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Posted 3/11/2012 5:25 PM (GMT 0)
I have been through a battery of tests including chest xray/ct, brain mri, cervical spine mri, abdominal ct, echostress test and a slew of blood work.  Everything has come back normal yet I can't fight the feeling that i am still having a major health problem other then anxiety.  Lightheaded, shortness of breath, slight pains in my chest, difficulty swollowing.  I starting taking ativan (.5mg as needed) and it seems to make me feel much better.  My question is, if it was something more then anxiety, would the ativan actually work in taking away the physical symptoms?  Or is it safe to say that since the Ativan takes a way the physical symptoms, I have to realize that it is indeed anxiety and not a physical health problem?

Please help... I can't keep feeling like this and I sometimes fight to not have to take an ativan and then finally give in.

THanks,

condogirl

Posted 3/11/2012 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
condogirl

Hello !  IMHO if the Ativan is taking away the physical symptoms than your symptoms are most likely related to anxiety.  I would take the Ativan as prescribed by your Dr. and also consider talking to your Dr. about seeing a therapist to help you learn how to cope with the anxiety. 

Your tests all came back normal and I commend your Dr. on ordering the tests first to make sure you do not have a medical issue going on that would be causing your physical sx. 

I think everyone of us that has been dx with anxiety wishes they could find a medical reason for our symptoms as that would be easier to understand than anxiety.  However, knowing we have anxiety and that we can learn to control it as well as accepting that we have anxiety is half the battle.

We are here to support you.

Kindly,

Kitt 

Posted 3/12/2012 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I have to say that I agree with Kitt. Anxiety can cause ALL of those symptoms and the fact that the Ativan eases them gives further proof that your ailments are anxiety-related. Anxiety in its very nature can make us feel "doomed", thus leading us to believe that there just HAS TO BE something wrong! It's a vicious cycle! But if you can conquer that erroneous belief, you'll be doing yourself a big favor! A therapist can help you in this matter. Kitt really has given you some excellent advice!
Take care! :)
janet
Posted 3/12/2012 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

Good to meet you and welcome to the forum. Sorry to read you are having bad anxiety at the moment it is a hard thing to deal with but we can relate to what you are going through so keep posting here and you will get good support.

It sounds to me like you are having health anxiety which can be really debilitating. I have bad health anxiety and have convinced myself from visiting Dr Google that I have all sorts of illnesses/diseases. As the others have said the symptoms you described are all anxiety symptoms and most people here will have some if not all of those symptoms.

It is good you have been to see your doctor to rule out other conditions and good that they have come back as normal. I know it is sometimes hard to trust what your doctor is saying but it should put your mind at rest that they have run tests which have come back ok. Try and stay in the moment and take each day as it comes and feel free to post here anytime we are here to support you. Take Care

Hibee
Posted 3/12/2012 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
I too have suffered with health anxiety for many, many years and am quite sure what your experiencing is just that - mean Mr. Anxiety. Just this past weekend while I was babysitting for my twin 6-month-old grandsons (which SHOULD have been fun) I had the feeling that I couldn't breathe and was sure I was going to drop dead any minute. I fine alot of situations more stressful than I did when I was younger and maybe that's what prompts these anxiety feelings.. The truth is that I was probably hyperventilating (just didn't know it) and that is what caused the feeling of not being able to breathe. My entire life I have been very healthy but I have ALWAYS, since age 7 thought I was dying of something. It seemed impossible o beliieve that these symptoms were not real but they were not...so I wasted all those years not trusting doctors' opinions and thinking that I was terminally ill all the time. Now that I'm in my 60's I'm convinced these symptoms are real because I'm older now. So unless we can truly begin to believe that we are NOT suffering from anything more than anxiety, we will always have these crazy opinions, even when every test we have says the opposite. I have you can do what's necessary to relieve yourself of this unnecessary burden but I guess I'm no one to talk becuase I seem to continue to be a victim of it myself. Good luck to you.
Posted 3/12/2012 9:47 PM (GMT 0)
Count me in as another person who gets very anxious over health issues. The last year has brought it back to me after quite a few years of a sort of remission.

I agree that if Ativan is taking away most of your symptoms then much of what you are feeling is probably anxiety related. It can make you feel just dreadful. Remind yourself that you have been seen by your doctor and had tests run that show nothing remarkable so that should help you. Just keep telling yourself that these feelings will pass and that they are not dangerous-but annoying and upsetting. I just passed a thallium stress test and wearing a halter monitor for 24 hours. As soon as I heard back from the doctor that all was well I completely stopped worrying about my heart. I'll just continue to eat heart healthy and take my supplements. It DOES take a while to calm down. I know this from past issues with worry about symptoms. I hope that you get some relief from knowing all your tests were fine and that the Ativan is helping.
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