to think this isn't anxiety?

[ScaredNotAnxious]

Around a month ago, at the gym, I noticed I couldn't get my heart rate up - normally I can get it to peak around 170-180bpm with the FitBit showing 140-150bpm (because it record a 5 min average). My FitBit shows that pretty consistently with a resting heart rate of around 6bpm. That was all the same until Monday a few weeks ago, I felt fine but couldn't get my heart rate above 90bpm in the gym, I felt very faint and dizzy and drained, same happened on the Tuesday. My resting heart rate fell from around 60bpm (where it's been for years, to around 50bpm).
On the Wednesday morning I very suddenly felt very odd - my heart rate fell to around 40bpm, I felt very dizzy, very jittery. I couldn't feel my hands or feet, my arms and legs were freezing but my head and torso were boiling. I then felt pressure on my throat, followed by a crushing pain in my chest and upper back. I called DM who called an ambulance (very unlike her, she's always been very much in the camp of powering through things or waiting and seeing).
Ambulance came, did an ECG, said something was abnormal but not sure what and took me to hospital. They did another ECG, pregnancy test, blood test and chest x-ray. They said my phosphate levels were low, gave me a three day prescription and sent me home the same day with instructions to see my GP.
I couldn't get a GP appointment on Thursday or Friday - I only left my bed to go to the bathroom, helped by DH. On Thursday, bad diarrhoea began. On Sunday, we needed to collect a present for DS's birthday and I didn't feel ok to be left alone so I went in the car with DH (literally just sitting in the car) but I felt so unwell that he pulled over and we called 111 - they said to call 999. The ambulance arrived, he felt my pulse (nothing else) and said to drive ourselves to A&E seeing as we're in the car anyway (and seemed really pissed off that he'd be sent out). We went home because I simply wasn't well enough to be in A&E all by myself, especially because in our hospital you have to walk for miles and I just couldn't do it.
I had a phone appointment with the GP on the Monday and an in person appointment on the Tuesday. She checked my vitals, said she thinks I have a gastro-intestinal virus and sent me away with some OTC migraine/dizziness pills and instruction to take dioralyte. She tested for a parasite that came back clear. I spent the next week or so entirely in bed. The medication did help slightly and I started to feel better - but my heart rate hasn't gone above 100bpm in three weeks now (it normally would just from walking around).
This week on Wednesday and Thursday I started to feel worse again. Last night, I started to feel unwell and dizzy again and so decided to try and go to sleep. I checked my heart rate as I got into bed, it was 65bpm. About 10 minutes later, all I could feel was my heart pounding, my eye sight went and my DH read my heart rate at 150bpm from my FitBit. I couldn't feel my arms or legs and couldn't move. We called an ambulance - paramedic arrived and checked my vitals. Blood pressure was very high and she waited until it and my heart rate returned to normal. Whilst she was here I had another awful bout of diarrhoea. She advised going to the walk-in centre today. We went this morning and the doctor there was pretty certain I just have anxiety.
I have no previous mental health conditions, I have no reason to be anxious - I'm really scared there's something seriously wrong with me but I'm being fobbed off as hysterical.
What do I do?

a&e and don't let them fob you off with anxiety. Not with all those symptoms

Kick up a fuss if needs be ( not that you should need to)

Tired of hearing woman having their medical issues downplayed because they can't figure out what's wrong. Keep pushing for answers. Staying in bed for days at a time isn't normal

That’s not ducking anxiety
I’m angry on your behalf OP
It’s so demoralising
Whilst I hate using google to diagnose myself
It sounds like you need to explore what it could be and keep reading this thread

As someone somewhere will have had your conditions and can provide you with some options
And eventually you will get the right Dr who will know what it is xxx

In the meantime try and rest

I’m sending healing diagnosis waves your way

This happened to me when I was exercising too much and not putting the right nutrients back in my body. Phosphates are down because your not putting the right things in after exercise. I needed a drip in the end to get them and my potassium back up.
Do you find it happens also after eating? If so have a look at reactive hypoglycaemia where your body has a sugar dump. X

I don't know. You have had two ambulances which have responded but not felt it necessary to take you to hospital. There could be an underlying illness on top of which you could have had panic attacks and anxiety can cause diarrhea.
I wouldn't guess either way but fear can make you feel pretty damn unwell.

I've had anxiety that has made me really physically ill, and my FIL gets heart attack symptoms when he has an anxiety attack.

I'm not diagnosing you either way, but it certainly could be anxiety, it can be incredibly physical.

I hate symptoms dismissed as anxiety. I once had a UTI dismissed as an 'anxious bladder' by a male gynaecologist.

Write down and compile all your symptoms and research them, then take them to the GP for a referral.

it certainly could be anxiety. I've had diagnosed anxiety for over a decade and when it's bad, it's really bad. I've had fainting spells, vomiting, diarrhoea, palpitations, headaches/migraines and more.

But that doesn't mean it couldn't be something else. I would try and keep a diary over a seven-day period - include your symptoms, time/day, diet, routine and anything else you think might be relevant, and take it to your GP.

I hope you start to feel better.

I have PTSD an anxiety disorder. A few weeks ago I started experiencing real shortness of breath and chest pain - spoke to and saw 3 different GPs over the course of 2 weeks who all said it was anxiety.

Eventually I made an appointment with another GP - wrote down everything that happened factually and gave it to them. Long story short - I had a bacterial chest infection and ended up in hospital on IV antibiotics.

I got an apology call from one of the partners of the GP surgery who acknowledged that there is a widespread and common issue of women in particular being misdiagnosed with anxiety/depression when it is in fact another medical issue (whether they have a history of anxiety/depression or not).

I know it is so easy to say but you must advocate for yourself (or if you feel too ill, get someone else to on your behalf). If necessary, complain to PALS, complain to your practise manager.

I’m sorry you are experiencing this

That should say PTSD that has lead to generalised anxiety disorder

I am thinking that you need to cut down on the exercise. Anything taken to extremes is not good, as you will now realise from the low phosphate. And if it is anxiety the fitbit will be reinforcing that. There is a lot to be said for everything in moderation. I have a heart rhythm problem and make a point of only checking my pulse if it is really bad - I find checking it makes it worse.

However I can appreciate that it must feel frustrating to be told that you are suffering with anxiety when you feel that all the potential other causes of your symptoms have not been fully investigated. Can you go back to GP (or a different one) and explain that if anxiety is the root cause you are happy to treat that, but that before you do you need to be reassured that all other avenues have been pursued.

I know I will get shouted down here, but I do think that often it is people who have underlying anxiety who exercise to excess and become a bit fixated on it to the point where they make themselves ill. I know my OH became almost addicted to it, and he had an underlying anxiety problem.

From your OP it looks as if you are at the gym most days and checking your heart rate; and specifically trying to raise it. This really does sound a bit OTT to me, and there is a hint of health anxiety there.

I hope you manage to find out what is going on and will soon be feeling better.