Just Needing A Little Feedback Here...

[chicken_tartar]

recently I have been noticing an increase in my anxiety level...actually a severe spike in my anxiety level...at work my breathing gets labored..and I get these weird aches in my limbs (particularly my left arm), and the left side of my chest cavity feels very "off"...I get IBS at the drop of a hat, particularly when involved in meeting situations...I have almost lost my ability to concentrate completely. I wonder if it is my heart, but I am still able to do high level physical activities and not drop dead (am a triathlete) ... I did drink (yes, I know it contradict the triathlon thing) about 10-12 beers/night but had 2 severe panic attacks, both the day after "tying one on", so I am now attempting to drop the habit (good for me, I lost 4 pounds in a week by laying off the suds).

I guess my question is, is this an on going , everyday thing for other people? I always heard anxiety was transient, but what I feel has been present for a couple of weeks. Does anyone else feel (or have felt) this way, and what do they call this sort of long term thing?

Any help would be appreciated!

[Anxious Frank]

First thing to do is get a checkup from your doctor. Having a clean bill of health means one less thing to stress about.

Sounds like you are making some big changes to your lifestyle at the moment. Could some of this anxiety come from the nervousness and excitement about an impending change?

[EricH]

I second the opinion about seeing a doctor to rule-out other issues.

For those of us who suffer from anxiety, it seems almost unfair that nature is such that the symptoms during an anxiety attack mimic those symptoms of, say, a heart attack.

So having your heart checked-out is very important and can offer some relief.

For myself, the issue of labored breathing during an attack is a real problem for me, as my concentration and whole thought processes get really weird on me. This oftentimes makes the whole issue worse and will sometimes downword spiral into a full-blown panic attack.

For whatever reason I have a really hard time getting my breathing under control during an attack; and especially during the initial stages of an attack.

My arm and chest pains are different. My arm pains(usually a tingling or fully numbing sensation) don't really bother me anymore, because I'm so used to having them.
But the chest pains, or spasms, or whatever it is, still bugs me a lot because I think my heart is freaking-out.

Anyway, best wishes to you...and to all of us.

[sime]

I am experiencing these exact symptoms (except for the IBS) as we speak & have also recently undergone a lifestyle change that involved giving up the drink. I've also increased my exercise levels fairly dramatically & have lost about 8 pounds.

About the same time I started getting dizziness & the occasional aches in the left arm & chest pain. All very similar to what you would expect from heart problems yet a visit to the doctor ruled out anything untoward other than slightly elevated blood pressure which was put down to the anxiety of a doctor's visit (I recently had my blood pressure monitered during recovery from minor surgery & was fine).

I think the fact that I only get these symptoms in stressful situations, never during or after exercise & never while resting or going to bed etc, shows that they are more than likely induced by my thought processes rather than physical problems.

I find that at the first sign of any symptom, even as minor as a muscle twitch in a finger, I can think of nothing else but the possiblity of something like a heart attack & the rest of the symptoms come on one by one until I have almost a full blown panic attack.

So far the best method to control it for me is to keep my mind as active as possible. I bet that if you spend any amount of time in deep concentration you won't have any of your symptoms (or very limited).

As said above a doctor's check is the first port of call, much easier to look at your anxiety treatment options if you've already ruled out any physical health issues.