This site has fewer members than NMP. On NMP I would often start to get anxious when a post hit too close to home. I often wondered if the chest pain posts bothered you like the claustrophobic ones bothered me.
You have an added that I don't, no one in my family or friends has ever died from claustrophobia so there is less to stimulate fear in my memory. Still I can get anxious so you must get hit hard.
I've changed BP meds so for a while I'll have to check twice a day till I get it right. The only thing that will bother me will be splitting pills. Never did like doing that. I know I'm doing what I can to protect my heart so the anxiety is not there unless BP goes up. At that I adjust to bring it down and all is well.
My Chronic Staph as trigger is more like your triggers. But again I am doing all I can for it. It can be scary though. All I can do is reassure myself I'm doing all I can. It would probably be easier for you if you were treating something you have. So the only thing I can suggest is you treat it like you did. Set up a schedule for tests at certain times and stick to it. Stick to a heart healthy diet, even if you don't have to. This should change the focus from what could happen to what won't happen.
Feeling a bit better anxiety wise the last couple of days. Still have chest pain. Saw Dr and decided to stop Lyrica as I didn't feel it was helping much. Got a call from CAMH for assessment...but not til November.
I'm pretty sure I know what a couple of my triggers are. Not sure which is the bigger issue though.
One is my job. I deal all day long with people with chest pain and other potential heart problems. The problem is that I see all the things that can go wrong...and when I see something that goes outside the "norm" it tends to set me off more. For example...last week I did a stress test on a 40 year old man with chest pain. The test was very abnormal and the patient went for an angiogram the next day, and ended up needing (and having) bypass surgery a few days later. It's unusual for a 40 year old man to have such a sick heart. My mind takes off with irrational thoughts...I'm 35 years old (which is close to 40)...that could be me. I really like my job, and don't want to give it up...so I'm going to have to find a way to deal with this.
Number 2 is my family history...both sides. My maternal grandfather had a stroke. My dad's family has all had heart problems. My grandfather and uncle both died suddenly of heart attacks, and my other uncle also had a heart attack and bypass surgery. When my uncle died in August 2015, it really hit me hard. My dad and my uncle look VERY similar (so similar that at the funeral many people did double takes). All I could see/think was...this is what it will look like when my dad dies. I had my dad get some cardiac tests just after my uncle died, and everything was fine....but it still unsettles me. I know that's not something I can control (eg not like controlling high blood pressure or diabetes which can lead to heart problems).
Anyway...I just keep trying to work through things. Sigh.
I don't know if this will help you but worth a try. I have the sinus tachycardia and the valve prolapse and deal with the chest pains that are either HA related or anxiety related. It has taken me a couple of months but I am convincing myself its not chest pains but breast tissue pain/pulled muscle or anything that is not related to my heart and nothing to worry about because my mammogram was fine, etc. Within a few minutes the pain is gone and I am fine. Probably not a good idea if you actually make yourself think there is something wrong with your breast tissue though. I've managed it so far because I know I will be due for another mammogram in a few months. HA can mess with your thoughts though in a serious way as I have found out here recently. I had to take a break from the sites because I was visiting Dr Google too often after being on here and the other site I don't visit at all anymore.
Hoping you got reassuring news from your Dr appointment.
I am sorry to read you are feeling this way. You have been struggling with this for a long time so it makes sense that you will feel discouraged. You are dealing with some tough thoughts. But it can get easier. Try to focus on small improvements. How has thought tracking been going?
Since you are on meds there will be less anxiety if you try to recognize and focus on the trigger. I did it without medication so I got a lot of panic as I tore apart the false thoughts. The thing that makes HA so bad is that the focus although false actually has a symptom that could be real even though it is not. EG: a racing heart is associated with your HA, where with me it is associated just with fear. So you have to work harder challenging it.
I'm already on meds (Zoloft & Lyrica...and have already tried Cipralex, Effexor and Celexa). While they control the physical symptoms of my anxiety (palpitations, nausea, etc), they don't really help with the mental aspect.
Alas...I have a drs apt tomorrow...so we'll go from there.
Cardio Tech......I think taking meds might be a good idea for you. Then, while your anxiety is calmed by the meds, you can work on the skills needed to overcome the anxiety. Like Davit said, this is only a suggestion, but talking to a doctor about meds may give you the relief you need!
It is going to sound so lame saying I know how you feel. But I am in hospital with an undiagnosed illness. I'm really sure it isn't HA. But either way it is a pain in the ass. I am too weak to be at home.
Now if we could prove that HA can be cured. Because I really believe it is the same process. Just different memories and different thoughts in Amygdala. If you could cure it or even find a coping skill you could help thousands of people. And yourself of course. I think it would take medication though to set the mood and again that would be up to you to do and I have no right to ask because I want to help people. But thinking how the mind works I can see no reason you can't at the least reduce this to something you can live with. I don't like to see you suffer knowing there is not much I can do but be here for you. A shoulder so to speak yet a pretty weak one right now.
I am so sick and tired of feeling like crap every day, and worrying/assuming everything I feel is related to my heart. I don't know when the last time was that I felt good or normal. I just want it to all go away. I'm not "living" like this. I go through the motions but I have no joy or desire in my life (except the desire to feel better). .
Can't seem to win. I have chest pain which causes me anxiety. Then, when I'm feeling not too bad, I have anxiety because I don't have chest pain. This is so frustrating.
