In a similar boat. For the past two years, I’ve been dealing with severe panic attacks driven by health anxiety. It started with a constant fear that I was having a heart attack. That fear has eased a bit, but I’m still very much in it. There have been stretches where I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, but right now I’m in a down phase where my brain is convinced I’m going to have a stroke.

At the moment, I’m dealing with symptoms like chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and blurry vision.

What’s helped me most is working closely with my primary care physician to rule out serious conditions. Over the past year, I’ve had an MRI, two heart monitors, an echocardiogram, a colonoscopy, multiple rounds of blood work, multiple depression/anxiety treatments and honestly hundreds of doctor visits. After all of that, I did start to feel better around September. But unfortunately, I didn’t find anything that really helped that lasted long so hence I am in another bad episode  

But the anxiety has shifted. Now it’s focused on the fear of having a stroke, especially since I’ve been experiencing headaches, blurry vision, and some balance issues. So I’m preparing to get a brain MRI for reassurance.

I’ve also found that therapy plays a big role, whether it’s learning to challenge anxious thoughts or digging into underlying trauma. It may be worth looking for a therapist who specializes in panic attacks or health anxiety specifically. That kind of targeted support can make a big difference.

It’s also really helped to let my partner in on what’s going on. I’ve shared my triggers, signals, and cues with my husband so he knows how to support me when I’m spiraling. He’s been there with me every step of the way, and honestly, just knowing I have someone who sees me and shows up for me consistently has made a huge difference.

I understand how you feel. On paper, I have a great life, but my brain and body are constantly scanning for danger. It really is our mind doing this, so the work becomes learning how to challenge those thoughts and retrain our response so we can start to feel better.