Six weeks earlier, I had a panic attack so severe I thought I was having a heart attack. The ER ran every test. Everything came back normal.
"It's just anxiety," the doctor said.
But my blood pressure during the attack? 185/95.
So I bought a home monitor to keep an eye on things. Big mistake.
Once I started checking, I couldn't stop. And every time I checked, my anxiety spiked. And every time my anxiety spiked, my BP followed.
Morning: 145/88. (Check again.) Five minutes later: 152/90. (Check again.) Another five minutes: 158/92.
My family doctor said, "This is probably just stress."
But he didn't understand that the stress WAS the problem. My anxiety was sending my BP into dangerous territory multiple times a day, and no one cared because it came back down after I calmed down.
What about the strain on my heart every single time I panicked?
I started avoiding everything. Stopped exercising. Avoided family gatherings. Couldn't sleep. Every time I felt my heartbeat, I'd check my BP, and the cycle started again.
I was destroying my life trying to protect it.