Are Somatoform and Anxiety Disorder Manifesting my Physical Posted: 01-23-06 11:06am
Hi.
Almost a year ago I had an episode of
Anxiety, shortness of breath and
dizziness. Went to the ER and after
examination and several EKGs been
diagnosed with pretty much nothing
(neuro-vegetative disturbances) and
prescribed to take calcium and magnesium
supplements. Checked with my doc and he
ran blood tests which came back normal,
except for a mild Anemia (low Iron,
magnesium and calcium levels, not too low
but near-minimum). Doc prescribed iron
supplements.
Gradually the sensation of not getting
enough air pretty much dissapeared.
During the summer I experienced a mild
sinus Tachycardia (rate about 90) treated
with Propranolol. Now my pulse is around
70 and I do not take any more pills for it
(sometimes is rises up to 85-90 bpm, but
it doesnt bother me..btw whats the normal
pulse for a man of my age?).
However, I still get a permanent feeling
of shortness of breath, like my lung
doesnt fill normally with air or like I
cant yawn right. Also my chest hurts,
sometimes in the left area, sometimes in
the right, near the sternum or under it.
The chest hurts when pressed with my
finger. Ribs are painful too. The pain is
not intense and goes away for a few days,
comes back for a few days in some other
area in my chest. Sometimes my ankles hurt
a bit and my right hand, the small bones
right near my fist. Fingers at my right
hand are painful at times. These pains go
away quickly when applying Ibuprofen or
the like(spelled it right I hope) to the
area. However they are back after some
hours and are quite acute at times.
I have done blood tests 3 times in the
last year, went to 3 different
cardiologists, had Echo of the heart, Echo
of the abdomen, neurological exam, etc.
etc, everything is OK. I went to the
cardiologist when I was at peak with my
symptoms and nothing was found (the only
mention was I have high R waves in leads
V5 and V6 caused by thin chest).
I am currently taking mineral supplements
and following psychological counselling
since I have developped a strong fear that
something is deeply wrong with me. When in
session and days after I feel ok, no more
symptoms.
My syptoms are generally not very intense,
I feel like my fear is amplifying them
somehow.
I am a 25 year old male, no heart disease
or other medical condition, good health,
good family health, not overweight, smoker
(under 1 pack a day), not in best fittness
(sitting job - programmer).
My questions are:
1. If sometimes were wrong with my heart,
would it have been diagnosed yet?
2. Need I do more investigations regarding
my heart/lungs?
3. Does all this look more like a
psychological condition than a physical
one?
Thank you for reading this message.
Bogdan
If something was wrong with your
heart/lungs, it would have probably been
diagnosed by now. No, you don’t need
any more investigations regarding to your
heart/lungs. It seems, instead, that you
are suffering from somatoform disorder, a
psychiatric disease. You can consult a
mental health professional to learn more
about how you can relax your anxiety about
your health and begin to enjoy life
again.
DISCLAIMER: "Ask a Doctor" Questions are answered by Dr. Nikola Gjuzelov, General Practitioner. Dr. Gjuzelov practices medicine for the general public and is affiliated with the Republic of Macedonia Public Health Institution. For more information about Dr. Gjuzelov or other eHealthForum.com medical experts, please visit our About Us page. You may also visit our Anxiety and Stress Forum, for moderated patient to patient support and information.
The material presented in the eHealth Forum Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified licensed medical professional. eHealth Forum and eHealth Forum's Ask A Doctor advises all users with health problems and concerns to consult their personal doctors. Furthermore, if you have any questions or concerns about your condition, you must consult your qualified licenseced medical professional before starting any treatment.
The materials in the eHealth Forum Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. To the fullest extent possible, eHealth Forum and eHealth Forum's Ask A Doctor expressly excludes all liability in respect of the information and opinions contained in the Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor, this Web site, or any sites linked to this Web site.
The site is not a replacement for professional medical opinion, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information written by any author on this site. No health questions and information on eHealth Forum is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor. Posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author, and not the administrators, moderators, or editorial staff and hence eHealth Forum and its principals will accept no liabilities or responsibilities for the statements made.
Schizophreniahealth
This page was last updated on June 11, 2008