Hey 22 year old male from Tampa

[Alex Newton]

Here recently i have been having anxiety fairly badly. I went to the ER 3 times in a week because i was having panic attacks. I will admit i used to smoke a little herb and cigarettes but ive kicked both of those in the butt. And my anxiety was relieved only slightly. i went to an actual doctor for a check-up and because i was having pain in my chest and my left arm and back shoulder, pounding and accelerated heartbeat. And shortness of breath. They hooked me up to the ekg machine and everything was supposedly fine. And he chalked it up to stress. That was 2 months ago..... And the pain still isn't relieved. I dont want to jump to conclusions and say its a ticking time bomb. Im young But i do have high blood pressure 140/90 - 160/110 sometimes. Im scared to be honest. And unsure what is wrong with my body. I have humana and most doctors just shove me out the door as fast as they can..... i dont know what to do.

[gypsylee]

Hi Alex and welcome :)

[Kuma]

Here recently i have been having anxiety fairly badly. I went to the ER 3 times in a week because i was having panic attacks. I will admit i used to smoke a little herb and cigarettes but ive kicked both of those in the butt. And my anxiety was relieved only slightly. i went to an actual doctor for a check-up and because i was having pain in my chest and my left arm and back shoulder, pounding and accelerated heartbeat. And shortness of breath. They hooked me up to the ekg machine and everything was supposedly fine. And he chalked it up to stress. That was 2 months ago..... And the pain still isn't relieved. I dont want to jump to conclusions and say its a ticking time bomb. Im young But i do have high blood pressure 140/90 - 160/110 sometimes. Im scared to be honest. And unsure what is wrong with my body. I have humana and most doctors just shove me out the door as fast as they can..... i dont know what to do.

Hi Alex. Welcome to the forum. Here's my advice (for whatever it is worth): Go to a internal medicine doctor who you trust and get a comprehensive physical, including an EKG and all appropriate blood work. If that identifies any medical problems, then of course you will follow up. If not, then it would probably be reasonable to assume that stress and anxiety are causing or at least substantially contributing to your symptoms -- in which case you need to treat those conditions. Just because they are not primarily physical, does not mean they don't need treatment. What treatment you choose is up to you. Could be lifestyle stuff -- exercise, adequate sleep, consistently good diet, no smoking, stress reduction techniques, meditation, yoga, working on your relationships, etc. Or maybe counseling or psychotherapy would be helpful. Or medication. Or something else. But if you find that you have a psychological condition, it is good to acknowledge that and figure out what you are going to do about it. Maybe some people here can help. Communicating with others who know what it is like to live with anxiety can be useful. Good luck.

[JohnC]

Hi Alex, Kuma has given you some good advice. i find it helpful to talk with friends on this forum and get their opinions and thoughts and sometimes its just helpful as a tool to keep my ever wandering mind busy. :)

[livewell3]

Hi Alex! I, too, agree with Kuma's advice!

[StaceyGirl88]

I had symptoms like you about two years ago. My panic attacks stemmed from abusing Adderall during college. They did the whole EKG thing as well and found nothing. I remember for the next year I would put my hand on my chest to feel my racing heart beat 50+ times a day--everyday. Eventually it just kind of went away. I concluded it was just me worrying too much. I was going through a bad breakup during that time as well and became very depressed. Hopefully you will be OK as well.

[dphilippe]

Here recently i have been having anxiety fairly badly. I went to the ER 3 times in a week because i was having panic attacks. I will admit i used to smoke a little herb and cigarettes but ive kicked both of those in the butt. And my anxiety was relieved only slightly. i went to an actual doctor for a check-up and because i was having pain in my chest and my left arm and back shoulder, pounding and accelerated heartbeat. And shortness of breath. They hooked me up to the ekg machine and everything was supposedly fine. And he chalked it up to stress. That was 2 months ago..... And the pain still isn't relieved. I dont want to jump to conclusions and say its a ticking time bomb. Im young But i do have high blood pressure 140/90 - 160/110 sometimes. Im scared to be honest. And unsure what is wrong with my body. I have humana and most doctors just shove me out the door as fast as they can..... i dont know what to do.

Alex,

I would like to first begin by welcoming you to this forum.

I can relate to your story when you say you have been to the ER with panic attacks. I went through the same thing over a span of a few weeks.

Panic attacks are not something we can control when they happen, but we can most definitely do our best to keep ourselves calm when they do happen.

Stress can play a big part in anxiety and panic attacks. It is important to remember that anxiety is just a feeling.

Perhaps talking someone such as a counselor could be beneficial to you while being a great part of this forum.

dphilippe