Confusion between anxiety and a real problem

[BeeDot]

I was reading a magazine article about heart healthy diets and they included some stories of women who survived heart attacks. One woman was a 23 year old dancer (my age), one had to see three doctors before one finally believed her symptoms, and one had super vague symptoms like slight back pain and some tingling in her fingers. 

My problem is that I feel like there is something wrong with my heart but no one believes me.  I have such classic symptoms like chest, back, arm, jaw, and neck pain.  Palpitations.  Fatigue. But I'm 23 and skinny so no one ever thinks it's a heart thing. 

If heart attack symptoms are so vague, I hate that all the ad-campaigns tell us that if we THINK it's a heart problem, just go to the ER because it's better to be wrong and alive than right and dead. 

What about those of us with anxiety, especially centered around our hearts?  No one is ever going to believe me anymore.  How will I ever know to go to the ER and when to write it off as anxiety?  I cannot trust my intuition anymore because I have been convinced 100% that I was on death's doorstep before, so I am so afraid that I won't be able to tell the difference.

Does anyone else struggle with this?  Sorry for the rambling, it's late and I'm sleepy: )

[lawkcrabb]

I struggle with this a lot!  Have you had any testing?

[sassparella]

Have you had any tests done like ECGs? If you've had tests done then you can be sure your heart is OK. Someone who has a heart attack at 23 must have had some sort of underlying condition that should show up in tests. If you've had no tests maybe ask your doctor for an ECG to put your mind at rest then you'll know that if it's clear that it's anxiety.

[Blobuk11]

Have you had tests? If so then you have to trust your doctors. I've had all the pains you are talking about and they can definitely be from anxiety.

[BeeDot]

Sigh.

Yes, I've had tests.  I've had EKG and blood tests and a chest xray once for a totally non-heart issue.  Everything comes out clean, but of course, in my anxious mind, I will always be "the one" that slips through the cracks. 

Of course, not really a huge issue at 23, but this will be an issue as I get older and heart problems are actually much more likely!  I'm really not sure what I"ll do then...

[lawkcrabb]

I will tell you what I tell myself everyday...you have had tests, at 23 (even at 36, like me) heart attacks don't happen for no reason, and if you had heart issues they would have shown up.  Also, I try to avoid heart related articles and tv shows...it only makes my anxiety worse!  Take a deep breath...you are fine :)

[sassparella]

Well I am older I'm 48 and it's hard. One of my main worries is my heart and at my age I know there's always a risk of there being something wrong. I had an incidental finding of some fluid around my heart in a recent chest CT. I was beside myself, I had an echo and I went to see a cardiologist who said it was such a small amount that he wasn't worried and didn't want to do anything else. You can imagine as an HA sufferer I find it very hard not to think about it all the time. My advice to you would be that at 23 you should be enjoying your life. You've had tests and they're clear, you have your whole life ahead of you enjoy it :) I know that's hard especially when you have health anxiety but you have your age on your side, you're very unlikely to have anything serious wrong with you. I hope that you can put this worry behind you and accept that you are suffering from anxiety.

[BeeDot]

Thanks Sassparella.  Sometimes I just really hate that I'm so young and SHOULD be enjoying life, but life always seems very dark and frightening.  Can't let myself be happy, always waiting for that other shoe to drop! 

Lawkcrabb, that's good advice!  I know I should avoid reading things like that, but I always feel compelled to know the latest "lifesaving" information haha.

It's just so hard to accept that all these things I feel are anxiety!  On top of that, I have a nagging fear that I will die young.  Its a strange feeling and causes me a great deal of stress.  Trouble is, I can't tell if I REALLY am going to die young and know it (a la Rachel Scott and others) or if my anxiety just causes me to think negatively about the future.

Either way, I'm always on guard against catastrophe!