New member Anxiety

[dave972]

Hello All,
I never thought Id see myself posting on a site such as this one. I never knew what anxiety felt like until the first time I had my first panic attack. let me give you my experience and maybe someone can relate and help. this has been going for 4 months and 15 days...
So it all started on 1/1/12 way to start to the new year huh...well on 12/31/11 new years eve I had lots of alcohol and prior to this I never felt a panic attack or severe anxiety. well the next day I was very very hung over I beleive I threw up in the morning and stayed in bed watching football with my son. well I started feeling dizzy and getting tingly arms and dizziness. so whats the first thing that comes to mind...for me it was heart attack..so what did I my senses say to do..get on google and research these feelings...well I did and it led to many things but main thing was heart attack so im panicing and having all these thoughts..omg im alone with my son. omg whats is my family going to do with my family...omg whos going to be there for him as much as I have been.....all these thoughts running through my head.....not to mention im losing my house due to forclosure..also filed bankruptcy and not financially stabled....so I call my wife and have her pick me up and take me to the ER..get to the ER and its packed I sit down and start thinking realizing where I am and whats going to happen to me well I start sweating feeling weak no energy in my legs, tingly arms, talked to nurse and said I need to see someone now! as im seeling black spots everywhere. they get me in and run EKG on me draw blood and put an IV on me, did X-Rays and all checked out find after being there for 5 hours so they send me home....I make a physical appointment for my family doctor and all checked out except low patassium and vitamin D.. I got my levels back up to this date now...but now ever since feeling my first Panic Attack Im worrying about my body like now I can see my heartbeat through my belly...so I looked that up and some said it could be a aorta aneuresym so its scared me more symtoms are almost same as anxiety...So I goto doctor again and tell him everything I feel. he says its anxiety..so he put me on .20mg of aprazolam...I didnt want to go this route but if it helps me for now Ill do it when needed...so now as I get these tingly arm or chest pain/backpain I start freaking out thinking its going to be a heart attack and my panic kicks up but its not as bad as I went to the ER..but Im having to get up move around walk around shower helps me sometimes to get over it...happens when im out like at a kids birthday party in a room. im fine for the first few minutes then it hits me and I have to just walk out....it sucks bad I hate this........now heres the big one...after I get drunk the next day I feel worse and feels like im about to die....also my doctor wants me to goto a chiropractor is that a good suggestion? someone please help its effecting my work, my time at home, and with family most of all..I feel shaky all the time...

Please reply back with what you guys feel to my story....thanks for the support..

[bhamlaxy]

The biggest thing is STOP researching symptoms. You are inevitably going to see something that scares you, and your mind will start racing. It may be tough, but you need to get to a point where you can reassure yourself that you are not having a heart attack, or an aortic aneurysm or whatever. The chance of these things are incredibly rare, and you are letting your mind go flying. Think about it- you were hungover as hell, of course you are going to have some weird things happen to your body. But it seems like you started to panic when you started reading. In the best case, you should have said "whoa, I'm REALLY hung over! So much that I'm a bit tingly", took a shower, drank some water and worked on getting better. Believe me, you would KNOW if you were having a heart attack.

As far as still feeling shaky all the time, I'm going through the same thing right now but working on it. The issue is that after that first experience, and your anxiety since, your nervous system has reset itself. Instead of it's sensitivity being normal, it thinks it needs to be on high alert all the time. It might not even make you feel like you are ANXIOUS, you may just feel really weird, kind of like everything is a dream. Those shaky feelings can in turn make you more anxious (ie- "What's wrong with me!"). Combine that with the fact that you are probably nervous about having another panic attack, and being in places like a kids bday party can be overwhelming because you become afraid of having an attack.

I haven't used alprazolam, but have been taking lorazepam (very similar) when things get rough. Your dose is very safe, but these drugs can be addicting and you do develop tolerance for them (meaning you need to take more). I would use it in the very short term when you start feeling really anxious, and it does wonders to knock the edge off. But do not get to a point where you are taking them constantly, or increasing the dose.

It could be beneficial to see a therapist who can give you some tools to deal with this. That tingly feeling in your chest/back is almost certainly because your nerves are so sensitive right now things are going to feel a little weird. When you get those feelings, work on telling yourself "I am healthy, I am not having a heart attack. My nervous system is on edge and that's what is causing these sensations" and then try and do something to take your mind off it- play a video game, watch TV, etc.

Over time and with work, your nervous system will realize it is unnecessarily on high alert, and you will return back to normal.

I'm no doctor so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I'm working through very similar problems right now and have done lots of research. My days are getting better, although some are still a bit difficult.

EDIT: Oh, and I'd lay off the booze for a bit, or avoid hangovers for the near future. You want your body to be strong so your mind can return to full health.

[ladywillow]

Welcome to the site. Just wanted to let you know you aren't alone in what you are going through. I have been through much of what you described.

[anxiousmess]

hiya.
yeah, you definitely aren't alone as i have also been through alot of what you described.

it sounds to me as though stress is playing a huge part in all of this.
the house - the bankruptcy - the financial side of things. those are all huge issues for anybody to deal with.
stress can bring on alot of anxiety related things.

obviously, alcohol is no good for you at this moment in time. also, stay well away from searching your symptoms online.
accept that you are having a difficult time with anxiety at the moment, and if push comes to shove. go and see a therapist to help you get through this rough patch.
alcohol is a natural depressant, so if your body isn't at 100% then it is just going to knock you back that little bit more.

i am not sure about a chiropractor as i've never seen one, nor do i even really know what they are about.
if your doctor thinks that it is a good idea, then i would listen to him/her.

i hope you get this sorted soon, as i know how awful it is!

[dave972]

thanks for the support and if any more readers see this please reply as it makes me feel this much better that those who have replied are going through this or have been for years. I dont want this to effect my family,friends and work. its hard to get out of my mind that I could be having heart pains or heart attack symptoms it really is....as far as alcohol I dont consume it anymore as Im scared of the next day...its come close though as I have that withdrawl where im somewhere with family doing a bar bq or something and they are all drinking..I just want to be normal again and it sucks. im just glad my wife is supporting me to the max. which is very important to me....

[browneyemee65]

This place is awesome for helping to deal with anxiety. I too suffer from the feeling of having a heartache. A week ago i got blood tests back that showed i had high triglycerides. That shot my anxiety about heart artacks through the roof. I am now on celexa daily and xanax for instant relief from the panic attacks. Fearing driving and being alone is awful. I pray everyday this will soon come to an end. Good luck and heres to an anxiety free tomorrow.