It's been 3 weeks of anxiety..

[hefightsfor]

What started as a freakout from thinking I had an std (turned out not to be, but did look like herpes), turned into anxiety a couple days later. The overwhelming stress from scaring myself into thinking I had herpes was enough to give me anxiety. Which, in getting that, scared me into thinking something was wrong with my heart. I got chest tightness, shortness of breath, the usual stuff.
I had one anxiety attack, and rushed to the Walk-In, where I was diagnosed. A few days later, I got to come in for testing, and sure enough...healthy as can be, so anxiety is what I had.
Now it's been 3 weeks since that day I went into the walk-in. I've been handling it real well and positively. I havent had an attack since, and I feel slowly like I've been getting back to my normal self...but it persists. Each day is about the same. I don't let it get in the way, but I can't help but think about it a lot. I still have chest tightness here and there, and I sometimes get focused on my breathing if I'm sitting alone.
I'm really just wanting to go back to when this never happened, but now that it has, I just want it to be over. I have another check up with my doctor in a week or so, and I look forward to that, but is it normal that my anxiety has lasted this long? It's getting a little aggravating. :/

[Ratzinger]

What started as a freakout from thinking I had an std (turned out not to be, but did look like herpes), turned into anxiety a couple days later. The overwhelming stress from scaring myself into thinking I had herpes was enough to give me anxiety. Which, in getting that, scared me into thinking something was wrong with my heart. I got chest tightness, shortness of breath, the usual stuff.
I had one anxiety attack, and rushed to the Walk-In, where I was diagnosed. A few days later, I got to come in for testing, and sure enough...healthy as can be, so anxiety is what I had.
Now it's been 3 weeks since that day I went into the walk-in. I've been handling it real well and positively. I havent had an attack since, and I feel slowly like I've been getting back to my normal self...but it persists. Each day is about the same. I don't let it get in the way, but I can't help but think about it a lot. I still have chest tightness here and there, and I sometimes get focused on my breathing if I'm sitting alone.
I'm really just wanting to go back to when this never happened, but now that it has, I just want it to be over. I have another check up with my doctor in a week or so, and I look forward to that, but is it normal that my anxiety has lasted this long? It's getting a little aggravating. :/

I had something very similar myself. A few weeks after I started getting anxiety, somehow I got it into my head that I had HIV, although it was 99.99% impossible that I did! It was completely irrational but it triggered some horrible anxiety. I got myself tested and was negative, and my anxiety has subsided but it comes back every now and again.

Understand that an anxiety attack can really shake you up. My attacks were months ago, and it scared me because I first felt that there was something wrong with my heart, as it was jumping all over the place. As a result I am still on edge from those attacks, which I think can lead to occasional flare ups. I too have had the doctor give my heart the a-ok, but every now and again my chest will tighten or my heart will start doing somersaults, and its awful. There is no set time for anxiety, but your freakout over getting herpes may have been a symptom, not a cause, of your anxiety.

I can't help you get over your anxiety as I am not completely over mine yet, but I just want to let you know that I have the same thing, and it is DEFINITELY anxiety. Understand it for what it is, and you are on the first step to getting rid of it!