shortness of breath etc. please help

[wellworried84]

Dear friends, I would greatly appreciate anyones thoughts on this. I'm 23 y/o male here is my story. About 7 weeks ago I thought I got infected with HIV (very low risk,vaginal sex, popped condom for a second). Anyway, I started experiencinng frequent need to urinate which lasted for about two weeks. Soon after I began experiencing shortness of breath. I felt my breathing was labored, I was unable to take deep breaths and used to yawn a lot, that seemed to be the only way to take deep breaths. At the begining I even felt chest pain and tightness. Everything was fine when I went to sleep but in the morning it all started again. All this lasted for about 3 weeks I seem to be doing much better now. I also experienced frequent chills, some headaches, neck stiffness, I always feel cold, my feet and my hands are always cold. I also had two onsets of mild fever that lasted for a couple of hrs. I also had a swollen lymph node on my neck for about two weeks. Does this sound familiar to anyone. Can severe anxiety and stress that lasts for a few weeks cause any of this? Can anxiety and stress cause onsets of fever, chills or efect your immune system or cause high sensitivity of the lymph system? I am very confused and worried. I greatly appreciate anyones thoughts on this. Thank you everybody. Peace.

[Raine9]

Since January I have been having problems taking in deep breaths.  Sometimes it feels like a smothering sensation.  Sometimes my chest feels full and tight. The symptoms come and go.  But I always feel it to some extent.  I sleep okay.  It's the worse when I wake up in the morning.  My chest feels tight and I can't take deep breaths.  I felt fine in February but the symptoms came back in mid March and haven't went away.  I have been under a great deal of anxiety and depression for the last year.  I think it's a combination of giving birth and the health scare I had last summer. I had an abnormal chest x-ray.  My doctor ordered a CT scan and it turned out to be a post-inflammation thing.  The doctors said that it was mostly likely caused by a previous illness and assured me that he doesn't think there's anything wrong with my lungs.  But I can't stop worrying about it.  I think this experience traumatized me.  I have always been somewhat of a hypochondriac but now I am constantly worried that I am going to be diagnosed with a terminal illness. I also experienced difficulty swallowing last October and finally went away in December.  I felt acid in my stomach in November. I would cry very easily and I would wake up feeling very scared.   That lasted a few weeks in November and went away. I make the mistake of reading about diseases on the internet.  I agree it fuels the fear and anxiety.  Staying home taking care of my baby doesn't help either.  I think a lot about negative things when I am at home.  I went to the doctor about my shortness of breath last week.  He thinks that it might be anxiety but sent me to a pulmonary specialist to get a second opinion about the findings from the CT scan.  The specialist also thinks that the finding from the CT scan is post-inflammatory but thinks I might have asthma.  He basically said that anxiety doesn't cause persistent shortness of breath.  It causes attacks.  (Is he right?  I've read that anxiety can be chronic.)  They want me to take another chest x-ray but I am terrified that they might find something incurable.  The specialist noticed how nervous I was and decided to hold off on further tests.  He thinks that I should be treated for the depression first.  The not knowing exactly what's causing my shortness of breath makes me feel worse.    Is anyone going through this?  What should I do?

[Bsmith6883]

I am 23 y/o female just thought I would try to give you some peace of mind.. I recently suffered a terrible spell with anxiety. Although I didn't fear I had contracted aids.. I experiences terrible sensations #1 being chest pains... my worries became hibitual and I finally went to the doctor..I wasnt satisfied with an ekg, or blood tests , so I went to the ER to get a chest scan and lung test.. Still not good enough I still worried... So I  went to a cardiologist and had an echcardiogram.. EVERYTHING has come back normal. 6,000$ Dollars later I feel better and have peace of mind. I have been to 4 different physicians all whom have given me ani-depressents... (lexapro,zoloft,xanx) Terrible drugs that are highly dependency forming..I have not been successful with that route..
Just don't worry, you are not alone. The Linden Method helped me loads... You are only 23 you have the world to look forward to.. GOOD LUCK

[Coffycup]

Although I've never met you, I care about what you're going through.

The shortness of breath is one of the scariest parts, if not the scariest, along with the feeling that you are somehow "detached from reality", which is the best way I can put that feeling. I used to be so bad that I would leave shopping carts full of groceries at the store and go run to my car because it was so bad. I haven't done that in a few years, but every now and then I feel very short of breath, and just mentally or literally talking myself into calm really helps.

The cause is usually due to me either building up the tension in my mind before the event (a meeting, waiting in line, going to a movie, etc.), not taking proper care of myself that day (skipped a meal, took too much caffeine, didn't get enough sleep, etc.), or both. I read your post and really felt for you. And I don't know anyone who hasn't had an STD scare at least once in their life. I truly believe you'll come out on top. Best of luck to you!

[wellworried84]

Thanks a lot coffycup you have no idea how much I appreciate your thoughts on this. I have been going through hell for the last 7 weeks. I don't know if I'm out of it yet but I'm doing a lot better now. It is amazing how powerful the mind is. When you have constant anxiety for 7 weeks or so I think it definitely has to affect your health. And I'm not talking about mild depression or prolonged feeling of worry I'm talking about such anxiety that makes your heart beat out of control along with heavy breathing, chest pain, dizzyness and what not and all that 24 hrs a day for almost two months. Anyway, I am glad someone out there knows what I'm talking about. Again, thanks for the reply and honesty. All best!

[Coffycup]

I keep forgetting to answer your other question, about stress affecting your immune system - absolutely. The energy your body stores for those sick days are spent on dealing with anxiety. I got a very nasty cold while I was worrying myself sick about having lymphoma. I don't remember if you said you saw a doctor for your symptoms, but get a physical, since we should all get an annual physical anyway. I call it health assurance.

[Coffycup]

Oh, and to address your symptoms, the stiffness, cold extremities, and frequent urination, etc., these sound like fight or flight responses working overtime. When we're nervous, our body has built-in responders to help us out, but when you over-worry, like I do, your mind is so conditioned to use those responders that it doesn't know how to turn them off. That's what I'm working on, one day at a time, but it's so worth it because I want a good quality of life :o)

[Coffycup]

In my experience, going to sleep made me feel better because it made me feel safe to be in my own home and in bed, but when I awoke, I would be paralized in my bed by self-fulfilling prophecies - dizziness, heaviness in arms and legs, heavy chest, shortness of breath, etc. What started the ball rolling was a lump under my armpit that appeared one day out of the blue, but did not go away. Fortunately, it turned out to be an ingrown hair (my doctor and a surgeon both checked it just to be sure that it wasn't lymphoma).

But that was it – I was just so sure I was going to die of some awful disease. And then everything else after that was a symptom of that "awful disease" I thought I had. I am still fighting the good fight - I tend to feel awful between late October to early March - but as long as you've had a complete physical to rule out any problems with your thyroid, etc., you can be assured that it's just the anxiety playing tricks, and then learn techniques to combat those awful, distructive feelings. Also try not to research HIV symptoms online. That will just feed the flames of anxiety. I made this mistake when researching lymphoma.

Try reminding your tired muscles and nerves what it feels like to relax - I'm sure all the stress has rewired your system to respond to fear and fear only - cut out caffeine for a day and try calming chamomile tea and/or lavender aromatherapy, and get someone to rub your back.  I really hope this helps, you certainly have my sympathy.