Constantly anxious about my health

[James417 4]

Hello everyone its been a while but I have been trying to cope as best as I can. I have a pretty bad habit off constantly worrying about my heart and senses. I have a hypersensitivity to almost anything around me but I am especially sensitive to changes in my heart beat or senses. Sometimes I have a numbness or tingling that's most likely accociated with anxiety but it really scares me because it brings up one of my biggest fears....... A stroke or heart attack. So I am constantly worrieng my heart beat is to fast or my heart will stop and then if I feel numbness or tingling I start to panic thinking it could be a stroke and start going through a anxious checklist of trying to find a difference between the sides of my body in feeling and if I am weaker on the left than the right and if I have trouble smiling ect. I just start loosing self control and have a panic attack. Another thing is I have been having lots of bad vertigo spells and feeling weak and dizzy and light and that's been causing anxiety as well. I start to think I'm having a stroke or ate something that made me sick or maybe I'm dehydrated. But I'm just having lots of trouble lately. I have also been struggling with some depression. Last time I talked to my therapist we set up a safety plan in case I start to feel to s*****al and the thoughts become overwhelming and I feel I will act on them. Another thing I noticed is I have gotten "worse" sense my physiatrist dropped me off my 20mg a day citalopram. Definitely feel worse depression especially after being dropped off of it. Is this normal? I know its probably just me over thinking what being off the med is doing but it did seem to help now that i have been off it for a month or so. So anyways sorry for the ramble but is this more than just bad anxiety? The constant worrieng and this weird check out I have where I check my facial expressions and feeling thinking I maybe having a stroke? One. Things can at least say is even though I do have some feelings of depression and s*****e I am still terrified of death. I'll post in the depression forum about this and how its going as well. Thanks for any input in advance and hope your day has been good!

[BriannaB 7]

Take these words to heart (your perfectly fine one):

You aren't alone in these feelings. Everytime you have these doubts and insecurities that no one else must be suffering the same way, trust me, we're in this together. All of us with HA share some symptoms, have different expressions of symptoms that we decide to fixate on, but it does boil down to a shared anxiety from concentrating and expecting a symptom to be there. 

When you are so hyper focused on your heartbeat, you'll notice those things so much more! I have survived quite a few different symptoms that I used to obsess over. Once the mind stops putting meaning to the symptom it fades away. 

You can even do a little test with yourself- try as hard as you can to focus on say, believing your hand will feel numb. Eventally,  I find,  it will, which is the whole reason placebo's even work. The mind-body connection is a powerful force and it works against those of us with this problem!!

As for the depression, I'm sorry to hear that you aren't feeling okay right now. I found my anciety sparked some really icky thoughts after having dealt with it long enough, and I am regularly totally mentally okay, so for someone who regularly deals with depression I'm sure it is no walk in the park.

You will get through this. Will yourself to remember that this is all temporary. As long as you have the courage to face this as the correct diagnosis (anxiety) the help is there and you will have amazing, happy days ahead of you. Best of luck

[Cassandra 44]

I'm in the same boat, stupid fear of a heart attack.  I have GERD which gives me chest pains, which my anxiety-brain automatically interprets as being a heart attack.  My gp gave me an ecg just to set my mind at ease.  When he told me my heart was 100% ok, I believed him.  Until I got home.  

Just like you, I've become hyper-sensitive to any kind of odd sensations in my left heart/shoulder area.  Something as small as a muscle ache in my shoulder will set me off.  Even though I KNOW it is nothing more than a muscle ache.  I've managed to convince myself if I die of a heart attack it will be because when it happened i told myself it was anxiety.

I also run through the checklists.  I obsessively check my pulse to see if my heart is still beating (if it wasn't, i'm pretty sure I would be unable to do this, but I can't help it). I run up and down the stairs just to see if I can, I try the facial expressions too (saying that, anxiety can make your face just as tingly as anything else).

But they are all just thoughts.  I've been struggling with these thoughts for almost a year, and I'm still here.  It will take time to change the way you react to the things in your body that you associate with your heart.  Trust your gp.  If something were seriously wrong, he'd know.

I went for a back massage, and now my muscles ache on BOTH sides, so I don't feel like that is a symptom of heart trouble anymore.  The reflux chest pains I'm still working on, but I'll get there.  Try concentrating on another part of  your body? It sometimes works for me.  Instead of scanning the left side of my chest for possible symptoms, I try to scan the right side instead.  Or a leg.  It isn't working for me every time, but when it does, it's great   Small victories!

You'll get there, just as I will.

The dizziness could possibly be anxiety related as well.  If you are hyperventilating when anxious, too much oxygen will make you feel light-headed, dizzy, and tingly.  

[James417 4]

Take these words to heart (your perfectly fine one):

You aren't alone in these feelings. Everytime you have these doubts and insecurities that no one else must be suffering the same way, trust me, we're in this together. All of us with HA share some symptoms, have different expressions of symptoms that we decide to fixate on, but it does boil down to a shared anxiety from concentrating and expecting a symptom to be there. 

When you are so hyper focused on your heartbeat, you'll notice those things so much more! I have survived quite a few different symptoms that I used to obsess over. Once the mind stops putting meaning to the symptom it fades away. 

You can even do a little test with yourself- try as hard as you can to focus on say, believing your hand will feel numb. Eventally,  I find,  it will, which is the whole reason placebo's even work. The mind-body connection is a powerful force and it works against those of us with this problem!!

As for the depression, I'm sorry to hear that you aren't feeling okay right now. I found my anciety sparked some really icky thoughts after having dealt with it long enough, and I am regularly totally mentally okay, so for someone who regularly deals with depression I'm sure it is no walk in the park.

You will get through this. Will yourself to remember that this is all temporary. As long as you have the courage to face this as the correct diagnosis (anxiety) the help is there and you will have amazing, happy days ahead of you. Best of luck

I'm in the same boat, stupid fear of a heart attack.  I have GERD which gives me chest pains, which my anxiety-brain automatically interprets as being a heart attack.  My gp gave me an ecg just to set my mind at ease.  When he told me my heart was 100% ok, I believed him.  Until I got home.  

Just like you, I've become hyper-sensitive to any kind of odd sensations in my left heart/shoulder area.  Something as small as a muscle ache in my shoulder will set me off.  Even though I KNOW it is nothing more than a muscle ache.  I've managed to convince myself if I die of a heart attack it will be because when it happened i told myself it was anxiety.

I also run through the checklists.  I obsessively check my pulse to see if my heart is still beating (if it wasn't, i'm pretty sure I would be unable to do this, but I can't help it). I run up and down the stairs just to see if I can, I try the facial expressions too (saying that, anxiety can make your face just as tingly as anything else).

But they are all just thoughts.  I've been struggling with these thoughts for almost a year, and I'm still here.  It will take time to change the way you react to the things in your body that you associate with your heart.  Trust your gp.  If something were seriously wrong, he'd know.

I went for a back massage, and now my muscles ache on BOTH sides, so I don't feel like that is a symptom of heart trouble anymore.  The reflux chest pains I'm still working on, but I'll get there.  Try concentrating on another part of  your body? It sometimes works for me.  Instead of scanning the left side of my chest for possible symptoms, I try to scan the right side instead.  Or a leg.  It isn't working for me every time, but when it does, it's great   Small victories!

You'll get there, just as I will.

The dizziness could possibly be anxiety related as well.  If you are hyperventilating when anxious, too much oxygen will make you feel light-headed, dizzy, and tingly.  

Thank you for the replys! I just get so caught up in the moment with stuff too. I never thought I actually had health anxiety this bad but its actually fed by my biggest fear that are health related. Anytime I feel a twitching in my face or even slightest change of feeling I go through the whole routine. Sometimes I get myself so worked up. Another thing I am scared of is I'm not healthy. I'll tell you my eating habits and weight but I hate mentioning it because it causes anxiety just thinking about it. First off I stopped eating meat when I was 14 years old 5 years ago. Ever since I only eat plain salad VERY few vegetables and pizza and cheese stuff. I will eat cereal in the morning with orange juice but I have horrible eating habits for greasy foods. And I weigh 315 pounds. God I hate that but it's the truth. I'm 6' so everyone says that weights no big deal except the doctors and myself as I can just feel that slightest bit of cardio exercise  and my heart is off on a race. But anyways my second fear nowmfor some reason is a stroke. I don't know why its horrible to constantly think I'm having one and check motor skills and stuff. Makes me think somethings really wrong or I'm crazy but that's what anxiety does I guess. Anyways again thanks for the replys that was very reassuring to hear from others who are going through he same thing. It really does suck.

[Shawn m 4]

I'm experiencing the same kind of symptoms, I'm 19 and have been dealing with health anxiety over my heart for about 2months now. I get palpitations and wee irregularities but I think it's because I'm focused on my heart 24/7. Getting the dizzy/light headness now for 2weeks are so and it has me terrified that my heart is just going to stop and I'm going to die. Gp said my blood pressure was the the perfect and iv had an ECG, chest x Ray and blood tests done all came back fine but I'm finding it so hard to accept this. Getting a 24hour ECG done soon and hopefully this eases my mind and eventually this dizzy feeling will go away too! Stay strong everyone 

[Mark G 1186]

Exactly what i went through Shawn, 24 ECG was fine.  Palpitation caused by anxiety and stress.  You will be amazed at how quickly all those symptoms vanish once you are told that the tests are fine.  Accepting Dr's words is SO so common in anxiety. The mind is negatively tilted so it's hard to believe positivity. 

[Shawn m 4]

I know mark I'm hoping this 24hour ECG comes back normal and finally puts my mind at ease and these symptoms lose their substance! Thankfully my palpitations are only happening maybe once are twice a day but I still get the heart racing infrequently and the dizziness and these tend to heighten the anxious feelings of something bad is going to happen it can be so frustrating at times! 

[Mark G 1186]

Dizziness is most certainly anxiety, one of the most common symptoms.  The frustration adds to the symptom like patrol to an engine.  2 palpitations a day is absolutely normal, nothing to worry about there either.  When i had it bad, i was experiencing about 200 palpitations a day.  It was almost constant, it was happening whilst the heart specialist was listening to it and he said it was ectopic beats, nothing to worry about.  The palps stopped as soon as i left the hospital doors, i was amazed.  The racing heart is reacting to adrenalin, it can pound too like its going to jump out of your chest.  Again, absolutely normal and nothing to worry about.  I realise however that you will need to hear this from a Dr.  Trust me, you will get the all clear