Need some Answers

My name is Jessica and I'm 19 years old. I've been diagnosed with Chostochondritis and Gastritis in the past 2 months.Prior to all of this, it all triggered from me being dehydrated and causing myself to get a panic attack. Ever since that day, I haven't been the same.Each day I don't feel good.My symptoms are severe chest pains, dizziness, muscle aches, severe stomach and bowl problems,feeling of dying,and that I'm losing it all.No one has diagnosed me with having a Panic Disorder, but I believe myself to have it.My breathing has been uncontrollable.It's difficult to breathe and these chest pains are making it hard for me to do anything except cry and worry even more.I've been to 3 Emergency Rooms and several doctors. One had said that all the Mortin I was taking for the chest pains resulted in me having Gastritis.It's been 2 months and I still feel really bad.I'm scared that something is wrong with my heart and I'm going to die.I was browsing a site for Neem Aura as a helpful medication for gastritis.I need some info on anything that I can do.I'm desperate and I need my life back.I haven't been out of the house for 2 months.I'm afraid I'd get another attack & something bad will happen to me.It feels as if I am having a heart attack.I get these heart palpitations like my heart stopped and it's driving me crazy.I'm only 19 and I'm very scared.I can't sleep.I had a blood test,EKG,urine tests, chest x-ray & everything turned out ok. The doctors have me on Protanix for the Gastritis,but I'm in serious pain everyday. Could you please help me out.
Jessica

[Gwen1851]

Hi. The feelings you have sound like Anxiety and Panic attacks i have them too. You get the feeling you cant breath, stomach pains sometimes, heart palpitations, dizziness, weird thoughts of dying etc. Maybe you should see your DR and tell them about that and see if they think it is Anxiety and Panic. Good Luck.

[Street]

Jessica, this all sounds like nerves. If you have seen doctors and they have checked your heart and given you a full check up then i wouldn't worry about all this as much as you are worrying. You are not dying, yes you might have a panic disorder or be suffering from health anxiety. These things still need to be treated. What you need to do is see your primary dr and explain to him EVERYTHING that you are feeling and discuss the possibility of a panic disorder. People with panic disorder feel like they are having a heart attack as they experience chest pains, dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breathe, sleeplesness and the other things you have explained. The gastritis could be a product of stress also. Worrying about dying after been checked out by doctors is not rational, they have most likely excluded other diseases with the tests they have given you. Consult your doctor about all this and try not to worry too much as you will get worse. Antianxiety medications and antidepressants have been successfully used to treat panic disorders. These medications act on the central nervous system to reduce the feelings of anxiety and associated symptoms.
good luck!

[erin_R]

Dont be worried. I have panic attacks, i have not been somewhere to diagnose them or treat them, but i think i will. I too feel like my heart is stopping and that im going to die any sec, its kinda like the feeling of impending doom. I have been told by a few people online who are psychologists (without them being paid) that the best way 2 stop one is to focus on NOW , whats realy happening, not what you think is happening. I am being treated for GERD, 8 weeks of nexium, if its not healed then hes gonna scope my esophigus to see if i have a hiatal hernia. I get this feeling alot. its hard to bear with, but you can do it.

[MLS]

Hi Jessica,
I posted the message below on the heart forum for someone who was concerned because about having their heart race. I hope that it helps you.  I have had chest pains and my chest area was very tender and when I was at the chiropracter he told me that my chest muscles were very sore and swollen.  He has worked on my back (behind my chest area) and told me that strains in your back could affect this also.  It has helped greatly.  You might want to try a "search" by clicking the button above and go to the alphabet that your concern starts with and find out more about what you are dealing with.  Anyway....below please read. I hope this helps.
First of all, the most important thing is that you have been tested by the doctors and told that everything is okay. I'm so sorry that you have been worrying about your heart for 3 years. That is a very long time and I can imagine what that has done to your stress level let alone your physiological response level every time you think or do something! Thought and reaction occur so fast they they sometimes seem as one. If everytime you think that your heart may beat fast because of what you are doing it WILL!! It becomes habit and habits have to broken. Your thoughts and actions have to be changed. You need to work on changing your thinking from the negative oh my gosh will my heart race to okay here it goes. See the responses mentioned above. Changing your thinking from negative to positive does work. It does not happen overnight but it does work. I would have tension, anxiety, panic the whole day.....awful. All missed up with that was the thought that I was not normal, I wanted to be like everyone else. I was bad....but, when I begin to positive self talk to myself I would at first have 5 minutes of feeling good and "connected" to the day, then 10 minutes here, then 1/2 hr., then 1/2 day, then 3 good days, then 1 good week, and on and on. You begin to feel part of the world again, not just wishing you were normal, but realizing that you are normal but just felt bad "under the circumstances" and those circumstances happen to be what you are telling yourself and that is "that your heart is going to race." Take a walk, smell the fresh air, hear the birds, feel your heart race and tell yourself it is okay. Walk around the block and take pride in that accomplishment. Maybe walk around the block for a week. Then next week walk around two blocks. Enjoy each accomplishment. Right now I have to tell you that I am dealing with skipped beats with my heart. I tend to get these on occassion but I am on a new medicaiton and I think it is causing them to happen even more. It bothers me, who wouldn't it bother. It is not a nice sensation but it has happened before and if it keeps on I will go to the doctor but right now I am having to deal with them the same way I mentioned to you above.....think about it...What choice do we have.....I came to the conclusion that I was afraid of dying....so how could I be so afraid of living!!! I don't want to be afraid of living and if having anxiety symptoms makes one so than we need to learn to deal with them....because life goes on and I want it to be the best that I can. Accept...face the fact that this is happening to you now....and TRY to think positive.
MLS

[Wilson]

Jessica, you're the first person I've ever seen with the  diagnosis of Costochondritis, which I had last year. Let me just say that you have NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. My guess is that you feel like you've been misdiagnosed, and they've missed something that's gravely wrong with you, and this is causing both your anxiety AND stomach problems (or at least contributing to them... actually I just reread your post and the meds are probably contributing the most to your gastritis.)

I started to have pain in my chest in May of 2000, and a month later it was still there and getting worse. Then I developed night sweats, and I thought, Holy **** I have cancer and this pain in my chest is never going to go away and I will die with it! I put off going to the doctor another couple of weeks, not wanting to know. Finally the pain got so bad I had to go to the emergency room, and they gave me the diagnosis of Costochondritis. I was so relieved I actually cried on the way home, but then over the next couple of weeks when the pain medications stopped working I became worried again.

Basically, the pain lasted all summer long and into the fall. Even around last Christmas I still had remnants of it, but by fall I could tell it was getting better and I no longer needed to worry. Now, yours may not last that long, but I'm just letting you know it WILL eventually subside and you'll be pain-free again.

As to your gastritis, I would learn all you can from your doctor and wherever else all you can about treating your stomach. You have to eat sensibly, and avoid all possible irritants if possible (coffee, analgesics, spicy foods, etc.) Realize that you have alot of control over what happens with this.

And as far as the anxiety, there are many self-help techniques such as relaxation tapes and biofeedback, as well as books to read about overcoming or dealing with it. You may want to consider some counseling, at least to just help you get started. The main thing is to realize you're probably not seriously ill, just having a few temporary problems that you'll see as you get older most people have from time to time. Good luck.