Is this what anxiety feels like? Interested in your experiences

[TheGrump]

Like many of us, I have found lockdown difficult in terms of working from home and home schooling. Just being around my family 24/7. I am very introverted and value my own time. My daughter refuses to do school work and everyday has been a battle, trying to find ways to motivate her etc. My boss is quite demanding....

I think stress has been slowly building up over lockdown. No history of depression/anxiety etc. Before lock down I would go running once a week and do a pilates class. Plus walk 30 mins everyday - so quite fit.

Last week I had a UTI and was prescribed antiobiotics over the phone. Started to take them but managed to convince myself that the infection had travelled to the kidneys. Got myself in a right state about it. Made appointment with the Dr who reassured me that it hadn't become a kidney infection and swapped to a different antibiotic incase the antibiotic was making me feel worse? Dr took my blood pressure and it was v high for me - 168/106? She was more worried about this and said I might need to take blood pressure lowering tablets. Went back next day and the nurse measured it - 143/98 so still on the high end but not horrific. Was given a prescription for ramipril and started taking it.

That night I had very strong jerks in my body everytime I tried to drift off. Went on all night - accompanied by heart racing, thumping, feeling sick and headache. I was worried and phoned 111. They sent an amublance! Amublance people did ecg - all OK but blood pressure high (not surprising as I was freaking out/crying etc.) Really scared. Took me in, did all the heart tests (bloods, ecg, xray etc). All fine and sent home. This was Sat. Wondered if I had a bad reaction to the medication so I stopped taking it.

Since then I've had what feels like a really heavy feeling on my chest, especially when up and about. Not too bad when resting. Like something is pressing down on it ?I feel breathless but I don't think I am? Feels like I am walking through treacle? Massive effort to do anything? I spoke with the Dr on the phone and she seemed to think anxiety? I have never suffered from anything like this before so have no idea? Is it possible for your body to be in a state of physical anxiety but not your mind so to speak? I tried to go for a walk but just had to come home as couldn't cope with it. I've taken my blood pressure (little bit high but not crazy), pulse, temp, oxygen saturation - all fine... I am taking things easy. Resting etc.

Have you ever exeprienced this? Is this what lockdown has done to me? Would be interested to hear your views and what helped you recover?

Dr has asked me to monitor blood pressure for 2 weeks now before deciding what to do next.

Yes totally possible it could be anxiety. We have tolerated so much stress these last few weeks and months it's not surprising that a lot of people have found themselves suffering with anxiety depression, even some who wouldn't normally.

You have been checked over physically which is great. Try some good self care over the next couple of weeks and really put yourself first. It's actually very hard to do especially as a Mum. Try and get some exercise if you can, plenty of sleep too. Hope you feel better soon xx

Thanks for your kind words @Umbongo1 I felt a bit teary just reading it as someone is being nice to me! Will try and take it easy.

I got up yesterday and tried to be 'normal' and feel so much worse today so have taken to my bed. Thank goodness for DH's company being very understanding about things at the moment.

You'll get through it. Rest rest and rest but if you can try not to spend too much time in bed by yourself ruminating about things. Try and frame things positively if you can.

I'm struggling myself currently, having been fine for months and months. Am putting it down to the stress of lockdown.

That is just howy anxiety feels heart pounding, feels breathless but oxygen saturation fine.

I have been in the middle of an attack for days. Keeping busy helps. I once went to a a and e because I couldn't breathe felt foolish when they said it was anxiety.

Hope it lifts soon :-)

My#

Thanks @Vlcos157 It's reassuring that you recognise my symptoms. Hope yours lifts soon too. I felt embarrassed in A&E too

I had no idea anxiety could be so physical? Real eye opener.

@TheGrump scary isn't it something that feels so real and there isn't anything physical as such wrong. I find it hard to get my head around that!

I quite often feel nausea to after an episode of anxiety. I hope your day is going OK

Yes, my anxiety feels as you describe.
I'm embarrassed to admit I've called 999 many times in the past and turned up at A&E in a complete frenzy thinking I'm about to die.
I often feel 'normal' but my body is screaming that there's something wrong.
Constantly have low level anxiety and it's like the adrenaline builds up and everything goes haywire.
I've learned to stop checking my BP and pulse as often as I was as it was becoming a problem for me and I was becoming preoccupied with it which was in turn feeding my anxiety.

The heavy feeling on the chest is something I get when my anxiety is bad. Mine is particularly bad at the moment. Really struggling. I spent the last two days in bed. Doesn’t really help but I just can’t face working. I get up, push my kids to do home schooling then taken to my bed again. It’s really really hard.

Thanks @Spied. I think what you have described about 'build up'' is exactly what has happened to me during lockdown. The UTI and blood pressure diagnoses seems to have completely tipped the balance and my body totally freaked out.

I will take on board your good advice about not constantly checking BP etc

I spoke to my Dr again late this afternoon and she was very reassuring. She made me really laugh about how we can't get our children to do maths and in that moment I felt momentarily lifted? Just shows how important human interaction is. I still have the chest heaviness and extreme fatigue but don't feel quite so scared.

@Starfish1021 I'm impressed you got them to do homeschooling
Hope you feel better soon. I can't face work either. My boss is very stressy....

Sounds like side effects of the the Ramipril. What you’re describing isn’t uncommon

Thanks and I’m sure I will as well. It’s very hard to process everything and I’m sure your body is just processing everything. My kids have mostly been okay with the homeschooling. They can’t play with their tablets until afterwards. Although, it’s still so much effort and it makes me feel like I have already done a full day of work. It’s also the time the children ask the most questions, when will be going on holiday? When will I get to go back to school? It’s really mentally draining. Sorry your boss is so stressful. It’s so unnecessary to add even more stress on to the situation.

Yes yes and yes, the things you have described are all anxiety symptoms I get! Even had an ambulance called out before as one attack was so bad.

I'm still learning how to manage but one thing I try to do is just figure out /what/ specifically I am anxious about, which usually involves thinking through various stressful things (fun) and seeing which one makes my heart stutter. Then try to rationalise my way through ways of dealing with that specifically. I sort of give myself a voice in my head that speaks to me as though I'm a child - 'Okay, so you're anxious about (thing). That's what's making your heart pound and why we feel breathless. We know there's nothing physically wrong, which is good. Tomorrow morning we can sort out (part of thing I'm anxious about, broken down into as many small tasks as possible). Right now we just need to try and sleep. It's okay if you don't, if you can just lie here and rest for a while, that's really helpful too' etc. It sounds kind of stupid when I write it out but it helps me!

For me one of the worst things is that because my heart starts racing or something, I start convincing myself something is really wrong (even had the same thing with a UTI weirdly enough, sure I could feel pain in my kidneys because I'd read that could happen but was totally fine), so I have to work hard to remind myself it's anxiety symptoms and not something wrong with my body.

I also think going easy on yourself is the best thing to do short term (for me, anyway) when the symptoms are bad. Going back to that little voice it's like 'Let's watch (favourite film/tv show) or read favourite book for a while' or 'Let's get ourselves a cup of tea and take ten minutes.

I really feel for you, times are so stressful right now it's beyond belief, thinking of you OP 💕

The jerking at bedtime as you’re about to fall asleep, heart racing terrified - exactly what my anxiety feels like. Everytime I drift off I sit up in a panic trying to tell myself I’m ok.

@rossKemp - yes I think the Ramipril played some part in it all. I stopped taking them after one tablet.

@maybelou & @Kmxxx14 - Thank you for sharing your experiences. It's really reassuring as I am new to all of this. I feel slightly less like I'm going mad hearing about other people's physical manifestations. I'm going to try and cultivate the reassuring inner voice @maybelou

munchausens is the only illness that it is not possible to fake - and yes I called paramedic - ambulance - went to A&E - 5 days in a row
then I realised it was anxiety - but the fact is there is something very wrong...…

Apologies I have not rtft but if the antibiotics were Clarithomycin then they can cause exactly what you describe. I had a terrible reaction to them although I was firmly told to finish the course, it took my heart rate a week after taking them to go back to normal. Horrible feeling.

Sort of. The heavy/tight chest sounds about right. For me it's like when you have a near miss in the car. Your stomach drops and you hold your breath without realising and you're suddenly firing on cylinders you didn't even know you had as you attempt to avert disaster and afterwards you realise that your heart is pounding, your head aches and you feel faintly sick. You go over and over it in your mind trying to process it and move on before you end up causing a second near miss because you can't concentrate.

Now imagine that there never was any car and no incident. That physical state of Ohmygodwe'regoingtodie!!! is your normal state and you never do manage to process it, it just keeps looping. "It" being every social interaction, every throwaway comment or perceived rejection. It's exhausting and you can't sleep because you can't de-escalate your nerves. You're constantly shaking with adrenaline, your stomach is so full of butterflies is gives you the shits and you burst into tears at any silly inconvenience. Everything is a huge effort and aspects of your job that would normally be done half asleep, on autopilot while mainlining coffee are suddenly insurmountable and you just don't know where to start and it completely overwhelms you.

OP I’ve posted on another thread but I had to go to emergency too.
Same thing, stress and a UTI.
You’re not alone x