Aa
Anxiety
In Nov of 08 I found myself in emergency room 3 times due to headaches, chest pain and the feeling of passing out.. At that time my BP was 200/95... I've had EKGs, CScans w contrast, chest xrays, MRI of brain, lumbar puncture, Halter Monitor in last 1 1/2 yrs...
They first diagnosed me w Migrains which the meds made me worse and useless..
Next diagnosis was and still is anxiety.. They first put me on clonazapam and lexapro. I was on that for about 3 mths.. I ran out of clonazapam and they would not refill w/o a visit and had a nasty withdrawal.. I decided to taper off both to get myself clear of all meds.. Took about a month..
After off meds I still had occassional chest pain and headaches going up the left side of my shoulder and neck to left side head.. I purchased a BP machine to monitor it regularly and to show doc on my next visit.. The majority were 140+ over 85+..
While at docs I showed him my findings and told him I thought I had anxiety combined w hypertension..
I am 40 yrs old and had my first child the month in 08 I visited the ER.. Two mths prior the economy crashed... June 08 I put my dog of 11 yrs to sleep... April 08 I found out I was having a child.. Lastly 3/08 I witnessed one of my employees die, right in front of me and 20 other staff, tragically from a car hitting her during a charity event.. High BP runs in my dads side of fam.. Both Grandparents died from stroke.. Dad, bro and aunt are all on BP meds...
My doc now has me on .5 Xanax as needed and 10 mg lisinopril.. My BP is now 120+/65+ but these chest pains and tension headaches and fatigue persist.. Which the Xanax does make feel better...
My question to you is:
Do you see any other possible diagnosis??? Could there be a thyroid issue???
Should I get a second opinion???
I just want the headaches, chest pain and fatigue to go away..
I am now taking an avg of two Xanax a day and don't want to get hooked....
I forgot to mention I own a restaurant w 70
employees and am constantly in high stress situations...
Plz advise and thankyou in advance for your assistance...
They first diagnosed me w Migrains which the meds made me worse and useless..
Next diagnosis was and still is anxiety.. They first put me on clonazapam and lexapro. I was on that for about 3 mths.. I ran out of clonazapam and they would not refill w/o a visit and had a nasty withdrawal.. I decided to taper off both to get myself clear of all meds.. Took about a month..
After off meds I still had occassional chest pain and headaches going up the left side of my shoulder and neck to left side head.. I purchased a BP machine to monitor it regularly and to show doc on my next visit.. The majority were 140+ over 85+..
While at docs I showed him my findings and told him I thought I had anxiety combined w hypertension..
I am 40 yrs old and had my first child the month in 08 I visited the ER.. Two mths prior the economy crashed... June 08 I put my dog of 11 yrs to sleep... April 08 I found out I was having a child.. Lastly 3/08 I witnessed one of my employees die, right in front of me and 20 other staff, tragically from a car hitting her during a charity event.. High BP runs in my dads side of fam.. Both Grandparents died from stroke.. Dad, bro and aunt are all on BP meds...
My doc now has me on .5 Xanax as needed and 10 mg lisinopril.. My BP is now 120+/65+ but these chest pains and tension headaches and fatigue persist.. Which the Xanax does make feel better...
My question to you is:
Do you see any other possible diagnosis??? Could there be a thyroid issue???
Should I get a second opinion???
I just want the headaches, chest pain and fatigue to go away..
I am now taking an avg of two Xanax a day and don't want to get hooked....
I forgot to mention I own a restaurant w 70
employees and am constantly in high stress situations...
Plz advise and thankyou in advance for your assistance...
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi, thank you for using the forum. I will do my best to answer your question based on the information that you have given me.
I am going to assume that you had a cardiac work up by you primary care physician and that everything came out negative since none of the diagnosis that you received were cardiac in nature. However, if you feel you did not receive a complete physical exam and evaluation then a second opinion would be reasonable.
Your blood pressure has improved on the lisinopril and since you feel better with the xanax, a diagnosis of anxiety may very well be correct. Stress, as I think you know, can bring on anxiety and migraines as well. It sounds like you have had a stressful year both in your private and work life. Medications serve an important role in helping to alleviate these symptoms, so it is important to take them as they are prescribed to you. However, there are other steps we can take, in addition to medications, that can further reduce symptoms. Lifestyle changes can play a huge role in anxiety/stress reduction. Exercise, eating right, limiting caffeine intake and smoking cessation are a few examples of positive lifestyle changes that could help reduce your stress level. Yoga and meditation can also help. You might want to consider hiring some managerial help with your restaurant to help lessen your stress. The point is that treating symptoms alone will not fix the problem, you need to find the causes of your stress and make some positive changes to reduce it. These lifestyle changes coupled with your medication can significantly improve your quality of life- no one likes to feel crummy!
I hope this has helped. Good Luck
Bridget
I am going to assume that you had a cardiac work up by you primary care physician and that everything came out negative since none of the diagnosis that you received were cardiac in nature. However, if you feel you did not receive a complete physical exam and evaluation then a second opinion would be reasonable.
Your blood pressure has improved on the lisinopril and since you feel better with the xanax, a diagnosis of anxiety may very well be correct. Stress, as I think you know, can bring on anxiety and migraines as well. It sounds like you have had a stressful year both in your private and work life. Medications serve an important role in helping to alleviate these symptoms, so it is important to take them as they are prescribed to you. However, there are other steps we can take, in addition to medications, that can further reduce symptoms. Lifestyle changes can play a huge role in anxiety/stress reduction. Exercise, eating right, limiting caffeine intake and smoking cessation are a few examples of positive lifestyle changes that could help reduce your stress level. Yoga and meditation can also help. You might want to consider hiring some managerial help with your restaurant to help lessen your stress. The point is that treating symptoms alone will not fix the problem, you need to find the causes of your stress and make some positive changes to reduce it. These lifestyle changes coupled with your medication can significantly improve your quality of life- no one likes to feel crummy!
I hope this has helped. Good Luck
Bridget
Thank you so very much for your response... Your comments make a lot of sense and are greatly appreciated....
Sincerely,
edayvol
Sincerely,
edayvol
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No problem, glad to be helpful
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