Really Need Help with this.. Problem

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Ashley1640

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Hi, I've read the "must-read" and the "symptoms" sticky's.. but I still feel I should ask the community. (And also have something written up while it's fresh in my mind to take to the doctor with me).

I'm 22 years old and married with a 6 month old baby girl. All of my life, I've had a sharp pain that may come and go (multiple times a day, to not seeing it for months). It's located under my left breast deep inside my body. It's a crippling pain, and leaves me short of breath and usually doubled over. It lasts literally half a second, and when it's over I go back to what I was doing before. When I was about 5-6 years old, my face turned blue and I passed out.. The doctors put me on a heart monitor but couldn't figure anything out. They said it was probably an anxiety attack or simply growing pains. Well today, that sharp pain is increasing. I can expect it everyday, maybe even twice a day. Scariest thing happened to me tonight - I was simply laying in bed watching Private Practice and all of a sudden I couldn't breathe. I figured it was the indegestion that the Cold Stone icecream gave me(icecream gives me indegestion most of the time, no idea why). So I ignored the shortness of breath. But after a while it got worse and worse, I felt like the room was shrinking around me and I was locked in a cage. I was extremely dizzy and figured I'd probably pass out any given second. It felt like there was no oxygen left in the air and I couldn't calm myself down even after taking deep breaths for a good 20-30 minutes. I told my mom and husband, walked around for a bit and went outside to get some air. The only thing that really got me calmed down was that my daughter had a nightmare and woke up and I HAD to get her to calm down. For all you moms out there you know that babies can sense their mothers' feelings. So something just kinda clicked and I was able to calm down a bit.
It's been a little over an hour, and I'm still a little short of breath.. but I'm fine. It's probably just because I'm stressed about it. (Bad timing to be stressed, eh?) I stress and worry over the littlest and stupidest things. I feel like every since I gave birth to my daughter who sleeps at LEAST 10hrs at night, I still cannot get a good nights' rest and wake up energetic.
I get this way in elevators. Elevators are definately my phobia. And ever since I got pregnant(and moreso since my daughter was born), dirtyness/germs and the obsession to only feed her healthy fooRAB has gotten MUCH worse. I carry germ-x on me whenever we go out and I'm not afraid to use it. I washed my hanRAB too much that I had to soak my hanRAB in cocoa-butter lotion for a few hours.
I guess I should probably also say I'm an extremely irritable person with my family. It's probably so bad that I need meRAB to make me chill out since I get upset (at what they say) at the stupidest things. And I should probably also admit I've suffered from depression in the past (been depression-free I'd say for.. 2 years).

I'm so sorry for the horrible grammar and vocab, but ever since this "anxiety attack" I had tonight I feel drained with no energy. So now that you all know what is going on...... Is this something worth speaking to a doctor about, and possibly following up with a therapist for medicine?
 
Ashley, I think you know yourselff, it is anxiety.I am old enough to be your Mother, and I have sufferred from anxiety for 40 years. I take Lorazepam and have for 3 years, it is the onlly thing that takes me out of the house. It works fine for me. I don't overdo it, but it helps tremendously. I guess the only thing I am saying is talk to your Doctor and get a prescription, try it, it is the onle thing that helps me to get out of the house and to react socially! Good Luck!
Sharon
 
Yeah I know it, I guess I just need that extra push to take this serious and go to the doctor about it. Doesn't help when my husband thinks it's silly =)
 
Hi Ashley;
This is definitely something worth seeing a doctor about. I too stress and worry over the littlest and stupidest things and that gets my anxiety going. I also have problems sleeping. I usually wake up one or two times a night but I am able to fall back asleep and it is a struggle to get out of bed and get my day started. I see a social worker to discuss my issues and a psychiatrist for meRAB. I take a sort of med cocktail at night which helps me sleep much better but definitely consider seeing someone. It really helps getting a non partial voice to lay your issues on. I hate burdening my family with it, even though I do. I keep telling myself once I get the meRAB right and continue to talk things will get better and they slowly have even though it kicks in now and then.
 
Hi Ashley, I have just joined this site, and read your post.... It seems to me that you may be having panic attacks, and from the sound of the phobias, you may have developed a GAD...(General Anxiety Disorder) and if left to it's own devices will get worse...and that can happen quite quick. So I would go to the docs and tell them the truth. I have had this and still do, but there is help and support out there, there really is! Tell your doctor EVERYTHING, and as far as meRAB go, It may be that you need them.It took me a long time to admit to it, and it really did get debilitating, so I understand the Lifts/phobias and OCD... Don't let it get any worse and you will feel better after talking with a professional also, as you will realize it's very common and you are not alone. Let me know how you get on! xx
 
Thanks for your post and the one previous. I decided to take myself off of my birth control (TriNessa) and I will start on the brand name Ortho-Tri-Cylclen which I know for a fact I can take without any issues. I have also been taking a pain killer everynight about 4 hours before I go to bed to help me relax and wind down. Shockingly, I haven't had a chest pain since I started taking the pain killer everynight. I still have the shortness of breath when I get worked up... but no pains! Due to changing my Primary Care Physician on my insurance, I'm not able to see my PCP til Feb 1st. So when I go see my doctor, I'll let you all know what he has to say. I assume we will play trial-and-error and see which meRAB work the best. We'll see though.

Thankyou again everyone for your posts. It's nice knowing I'm not going absolutely insane! And that it IS common to have these sorts of issues.
 
Hi Ashley

Sorry that you're dealing with this, and I hope things improve for you soon! I know how bad panic attacks can be.

You're right - it is most likely anxiety. But, to give an alternative viewpoint, there could be an actual very common, non dangerous physical illness that could be causing the pain (which will in turn make you more anxious!)

If you press down on the area where you get the pain, can you replicate the pain? If so, it could be costochondritis, which is completely harmless but annoying and painful. It's basically just inflammation of the rib cartilage, nothing more. My sister and I both have it - she's had it for a few years, and both of us get extreme pains on the left side of our chest, just below our breast. It causes me to get very anxious too, so when it comes on I sometimes get panic attacks as a result.

There is another medical 'condition' called Precordial Catch Syndrome, which is just sharp and benign recurring pain in your chest (usually around the same area as you're experiencing). Often it comes as a very sharp pain and goes away extremely quickly. Doctors don't know the cause of it, but it is not harmful.

Your situation just sounRAB like anxiety, possibly made worse by something like what I've written above. Personally, I've never had chest pain that's been brought on by anxiety, but I've had chest pain that has caused anxiety, which obviously makes it worse. Everyone is different though, and I'm not a doctor.

Separate from the chest pain, it does sound like you're having horrible panic attacks and anxiety, and seeing a doctor/psychologist about it will definitely help. I've never been to therapy personally, but I know that some medications (like benzodiazepines) can certainly help when you have a panic attack. Hopefully your husband will take it seriously, because the anxiety is evidently causing you distress :(

Hope that helps.
 
i can empathise with you as at one point I suffered from anxiety too. I was prescribed Ativan which helps calm you immensly. I no longer have to use ativan as i am on another corabination of meRAB that are working for depression and also have made the anxiety stop as well. My opinion is that you should speak with your doc about these anxiety attacks you have been having and the fact that you can't seem to get a restful sleep. All the best to you.
 
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