Can anyone provide some information please?

[ANDY.B]

Approximately three weeks ago whilst out shopping I felt chest pains and dizziness. I obviously panicked as this hasn't occurred before, I'm 33yrs, fit and healthy male. I returned home where it occurred again and due to having my young daughters present i decided to call for an ambulance. I was subsequently taken to A&E where i had ECG, bloods taken, X-ray and so on. I was soon released and informed it was stress, however i felt fine prior to this?
The following week i had sickness/diarrhoea and chest pains so returned to hospital again for more test which were again all fine.
Three weeks on I'm still not great, my stomach hurts through the night and makes lots of strange sounds followed by diarrhoea again in the morning! Ive lost a stone in weight, look pale and have no energy.
I have had every blood test going through my GP, stool samples x 3, ultra sound and still nothing found. The main concern is my weight loss and a feeling of something in my throat which comes and goes. Im due to have an endoscopy in a few days to make sure my stomach/throat is fine.
I feel and now believe that all this is an anxiety problem stemming from the initial incident.
I have not been sleeping very well at all, some horrible nightmares. I feel like I'm going to die from Cancer or something nasty? I get confident with every test, however my positive thinking doesn't seem to last and i begging to think of other illness's.
On opening up to family members i have also discovered that four close relatives suffer greatly from panic attacks and anxiety problems, can this be linked?

Thanks to everyones discussions, I've found them extremely reassuring and helpful and look forward to reading more.

Andy

[alankay]

Andy, yep docs think anxiety has a biological basis. Some who peddle cures/treatment programs would disagree and claim you can think your way out(Allll in the mind) of it but real success on that is limited.
Anyway I have little doubt that you have some anxiety going on. The docs are very good at finding physical issues so that starts to kind of rule it out. Could it be you were anxious before the initial incident in hindsight?
Do you have allot of stressful stuff going on at work or home/relationships? Just trying to think about a stressor that triggered this all. Even if this is anxiety it seems the later in life it manifests itself, the less serious the anxiety is if indeed a disorder, as opposed to a passing episode which is also possible.
It all points to anxiety. The sleep problems, stomach issues/feeling, thinking you have or may have a nasty illness. Still you should indeed get checked to make sure it's not a physical issue and then see a counselor to see if you can work on the anxiety. They will try to look at your life and what's going on and try to find a stressor or main cause for the anxiety and work on it.
Stress can induce anxiety as it just takes time to get to this point and why it seems you were fine all along up to the initial incident.
Message me any time. Alankay

[ANDY.B]

Hello and thanks for your comments, I have been under a lot of pressure at work recently and just change departments too so this could be the trigger i guess?
Things couldn't be better at home really, but kids do stress me out from time to time!! but they also make life amazing and thats why i can't let this get out of hand. The doctor gave me some Trazodone 50mg? I tried them for two nights to help me sleep and calm me down which they did but i haven't taken anymore as i don't want to get hooked or needy? Never take tablets and don't want to start. Any views or the herbal side?

I have a councillor coming over on Monday from work, she's really nice and after having a chat with her it seems beneficial.
Its strange but when the first incident occurred i was in the dreaded Tesco store and when i now return it makes me panic again and my throat starts to close up.

thanks

[ANDY.B]

Alankay,
I've also spoken to my younger brother today as he's had some problems but has never opened up to me about it. He stated that he thought his heart was racing and beating out strangely or felt that way. He went through all the same test regarding blood, heart monitor to find nothing wrong. He then stated he had sickness and diarrhoea for six months and lost two stone. I don't see much of him as we live away from each other but couldnt believe he didn't inform me of his condition. It was only due to me opening up and letting him know whats going on he told me. Guess its someone people don't like to share, even with close family?

[alankay]

Andy, well I think lots are afraid people won't understand. I am. My brothers and Parents knew I went through a very "rough spot"(while in college) years ago but don't know that's it still a part of me and I manage fine.
I also feel since folks won't understand why should I bother them with it. Sure some will indeed but how do you know?
Also I hate to admit it. Still at 48 I feel although I am free from high anxiety I still resent this all if that makes sense. I resent that I need meds at times but that's part of how I manage it all.
Trazodone is good for that(sleep and anxiety). It would help but if feel like you don't want meds take pass on it. I bet it did help. That med is not habit forming or anything so maybe taking at night for a while would help lower the anxiety.
Herbals. Well there's Valerian Root, Kava Kava, Hops Extract, Passionflower, Skull Cap and Chamomile Teas("Sleepy Time" teas). Of course results vary by the individual but those are some to try. I never got much from them but I know others have.
Brisk walks(I'm a runner) are great to help get calmed down(any aerobic exercise).
Antihistamines have anti-anxiety effects as well. In fact modern meds (SSRI's) for depression and anxiety were developed from them.
Yeah you can associate anxiety with the place it first occurred. Just understand it didn't cause it, it just happened to come out there. All the stuff there can kind of overstimulate allot of folks. Very common for folks to not like those big stores with all the lights, signs, people, sounds and crap...I, I mean products on display jammed down their throats.:) Is Tesco like a Wal-Mart? Big Old Dept Store?? I have a bud from North of London who worked there in IT support and I think he was mostly around large food/supermarket stores.
Anyway I bet the counselor will help. Trust me this is common and if she's a trained healthcare pro she's seen this before many times and has been trained on it.
Yes, stress at work and home over a period of time can do it. Not to blame anything/anyone but in our modern world we sometimes get busier than what's good for us and lots of us can get a bit overwhelmed(kind of underneath our consciousness) and wind up making us anxious. Others might get headaches, high blood pressure, stomach, sleep issues only from this stress but others get anxiety.
Kids indeed make life worth living. I have none but my fiance' does. Everything in life can be a double edge sword. Sometime we have to handle the sharp edge, disagreements, etc, and that just part of it all. It's worth it in the long run as you know to put all you have into the family. But sure, it can be hard. Of course.
If your Brother has had his anxiety for a while I wonder if he has anything that worked well for him as you have allot in common genetically. So maybe he found an herbal, etc. that really helped him. I'd ask if you are comfy doing so.
I've been to Ireland and the Continent and have England on the "to see" list so if you are a beer drinker any highly recommend Ales? England has a reputation of having the best brewed Ales and we have nastiness here for beer(most yanks just don't know any better:(). I'd always take a recommendation on that from a Englishman. Disregard if you don't drink beer.
But meet with the counselor(it's hard the first time to talk to someone about this stuff) and I bet it will help. She may have some great insight on what's at the root of it all and how it might be handled but that will take some time.
Limit caffeine for now as well alcohol and look up via google progressive relaxation, deep breathing exercises and some brisk walks will help reduce anxiety. Message me any time. Alankay

[ANDY.B]

Hello, I have tried Camomile tea and find it helpful, especially on the stomach at night. I will try the other products you have recommended.
Yeah Tesco is like your Wal-mart i guess.
I do like my ale and my local pub sells a lovely Morland Speckled Hen which i would recommend, i believe it has taken over Newcastle Brown Ale on the sales side for the North of England. Some heavy drinkers over here I'm afraid!! I find Lager such as Bud too gassy.
I am a cop over here and work is being great and very understanding, not sure what the lads might say but don't care to be honest. I did exercise on a regular basis but since this scare I've been feeling weak and not up to it. I will start of easy tomorrow with a good long walk and see how it goes. I do feel like I'm becoming a hermit and only feel at ease whilst inside my home/garden. Guess it might be the fear of passing out or something? But can't live like that so thats first thing for the list!!
I have stopped drinking tea/coffee and even though i didn't eat many sweets I'm avoiding them totally now and eating really healthly.

Again i appreciate your time and knowledge on this subject which is new to me, however I'm accepting it and dealing with it head on.

Thanks Andy

[alankay]

Andy, ah! Well that's a tough, tough job depending on the locale. Very tough. Actually I believe some studies/surveys here rate that as the most or one of the most stressful and just damn demanding jobs. So with other things going on it can all pile on.:(
I have had Old Speckled Hen. I had some Wells Bombardier last night and liked it a bit better than Old Speckled Hen(just my taste). I had a couple Guinness Stouts as well. Bud(nasty stuff) uses rice syrup and gives me a nasty headache. Miller uses corn sugar as an adjunct(I'm a home brewer so ignore if I go too deep on this) which is better. But best is all-malt like the Europeans.:) I enjoy Newcastle Brown Ale with it's nutty flavor. Samuel Smiths and Fullers London Pride is at beer wine shops here and very good as is good old Bass. I'll have another.:)
Yes walking is great and try to keep from staying in the home/garden too much. Just start be staying near home and walking around.
You can have a bit of coffee is just that some folks get tons and that should be avoided.
Just a hunch but have you any cases recently that kind of upset you(more than say usual)? I won't ask but some of the things police see during their duties would really bother most folks. Factor it in while trying to figure out all the stuff that stressing you, that's all I'm saying. Message me any time. Alankay

[ANDY.B]

I took some Nytol (Herbal) last night and had the best sleep yet, slight stomach pain but nothing like before and feel much better today for having a good sleep!
Yeah work can be extremely stressful but i have always managed it well as I've been doing it now for 10yrs, however last month during a big court case i did have a slight panic attack due to pressure and felt dizzy, breathless and hot. I also recall my heart pounding rapidly which again maybe the cause/trigger for all this hitting me out of the blue? I have always dealt with these things fine but there is a limit everyone can take i guess and with things piling up its become too much?
Its so difficult being positive and confident that nothing is medically wrong with me. I have stopped weighting myself every five minutes and want to get the endoscopy out the way on thursday.

Thanks

[ANDY.B]

Received some councelling today which was helpful and definately needed. My throat still feels like someones got me in a headlock when going out or dealing with something trivial, which isn't great but went for a long walk and intend to go out again twice every day. Also having some acid reflux which hurts like hell and i guess that will cause IBS?

[stevie]

Hi Andy B-
I also have reflux (from before anxiety) and it came back with a vengeance when I first began suffering from anxiety. I use omnipradex- you need a prescription but it works wonders. Chamomile tea is great for calming nerves, and so is Dr. Bach's Rescue Remedy (made in England, I think) which is an herbal solution.
Also, there was a book suggested on the forum which I went out and read and which was great- "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Dr. Claire Weekes. It was, as its name suggests, very helpful. Of course, in my opinion, nothing can substitute the importance of seeing a therapist...

best of luck,

[ANDY.B]

Thanks for your suggestions i will take a look. I have more stomach problems through the night and after meals. My stomach makes so much noise and it feels like my bowels are knotted up somehow which obviously starts to freak me out and i think the worst again! My doctor just states its IBS but I've always been fine in this department (prior to panic attack) so i find it difficult to accept. I just wish they could open me up and take a look around!! I total agree about the importance of seeing a therapist and found it extremely beneficial.

Thank