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13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 542

Hi Red,

That is a pretty rose picture. Thanks for writing me and I hope and I will pray for you're stomach, as you know I was having stomach issues and I know it can be painful and I am sorry and I hope it clears up very quickly for you. I'm sure it will.

I think what scared me the most about that episode is that I dont think it was stress, I was in a deep sound peaceful sleep and the stomach and back pain woke me up, I tried to say its only gas or a pulled muscle but when the chest and jaw pain started it was like "all bets were off" I was convinced it was a heart attack, and even now almost 24 hrs later I am having like lingering symptoms, and I know its because I am focusing and thinking about it, for weeks it was my tummy, then the headaches now this!! Don't use ever wish these body symptoms would just STOP! at least give us a break for a few days, I hope its NOT my heart, it runs in the family and I am scared just hoping it goes away. Let me know how you're tummy is doing and I am glad you are resting, I think resting is good.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2508

Debora,

I am sorry to hear you had such a bad night..but glad to hear you are feeling a little better physically tonight..Maybe it was stress causing your symptoms...Stress can make a person very sick..My stomach has been acting up all day and now my ulcerative colitis has but me down for the count for a while..Back on my meds for it now..I hope to be better in a few days...For me it started with a lot of stress..So I am going to have to sign off for now and let myself rest and relax for a while..You may want to try letting yourself rest for a while and see if this helps..Then you can call your Doctor on Monday if you are still not feeling good and really worried about it. Oh I get chest pain sometimes too and they wake me up not sure what the cause is, but when I get really stressed I get physically sick in all kinds of different ways.

Well I go to go for now. Talk to you later..

Take care..

Red...

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 542

Yes Vincenzia that is what I am doing, breathing and trying to relax, I took my dog for a walk the weather is beautiful and I threw my cigarettes in the garbage, the fear of them right now overides the inconvience of withdrawal, I think I am just going to take a hot bath and rest, and hope it does not come back, like I said the last time it happened was a year and half ago, before I even was having panic attacks, I would of gone to ER but my husband scared me about it and on Saturday night it would be so crowded and the symptoms have, for the most part subsided, and I hope they do NOT return, I would rather see my own Doctor anyway, but it takes days to get an appt so I usually go to urgent care they have a EKG machine there an chest x-ray so at least I could get those done right away.

I think the scariest thing was it woke me up out of a sound sleep and was so bad and I have NO explanation for it, at least with panic I know, I never wake up from a deep sleep panicking and never with those symptoms, I have to see my primary but his staff makes you wait days and days for an appt he is so booked at least I have urgent care or ER and they have all the machines there, hoping it was isolated incident and does not hinder the progress and recovery I have made so far and I hope its nothing bad, I dont know if I could deal with anything life-threatning right now with this panic disorder! Thank you all for you're thoughts and prayers, I am going to lie down for awhile and hope to relax, my anxiety was very high today.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1853

Hi Debora,

I'm so sorry to hear you had this terrible attack this morning. We are all concerned and thinking of you.

You know, the thing is we could all speculate about what your physical symptoms, but the fact is you need to see your doctor. Your doctor can do a proper physical exam, send you for tests or scans that can help pinpoint the cause of your stomach pain and the pain now radiating to different areas of your body.

You need to do this for your own mental and physical well-being. Otherwise, the negative thoughts and worry will only grow and become suffocating. In the meantime, do some visualization techniques, deep breathing, muscle relaxation - whatever helps calm you down a bit.

Here for you!

Vincenza, Health Educator

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 542

Thank you Sunny and Davit and Hugs,

I am hoping it was just a bad case of gas, through can that radiate to your jaw and neck and back? I did walk the dogs last night, both of them on each arm and they were pulling a lot, I am trying to "find" reason or unscary reasons for the intense pain and I hope and pray it does not return, it felt so much like a heart attack and I am still very shaky, I even cried which I had not done in days, I have not panicked yet, which is good and positive, the thought of going to ER, twelve hours after the fact and getting hooked up to all the machines sends dread through me, and I did it last year and they found nothing wrong.

But of course with my thoughts I keep thinking heart attack or blood clot in the lung or something terrible, the pain was very bad and scary, heart problems run in my family and everyone died from it which does not help my nerves, I am trying to breathe and relax and NOT to worry it will come back, I have been walking every night, eating healthy and keeping my cigarettes down to 5 or 6 a day, I would love to go cold turkey on the cigarettes but that causes a lot of anxiety, the doctor said to keep it down to a few a day which I try, but I would love to quit. If I did have a heart attack could they tell now? Can gas and indigestion cause horrible terrible pain that radiates everywhere? I did eat more than I usually do yesterday, I am trying to find harmeless reasons. I have fought this panic so bad and I do not want to have this episode push me back, and fearing a heart attack everyday would do it, I dont even have heart attack symptoms when I panic, more trembling, shaking, crying, breathing fast and light headed, not pain like early this morning. I pray it does not return, it knocked the wind out of me and brought back such fears, I have to try to get past this and hope my heart is alright.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Ever consider Arthritis? There are about a hundred different kinds I'm told. I do know Arthritis is not what most people think. All it means is Inflammation, and it can be in soft tissue too. It can be in lungs and the heart. It can be in bowels. They all got funny names but they all fall under the heading Arthritis. Some are caused by bacteria and some from deficiencies and some just from wear. Arthritis in the sternum feels like a heart attack and breathing even hurts. Gout is painful as is bursitis. Tendinitis can limit movement and affect muscles not normally used in compensation. Limiting it to panic or a heart attack is too limiting. And there are worse things than that to check out before a person can actually say it is mental.

Thankfully in Canada the tests are still free.

Davit.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1665

Hi D: From what I've heard you can still get this pain even after the surgery especially if we are very stressed out. Have you done your relaxation ex. today? Might be a good time to do it, or have a nice hot bath and just soak those tense muscles. Hope it's getting better for you.

Sunny

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 542

Hi Sunny, Thanks for writing I am very nervous right now. I had my gallbladder out back in the late eighties so I know its not that, I wish it were at least there would be a explanation. The pain was so bad I could barely breathe early this morning, and I know it was NOT panic, it woke me up from a sound sleep and was so painful. Now I am thinking "you had a minor heart attack" I cannot get that thought out of my head! I am even having "lingering" symptoms of it but I think that might be anxiety and focusing on it too much, as I said I wish it were a panic but it was not now I think something is wrong with my heart! My only comfort is that a year and half ago I had a very similar episode, even longer and more painful, and they did many tests and found nothing wrong, that helps a little, I just want to know what it was and how I can prevent it not happening again, I cannot believe gas could cause such pain, I thought lower tummy but not up the jaw back and shoulders! I am trying so hard not to let this set me back, but I dont want to die of a heart attack, why did this happen? I am so confused and scared.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4027

Debora,

I think seeking medical help to clear the physical issues is great. The alternative is getting worried sick and getting into that cycle. I know I'm scheduled for some more invasive work for my stomach issues, and for the first two consecutive days in three weeks, I haven't had stomach aches, giving me emotional relief too.

My doc gave me some stomach-related meds, and that might be having impact.

Keep in touch

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1665

Hi Debora: When you wrote before that you had pain in the upper part of the abdomen, I thought about gall bladder problems. It's usually a little bit to the right hand side. However, when it gets bad it radiates to the back and all across the front of the stomach too. Do you have a lot of indigestion and pain after eating? Do you have pain when you lie down and in the night, it wakens you sometimes? If so, let your doctor know about this and see if you can get a scan for gall bladder. Apparently it is quite common for women around menopause. Anxiety doesn't help either, it can bring about a gall bladder attack because you don't digest well when anxious.

My suggestion to you is to go to your doctor as soon as possible and discuss this possibility. While you are waiting for an appt. you could try Zantac over the counter antacid. It works very well. I know, I've had this too. We aren't supposed to recommend medications, but from my personal experience Zantac was very good.

Try not to worry too much. If it is gall bladder it is very easily fixed and the pain relief is awesome!

Thinking of you,

Sunny

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