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View Full Version : New here..... My story



Nicholem22
09-04-2012, 08:28 PM
Ok. First of all my name is Nichole. I am 30 years old with a wonderful husband, two kids and a wonderful job as a pediatric oncology nurse. I have always been a "worry wart" growing up. But about 4 years ago something happened that just made my anxiety more than just being a "worry wart". About 4 years ago I went to the ER for shortness of breath. They did a chest CT and noticed I had a pneumomediastinum. Basically one of my lungs was leaking air into the middle of my chest. Fortinitially, it wasn't serious and was somethig that would resolve on its own. Weelllll 4 years later I still feel like I can't breath. I've had a repeat CT scan and everything was normal. I've had PFT's, stress test and an echo. Everything is normal. I obviously feel better than that day 4 years ago. But EVERY single day I still feel this massive pressure in my chest causing me to take deep breaths all day. Feels like I can't take a good satisfying breath. Does that make sense?? It's so scary. -- I've seen a therapist about a year ago. I see her every couple of months or so. She has made me feel better. She thinks I'm having PTSD from it. So I do feel better but still not normal. It has caused such an increase in my anxiety. Lately I'm SOO afraid to die. I'm basically a hypochondriac. I think everything will kill me or I will die young and leave my kids behind! It sucks! I have also been having these weird headaches. Well, not sure of its headaches or not. I have this weird sensation behind my eyes that make my head hurt. Like my eye sockets hurt. It makes me kinda dizzy when I look from object to object and makes my eyes hurt. I don't need glasses and I had a head CT that was normal. I just don't know what's causing this. I am not depressed but all of this makes me sad sometimes. I don't really ever have panic attacks, thankfully. I am just ALWAYS on edge and worrying about something. Had anyone felt this way? If so how did you get through it. I'm Juat ready to feel NORMAL!!!

j2005
09-04-2012, 09:47 PM
Acceptance is really key to this. You are doing well. No panic. All clear from docs. Body is just experiencing physical manifestations of anxiety.

Be okay with it. Accept it. When you can't breathe deep, acknowledge the anxiety and don't fight it. "Oh your back anxiety, okay."

Practice deep breathing everyday.

--James

Tristanayoubi
09-04-2012, 10:23 PM
hiya. My name is Tristan, welcome to the forums.
Anyway here's what I had, and how I stopped it..

I'm a 15 year old guy, never knew what anxiety was, how heart attacks really happened, what a stroke really was, how heartburn was caused etc. one day I got numbness in my left arm along with a pounding heart... my mistake was, I googled it. boom. first thing that showed up, heart attack.. ever since that I've been obsessive about suddenly dying or something.. I went to the E.R shortly after I googled, I had a panic attack and thought I was dying..
what did I do to stop it? I stopped googling. I stopped caring. I lived my life like a 15 year old should.. i'll just list some things.

1.stop googling/wondering about your health
2.accept your symptoms, tell yourself that they're just from anxiety, and that they'll go away shortly.
3.do stress relieving activities like yoga.
4.(optional) take up something not as calm, but definitely stress relieving like martial arts.. I play ice hockey, so i relieve stress that way.