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I am not going to post symptoms

I just want to know who else on here has recurring panic attacks, frequent ones, is this a part of OCD, how do you cope with them. I have had five this week and though I have much more control, I feel a wreck and barely have an unanxious moment. I'm used to anxiety attacks but panic attacks are far worse, they are as close to dying without doing it.

The past month to six weeks have been a nightmare in anxiety for me.

I have an appointment with a psychiatrist on the 15th if I make it that far

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I am not going to post symptoms

Please do your best not to

Panic attacks are just a bundle of severe adrenaline based symptoms (not nice) but not harmful. You cope with them by bringing the general level of anxiety down and that includes working hard at reducing compulsions. Every time you carry out compulsions you wind yourself up and the anxiety (although it may drop momentarily) will stay focused and get worse.

You can't build a castle on quick sand....you have to build some firm foundations first. It's serves no use to ask questions and then simply ignore the advice and continue with the same behaviours. You have to put the work in and try and change the approach.

You can't diet by eating cheeseburgers and donuts, you can't win the lottery if you don't enter, you can't improve anxiety/OCD by carrying out compulsions.

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Hi Phili,i don't know if they are panic attacks as such(some definately are) but i definately have anxiety all the time,churning stomach,feeling shaky etc shallow breathing,crying,physical symptoms etc.

I'm not frightened by it but it is so debilitating and certainly doesn't help me to do what i need to.

I am glad you are seeing a psychiatrist soon,i am still waiting to see if i am going to receive any help or not.

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I'm a bit better today, just had an anxiety attack. I am paranoid that my chest is tight on the left side but I think its the way I am sitting and it feels more like the breast, likely the muscles, it doesn't feel like the insides of the chest. All of this feels so familiar, I swear I have been through it all before. My left arm is very slightly stiff and very slightly numb. A good portion of not being able to breath is thought and strss and my lef eye keeps twitching

I know I posted some symptoms but I have done really well

I know, ignore the feeling and get on, If I keel over, well then I keel over

Edited by Phili
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My chest is tight, I used to get that a lot before but haven't had it for a while, I know its stress, I expect people here get it too but it scares me.

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Hi Phili,i don't know if they are panic attacks as such(some definately are) but i definately have anxiety all the time,churning stomach,feeling shaky etc shallow breathing,crying,physical symptoms etc.

I'm not frightened by it but it is so debilitating and certainly doesn't help me to do what i need to.

I am glad you are seeing a psychiatrist soon,i am still waiting to see if i am going to receive any help or not.

You get a tight chest too?

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The physical symptoms of stress and anxiety, along with my cold, are so scary, when I have had them before I didn't have health OCD, now every mole, every tight chest, every stuffy nose, every late period, every bruise, is something that is going to kill me and the more I focus on it the more my chest tightens the more my breathing struggles the more numbness and stiffness and its so frightening.

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So if concentrating on it makes your situation worse (which I agree), why are you working so hard to concentrate on it? Writing down your symptoms here is concentrating on it. That's what we've been trying to tell you. You are fixated on your health and you make things so much worse by always bringing up your symptoms on the forum. It's just another way of ruminating over things -- something I'm sure you do all the time in your head.

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So if concentrating on it makes your situation worse (which I agree), why are you working so hard to concentrate on it?

This is something you've got to start answering to yourself Phili. I know it's difficult but you can't cure a scab by picking it and you can't improve OCD/anxiety by compulsions

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I just get scared, I know tight chests and shallow breath are stress and anxiety symtoms, I have had them both tons of times in the past, when things where very stressful I was enver without them but I can't help but obsess over them, of course this is making them worse and I try not to but I can't

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Yes you can. You have to work at it. You've gotten yourself in a trap where you automatically fixate on your physical symptoms. You got yourself in this mess, you can get yourself out. You can start by stopping listing your physical symptoms on here. You can continue by refusing to go over them in your head and refocusing onto something else. I know that's a tall order but you have to start somewhere. It takes practice, practice.

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I can't help but obsess over them, of course this is making them worse and I try not to but I can't

Ditto to what PB has said.......and you need to get working on that list of goals and changes to your day to day life. You have such a huge void in which to focus on all of this, trying to add some structure into your day to day living would help

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I am trying this mindful app, it beeps every 3 minutes to remind me not to ruminate

I have been getting around a lot more, feeding the cat and Darren keeps making me do things and get things for myself.

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Well, I woke up stuffy rather than blocked, stitt have congestion in my throat my chest is a little tight but is mostly sore, it feels a tad sore if I breath deeply and when I bend about and move about, which is scaring the hell out of me but I think is my cold

I had a really bad panic attack 3 weeks ago and it made my chest really sore on my left breast and I also had a stitch 3 cm below. Since then I have had this sore feeling in my left breast muscle and it feels like it's vibrating or buzzing. This feeling comes and goes but the last couple of days it's got worse again.

I am wondering if this burning/buzzing feeling in my chest is caused by acid reflux, inflammation in muscle or just nerves playing up? I am a bit scared that it could affect my heart in some way.
I havent been diagnosed with acid reflux but the last couple of days I've had a really bad pressure where my ribs join on the chest and it feels like it's fizzy inside and my stomach is making a lot of noises. don't get proper heartburn but have a feeling of something in my throat and alot of flem. I also have an ulcer on the side of my tongue far back that has been there for about 2 weeks.
Well you've started out well by addressing the panic disorder (PD) problem. It's too bad the medication wasn't well tolerated, but there are others you could (and probably should) try. Meanwhile, we'll try to evaluated and explain the chest discomfort, etc.
People who have anxiety disorders also have, for any number of possible reasons, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), as well as other stress-related GI problems (IBS, gastritis, etc.), so this may be at least part of the problem causing the disturbing sensations in your chest. However, there is something else to consider with that, and that is that anxious people tend to breathe in faulty ways as well, which can often cause chest discomfort, because it not only strains the accessory muscles (those between the ribs and at the top of the ribcage, between the shoulders and the neck), but also can irritate the cartilage between the ribs. Either of these things (or both together) can cause localized chest pain and tenderness as well as "stitches", which are usually little painful muscle spasms in the chest wall.

The buzzing sensation is something often reported also by anxious people, and while I have never yet heard anyone advance a convincing theory as to why it happens, it is clear it's benign as well.

If you'd like to try and determine if you're having some anxiety-related GI problems you might attempt a trial of one of the over the counter medications for that purpose (such as Pepcid AC, or its generic equivalent, Prilosec OTC, etc.). If the stomach symptoms are reduced or go away, all to the good. If not, after a week or two, then you can safely discontinue the trial of whatever medication you decide on.

As for the chest discomfort, there are two things you can try yourself also. One is to take an over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as Advil or Aleve, but bear in mind these can irritate the stomach, which may work at cross-purposes to the other medication. Another thing, not involving medications, would be to try and take note of your breathing: whether you sigh a lot at rest, or if you feel you can't draw a full, satisfying breath. If so, you may be breathing in a faulty way, which is, again, very common in the setting of anxiety. If you find you may be doing this, try consciously breathing through your nose (or at least take note if you're sighing a lot -- you can't sigh very easily through the nose).

This gives an almost perfect description of my situation, It makes me feel better, its knowledge I can run with, I never knew anxiety and weird breathing, which I have had a lot, can make your chest sore, this is a great relief, though it wont last long I expect.

Anxiety can also cause issues with your nose, so I could have anxiety and not a cold? It seems unbelievable what it can do to you

That's why this all started after the panic attack

Edited by Phili
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Well except she didn't mention her chest being tight...you know I am going to obsess about that right?

I think my period might skip though, it seems to have given up but it might just be delayed by the anxiety

Also I didn't know anxiety caused ragged breathing, I thought that was only during a panic or anxiety attack not on and off afterwards. I guess my anxiety hasn't been as high as I thought, I guess my Mum was a huge calming effect and then with everything my mind was just too preoccupied

I guess I now understand a bit why the people on here say ignore it instead of run for an ambulance, they have more experiance

Edited by Phili
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I also feel that I can't breath when I get over excited or emotional, I have had that before

And when I eat I feel like I can't breath but with a stuffy nose I suppose that is typical, also my anxiety rises when I eat and It will never go if I do this *sigh* it gets me everytime

I think i do have a bit of a cold though

Edited by Phili
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Phili sorry I haven't replied sooner,yes I do get pains in my chest sometimes,but I just ignore them as I haven't got health ocd,and I know that stress and anxiety can cause loads of problems,I have anxiety all the time churning stomach shallow breath feel nausea etc,so I guess we both need to learn some relaxation teqniques.

What are you doing to distract yourself?

How about also setting a time limit for when you next post on here,you were doing really well with that,I don't mind you posting but as others have said it isn't helping you x

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Phili sorry I haven't replied sooner,yes I do get pains in my chest sometimes,but I just ignore them as I haven't got health ocd,and I know that stress and anxiety can cause loads of problems,I have anxiety all the time churning stomach shallow breath feel nausea etc,so I guess we both need to learn some relaxation teqniques.

What are you doing to distract yourself?

How about also setting a time limit for when you next post on here,you were doing really well with that,I don't mind you posting but as others have said it isn't helping you x

I get tightness too...

I am playing my game but I have this mindful app for chrome that dings every 3 minutes to remind me not to ruminate and its really helping

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Guest Orwell1984

I think if you are sitting a lot, possibly hunched over, you're going to put pressure on your diaphragm so you can't get deep breaths and you're going to get chest tightness and soreness. Breathing's going to be impaired, so the symptoms would fit with that. You need to do other stuff than be at the computer all the time. You said walking helps, I think it's because you're standing up and not hunched over anymore

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