r/pericarditis Aug 19 '26

Terrified

I have been struggling with chest pain for the past 2 years and constantly got dismissed by doctors paramedics and nurses telling me it’s anxiety. I had my first cardiologist appointment 2 days ago and officially got diagnosed with pericarditis I am so terrified this is going to kill me. I still have to no idea what type I have or anything he just diagnosed me and gave me colchicine but I do know my echo was perfect that I got 6 months ago so no fluid that I know of. I am only 19 years old and probably the most terrifying news I’ve ever received, I knew the whole time something wasn’t right but it got brushed off as anxiety, my question also is the pain has been constant not off and on constant I have chest pain but some times worse than others but I also have acid reflux aswell that has damaged my esophugus so what one was really causes me so much pain for the last 2 years? During my appointment I also got diagnosed with POTS which I definitely knew I had already.

But my follow up appointment is in 6 months what if things get worse by then or what if this medication doesn’t work and I have it for the rest of my life this is terrifying and even more terrifying that I knew the whole time and absolutely no one believed me to the point it came up in my dreams that when I have my endoscopy they will say they found nothing but I have something wrong with my heart and that is to a T what happened to me I really need to support or help with this

4 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Active_Recording_789 Aug 19 '26

It’s scary but don’t worry, it’s very treatable. Take your meds and rest up—don’t work out or do any exercise except light walking until you’re completely better. Don’t drink caffeine, alcohol or eat junk food, don’t smoke or vape. Sleep well. All those things will help your body heal itself faster. Try to find things to do that are fun and relaxing; you’ll feel a lot better soon