Anxiey with health, freaked

[Forrest Owl]

Ok so about 7 months ago I was having a pain in my chest over on the left side and I freaked out and went to the ER. they did tons of blood work, EKG, some kind of monitor, chest x ray and a d-dimer and everything came back normal. so they said its not coming from my heart. I am still freaked because every month I have the pains. I go one week without the pain and then the rest of the month I have it, my primary says its pre menstral pains that are going with my cycle, I was told women really only have 1 week a month of a break before the cycle does it stuff with PMS symptoms. I am not convinced and feel like I should see a cardiooligist. I dont know what to do. I am scared and everyone it just chalking it up to my hypochondria and anxiety. I walk a few times a week and I do my stationary bike everyday for 15-20 mins then crunches for my tummy. my doc said the pain is my pectoral muscle in my chest but I cant help but think its my heart. we have no heart problems in my family and ive never been told I have any. I am afraid I have angina, heart disease, impending heart attack or god knows what else related to my heart. help! and I get my physicals every year and blood work done for everything cholesterol

[anxiousmess]

hiya.
i know you don't want to hear this - but could everyone be chalking it up to anxiety because it is just that?
i have also had (during anxiety), angina, heart disease, several heart attacks and some strokes. obviously not real ones, but they sure felt real at the time!

i remember i was so convinced i had heart disease a while back because the chest pains were there for a week straight. i ignored for the first 2 days, then freaked out and went to docs. was told it was anxiety and to see how i got on over the weekend. still there on there on monday so a couple more trips to docs, then a&e ...they also said anxiety- by this point i was raging by their 'lack of care' and refused to leave until they done further tests. once they were all ruled out the pains went within seconds and i was feeling quite embarrassed! lol

i focused so much on the chest pains that i was actually the reason it wasn't going - my attention constantly on it was just feeding my anxiety!

[Forrest Owl]

my doc said it was pre menstral pains, I believed her because it was just coming on right before my period and ended when it was over, now it seems to be all month

[anxiousmess]

ah bugger. that can't be nice. are you any further forward with your doctors yet?

[samanthajaynebowen]

Hi I suffer from exactly the same ! Constantly thinking I have a heart problem like you said heart disease angina or something else , when I have palpatations and pain under my left breast also goes down my left arm I am convinced its my heart ! Sooo annoying

[Forrest Owl]

yeah I know it cant be either because I was told by a doc it wasn't and I am only 28 but she told me its the pectoral muscle but it still makes me think otherwise

[MainerMikeBrown]

Forrest Owl, I don't want you to be paranoid. But at the same time, your anxieties may decrease if you get more expert advice from medical doctors who specialize in Cardiology as well as Psychiatry. It's your life we're talking about. So you have the right to know what is causing your symptoms.

[biceps72]

A lot of us have health related anxiety!!!! I am a prime example. I worry about health issues all the time.

I approached it in a systematic way and had a great MD and good insurance. Basically I went and had a complete set of sophisticated medical exams. I started with a CMP, CBC, stress EKG, MRI etc.

I have worked out ( hard cardio and weight lifting my entire life, never smoked, chewed, drink rarely (didn't drink booze for 15 years during my competitive weight lifting years ( NEVER DID STEROIDS). I am 62.

Ok, so far so good. Evcerything was good EXCEPT some aspect of kidney function. I had a kidney disease as a kid and my kidneys have been sut down twice. So i was referrered to a nephrologist. She did the basic kidney function tests-- yes I am out of rangwith some parameters and it weas killing me. My level of anxiety was at an all time high. Fact is as it was explained to me that certain blood parameters are measures of kidney function but not PERFECT measures by themselves.

The bottom line is that my blood parameters were not all perfect or in range which caused my the greatest of anxiety. The nephrologist will never see me unless, UNLESS my parameters change. She sent me home and told my GP to do a CMP twice/year and NOT TO WORRY!

Am I health related anxiety free? Hell no but I feel a lot better.

If you think you are sick-- get checked out if you can afford it. If you check out OK--go home, thank God (or your lucky stars?) and forget about it!!!

Modern medicine is incredible actually!!!

Don't let your mind play tricks on you cause it will if you let it!!! Trust me i know!!!