Help!

[lmr019]

I was told by my doctor back in March that I had anxiety because I came in with rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, etc. Those symptoms also developed into an acid reflux problem (whole other issue). I controlled the anxiety, or at least after a week or so I maintained it.
Now this recent week everything has come back! I have that feeling where I can't get in a good breath. My throat gets tight. Butterflies in my heart. Face gets hot and the acid reflux acts up. Does anyone else have symptoms like me???! I just constantly worry that it's some sort of heart or lung problem. I feel like I make myself worry more than I need to!

[amaranthe]

My face also gets hot and red during my episodes (of panic attacks)... No acid reflux though. Anxiety can lead to a lot of physical problems or symptoms... The stress on your body caused by the stress hormones released IN your body. *Siiigh* I get other digestive problems from it though (plus lots of other stuff). I worry too much about myself too. Had a bad week and could barely eat or do anything. I went to the Dr. and had my thyroid checked to see if it was the cause of my anxiety attacks... Nope, it wasn't. Your Dr.'s probably right- it's caused by anxiety. Hope you feel better soon.

[fortizboriqua]

I was told by my doctor back in March that I had anxiety because I came in with rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, etc. Those symptoms also developed into an acid reflux problem (whole other issue). I controlled the anxiety, or at least after a week or so I maintained it. Now this recent week everything has come back! I have that feeling where I can't get in a good breath. My throat gets tight. Butterflies in my heart. Face gets hot and the acid reflux acts up. Does anyone else have symptoms like me???! I just constantly worry that it's some sort of heart or lung problem. I feel like I make myself worry more than I need to!

Your symptoms are all normal for panic attacks! Keep in mind that your body can endure these symptoms for many many years. I had panic disorder for 8 months and I fought it to the bitter end!! As you start to defeat it your body will slowly return back to normal. The key to defeating panic disorder is losing fear of it and your symptoms. When your symptoms come on you have to try to ignore them. If you fear your symptoms it will fuel the panic. Your fear fuels panic and anxiety! The day you lose fear of panic and anxiety is the day you will start to heal. When your symptoms come on you have to ignore them. Divert your attention away from them. Go about your business. Use cognitive techniques like counting numbers on the clock. You have felt them many times before and every time is exactly the same. I know I'm making it sound easy but I know and understand that it's not. Towards the end of my illness, every time I started to feel anxiety come on I wouldn't pay attention to it. The second you start to feel anxiety and panic you start to feel fear of the sensations. The fear that you feel fuels the panic and anxiety. No one has ever died from a panic attacks or anxiety. So try your hardest not to fear it. There were times when I would be sitting on my couch watching TV and anxiety would start to come on for no reason. The second the anxiety would start to hit I would just ignore it. I just continued watching TV and kept my attention to the program. The more that you do this the sooner it will slowly start to dissolve. Panic disorder is a fear driven illness and the day you lose the fear is the day you will start to heal. So the next time you start to have symptoms ignore them and I guarantee that eventually everything will be okay. I'm sorry if this post is repetitive but I'm trying to get my point across on how to defeat it.

[lmr019]

Wow. Thanks! I'm so glad there are other people out there that feel the same way I do! I was starting to think I was just crazy!

[alankay]

Yep. Belly issues of all sorts and anxiety often go hand in hand. Veery common. Alankay

[PanicPhobia]

Does anyone else have symptoms like me???!

Yes, pretty much everyone on this forum.

Welcome to the world of anxiety. It sucks, but it can be treated and controlled. I suggest you look into asking your doctor what you can do to get it under control. Of course, you may be lucky and it may be a temporary thing (some people only have panic attacks very infrequently), but if it's an everyday thing, go talk to your doctor.