Scared of dying and getting sick

[superanxious]

Hi,

I am new here and I've been battling with anxiety for over a year now. It all started when I got this allergy November of last year. I had this burning sensation which started on my cheeks an radiated throughout my head. It was so hot I got really nervous, I had my BP checked and it was high but after a few minutes I checked again and it normalized. Because it's difficult to sleep, I went straight to the ER and when I got there my BP was normal. My mom was very scared because she thinks it's high blood or other heart problems, which got me scared as well. The doctor diagnosed me with hives and injected Benadryl. The burning sensation subsided after a few hours. However, my mom insisted that I take some tests the next day so I agreed. By the way, I am 23 years old, married and we have one 5-year old son. So the next day I had the lipid profile done as well as the EKG exam. Everything came back normal although my EKG had this "old heart attack" result there, which got me panicky. I saw a cardiologist and he found me funny because I was very anxious especially when he listened to my heartbeat. He didn't even talk about the old heart attack thing written on my EKG results, so I'm guessing there's nothing to worry about. He just told me to quit smoking, exercise, have a balanced diet and stop drinking coffee cos it makes you nervous. After that I saw my OB-Gyne cos I was on BCP as well and my mom wanted me to stop taking them because she still thinks that I have high blood. I showed the results to my OB and she was surprised to see that there is an"old heart attack" result there. That is when I got the panic attacks. I started to worry about my health especially regarding my heart ever since. In fact, I was even told that I was a hyperchondriac.

Right now, I am living a healthier life and I exercise daily. However, I got anxious once again after my morning run this morning because after that my left arm started to be painful. It feels like there's a pinched nerve or something. Then the left side of my head up to my neck has this burning sensation which I got when I got anxious and panicky an hour ago.

Can anybody help me?

I'm scared of death and getting sick all the time. Yet I always worry that there is something wrong with me. Every pain I feel in my body causes worry and anxiety for me. It's sohard. I've been to therapy for a couple of months until I was let go by my psychologist because she thinks that I can handle it now or she wants to try if I can handle it on my own. I'm so sad that I'm still here and still worrying about these things, I should be enjoying my life. =(

[dazza]

Hi

Did you ever find out what the allergy was? and why did your mum suspect a heart issue? do you have heart disease in your family?

You're 23 and your son is 5... WOW, you're a VERY young parent!

The obvious, one issue that sticks out like a sore thumb is this "old heart attack" business.
You mention it twice but only briefly. Personally, I'd want to know what on earth this was all about.

After a heart attack, heart muscle cells die & release proteins into the blood.
I take it they concluded this from the amount of proteins found in your blood?
WHY? is the question I'd be asking.

I don't think I could move on until I knew the exact condition of my heart.

[superanxious]

Hi

Did you ever find out what the allergy was? and why did your mum suspect a heart issue? do you have heart disease in your family?

You're 23 and your son is 5... WOW, you're a VERY young parent!

The obvious, one issue that sticks out like a sore thumb is this "old heart attack" business.
You mention it twice but only briefly. Personally, I'd want to know what on earth this was all about.

After a heart attack, heart muscle cells die & release proteins into the blood.
I take it they concluded this from the amount of proteins found in your blood?
WHY? is the question I'd be asking.

I don't think I could move on until I knew the exact condition of my heart.

My mom was worried cos I got so fat and I eat everything I want.

Yes, I am a very young parent.

I don't know about the "old heart attack" thing, but it says on my EKG "OLD M.I". I asked my friend who was a nurse, if I had a heart attack before, why didn't I feel a thing? I've seen how heart attacks do to people and they usually blackout, clasping their chest and collapsing. However, I don't recall any heart attack episodes. My cardio saw this and he didn't explain anything but just to me to have a lifestyle change. Weird.

I am really not ready to see another cardio or have myself checked once again right now. It's very traumatic for me until now.

The Old heart attack wasn't seen in my blood, it was on my EKG result.

[dazza]

My mom was worried cos I got so fat and I eat everything I want.

Yes, I am a very young parent.

I don't know about the "old heart attack" thing, but it says on my EKG "OLD M.I". I asked my friend who was a nurse, if I had a heart attack before, why didn't I feel a thing? I've seen how heart attacks do to people and they usually blackout, clasping their chest and collapsing. However, I don't recall any heart attack episodes. My cardio saw this and he didn't explain anything but just to me to have a lifestyle change. Weird.

I am really not ready to see another cardio or have myself checked once again right now. It's very traumatic for me until now.

The Old heart attack wasn't seen in my blood, it was on my EKG result.

Heart attacks don't always hurt. You may have suffered a "silent heart attack" which often go undetected.

NOW, IF this happened then I'd want to know why. The usual cause is restricted blood flow - usually blocked or partially blocked arteries.
IF you have blocked arteries then you will NEED to do something about it... and pretty soon.

Tell tale signs of blocked arteries are:

1/ Out of breath very quickly
2/ Some discomfort in your chest when exercising

Losing the weight & changing your lifestyle for the better is obviously a major step in the right direction.

Do you have heart problems in your family?

I've read that the heart can actually perform it's own bypass. If arteries get blocked, new vessels are grown around the blockage allowing the blood through.

I suggest you need a thorough blood flow check when you feel you can.

[superanxious]

Heart attacks don't always hurt. You may have suffered a "silent heart attack" which often go undetected.

NOW, IF this happened then I'd want to know why. The usual cause is restricted blood flow - usually blocked or partially blocked arteries.
IF you have blocked arteries then you will NEED to do something about it... and pretty soon.

Tell tale signs of blocked arteries are:

1/ Out of breath very quickly
2/ Some discomfort in your chest when exercising

Losing the weight & changing your lifestyle for the better is obviously a major step in the right direction.

Do you have heart problems in your family?

I've read that the heart can actually perform it's own bypass. If arteries get blocked, new vessels are grown around the blockage allowing the blood through.

I suggest you need a thorough blood flow check when you feel you can.

My 2D-Echo didn't show any blocked arteries or whatsoever.

My nurse who is a nurse told me that the heart has its own way of repairing itself. And EKG results are not always 100% accurate...

I am not out of breath quickly except when jogging, which is pretty normal and I just quit smoking a couple of months ago. Also, I can run for 15-20 minutes. I also don't experience any discomfort in my chest when exercising.

Now, you got me really anxious again. LOL.

[superanxious]

Aside from this, during the EKG exam I was very very anxious. The whole time I wasn't able to relax.

[trinidiva]

I can ask my dad what that means, if you want. He does exercise physiology and works with cardiac rehab patients quite a bit.....

[jhunter89]

Heart attacks don't always hurt. You may have suffered a "silent heart attack" which often go undetected.

Holy shit!

[dazza]

My 2D-Echo didn't show any blocked arteries or whatsoever.

My nurse who is a nurse told me that the heart has its own way of repairing itself. And EKG results are not always 100% accurate...

I am not out of breath quickly except when jogging, which is pretty normal and I just quit smoking a couple of months ago. Also, I can run for 15-20 minutes. I also don't experience any discomfort in my chest when exercising.

Now, you got me really anxious again. LOL.

Sorry, I don't mean to make you anxious. I locked onto the dominant part of your post - the previous heart attack report and so anxiety became irrelevant.

Although this is an anxiety forum - I'm always keen to try and spot or highlight any "potential" real health issues. The two can easily be mistaken and so we MUST be cautious & vigilent.
(I'm no doctor, however... so people can ignore me if they wish, and I REALLY hope they can prove me wrong)

How you go about sorting your health out is your choice. I hope you listen to the right people and make the right decisions!

All the best,
Darren