Hello all, been on the boards for a few months and have posted only a couple of times. Nice to meet you fellow sufferers.

Well, a little about me. Male, 36 in two weeks, great family with beautiful wife, two boys, nice house, toys, the whole deal. I have no history of GAD or health anxiety. Last November after laying in bed deathly ill with a self-diagnosed stomach virus, I decided to go to the DR. He immediately sent me to the ER where I was diagnosed with a ruptured appendix. The issue was addressed and after a couple of weeks of recovery I was back to normal.

Fast forward to March during a sales convention in Ft. Lauderdale, I have what was believed to be a massive panic attack that lasted for a couple of days. I felt like I was going to die. I made it back home and suffered a few days then decided to go to the ER with what I thought was a heart attack. They took blood, EKG, etc, and determined I was having anxiety. They gave me Xanax and sent me on my way with instructions to follow up with my Dr. Well, I go see the Dr who diagnosed me with anxiety. Felt good for a few days and had an episode of passing some blood with my stool. A new case of anxiety started. I had a colonoscopy and it was determined I had an internal "roid" and I went on my way. I felt back to normal for a few days and then a new set of symptoms started; cold feet and hands, chest pains, eye sparkles, clenched hand and jaw, lethary, loss of appetite to extreme hunger, etc.

Needless to say, after I went back to my Dr, he stated that I needed to start taking the Effexor that was prescribed to me on my inital visit. I explained that I would prefer to start exercising more and see if that helps. It's helped for the most part but I still have the Health Anxiety, not really the anxiety attacks but the constant need to look up symptoms, feel generally crappy (feel that im going to die), and just overall feeling that something is wrong with me. My latest symptom is occasional chest pain(burning around my left breast) that does not seem to be muscle related although it very well could be. I do not believe its heart burn although I have this awful belch I need to let out when I first wake up in the morning. The point is that I put it in my head that I am ok, then a pain or something pops up and puts me right back in the same hole.

Is this normal for health anxiety? I like to think I am a rational person but this is driving me in the ground. All I think about is leaving my family behind when I die from some ailment, real or perceived. I made some lifestyle changes that I have wanted to make in the past which include not smoking, drinking, eating fast food or caffeine drinks and exercising everyday(five miles walk/run), biking, etc. (I exercise no matter how unmotivated I am).

I feel great when i'm exercising or staying busy however, when I get to work or have "downtime", I search the internet looking at symptoms, reading HealthBoards, I even signed up for a study at UT Southwestern Medical Center for an anxiety study.

Just looking for answers. Can anyone give me some insight into this and maybe a way to beat it. I am thinking I should just start taking the Effexor and see how it works. I just need support. I want to get back to my old self!

BTW.
My only medical condition is High Blood Pressure which my DR. diagnosed in the middle of my anxiety attack. He prescribed Coreg however, I did not take it. I monitor my blood pressure from home and the only time it's over 140/90 is after exercising. It's normally in the 120-130/85 range.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello Domn8tor, I hope you still get on this site.. Your symptoms sound almost excactly like mine. I'm a 27 y/o male and back in september of 2007 I had very strong palpitations that had me feeling like I was about to have a heart attack or just die miserably, my heart was racing, I got very dizzy, my whole body got cold (hands and feet mostly, they got clamy at times as well).. etc.. It's like one day I was normal, and the next day I have severe panic disorder. (I think whatever is wrong with me medically is the cause of the GAD)

All this caused me to make lifestyle changes, I quit drinking, and smoking (I was drinking heavily on weekends). I started trying to eat healthier and excercise more.. Fast forward a month or so of misery.. I was more able to control the feelings of certain death, dizziness, abnormal breathing, heart palps... then I had another bad episode and went to the urgent care facility only to find that my blood pressure was just over 140/80 something, plus after telling the doc about the blood in the dark brown clayish stool, I was told I have an internal "hemy"..

I hate the meds they try to put me on for anxiety and refuse to take them, however I have been taking the coreg cr for blood pressure..

Anyways I know you posted a loooooong time ago, but it would really help me out if I knew how your doing now, and if your better and what steps you took to get there.. Thanks if you reply.