Is it really Anxiety?

[Nelly34e]

About a month and a half ago I had a panic attack.  Have never had them before in my life, but i had one.  I had a headache for a couple days but then felt better for about a week or so.  And since that week was up until now, I have had anxiety(or at least the doctors say it is) every single day.  There are periods of the day where it is not as bad, but its there all the time.  I have chest pains near my heart, and have chest tightness.  My back and neck hurt.  I have heartburn very badly, but have never had it before in my life.  Sometimes when i burp it tastes kind of sour.  I feel like something is in my throat. I feel the need to burp a lot.  I get really scared when my wife goes to work because I worry that while im home watching my 3 year old child, that i will have a heart attack and no one will find me in time to save me.  I am constantly worrying about it and looking up symptoms online trying to link it to something more serious.  But my doctor has said it is just severe anxiety and prescribed me zoloft.  I have been on zoloft for 3 days and at times i feel very shaky on the inside of my body and have had some stomach cramping.  Don't know if its the zoloft or me just worrying about it.  When I went to the E.R. they tested for diabetes among other things, and took an EKG and everything was fine.  When I did the follow up with my doc, again, he said it was anxiety and that it is not my heart.  I just find it so hard to believe.  Can Anxiety really cause these symptoms that I feel every single day?  Any info would help.  Thanks guys!

[kellykel1124]

Yes anxiety works in the strangest ways and it can actually change what it does to your body as well. Mine started off as yours did I went to the hospital 8 years ago thinking I was having a heart attack and plenty of times after that and every time I went everything came back fine they told me I had anxiety back then, so it eventually went away, but I would have panic  attacks every now and then through out the years, now I have them all of the time and I have anxiety from the thought of having more panic attacks (hope that makes sense to you) panic and anxiety are a little different, I have both. Now I have became OVERLY SENSITIVE to the way my body feels and I sometimes bring it on myself when I think about it. I have everything from chest pain, tingly arms and lips, feelings of almost passing out, lightheaded, nauseous, dizzy, cold sensations through my chest, confused feelings, you name it I feel it. I have been to cardiologists and ERs since I was 20. I went to a mental health doctor and she explained why I feel this way.... When you have anxiety or a panic disorder your body naturally goes into a flight or fight mode which makes your adrenaline increase and makes your blood go to the center of your body so you can protect yourself like they did in the caveman days, and when all of your blood is in the center of you body, that will make you feel dizzy or lightheaded, like you feel like you are going to pass out. I have been talking my self out of these panic attacks the best I can, but it is a struggle everyday. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Good luck you you all

[Nelly34e]

My head gets many feelings with this anxiety.  Sometimes I feel lightheaded, sometimes I just have headaches, sometimes I feel just like a cool wave rushes through my head, and sometimes my head feels fine.  The symptoms that happen the most for me are the chest pain/tightness and the heartburn.  I will have chest pain near my heart, my chest will feel tight, and like i need to burp and sometimes i will have a pain on the right side of my chest.  Its hard to describe, but I have been feeling this for quite some time now, and my doctor says its not a heart attack or heart issues and says its anxiety.  He says if it was a heart attack I would have already had it by now.  The heartburn really *****.  Sometimes my neck muscles feel really tight and like something is stuck in there.  I get a burning feeling in the middle of my chest and sometimes burp up something that taste sour.  I don't know if heartburn is common with anxiety, maybe i have GERD, I dunno.  I am just constantly thinking about this and worried about this.  Having pain and tightness in the chest is really a scary thing.

[phoenix888]

its probably anxiety because i get those same symptoms all the time. do you get a cool sensation in your head with your anxiety if so its probably anxiety because thats exactly what i have.