Is it normal for those with panic disorder to feel physically ill almost ALL the time

I have had the same heart palpitations, lightheadedness and getting full faster symptoms. I hope your doctor does take you seriously and that you are able to get some answers. Wishing you all the best.

I was diagnosed with GERD and Panic Disorder. And Crohns Disease, triple whammie x.x I'd rather call mine HA too, been afraid of things, long as I can remember. And I also have all those symptoms. especially the trouble breathing, which my doctor seems to believe might be Gerd Induced asthma, but then again, it could also be anxiety over having problems. I also get really cold hands, though that could be because it is really cold in my house and outside, even with the heater...doesn't seem to help.

I had to see specialists because I couldn't eat, couldn't swallow, and scheduling everything is stressful too, but helps to know that I should narrow it all down soon. If I find out anything soon, I'll let you know. I also get dizzy sometimes, BUT..I also think, when other things happen...there's like one problems that we all focus on, and then that brings on even more symptoms. Try meditating next time you feel it? Sit comfortably, close your eyes, hands relaxed on lap, palm up...breath slowly in through nose, out through mouth for awhile, concentrate on the feeling of breathing, but not trying to force any, this usually helps quiet most of my main symptoms? Just a suggestion and I wish you luck, let's hope we get to the bottom of this?

Just wanted to chime in.

Exceptionally written post by Kitt. ^^Ditto^^ Couldn't have said it better.



M.

WW , you said does it make u feel like that everyday , yes , yes , yes , yes , yes , and yes , I will tell you I struggle everyday 24/7 , either it's my , chest , my head , my legs , can't breathe , etc and in the last year I gave been to every doc , every specialist , every ER , had every test that man can name and they can't find a thing , my chest was hurting so bad that after every test the last test they could give me was a cardiac cath , and that was clean , and still after all that I still deal with chest pains , headaches and with that I had MRI , EEG , ct scan , blood work , all good , but yet 24/7 my head hurts , do yes it is anxiety , I'm working on ways to learn how to deal with it , like you , I went the healthy route also and still feel like crap , ..... So medically there is nothing wrong with he , even though I feel like some days I won't get through , but I hope thus helps you , you are not alone , And like you I come here for help .... You are in my prayers ,....

Hello everyone, I care for and love all of you. The genuine, heart-felt responses I receive are truly appreciated and not in vain.

I went to the doctor's office today for an appointment I scheduled last night while posting here.

The doctor basically told me that he believes that all my symptoms are minor and are all related to anxiety, bad diet, and lack of exercise. The doctor told me that having a heart problem at age 26 is practically unheard of. He also told me that there is no reason to believe that I have asthma and that all my symptoms are classic signs of anxiety. He checked me with his stethoscope and assured me that my lungs and heart sounded fine. My pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels were all normal.

It is certainly reassuring and I do feel slightly better, although I can't say all doubt has been erased from my mind. I also know from past experiences that doubt will slowly but surely creep back into my mind as the days go on.

I've been "trying" to find a psychologist for CBT for months now but I'm finally motivated to finally push myself to schedule with anybody. I need to just take the dive and not be so quick to judge.

I care about you all; you are all extremely kind and empathetic people. I thank you and wish only the absolute best for you all. Not one response has been useless, demeaning, unhelpful or looked over. They are all of value to me. Thank you.

worrywort87, I'm glad you had a good appointment with your doctor. I hope everything goes well with the next steps you take.

Pie, I am a serious hypochondriac! It has been the worst for the past two months. It all started with a sinus infection that took a while to get better. My mind started thinking the worst and I used Google. Big mistake! I feel like every pain I have is something that is going to kill me. I have not been diagnosed with GERD, but I know that I have it. On one of my trips to the ER, the doctor gave me a prescription for Prilosec. I have not used it the way I should though because of all the chest pains I've been having and my blood pressure medicine messing me up the first time around. It all scared me. Now I have a blood pressure medicine that seems to be doing what it should, so I will be starting to take the Prilosec. My GERD has been worse for the last couple days because I've been having some anxiety and my diet is not the best. I think that if I'm good about what I eat and my anxiety is down, the GERD will get better. I will be making an appointment with my OB-GYN for an exam as I think I could be possibly be going through something hormonal too.

Wishing everyone the best for the New Year!

W.W.

No human is ever anxiety free...and for good reason! Without our danger warning system we wouldn't last long!

However I know what you mean...and yes there is hope for a good recovery.

With therapy, self-help and the support of this place, I have come a really long way from the place I once was!

Keep working on your goals...you will make more progress than you thought possible.:)

S.C.

**UPDATE**

**RECAP FOR THOSE WHO NEED A REFRESHER**
I've been on Lexapro 20mg for about 10 years now. Within the last year I've been on a downhill slope and now I'm at a point of having panic attacks everyday and an increase in my agoraphobia.

My anxiety is centered around health worries, I always fear that I am about to die. My doctor is convinced it's nothing more than anxiety but I haven't had any REAL tests done in YEARS. The only things I've had done recently were the routine stethoscope tests for heart and lungs and a blood test. How can I trust my doctor when he says I'm healthy and that I don't NEED any further testing beyond those basics?

Every single time I have a major panic attack I honestly believe I'm dying and want to call an ambulance but every single time I eventually get back to a state of far less anxiety and feel better (still sick, but undeniably more calm). Why do I get tricked to think I'm dying every single time even though the worst always passes? I always TRY to tell myself that it's nothing and that it will pass and that I'm not dying but it never ever works. I try to slow down my breathing, I try to distract myself, I try everything and I still feel like I could die at any second of any moment.

When I'm at my worst I feel some of, all of, or a mixture of the following (my symptoms are constantly changing or morphing over the course of a few weeks but some core symptoms always stay the same):
-Choking feeling/lump in throat like my throat may close causing me to suffocate
-Chest pressure/discomfort/tightness like I cannot get a deep breathe and I cannot hold my breathe for longer than seconds at a time
-Difficulty Swallowing
-Extreme fear of dying
-Hyperventilation/heavy and fast breathing that I can't seem to slow down (I try breathing techniques but fail)
-The need to take off all my clothes if I'm home (If I'm outside I feel the need to escape)
-I become wide-eyed and unable to focus the same way a scared animal would while scanning their surroundings for danger
-I become very easily frightened by things such as unexpected noises or the like
-Chest pain
-Headache
-Stomach ache/nausea
-Dizziness
-Twitching/shaking/extreme fidgeting
-Irritability
-Constantly putting my hand to my chest to see if my heart is beating, or if it is fast or slow or if I can feel it at all
-Constantly taking my temperature
-Constantly performing an asthma test (Peak Flow) to see if I'm breathing okay despite never being diagnosed with any kind of asthma
-Constantly sipping on liquids to see if I can swallow or not
-Turning the air conditioning on or opening the window if I'm in the car in an attempt to get more air
-Tensing my muscles/pinching myself/clenching my fists/grinding my teeth/biting my arm/biting my lip

When I'm having a "good" day I usually only feel:
-Stomach aches/extreme indigestion
-Shortness of breath
-Lump in throat
and more but they are to lesser degrees and last all day long


**THE ACTUAL UPDATE**
I finally took the step of switching medication with the approval of my psychiatrist. Right now I am in the first week of switching where I am talking half of my normal dosage of Lexapro along with a small dosage of Zoloft. Next week I will ditch the Lexapro completely and increase the amount of Zoloft I take.

I'm having a really hard time with anticipatory anxiety and panic attacks recently **EVEN BEFORE MAKING THE SWITCH OF MEDICATIONS**... Even right at this very moment I am EXTREMELY on edge. I've felt like I've been on the verge of a major panic attack ALL DAY. Yesterday and the days before I have had major panic attacks, I have not YET had one today but I feel like I'm just milliseconds away.

Does this sound like anxiety? Should I demand more tests from my doctor or should I accept his judgement that I am in indeed physically healthy? What can I do for myself when I'm so on edge and nothing seems to work and what can I do when I do get a major panic attack and feel like I could die at any second?

I don't know if it's normal , but I'm there with you , chornic , pain 24/7 ... Been there , and yes every few days it's something different , it's like one big maze and back and forth .... Good luck

I think that's how some of us with anxiety are hard-wired.

We almost "need" something to worry about. That's why when we seem to conquer one problem, another pops up in its place. It's like trying to contain a water balloon. When we squeeze one part of it, somewhere else along the balloon, it blows up.

I think the trick is trying not to fix "everything" but to gently manage all that we can, giving us permission to have to master complete elimination of any one symptom in particular.

Make peace with our neighbours, kind of thing....





M.

I succumbed to the terror of the symptoms after them not going away and ended up going to the emergency room a couple nights ago. They checked my oxygen levels (which were 100%, the best they could be), gave me an EKG (which came back normal), took my temperature (normal), and blood pressure (slightly high but to be expected under the circumstances), and checked me out with a stethoscope (which, according to the physician assistant, sounded fine). This all, of course, gave me some reassurance. As we all know, however, the reassurance does not last very long at all, in fact, it has already almost completely diminished and become meaningless to me.

Last night I had my second ever (what I think to be) nocturnal panic attack. I awoke suddenly from being asleep, terrified out of my mind and feeling as though I could not breathe. The symptoms seemed to be the same as my normal daytime panic attacks but being suddenly awoken by one doesn't give me any time to prepare mentally. Sometimes I can sense and feel when a panic attack is coming on but being awoken from slumber with one is really hard to deal with. I wasn't dreaming about anything.

Has anyone else experienced a nocturnal panic attack? Does anyone have any good resources about these? Are they any different than regular panic attacks? I've read many times that panic attacks can't kill or harm you but what about these night time ones. Are they really panic attacks or am I suffocating while I sleep or is something else dangerous, life-threatening, or sinister happening?

I still get them. Not particularly frequently, but yep, I still get them.

For me, they are much, much harder to let go of, or break away from, than the daytime panic attacks.

I also discovered I have sleep apnea. I've often wondered if I get these night attacks as a type of "self defense mechanism" from my apnea, when I'm not breathing,....to startle me and jolt me awake and kick my breathing in again.

I understand, (now, finally), the reasons for the apnea, and those are things I need to work on. Until I get a handle on those,....I cannot yet say if correcting those situations truly result in diminished night panics.

Yes, they are mighty scary and they do seem to linger as well as,--from my personal perspective,--to seem an intensity ratio all their own!!

I agree with S.C. in terms of checking with your doc to see if the may possibly a contributing factor.

Other things include watching what you eat before bed and when you eat it, as well as no alcohol before bed.

Hang tight, and you're not alone!






M.