Scared to Play .....?

Question

In light of what has happened recently with footballers dying suddenly when they are fit and healthy it has left me scared to play football again as my season starts next week and I play in goal im 25 yr old.Im already thinking of faking injury to avoid playing yet deep down I want to play so bad.My cause for concern is I have suffered from chest pains,muscle spasms,random pains all over also weird sensations for about 2 months now.I have had blood tests ECG tests and doctors have found no evidence of anything wrong and have said its just anxiety and stress yet the pains and sensations are still here and wont go.these make me afraid of excercising and i havent trained for football all summer which cant have helped.I dont know what to do? what if i have an underlaying condition that could affect me? no one my age i know feels this unhealthy so somthing must be up but results and doctors say otherwise.How can I take to the field because im so scared of this happening to me

Answer 1

the anxiety could well be coming from the fact you are scared of what might happen. If your doctor said that you are fine then that's what you are fine. You may well need some help with your anxiety problems and I would try and get the doctor to look more into it and give you some more help with that till you feel that the anxiety is no longer a problem. take care good luck.

Answer 2

Sounds like you have develop a phobia because of what has happened to other footballers. I used to have something similar when I heard about certain illnesses I would get scared that I would get them and then I would sometimes feel something like some pain or feeling and worry I was getting that illness. I think I just was imagining the pain or something. I would get scared it was happening to me and then feel like I was getting those symptoms.

Might be that your focusing on those symptoms and starting to feel them, imagining them etc. If you know what I mean. Then when you feel rubbish you feel anxiety that you have got that illness. Maybe you should talk to your Doctor and a therapist about you anxieties. They will be able to help you deal with your fears. I think it's more of a mental thing that a physical thing.

I have anxiety and depression and have been trying an alternative therapy called Emotional Freedom Technique and it has really worked for me and helped me a lot. Since using it I have been feeling a lot better. It's very good at getting rid of all kinds of negative emotions and dealing with all kinds of issues quickly. It does sound bizarre but does work. Might be something that can help you with your anxiety.

Answer 3

Firstly you need to assess objective risk. Be careful I am not a medical doctor, and potentially no one answering this question will be.

Do you have a family history of heart defects/disease?
If yes, you have a risk to manage

Did you see a specialist for these tests?
If no, you need to see a cardiologist or another related specialist.

You might get fears allayed by a specialist by raising that you are playing a contact sport and am concerned about the safety medically with your heart. There are some conditions that could put a sportsman at risk (I remember a woman I met who was diagnosed with an enlarged heart after having a child). I dare say that the risk is low if there is no family history and if you have already had tests performed by a cardiologist.

You need to quantify the risk, you need to also place a value of this sport to your quality of life. You then need to weigh up and decide whether the risk is worth the value you get from it.

Answer 4

I think you might be referring toAntonio Puerta - aged 22 - who played for Seville, and who sadly collapsed in the middle of the game, had a seizure, but walked off the park, had 2 more heart siezures, and died in hospital. BUT...it has come out that he has a history of heart disease, going back a year or 2, it was not a random thing...........this was not so unexpected given his history. You on the other hand - have been checked over, had ecg's etc, and have been given a clean bill of health. Believe me , I have had 10 stents in my arteries for my heart, and the medical people KNOW when something serious is going on, if they say nothing is wrong, then NOTHING IS WRONG!.. You are getting too stressed -and that is causing your physical pain. Relax - enjoy the sport you love, and I'm sure your 'sympotoms' will disappear.

Answer 5

Oh no! I guess you are really worried here.
What you seem to be doing is known as catastrophesising!
You have had tests which show nothing, so your mind is playing tricks on you and so you are becoming irrational.
Have you any family history of heart disease?
If not then I guess you are pretty safe here, stress can make you feel like this, believe me, and I hope this is all that it is with you.
Get a second opinion, speak to your family/friends etc and please don't give up something you enjoy just because you think like this!

Answer 6

Fear can get in the way of doing something that you would otherwise enjoy. You could see a counselor/therapist to talk about what is going on here. Yes, there are risks in what you do. You have to weigh what is more important to you. If the doctors say there is nothing that is going to cause you to suddenly die, do you think they didn't do enough to see if there was a problem? Are there other tests that would make you feel more secure about a decision you would make? I wouldn't want to die either, and, if I felt vulnerable, I would give it up and find a safer sport to play.

Answer 7

One of the footballers who died recently got killed in a car accident an another was killed by a thug, so i don't think you have to worry too much on that score, what you have is acute anxiety and can and does manifest itself in all sorts of aches and pains, i am talking from lots of experience here. I would start training again because any kind of exercise is good for the body and good for the mind. If you don't want to do football training take up something less strenuous, go for a brisk walk, believe me you will feel better for it. As i said I Have experienced all the symptoms you have described and in time with help they went away.

Answer 8

If you have had medical checks, ECG blood tests etc and your Dr says there is no medical or physical cause then this is something psychological.

You will be surprised just how "badly" effected people become by anxiety. People CAN be convinced they are having a heart attack due to the pain etc. Its anxiety driven.

You could go back to your GP and get yourself re-checked just to have peace of mind. If again nothing comes up then ask to be referred to someone for anxiety management etc.

Answer 9

when i was like 13 or 14. i got scared playing resident evil. go in a random room zombies just pop out and bite you. another game scared the crap out of me when i was like 13 or so. shadow man.. but yeah, i beat fallout 3. i got scared of those ghouls in the sewers that run right at you and attack you. its scary how they sound, the scream, and then running at you sounding like a dog hanging its tongue out. i'm a scared a cat. so what.. unless any women wanna protect me?..

Answer 10

it sounds like your pains really are anxiety, if you are worrying so much about dying suddenly, you shouldn't play. i personally dont think it sounds like there is any reason why you shouldn't, but if it is making you so uncomfortable that you are feeling physical symptoms, you probably shouldnt play. but just remember, you're out there to have fun and you shouldnt worry so much.