Anxiety, the fear of dying.

[Gelfling010]

This all started 4 weeks ago, was feeling fine and the next thing woke up early in the morning scared out of my mind thought i was about to die could not explain the way i felt, all i know is something didn't feel right. Ended up in hospital was told i was having a panic attack and suffering with anxiety. since then have tried loads of different medication, was given citropram to start with but was given the wrong dose and suffered the side effects, was given diazpan to relax me, nothing was working, doctors have done blood tests for hormones come back normal, i am now on tramadol, because since the start of all this my symptoms have changed, it started with head pressure at the front of head which has now moved to the back of my head and neck which then turned into a burning sensation now it has turned into pain, still have head pressure all over i feel constantly sick though i have not been. my head feels like a heavy weight, i have jelly legs feels like i'm going to collaspes, and i keep feeling like i'm going to die like this is it.  Went A&E again last night as the pain in my neck was unbearable said there was nothing they could do must go back to the doctors, just take painkillers to get me through the night.  Took painkillers pain has gone away it is now 6:30am i have been awake since 4am with the feeling i am going to be sick any second and the fear that i am going to die any minute i am so scared.  I was scheduled for a CT scan but the doctor at the hospital refused said i was to young for the radiation, i am 33.  I have now been told that i have to wait over 3 weeks for a MRI i dont feel that i can wait that long, and my family and husband are beginning to loose their patiance with me i feel like im all alone can anyone give any advise or if they feel the same way as me.

[sorolo]

I have been feeling the same way for about two months now. First I convinced myself that I had pancreatic cancer but the symptoms were actually being caused by a non-functioning gall-bladder. After having my gall bladder out last week, I have now convinced myself that I am suffering from malignant melinoma. I went to the dermatologist today and he told me that I was not and did a biopsy to reassure me of it.

This is the first time that I have had to deal with this kind of anxiety and it is is driving me insane. I can't think of anything but my impending death at the hands of cancer. I finally told my wife today that I need to see a professional. This worry is destroying my life and making miss the family time that I should be enjoying.

[Gelfling010]

my panic attacks have been on going for the past 2 days and ear and head pressure has been getting worse, i saw a neurologist on monday who looked like they was in their 80's who would not listen to my symptoms i kept explaining the neck pains and my ears feel full and now it feels like my head has a huge weight on it it keeps feeling heavy and that i feel like i am about to die, all she kept asking me about my was my diet, then said i could be suffering from caffeine withdrawals....huh? i have never drank tea or coffee and i don't drink coke cola. then again this was the same neurologist who diagnosed my mum for 2 years with caffeine withdrawals and tennis elbow, my mum finally got to see someone else and turns out she has parkinson's disease.  so monday was a waste of time.  i went back to my doctors discussed my symptoms more he has now referred me to a ENT the doctor now thinks it could be an inner ear infection something called labyrinthitis which i looked up and one of the first symptoms can be a panic attack,  the doctor did give me antibotics previously which didn't work but he said if it is an inner ear infection it would need steroids to get rid of the infection, so until my appointment which is in a couple of weeks i just have to keep putting oil drops in my ears and take ibuprophen as the doctor does not want to gave me anything till i have seen the ENT and had a MRI scan which is not for a couple of weeks so in the mean time i'm stuck of the couch suffering but i am going to the pharmacy tomorrow to get this herbal remedy called rescue which might help with the panic attacks. got to try something waking in the middle of the night believing your about to die....i will give anything a try to stop theses attacks. here's hoping.x

[melissamoore1981]

hi i know how your feeling, i cant tell you the amount of times i have endend up in the emergency department, telling the docotrs that i refuse to leave as i was convinced that i was dying and didnt believe that i had anxiety. im 27 now and have been dealing with these constant syptoms for 6 years now. my bet advice is to get on top of your anxiety issues now, as i have been dealing with them for 6 years, i have two gorgeous children and it has completely taken over my life. I hope i get past it one day, but every day is a struggle. All the best :)

[John23a]

this how my anxiety started..woke up and felt like im dying just like u..in a period of 2 weeks i went to ER 4-5 times ( i suffered from head/neck pain, numbness, vision problems, chest pain, racing heart, shortness of breath, feeling dreamy)...i did a full blood test MRI from neck and CT scan from head..all normal..and as soon as i found out there is nothing wrong with me it took a week for all the symptoms to disappear..and right now the only symptoms i have is feeling dreamy constantly which trust me is the worst feeling of all..as long as you keep worrying you will make the symptoms worse..i know its hard to now think about it but trust me there is nothing wrong with you physically..as soon as you stop thinking about it, its gonna go away..by the way im curious you are 33 and they said you cant have a CT scan done bcs of radation? well im 19 and i had an MRI and a CT scan without any problems.

[katherann]

i have the same. i just randomly felt weird and thought i was dying i went to the emergency room and they have done nothing to help me! i have gotten blood work and evrything. feel better.

[Gelfling010]

Thanks for responding it is not nice to feel this way and i wouldn't wish this on anyone but it is good to know that i'm not alone that other people know exactly how i feel, family and friends just think because they can't see a problem with me that i shouldn't feel this way, if my leg was in plaster it would be a different story.  I have been back to the doctor this morning and still scheduled for an MRI and will be seeing a consultant this monday hopefully i will get some more answers, doesn't help me tomorrow as it is my birthday which i will not be celebrating the way i want to.  what i can't understand is that i'm such an independant person i have no problem traveling on my own which i have done many a times i even spent the day in disney land on my own and had a blast.  don't think i'm a loner i have many friends, i used to be such a social butterfly now i feel like a hermit, never going out spending most of my time in bed watching movies. so why me but i suppose everyone asks that question. At the moment i feel ok abit nausea, i have noticed that the neck pain subsides when i put oil drops in my ears, now i wonder if  anxiety can be triggered by infection? or am i looking for a reason for feeling this way.
i want to thank you all for responding it means alot to me for people to take the time to help and tell me their problems with anxiety. wish there was a simple answer to all of this but i think it is going take sometime. WantToManage thanks for your advise i spoke with my doctor about the fact that we are not giving any time for the drugs to take effect, been advised to wait till monday and speak with the consultant. Chantelle23 i'm always checking my pulse, i'm sure it is all anxiety.  Thank you xxx

[chantelle23]

Anxiety is a horrible thing. Dont stay in your house life is too short and your so young just like myself i am 23. we no the symptoms are so bad but we should not try and let it rule our life. i am a student nurse and i check my vitals all the time, funnt isnt it really!! wel i dont think my choice of job has helped me.
i am sure we will soon accept the fact its anxiety and nothing worse then maybe our symptoms may fade. well thats what i am hoping
take care
if you ever want to talk let me no

[newportttttttt]

Yeah I feel the same way sometimes and im only 21...Ive had numerous tests done on my heart, lungs, blood, eyes etc...I still have a hard time reassuring myself im ok but you have to start somewhere, whether it be medication or cognitive therapy...Dont let anxiety control you; it has kept me house ridden for the past two months...Ive been to the ER twice since my first panic attack and everything checked out fine but I still cant manage to completly rid myself of this constant fear...Just like everyone else has said anxiety comes in many different forms its almost like your mind is playing a cruel game with itself it *****...Oh by the way I was just diagnosed last January and ive never felt this way my entire life...I check my vitals all the time its starting to become a nuisance but I have to ignore the signs because ive been told time and time again these are symptoms of anxiety.

God Bless

[chantelle23]

Hello
I no exactly how you feel, i think i am going to die any minute.

I have only been suffering from anxiety for over a month now. my symptoms just lately are fuzzy vision, but not double vision, feeling sick, have sharp pains around my temples on both sides.

I went to optitions to see if I needed glasses, she said my eye sight was fine however she did give me a letter to take to my GP - as she wanted something invstigated further (cant remember what she said dont no if it was about sensitivity????) but i have talked myself into thinking it is a brain tumor and i am going to die!!!!!!

I am only 23 and was never like this before anxiety took over.
I no people say you cant die from anxiety however the symptoms feel as though you are dying.

I dont no about anyone else but i feel, now that i have been diagnosed with anxiety and if one day i really am ill, that health care professionals will not believe me and just say it is symptoms of anxiety.
does anyone else feel like that????

I hope you feel better soon and keep us informed of how you are getting on .
good luck

[SassyLassie]

I have bad anxiety and panic attacks, and a horrible fear of death. I am a Christian, and I feel badly having this fear, but, I do, just the same. I am consumed by it. Every little heart "flutter" I get, every odd pain, I panic over, I am living in dread every day, it even has my fiancé` scared for me. I can not eat, my tummy always hurts, I am a mess.

I have talked to some doctors about this, they all assure me it is anxiety, and since my dear mothers death a few years back, it is all manifesting itself in this form. However, since a bad fall down a flight a stairs when I was in my early twenties, I have not been the same, that is also the time I had my first horrendous panic attack, I will never forget that night and how I felt, it was awful. Since then, I have spent thousands of dollars seeing numerous doctors having all kinds of tests, you name it, and I am still the same, maybe not as bad as the beginning, but, not like I should be.

I purchased two good books by Dr. Claire Weekes, and I read them all the time, they help probably just as much as any doctor has. One is called "hope and help for your nerves" and the other "peace from nervous suffering" they are the best.

So, take a tip from a veteran anxiety and death fearer, it is all related to stress, and there are others like us out there. If I can find one positive thing about having this, it is in the fact that I am more compassionate to others and I understand exactly what they are going through and telling me, for that, I guess I am thankful.

[WantToManage]

Hi -- I'll just offer a few comments that I hope will calm you a bit and at least reassure you that you're not alone.  

First of all, everyone who visits this forum has experienced some degree of the fear and panic you're describing (I certainly have!) -- so you've come to the right place!  What I've learned from coming to this forum is that anxiety -- even the severe form that many of us who post here suffer from -- is actually pretty common, and it's helped me a lot to know that I'm not alone.

Your feelings of panic and fear that you're going to die are certainly symptoms of severe anxiety, and some of your physical symptoms, like the heavy head and jelly legs, also seem likely related to anxiety.  I wouldn't be surprised if the neck pain was also connected to anxiety, but it's probably prudent for you to get an MRI to check it out.

I'm not a doctor and I don't know your whole history, but you mention that this all started four weeks ago and since then you've been given lots of different medications.  I'm new to anxiety myself (was diagnosed and have been taking medication since January) and one thing that I've read and been told often is that most anti-anxiety meds take time to work, so I'm wondering if taking so many different medications in such a short time might be hindering progress.  It might be worth asking your doctor about this.

I know that feeling as you do now is horrible and you just want to get back to normal.  Please be assured that you can and will feel normal again, with the advice of good doctors, medication, and therapy.  Twelve weeks ago I felt terrible, constantly on edge, having panic and anxiety attacks, caught in a vicious circle of excessive worry and fear that I couldn't talk myself out of.  I feel so much better now -- back to normal, mostly.  I still have a way to go, and I know that I'll battle anxiety probably forever, but I'm learning how to deal with it and over time I hope it will get easier and easier.

Best of luck to you and please keep us posted on your progress!