Lost all hope

Sorry if im doing this wrong, I'm new here,but I feel I've nowhere else to go, I've had symptoms for 12 months, these included breathlessness, chest pain, left arm goes numb,my legs burn, my insides burn, there's a horrible burning sensation in my left side, my vision blurrs, I get migraines,feel like I can't get a breath,I've always got this feeling of impending doom, mydoctor diagnosed me with gerd and anxiety, im on medication for gerd and depression, I've had blood tests and ecg, both clear, I'm at my wits end, I really am, my doctor just doesn't get that I feel so ill every day, I know im anxious because death is never far from my mind, but can anxiety do this, can gerd do this, in my mind I'm dying of caner, heart failure or whatever my mind conjures up on the day, im sorry for a long post but I feel so alone even though im married with 3 children, a family and friends but none of them get "it", I'm fed up of being told it's in my head or pull myself together, I'm not enjoying life at all and I just want my life back but all the physical symptoms are not in my head, they're real and painful and I just want them to stop but if anything they're getting worse no matter what I do, so sick of feeling sick and monitoring my breathing and checking if my heart is still beating,my doctor just says gerd but he's done no tests to confirm this, what should I ask for, I just feel that while I've got the anxiety and mental health problems no doctor will take me seriously, any reply will be greatly appreciated because I just feel like I'm in a black hole with no way out, no future and not enjoying my life and family even though I want to, I feel like im always checking my heart or convincing myself im at deaths door, this is no life at all

Hi Panjo

I feel your pain, I went through a long period of horrible pain and suffering while doctors told me it was in my head and I was pushed from one course of therapy to another. At one point I even believed it, and got so depressed that I could never control it.

The biggest thing that helped me was to accept that it wasn't in my head, and despite everyone telling me it was, I knew they were wrong and I was right. That doesn't mean to say that mental health problems dont have any affect on how you're feeling because they do, a lot, but it means that there is hope that you will get better, and feel better, and most importantly it isn't your fault if you do suddenly feel worse.

First thing that is important to deal with is the anxiety, as it will be affecting you day to day no doubt. From the sounds of it they have put you through some tests and found nothing, this likely means there is nothing mortally wrong with you, i.e. you aren't dying. But your physical symptoms are very real, and likely very distressing. I had numerous symptoms similar to you and it was hard to let go of the anxiety that something was wrong with me and I didnt know what it was. I would get random racing heart, feel light headed, constant headaches and chest pains. But with time, I simply focussed on managing the symptoms and eventually realised that they never progressed into anything serious - when you get heart palpitations for the 500th time you just tend to ignore it. For example my gerd has a big effect on my heart, in fact before I had even had heartburn I had a pounding heart and palpitations. Something like that is scary, I rushed myself to the ER and knew something was wrong. But now, I feel better that I have figured out the link between my gerd and heart rate. It took me a while but the anxiety subsided and I learnt how to control the symptoms through diet etc.

In the early days my mental health deteriorated quite fast, and getting on top of it (eventually) improved both my mental state but also my physical symptoms. The mind has a lot of control over how we feel physically and a healthy mind makes the physical symptoms all the more bearable.

Alongside addressing your mental health you obviously need to address the physical side. Getting blood tests and ECG is just first line of testing. You should push on and insist on seeing a GI specialist, as assuming GERD isn't good enough really especially if the standard PPI treatment isnt working. They can do things like camera's into the stomach and pH tests, to test for reflux during the day and correlation with symptoms. You are the best person that knows what's going on with your body, and if you dont think something is right, then it that means something isnt right. It may not be serious, or life threatening, but even a racing heart caused by GERD, while posing no health risk, is distressing and interferes with your life. A Dr should try and help you to temper the symptoms whether through diet or even medication.

Are you taking medication for the anxiety? I'm still on it and it does help take the edge off. I found doing relaxation exercises like progressive muscle relaxation also helped me feel better both physically and mentally.

Hi I feel similar to you. Since my emergency gallbladder last year in October I feel miserable but the worry of not knowing what's hapenning inside of me is by far the worst. It's horrible living everyday with pain and discomfort, and the doctors don't really listen to me either. Everyday I think how long am I going to live because all of this burning inside of me is not good and I can't take no more meds due to side effects. My family think I am exaggerating which makes me even more anxious and I end up crying a lot and make everybody sad. I know how it is. You need to fight for yourself to get your life back. Start by getting new doctors, look for answers until you find what's going on. Think about the ones you love they need you so search as much as you can. for you. By the way I am a girl that has just became a mother and really need to get better for my child that needs me. All my love and all the best luck