anxiety New to Anxiety and trying to cope. Any advice or tips to offer?

[Gill 1]

I've read a lot on this site in an effort to calm myself, so I figured I'd finally come and ask for advice. 

I'm a seventeen year-old girl (turning eighteen in two months) and I've had a really horrific past two weeks. I was in the ER 15 days ago for a migraine and concerns as to what could have been causing it. After diagnosing it as a complex migraine, the doctor seeing me gave me Compazine through an IV (with Benadryl) - and it was the most traumatizing experience of my life. I had a violent adverse reaction; heart pain, burning around my heart, excessive shaking and sweating, fear of death, immense panic.

I've always been a shy and socially anxious person and I've been diagnosed with severe depression, but this is the first time I've ever experienced anxiety/panic attacks and their severe symptoms. Six hours after being sent home from the hospital following my Compazine experience, I suffered a panic attack immense enough to give me bodily tetany and make my arms, hands, legs, mouth, and hands seize up. I got the pins and needles sensation alongside that and feared the worst. My mom called an ambulance because we had no idea that kind of attack could occur and they calmed me down over the course of an hour.

In the days following that incident, I had at least one severe and several-hour-long anxiety/panic attack per day to the point of it being debilitating and preventing me from focusing. I have had two periods of three days without attacks followed by another severe attack (the most recent being last night, I had chest tightness and really violent tremors for six hours, only calmed down and slept after taking Benadryl). I have been to the emergency room twice more; they once gave me Visatril through a pill and I had another adverse reaction, and one morning, they gave me Xanax to calm me down. To date, it is the only medically administered drug that has ever worked for me in this situation.

I am at my wit's end. I have seen my parents' doctor and she prescribed me Zoloft/Sertraline at 25mg. I have not taken it yet because I have been on a myriad of medicines in the past couple of weeks and anxiety has brought out the full force of their side effects; I am scared to take it for that reason and I don't want to. 

My main issue is health anxiety. I have always had a slightly higher than normal pulse, so fear of a heart problem is massive. My symptoms brought on from anxiety/panic attacks have gradually ranged from chest tightness, excessive chest heaviness, chest pain on either the right or left side, neck tightness, left shoulderblade pain, pins and needles, shortness of breath, mid-back pressure, ear and head pressure, jaw and ear pain, excessive heart palpitations, violent tremors, paranoia, dizziness, hot breath, heartburn, acid reflux, disorientation, excessive weakness, cold sweats, flashes of heat on random patches of skin, fatigue, and insomnia. 

All of these things combined have made me terrified of heart trouble that could kill me. I've had two EKGs and a chest x-ray in my emergency room visits, and everything checked out normally, but I still am largely incapable of convincing myself that everything listed above is solely anxiety and not from a serious physical condition. Everyone on my dad's side suffers from a form of generalized anxiety, but I've never felt the side effects of it like I do now and I would do anything for it to stop.

As a side note, I do take other medications (Loestrin, Curcumin, Benadryl, 5-htp, Magnesium) off and on for various reasons. The latter four are largely took for insomnia/anxiety related issues. I'm a night owl and it's impossible for me to go to bed before midnight.

Is there any advice or help that can be offered to me in this situation? I want it to be over, and I don't know what to do with myself. I constantly fear something is wrong with me/that I am dying and I want it to end.

[Holls 1505]

Glad you found the forum. This place will really help you and you will see that you are not alone. 

Sorry that you are going through this. First, migraines are no fun and can be scary. I have about two a yr and I dread it. No medicines seem to help mine I just go in a quiet very very dark and freezing cold room and wait it out. 

Panic attacks are scary when you don't realize what is happening.. once you have one, the next time you know a little better what helps to calm yourself. The side effects of the panic attacks are long and some can be strange.. you listed a few.. fatigue, cold sweats, dizziness, jaw pressure, tremors, heart palps. 

I kept getting the advice to go for a walk and meditate but when I was in the thick of it that was the absolute last thing I wanted to do to but months later when I was at my wits end I got up and went for a two Mike walk then came back and did some deep breathing.. I felt better than I had in months!!!!!! I had to force myself to do it daily.. then I started riding my bike. It all helps burn all the adrenaline anxiety attacks trigger. 

Take it one day at a time. 

[Mike L 86]

Think of how you felt before your anxiety. You probably felt great, right? Well how soon did you start to feel like this? A health issue won't just go from feeling great to feeling bad overnight. Non cardiac chest pain is almost always anxiety. I went to the ER for it on more than one occasion and that's all it was

[anxiousnellie 12]

you sound J U S T like me, when i first started to have panic attacks. for me, it all started out with being stuck in traffic. that was nothing new to me, being from the DC area and all, but then out of nowhere my heart started racing. i later found out this was a panic attack and the doctors tried to give me a myriad of medications [benadryl being one in my IV] that i had a horrible adverse reaction to. since then, i have something called health anxiety.

now i am scared of anything medical - whether it be going to the actual doctor or taking medication OTC and/or prescribed. to me, i am a hot mess. i am 34 years old and i haven't been to the doctor in about seven years now, give or take a year. i cannot go too far from my home [maybe 10 miles tops, on a good day] and even when i am super sick - i refuse to seek medical attention.

i know my post here won't be of much support to give you tips and tricks, but i have found that knowing you're not alone in this can also be helpful. just know that you are not alone.

[SuZQ154 3]

Welcome!  You are in the right place!  Keep reaching out and letting us know how you are feeling.  The first step to addressing anxiety is acknowledging you have it and looking for help.  You are doing that!  You are doing many medical things to get better which is so important.  

For me, my anxiety and fears improved dramatically when I tried to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of my health.  I began to recognize that I had to balance all three.  How do you address your emotional and spiritual needs?  For me, I started to see a Christian counselor and that helped tremendously.  Have you considered this?

[Gill 1]

On May 26, 2017 at 7:01 AM, Holls said:

Glad you found the forum. This place will really help you and you will see that you are not alone. 

Sorry that you are going through this. First, migraines are no fun and can be scary. I have about two a yr and I dread it. No medicines seem to help mine I just go in a quiet very very dark and freezing cold room and wait it out. 

Panic attacks are scary when you don't realize what is happening.. once you have one, the next time you know a little better what helps to calm yourself. The side effects of the panic attacks are long and some can be strange.. you listed a few.. fatigue, cold sweats, dizziness, jaw pressure, tremors, heart palps. 

I kept getting the advice to go for a walk and meditate but when I was in the thick of it that was the absolute last thing I wanted to do to but months later when I was at my wits end I got up and went for a two Mike walk then came back and did some deep breathing.. I felt better than I had in months!!!!!! I had to force myself to do it daily.. then I started riding my bike. It all helps burn all the adrenaline anxiety attacks trigger. 

Take it one day at a time. 

Thank you so much for your response. I've had another anxiety attack and a lot of general anxiety since my post, but I dealt with it a little better than most nights recently by sprinting around my house and telling myself it was nothing and that my mind ought to listen to me. Every bout of anxiety I have is always spurred by something specific; right now, for instance, I have a burning pain coming off and on in my jaw, neck and left chest alongside some breathing difficulty for no particular reason, and being anxious only makes it worse. 

Thank you again for your kindness. I am doing my best to cope and am taking it one day at a time. My only wish is for the random anxiety-inducing pains to stop.

[Gill 1]

On May 26, 2017 at 11:46 AM, Mike L said:

Think of how you felt before your anxiety. You probably felt great, right? Well how soon did you start to feel like this? A health issue won't just go from feeling great to feeling bad overnight. Non cardiac chest pain is almost always anxiety. I went to the ER for it on more than one occasion and that's all it was

I've been told the same thing at the ER. I suppose I'm just having a really hard time grasping that anxiety can cause these pains and it's freaking me out because of that. It's given me a lot of health anxiety, but I'm trying to learn to deal with it. Thank you for your response.

[Gill 1]

14 hours ago, anxiousnellie said:

you sound J U S T like me, when i first started to have panic attacks. for me, it all started out with being stuck in traffic. that was nothing new to me, being from the DC area and all, but then out of nowhere my heart started racing. i later found out this was a panic attack and the doctors tried to give me a myriad of medications [benadryl being one in my IV] that i had a horrible adverse reaction to. since then, i have something called health anxiety.

now i am scared of anything medical - whether it be going to the actual doctor or taking medication OTC and/or prescribed. to me, i am a hot mess. i am 34 years old and i haven't been to the doctor in about seven years now, give or take a year. i cannot go too far from my home [maybe 10 miles tops, on a good day] and even when i am super sick - i refuse to seek medical attention.

i know my post here won't be of much support to give you tips and tricks, but i have found that knowing you're not alone in this can also be helpful. just know that you are not alone.

It's very nice to know I'm not alone - a vast amount of health anxiety brought on by my adverse reaction seems to be 90% of my problem too  I'm really struggling to get past it. I hope things get easier for you as time passes as well.

[Gill 1]

6 hours ago, SuZQ154 said:

Welcome!  You are in the right place!  Keep reaching out and letting us know how you are feeling.  The first step to addressing anxiety is acknowledging you have it and looking for help.  You are doing that!  You are doing many medical things to get better which is so important.  

For me, my anxiety and fears improved dramatically when I tried to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of my health.  I began to recognize that I had to balance all three.  How do you address your emotional and spiritual needs?  For me, I started to see a Christian counselor and that helped tremendously.  Have you considered this?

I have! My church is a very good one and my family is going to ask them for a recommendation for a Christian counselor. My emotional state has never been a particularly great one, but it's never affected anxiety like it's doing right now, and I'm really stressed about it. It's so hard to believe that anxiety can cause so many random pains in vital/worrying areas and that it can make me hyperfocus on them as well. It still makes me afraid to go to sleep every day, but I'm hoping that will change as I slowly work on my emotional state.

[SuZQ154 3]

Dear Gill,

So glad that you are looking into Christian counseling!  Again, when I was in a dark place, it really helped.  Even now, when my life and anxiety is much better, I still want Christian guidance.  In fact, just this morning in church, my husband and I talked to a Christian counselor about an issue with my stepdaughter.  His perspective confirmed our feelings about the situation.  It gave us peace.  

Praying for you today!

Blessings! 

[Gill 1]

On May 28, 2017 at 5:52 PM, SuZQ154 said:

Dear Gill,

So glad that you are looking into Christian counseling!  Again, when I was in a dark place, it really helped.  Even now, when my life and anxiety is much better, I still want Christian guidance.  In fact, just this morning in church, my husband and I talked to a Christian counselor about an issue with my stepdaughter.  His perspective confirmed our feelings about the situation.  It gave us peace.  

Praying for you today!

Blessings! 

Thank you so much for being this sweet!! It's been a few days and I'm no less paranoid (I've been to the ER again) but I'm slowly working on it. I'm on my sixth day of Zoloft and I'm still staying up all night, but overall, I do think I'm making baby steps toward recovery and I look forward to church this Sunday. I'm going to ask for a biblical counselor recommended by them. 

Is there any way I could stay in contact with you personally? It would give me immense comfort to know someone who struggles with anxiety and is seeking that type of counseling for it too.