Not sure what's going on!!!

[Jewelz]

Ok, so here's a brief rundown, this past July a very good friend of mine passed away suddenly, he drowned and my grandmother has been put on hospice care. From that day forward I have been nothing but an emotional reck! About 2 weeks ago I guess my emotional distress took a turn for the worst and manifested into the physical. One evening while on lunch break I noticed my heart skipped a few beats but I didnt think much of it as it has happened in the past and the feeling never lingered, but when I got home that evening I really noticed that this time they were still happening. Naturally I panicked and the sensation worsened!! Since that day I have had a racing, fluttering heart with even the slightest amount of exercise, no desire to do things I used to enjoy, lack of appetite, lack of sleep, shakiness, hair loss, crying spells, nausea (worst in morning to include vomitting), constant unexplained fear, stomach issues, lack of motivation in work and school (studying for paralegal degree), not wanting to be alone, extreme fatigue, etc.
The worst is the heart flutters which have landed me in the ER twice all for them to run all sorts of test (EKG, blood. Urine, etc.)and ultimately tell me I'm fine its just anxiety besides a lack of potassium (gave me supplements). Can anyone relate?????.

[Anne1221]

I ended up in the ER only to be told it's anxiety, and also they told me I was low on potassium.

[Anne1221]

You did have two major life stressors so it may take time to adjust to that. I have never had the fluttering heart but others have described it on this forum. It sound like you have a combination of depression and anxiety.

[Boo Bass]

All the symptoms you mentioned are physical symptoms of anxiety which lead to mental fatigue.

There are self help coping strategies but medication should not be ruled out.

Its a horrible state to be in. Just realize there are millions of fellow sufferers.

[Nowuccas]

Hey Jewelz,

I was aware that stress could cause hair loss, but apparently anxiety can, as well; check out https://www.google.com.au/search?client=opera&q=hair+loss%3B+anxiety+%2B+panic&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 such as:

Hair Loss, Thinning, Balding – anxiety symptoms – anxietycentre.com
www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms/hair-loss-anxiety.shtml
Common anxiety related hair loss descriptions: ... You notice your hair is falling out in clumps. ... If your doctor said your hair loss is from anxiety and/or stress, yes, stress, including the stress caused by being overly anxious, can cause hair loss, thinning, and balding.

Another forum member provided the following useful information:

Common Anxiety Symptoms - AnxietyCentre.com

Here are some of the many symptoms associated with anxiety disorder (because each person has a unique chemical make up, the symptoms and their intensity will vary from person to person).

The Member's area of this website contains explanations on what causes many of these symptoms and why they occur:
Body

* Burning Sensations throughout the body
* Chronic Fatigue
* Electric shock feeling
* Excess of energy, you feel you can’t relax
* Feel like you are going to pass out or faint
* Feeling cold or chilled
* Hyperactivity, excess energy
* Increased or decreased sex drive
* Muscle twitching
* Neck, back, shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
* No energy, feeling lethargic, tired
* Numbness or tingling in hands, feet, face, head, or any other places on the body
* Persistent muscle tension, stiffness
* Sore or tight scalp or back of the neck
* Startle easily
* Sweating, uncontrollable profuse sweating
* The floor feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
* Trembling or shaking
* Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom
* Warm spells
* Weak legs, arms, or muscles

Chest

* Chest pain or discomfort
* Concern about the heart
* Feel like you have to force yourself to breath
* Find it hard to breath, feeling smothered, shortness of breath
* Frequent yawning to try and catch your breath
* Heart – beating hard or too fast, rapid heartbeat, palpitations
* Heart - Irregular heart rhythms, flutters or ‘skipped’ beats, tickle in the chest that makes you cough

Your heart doesn't actually skip beats, although irregular heart rhythms may make it seem that way.

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I suggest that you view my previous post about anxiety and panic attacks at http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34755-Panic-attacks-that-last-for-hours

Learn, and employ either Progressive Muscle Relaxation ( http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html ) or acupressure tapping / EFT, whichever you find most effective.

Give the Meridian Tapping Technique / EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. It is free via mercola.com or www.tapping.com (13 free videos), or www.eftuniverse.com or www.emofree.com or one of the many YouTube videos. Google: "YouTube; EFT videos".
Professionally instructed is generally preferable (Google: therapists; EFT; [your location] or mercola.com has a locator). - There is a version for use in public places at http://eft.mercola.com (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you employ the acupressure massage / tapping on your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind: "Even though I have anxiety, I deeply and completely accept myself)." or words of your own choosing.

Previous relevant post/s:

GENERALISED ANXIETY DISORDER: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?33964-New-to-the-site-and-looking-for-help&p=223989#post223989

HERBAL ANXIOLYTICS / ANTI-ANXIETY SUBSTANCES: (passionflower, valerian, St. John's Wort, kanna, sacred lotus, kava kava, etc.) http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34269-5-Powerful-Tools-You-Probably-Haven-t-Tried-Yet&p=225415#post225415

NON HERBAL NATURAL (NON PHARMACEUTICAL) ANXIOLTYICS: (5-htp, SAMe, etc.) http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34355-Help-Please!!!/page2

DEPRESSION: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?32707-has-this-happend-to-you&p=216510#post216510

DEPRESSION; FEMALE: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?35164-Psychology-Advice

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Bananas are an excellent natural source of potassium, but limit yourself to only one at a sitting; diabetics should have only half, to avoid spikes in glucose levels.