[chichi]

HI I was just recently diagnosed with GAD by my family Dr.
I take Ativan when needed (been a month) started on Zoloft 5 days ago 50mg. My worry is my body symptoms especially my chest pains, I started with heart palpitations they are subsiding, haven't had one in a while, but the chest pains worry me. I had a EKG. been to emergency thot I was having a heart attack. Had x-ray for heart and lung said it was fine. I have high blood pressure which I take Atenenol it controls it. But I was having a few pains they feel like spasms..I'm scared it's still my heart. My breathing is usually done with yawning so I could catch my breath or sighing. I am so worried, is this so normal anybody else have this.

[kimmydawn]

My breathing always did as you described when I was mildly hyperventilating. I couldn't get that deep, cleansing breath without a yawn and when I couldn't then I would get panicky which just made it worse. Bio-feedback therapy really helped me with that. I literally needed to learn to breath and learn what was causing that to happen. When I did, it ended...completely. If I do it on the rare occassion, I'm able to work through it on my own with the skills I learned.

Yes, after so long a period of this, my chest would ache, spasm and everything else. It was horrible.

First, I felt like I could gain some control with meds. When I had that confidence, I was able to stop and learn what was going on then work with it while I had the meds. After that, I was able to go off the meds.

What helps the hyperventilating was scary for me...it entailed blowing every bit of my breath out before trying to take a cleansing breath...my biggest fear when I already felt deprived. With having meds as backup, I could. I learned that, due to anxiety, I was breathing off the top of my lungs...too quickly and getting too much there while the bottom part felt starved for oxygen making me want to breath more but the top part was saying "NO MORE".

I literally had to learn to breathe properly.

I wish you more than well. It looks like you're off to a great start. This can be managed. You're not alone.

Don't hesitate to PM if you want/need.

Welcome to PC!!!

KD

[Jojuli]

I have just started having panic attacks a few months ago. The first symptoms were in my chest. My heart was going 180 beats a minute for no reason. Very odd sensation. I was taken to the ER and eventually was given a stress test and an EKG, everything came back normal. But I was convinced it was a heart attack. The chest pain and discomfort was undeniable. Now, I still have it though the palpitations have calmed down (I am on a beta blocker). I can feel my heart flutter. But KimmyDawn is very correct in her explanation of breathing. It is so important! During anxiety your breathing is shallow plus your body doesn't exhale properly. When I started becoming conscious of my breathing I realized I was hardly breathing at all. So I had to learn how to breathe too. Inhale deeply from the diaphragm, drop and relax your shoulders as you exhale and purse your lips to exhale slowly. There is a balance between having the oxygen and the carbon dioxide. When I began doing this even for a few minutes, I noticed a tremendous difference in the attack. It doesn't make me stop having them but it helps so much getting through them without calling the EMT's.
Jojuli

[Perna]

I was diagnosed with GAD too and when my breathing got bad, I used what I knew and insisted on it being true and that helped me as well as learning to breathe better. I knew I'd been checked and there was nothing physically wrong with me so I "ignored" the symptoms as if they were just an annoyance like a gnat/fly and kept reminding myself I was still breathing and doing fine, hadn't passed out or anything, etc. I either played the "game" of trying to describe what my chest felt like in detail until I was sick of/bored with it or I distracted myself by starting to read a good book or do some other thing that used my head enough to get my mind off how I felt. Sometimes a routine that included a "treat" (lifesaver or small piece of candy or even my berry-flavored antacid or "French Vanilla" calcium supplement) often did the trick if it is close to bedtime. I look forward to whatever novel I'm reading before I go to sleep so do my whole asthma and get ready for bed "routine" and by the time I climb in to bed to read, I feel better.

[tiodlliwi]

Yes, the breathing is SO important. I recommend practicing when you are not not experiencing a great deal of anxiety or a full-fledged panic attack. It is really difficult to try to focus on your breathing when you are feeling like you're having a heart attack and you're convinced that you cannot control your own body, let alone your breathing patterns. It's much easier if your body has already practiced these breathing techniques and then you are more used to it. Also, in the above post about a piece of hard candy or mint, that works so well for me, too!

[kimmydawn]

I so agree about practicing when NOT experiencing extreme anxiety/panic. It was something I had to practice regulary. It's almost a catch-22 because thinking of breathing highly increased the anxiety...that's where the meds helped me when I first began working with it.

I wish y'all so well. I remember.

KD

[chichi]

Hello thank-you so much for the replys, when you know someones going thru the same thing and they say ''yes I've gone thru the same thing ' I don't feel so alone, I am hoping that the Zoloft does not give me side effects and make it worse, how long before side effects kick in? I am always so scared it's like I'm waiting for something to happen. When I had my Panic attack I was in a deep sleep and it woke me up, it happened just like that. Never in my life have I experienced something like that.
I take lorazapam as needed, the pattern is I need to take about every 4 days my body starts to buzz is that from the anxiety and the pill is just waering off or am i getting hooked on the Lorazapam and my body needs it? I am so glad I found this forum

[Carlenett]

i understand exaclty what you are going thru....the breathing problem can be scary but again you have to convince yourself that nothing is physically worng with you and move beyond it. After a while, it eases up and then i tend to feel really fatigued and sleepy. The chest pains vary with the level of anxiety....the beta blockers really hep me so I generally get more of a funny, scratchy, uncomfortable feeling in the chest area. THis is normally followed by some acid reflux which I hate.
Bear with it, little by little you will learn to manage it.

All the best

[chichi]

Ok I know I already asked this question on the chest pains, but this really bothers me. I have them pretty much all the time, the middle of my back gets sore too. I read the symptoms for heart disease and it is so similiar, like I said I had a Ekg twice and a x-ray and was recently fitted for a heart monitor which I had to wear 24hrs,have not got the results back yet. Are the symptoms that similiar to heart disease I am so paranoid. I have high blood pressure as well I get so scared my best friend died of a massive heart attack 1 yr ago and he had high blood pressure and was only 40 yrs old, so I keep thinking I have anxiety bcause the heart palpitations caused me to worry and that I really have heart trouble...or is this just all anxiety. I want my dr to give me more tests but she said she won't and it's anxiety I mean she knows what I tell her on how I feel and that I know these tests don't always show problems.
I'm sorry I'm sounding like a paranoid freak...I just need reassurance that my hearts ok.

Hi chichi; sorry you're having these anxiety symptoms. They will get better!

One way to practice and relax might be to buy a relaxation/meditation CD or two. They always include focusing on your breathing and when you do that you'll see how that helps you to relax and relaxing is relieving.

Here is a site I have ordered from, after my therapist loaned me a few of hers to try: www.wholperson.com.

All your tests show that your heart is okay: let your mind take that in and allow yourself to believe it. When you get symptoms, tell yourself "Oh, there's those anxiety symptoms again! Time to relax and breathe slowly and deeply."

I hope you feel better soon, chichi!

ECHOES