worry and checking my pulse. Mine present like daisymae described. I feel a tingle and flush starting from feet to scalp then increased heart rate. When it's over I feel cold and am shaking for about 30min. I feel like I've run a marathon just sitting still. I do get lightheaded and have hard time breathing and just want to run for help but yet feel paralyzed from fear at the same time. I guess that's why it's called fight or flight response. I'm tired of feeling in a constant state of fight. I do work full time and work very hard to keep it hidden from others, which is exhausting in itself. I'm 52, my first panic attack was at 25. I had my ovaries removed due to family history of ovarian cancer and definitely feel my anxiety has been worse since then.

I flew last week and had an anxiety attack on the plane. I was able to control it pretty quickly and move on, although felt very disappointed. Even before the flight, I started feeling like I couldn't catch my breath and kept taking very deep breaths and sometimes felt I could only get a good breath if I yawned. It started again before getting on plane back home and now have been home for a few days and feel anxious and like I can't breathe. Of course I'm convinced I have a blood clot from flying. As a nurse, I know my symptoms are anxiety and would be a lot worse by know if it was that. I have no risk factors and the flight was <2 hours and I kept moving my legs during the flight because they fear blood clots. Just looking for reassurance, does anyone else have difficulty taking deep breaths?? Thanks!

@Pdt321I get the EXACT same thing and have for many years. It's definitely uncomfortable but is a premature beat. For me, caffeine and dehydration makes it worse. As a matter of fact, I just had one and that's why I logged on for some reassurance and saw your post. You are not alone😉

@Nat1996 you sound just like me. I'm worried when my heart rate is fast, then when I take it and it's 60's or 70's I worry that it's gonna stop because for me it's slower than Usual. 60-100 is normal, but when your normal is usually high, you can't help but worry, I get that. Makes me feel better though to hear you and others have HR up to 180 during anxiety. I hate that feeling when it feels it's actually clicking against your chest. It happened to me on an airplane the other day. I'm not much of a traveler and was so anxious! I was probably in the 140s and felt it so strings was able to calm myself down, but was so disappointed it happened🙁

Yes! It's so good to hear someone who understands that being a nurse has played into my anxiety a lot.

Yep, I know exactly what you mean. My therapist calls it safety behaviors. When you keep doing or checking things that temporarily makes you less anxious till next time. Like a hamster wheel or a dog chasing its tail. I'm going through that with heart anxiety. Checking pulse and ekgs 🙁

I was waking up with headaches and was convinced I had a brain tumor. Then I told myself, after a long bout of HA about it, that I had no other symptoms. No vision changes/nausea/vomiting etc. and I was able to let it go. I do have bouts of vertigo, but it's seasonal and positional. I know how you feel tho, but with all your imaging I can assure you, you are fine 😊

I had this in my throat today also. I was obsessing over heart rate and went to the store. The whole time I was walking around I felt this way. I thought I was the only one ever to experience this! It also feels like a cold feeling in my throat too when I get anxious ab it.

This is a good report. I know it's so hard to accept a good result when you are worried about checking other things that could be wrong. The what ifs of anxiety are torture. I was focused on a BT for a long time too and never had imaging. One thing you should keep in mind is if your headaches and neck pain was from a BT then physical therapy wouldn't help. I know it's easier said then done, but try to hold on to that and hopefully your worry will decrease.

Thank you! I'm 52 and this is only the 4th time I've flown. I've tried to look at it as what I have to do to be with my kids. My youngest who is 21 and my husband will be flying w me. Ugh, I've gotta get thru this. Will definitely be taking ativan w me

I'm a nurse in ENT and usually CT scans of sinuses do not include brain unless ordered that way. Since it mentions the brain is unremarkable, maybe it did include brain? Good news tho I'm sure 😊

I am flying on Friday to visit my son. He's been gone since August and have been so looking forward to seeing where he lives/works etc. however, my heart anxiety and anxiety in general has been awful. Constantly checking heart rate etc. when I get nervous and my heart beats fast, I swear my back hurts between shoulder blades. Of course, when you read ab heart attack symptoms, it mentioned such pain. I've had normal EKGs, but didn't have pain at time, but my still worried. I'm just so worried how I'm gonna feel on the flight ( it's only 1.5 hours). Any tips on flying w anxiety and has anyone had such back pain? Thanks all!

Just wondering how you are doing. I experience the same symptoms and feel your concern🙏

Thanks johnathan. I've been like this for many years and it's just so frustrating. What you say makes a lot of sense. I appreciate your thoughtful response

For me I can't tell what comes first since I'm always thinking about something health related. I go into shower anxious worried it's gonna happen. At rest and after cooling down after doing an hour in treadmill my HR is in the 60's or 70's. Morning anxiety is rough 🙁

Aww, thanks again. Makes me feel not so alone in this anxiety trap

Thank you. I know that and tell myself that but it's good to hear it from someone else. I've still not had any water today, then I wonder why I feel so bad 🙁

I've been struggling with heart anxiety for about 2 months. Had my internist and cardiologist look at ekg that I had done unofficially at work. They both said it looked fine but read on paper showed prolonged qtc(actual qt interval was fine) corrected for heart rate if 112 cuz I was anxious. I know the read out isn't always accurate but I'm obsessed with the number I saw rather that what the cardiologist is telling me. Anyway my heart rate is always fast after hit shower in morning and today I feel especially anxious and my heart rate was 140 out of the shower. I know heat raises heart rate and I drank 24oz coffee before that. Does anyone else get like this? I feel so anxious today and am looking for r reassurance

Thank you for sharing and glad all was fine. I've had it bad the past few days along with increased anxiety. It even feels like my nose burns and that I can't breathe. This makes me feel better!

Probably just muscular. I've had anxiety for the past 27 yrs, most of my health anxiety focuses on my heart. I've had those same pains, they feel like twinges that come and go. Even tho we don't always feel it, us anxious ppl have very tense muscles and that is what I attribute the pain to. I used to run to urgent care or ER also, but that just feeds the fear. Now I'm too afraid to even do that because I'm terrified of more testing and waiting for results. I'm sorry you are going thru this, I know how awful it is.

Oh goodness, this sounds just like me. I'm super focused on my heart lately. I'm just the opposite tho and aside from work, I have idle time at home since I'm an empty nester. The idle time makes me think too much and it's constantly about health. Health anxiety is so tough. Your symptoms all sound like anxiety to me, I've experienced the same feeling over 20 years. Hang in there.

I'm sorry to hear about your losses also. Sudden loss like these really affect me. Makes me realize how fragile life is. Instead of things like this making me embrace life it causes me to fear it, I think that's true for a lot of anxious people. Glad we have this forum to know others who understand and relate to each other

This happens to me all the time. I've had phantom smells for at least 10 years, it's always cigarette smoke and it's always when I'm stressed. It can last for days. I live in non smoking home and never around anyone who smokes. I've been convenienced I had a brain tumor even before phantom smells. I've been good about brain/neuro things lately but am very focused on heart. I exhaust myself with worry.