Anxiety of a aaa

[white07lbz]

Hi everyone my name is cory i suffer from what i call severe health anxiety, first of all i'm 26 years old i quit smoking but never really smoked unless i was at work, when my anxiety first started i was at work and thought i was having a heart attack and was sent home that friday i went to bed and that monday i went to the doctor had a check up she said everything was fine she even done a ekg just to ease my mind and show me that my heart was ok, but when i got home i was laying on my sofa and seen my stomach jump with my heart beat, so start goggling and i come up with a AAA, which my grandfather had one and is doing awesome now but he's 74 years old. so i go back to the doctor and tell the nurse that i think i have a AAA so the doctor comes in and looks me dead in the eye and says i do not have a AAA and she felt my stomach and listened, i've had all kinds of blood work done, urine test done. i've always been a healthy person a little over weight but bp has always been awesome. my problem now is after all this i can't shake the thought of me having a AAA and i'm in consent worry about it, Its affecting my marriage my work and life in general. I need some advise on how to convince myself i do not have a AAA

[Fourteen14]

Your proof is in the doctor that told you that you do not have an aneurysm.

The problem is the obsessive thinking that something has been missed or the doctor is wrong.

Firstly aortic aneurysms are not common in your age group.

There are often no outward systems (that you would visibly see), so the "jump" is most likely muscle/nerve or simply the blood pumping through the artery (it is visible when BP is raised temporarily due to anxiety).

The only way (in my opinion) to get past it, is to accept what your doctor has told you.

[Anne1221]

Keep reading this forum and learning ways to battle your anxiety. What is helping me is vigorous exercise and plenty of it. Some people have found meditation to be life-saving.

[white07lbz]

thanks for the quick replies, i'm trying really hard on getting over this fear of having a AAA which i know i don't but i guess having anxiety about it and worrying about it makes it worse and think pulseing in my stomach more noticeable but i only notice it when im laying flat and looking downward at it. i was put on clonzepam 0.5mp twice a day and that helped alot i was getting back to normal and i started working out also but the recent pass of my uncle trigged the worry and anxiety that i may have a AAA again, which they think he had a heart attack and he did not live his life very health.

[white07lbz]

Having a bad day today me and the wife were Goin to take a trip to the mountains but I got so nervous about having a aaa we couldn't make the trip. Now I'm sitting at home just watching my stomach jump

[Anne1221]

Like 14 said, believe your doctor. He went to medical school! You may need to talk to your doctor about how to get your anxiety more under control. I don't think what he gave you is working for you.

[loganson28]

Dude. I know exactly what your going through. I've been dealing with this for 9 months now. I'm 26 as well, with a wife, a son and one on the way.

I've had to cancel simple movie trips because I get really anxious and worried about something happening in public. Work can be hell sometimes. Not very manly to say, but I've had days were I lock myself in a restroom at work and try to gain composure.

I worried every single day for over 2 months about a possible stroke or aneurysm because my 50 year old neighbor had one. I've worried about my heart A LOT. My pulse rises and I worry. Headaches scare the crap out of me now for some reason.....

Have had plenty of tests done, and thankfully they've all come out great.

We need to trust our doctors. Like others on this thread have said. We need to trust they're experience and the fact that they deal with all sorts of illnesses every single day and have done so for a long time. So they know when something is serious or when it's just anxiety. And if they say it's anxiety we have to trust that. i know all this is easier said than done but we have to remind ourselves during times of panic that we are healthy individuals that don't smoke, don't do drugs and carry healthy lifestyles so we need to not worry.

A great book that I started reading is "Hope and help for your nerves" so far it's been a great read and gives you details on why we feel the way we do.

Sorry for the rant. Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if you wanna just chat and compare symptoms. I know that's helped me sometimes.

[Anne1221]

loganson28...what a great and helpful post!

[white07lbz]

I've been to two doctors had x-rays and blood work done and still can't shake the thought of a aaa, the simplest gas pain can throw me for a loop sometimes. I just want to be happy and care free again

[white07lbz]

It's so hard to put trust In the doctors I just want to be happy again

[loganson28]

Unfortunately the more we want to go back to the way we were, the more difficult it is. We have to let time pass. That's very important. Something sent our nerves into craze mode. It was something that took a lot of time. And now to get better, it will take time as well.

Something that helped me was to break my "fear-adrenaline- fear cycle". I developed a few. But one of them was checking my pulse every 15 minutes. No joke. It was every 15 minutes or less. I took it down little by little. I'd check it once every 30 minutes. Then took it down to an hour. And now I can go even longer periods. I havnt stopped yet. But I'm getting there. Little by little.

[white07lbz]

Man I do the same thing and constantly feel my stomach above my navel and look at my stomach all the time

[Dahila]

white your happiness does not have anything to do with doctors. They will not provide happiness, just some relieve with meds, You must find happiness in you my dear. :)

[white07lbz]

Thanks again for replying guys it really helps. I just can't shake the thought of have a aaa I don't understand why

[white07lbz]

Yesterday was rough again thought I had a aaa and I could feel it about to bust any minute. Lucky the dr. I see is at the office on Sundays I called her and she put me on Lexapro. She reassured me I did not have a aaa I felt better for the rest of the day. Anyone ever had bad experiences with Lexapro?

[Dahila]

A lot of people are on it, just put Lexapro in search bar and you will find the threads or go to subforum "Medication" :)

[white07lbz]

First day so far so good, if I could stay off Google maybe I'd be able to shake my problem.

[white07lbz]

Well I have my first appointment with a theorist for a assessment. Wish me luck.

[loganson28]

Well I have my first appointment with a theorist for a assessment. Wish me luck.

How'd it go?

[white07lbz]

It went pretty good I had to go back to my gp, she is finally got me set up for a ultrasound Monday to ease my mind for sure, she would have done it yesterday but I had ate and she said it would only see gas

[loganson28]

It went pretty good I had to go back to my gp, she is finally got me set up for a ultrasound Monday to ease my mind for sure, she would have done it yesterday but I had ate and she said it would only see gas


Have you gotten your results?

[white07lbz]

Yea everything was normal. Thankfully

[white07lbz]

My us come back normal she done my whole abdomen. Now I have this weird pain in my lower left belly that has triggered my anxiety again. It isn't there all the time but sometimes triggered by movement. I'm going crazy.

[white07lbz]

Went to the er today because my BP was 150 / 100 pulse of 95 after getting out the bed. The doctor said it was just my anxiety. I've had blood work ekg, ultrasound, urine test done all come back normal. My doctor gave me Lexapro but I wont take it because I don't want to get addicted to it. I been outta work for a week and a half it was great hardly no anxiety. I went back this past Monday and my anxiety come back.

[loganson28]

Went to the er today because my BP was 150 / 100 pulse of 95 after getting out the bed. The doctor said it was just my anxiety. I've had blood work ekg, ultrasound, urine test done all come back normal. My doctor gave me Lexapro but I wont take it because I don't want to get addicted to it. I been outta work for a week and a half it was great hardly no anxiety. I went back this past Monday and my anxiety come back.

White,

I'm sorry to hear you had another panic attack. But on the bright side, your assured once again that you are healthy.

As far as the medication goes. I feel the same as you do. I do not want to become dependent on meds. But I know that a lot of people would tell us otherwise and would really recommend them. It's a personal choice. But as for me, I am not taking the Xanax they have prescribed. In no way am I telling you to do the same. But it's just my personal choice.

Instead, I go to the gym 4 times a week. There are days that can be really though because my anxiety can get the best of me when my heart rate speeds up. But those are the moments we have to remember we've had tests done and they've all come back good.

I had/have loads of trouble believing it wasn't my heart. But there was 1 thing that helped ease my mind.

A doctor in urgent care explained to me that when the heart is under stress, or experiencing a heart attack it releases chemicals that immediately go into our blood stream. Chemicals that are impossible to miss during a blood test. He then showed me the numbers and showed me that my tests had come back completely negative with no traces of the chemical in my body.

This helped me. This helped reassure me that there are things that can't be missed during a test and that I need to believe my doctors.

You also brought up a great point. You went back to work and you could feel yourself more anxious. That's a big clue for yourself. I say try to find what exactly makes you anxious at work. The work load? Certain projects? Certain people? That can really help you with your stress/anxiety triggers.

I apologize for the ramble. But I hope this helps or at least lets you know that your not alone and that you will get better. But it's going to take time and patience. Have you looked into the books I recommended?

[white07lbz]

No not yet, like I said I was doing good until today the past 3 days at work have been good. Even I have one guy that is under me who is very negative and acts like he hates the world. And that bothers me. I do take clonazepam as needed I took one today to help relax me after I left the er. I know that I am healthy and that if I had something they would have found it with the ekg, blood, urine, and ultrasound. I'm not 100% passed the aaa anxiety yet. I believe I have some ocd also. I keep having these mystery pains I know it's my anxiety and I try not to think about it but it's really hard sometimes.

[Dahila]

Charlie you are spamming the forum, the same post in every thread, I had reported it:) have a nice day spammer

[white07lbz]

I having another bad day today. I can eat I feel nauseated, I tried to vomit (I know tmi but nothing) I don't want to go to work today but think I'm going to have to because the dr won't call me back.

[loganson28]

I having another bad day today. I can eat I feel nauseated, I tried to vomit (I know tmi but nothing) I don't want to go to work today but think I'm going to have to because the dr won't call me back.


How'd the weekend go? Did you end up going to work?

[white07lbz]

i didnt go to work friday but am back at work today. went to see my doctor on saturday she put me on zoloft (once a day) and my clonzepam (twice a day) until i calm down, also ordered a 24hr urine test to see if my body is releasing alot of harmones making me anxious. sunday i toke a trip about 4 hours away and did good not nervous one time. so far work has been good today but we are kinda slow and theres not much stress. been a calm day i got up this morin and cut my grass me and the wife got in the pool for a bit before i had to go to work. very nice day. i've also made the decision to take my meds because i can't seem to fight this on my own. so im going to give them a try.

[Dahila]

white do not take too much clonazepam. I am on it too. I decided to go on meds for the same reason as you are. I am an old woman and I spend my life struggling and suffering. No more...I have much better relations with my children now, I am the most loved grandma and life is good..
Your family life will improve and thinking clearly will allow you to work on some kind of strategy; how to deal with it:))

[white07lbz]

Just wanted to say this forum has been a life saver. Day two back at work was pretty good. My and my other Co worker are getting a lot better now. For the last two days me and my wife are like we were dating again. Want to thanks everyone

[Dahila]

Awesome news, continue the mood:))

[loganson28]

Just wanted to say this forum has been a life saver. Day two back at work was pretty good. My and my other Co worker are getting a lot better now. For the last two days me and my wife are like we were dating again. Want to thanks everyone

That's great to hear. Keep us updated my friend.

[white07lbz]

Today makes two weeks I been on zoloft been doing a lot better. I'm cutting back on taking clonazepam just as needed. My anxiety is down and my blood pressure has been at normal levels.