Female/18 years old...chest pain!! Heart problem?!?!

[idk2012ftw]

As far as i know, i have no family history of heart problems/heart disease. I was never diagnosed with a heart problem when i was born/younger. I grew up fine with no chest pain ever. I was 13 when i went through a very stressful/horrible part of my life. I was suffering from OCD and panicking alot.. I suddenly began to feel chest pain for the first time in my life for consecutive days so i went to the ER. Had xrays done on chest, blood test and everything looked normal. Doctors said i was fine that maybe i had mucus in my chest that was causing the pain but that it would leave in about 2 weeks. Those 2 weeks passed and the chest pains never fully left. They have been going on and off for 5 fucking years and im soo fucking fed up with this shit. My OCD stopped that same year it started but the chest pain still happenes. I still went to the ER and doctors and told them about my pain. I had an ekg done and it looked normal. Blood and xrays as well. This pain is soo real. Im not just making up this pain for 5 fucking years. Im losing my mind because i dont know what to do if doctors dont find anything wrong. I feel like i do have a heart condition thats undiagnosed. Im too scared to sleep fearing that i'll die in my sleep. i keep thinking im gonna get a heart attack/cardiac arrest. Im afraid to even exercise cuz my chest begins to hurt. Sometimes i dont even know if im inflicting my chest pain on me because of me worrying to much and getting anxious. I know anxiety can cause chest pain but i know that my chest pain is not entirely caused by anxiety. My chest pain has varied alot through the years. At first it would feel like a crushing senation in my chest/heavy feeling. Then sharp pricks on the left side of my chest. To the far left or sometimes to the left closest to the middle of chest. I also get an achy dull feeling on the left side of chest really close to the center of chest. Sudden random pricks in the center of chest. Sometimes the chest ache will transfer to the right side but thats rare. Sometimes my chest pain will hurt when i take a deep breath but now i get chest pain that is not affected by my breathing. Sometimes i get dizzy, a lot of heart palpitations randomly and when i exercise/run, upper and/or middle back of the left side will hurt. Ive woken from sleep coughing/gasping for air. Left rib cage will ache sometimes as well, ive woken up cuz ive felt that ive stopped breathing or that my heart was beating extremely slow.. Like WTF IS WRONG WITH ME!! I KNOW theres something wrong. Anyone in my situation or something similar? What did you do? Any diagnosis? Please... if anyone went through something similar like me and found out what was really wrong with them, PLEASE PLEASE tell me!! I want to know. I just really want to be able to relate to someone with a similar problem like me. Just typing all of this makes me depressed and want to cry away my life because my life is legit ruined. This is interfering with my everyday life and I just dont even want to live anymore a shitty life. Im not suicidal but living this life of torture is destroying my soul.

[Nowuccas]

Hey idk2012ftw,

I suggest that, as the doctors have been of no real help, that you assume your symptoms are the result of panic / anxiety attacks.

"There are some differences between anxiety and panic attacks. While books are written on this topic, the following will attempt to summarize some basics here for a brief overview".

Anxiety Attacks:
An anxiety attack, sometimes referred to as a panic attack, is an unforeseen periods or incidents where there is a sudden fright or fear of intense proportions. These attacks focus on fears that are most often not rational; however the person with the disorder believes he or she is in terrible danger or at extreme risk. Most often these anxiety attacks occur all of a sudden; i.e. they are not planned nor do they come with any type of warning mechanism built in for advance action. Results are that
the person suffering the attack will feel about to faint or near death's door. People who suffer anxiety attacks report the following symptoms, listed in no particular order:
Discomfort or pain in the chest Vertigo or
Dizziness Upset stomach / Nausea Loss of
Control, Loss of Mental Stability Stress
Cold or hot flashes Heart palpitations or
near heart attack Shallow breathing Shakes / Trembling
Anxiety disorder is characterized as having anxiety feelings that are "always there / all inclusive," make people want to isolate themselves from society and hamper everyday activities with others.

Panic Attacks:
On the other hand, a panic attack does not carry with it that "always there" association. In fact, panic episodes generally burst forth, peaking after roughly 10 minutes or so, then ending after about 25 minutes. During a panic attack, 4 of the symptoms listed below (in no particular order) generally make an appearance:
Hyperventilation, Shallow breathing, even to the point of
suffocation sensation...
Increased heart rates Tightness of chest, Chest pain or discomfort
Shakes / Trembling / Sweating Choking
sensation Upset Stomach / Nausea Vertigo
Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
Surreal feelings Loss of Control, especially
of mental faculties Death coming on Numbing
Cold or hot flashes

The Difference:
The main difference between anxiety attacks and panic attacks is in the duration of the attack and how intense it is for the person with the affliction. While anxiety attacks are less hi-stress, they tend to last longer than the power-packed panic stressors".

Advice from a clinical psychologist about panic attacks is to breathe in to the count of 3: ( count: one thousand one; one thousand two; one thousand three) each takes around a second to say to yourself, in your mind, and out to the count of 3. Keep repeating this until the panic subsides, (up to 25 minutes) which will deal with the hyperventilation aspect. Learn to recognise the thoughts which trigger attacks; challenge and reprogram as shown.

Give the Meridian Tapping Technique / EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. It is free via the searchbar at www.mercola.com "EFT" & "EFT therapists" or www.tapping.com (13 free videos), or www.eftuniverse.com or www.emofree.com or one of the many YouTube videos. Google: "YouTube; EFT videos".
Professionally instructed is generally preferable. - There is a version for use in public places at http://eft.mercola.com (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you employ the acupressure massage / tapping on your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind: "Even though I suffer from amxiety, I deeply and completely accept myself)."

Also learn, and try out Progressive Muscle Relaxation, at http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html Use whichever works best for your anxiety.

The anti panic attack breathing technique should enable you to cope with them, when they occur, but employing EFT, or PMR when you recognise that you are beginning to feel tense, or anxious, should begin to reduce their frequency, and give you confidence that you can deal with them.

[Anne1221]

You either do have, or don't have, something wrong with your heart. You have got to go to enough doctors, even see a specialist, to determine if something is legitimately wrong with you. They can't all misdiagnose you! Then if it looks like you are healthy, you have got to face up to the fact that you have anxiety and get some professional help. I suspect it's the anxiety, because people without anxiety don't say, "I'm too scared to sleep for fear I'll die in my sleep." They just go to sleep and deal with things in the morning. Just because your chest pain has moved from place to place does not mean it's real.

[Nic Marsella]

just an aside here as anne is very thorough in her replies....have you ever considered a cardiologist who specializes in Electrophysiology? I have a friend who is a nurse at an electrophysiologist lab and recommended to see this doctor he works for, apparently what they do is look at the electrical impulses in your heart. sometimes they can cause attacks similar to a panic attack and can be related to simple conduction problems. I saw this specialist and went through about a dozen specialized EKGs, but guess what, my heart is fine even from having GAD and agoraphobia for a very long time. it just feels like i'm always about to explode.

[lolfeg123]

As far as i know, i have no family history of heart problems/heart disease. I was never diagnosed with a heart problem when i was born/younger. I grew up fine with no chest pain ever. I was 13 when i went through a very stressful/horrible part of my life. I was suffering from OCD and panicking alot.. I suddenly began to feel chest pain for the first time in my life for consecutive days so i went to the ER. Had xrays done on chest, blood test and everything looked normal. Doctors said i was fine that maybe i had mucus in my chest that was causing the pain but that it would leave in about 2 weeks. Those 2 weeks passed and the chest pains never fully left. They have been going on and off for 5 fucking years and im soo fucking fed up with this shit. My OCD stopped that same year it started but the chest pain still happenes. I still went to the ER and doctors and told them about my pain. I had an ekg done and it looked normal. Blood and xrays as well. This pain is soo real. Im not just making up this pain for 5 fucking years. Im losing my mind because i dont know what to do if doctors dont find anything wrong. I feel like i do have a heart condition thats undiagnosed. Im too scared to sleep fearing that i'll die in my sleep. i keep thinking im gonna get a heart attack/cardiac arrest. Im afraid to even exercise cuz my chest begins to hurt. Sometimes i dont even know if im inflicting my chest pain on me because of me worrying to much and getting anxious. I know anxiety can cause chest pain but i know that my chest pain is not entirely caused by anxiety. My chest pain has varied alot through the years. At first it would feel like a crushing senation in my chest/heavy feeling. Then sharp pricks on the left side of my chest. To the far left or sometimes to the left closest to the middle of chest. I also get an achy dull feeling on the left side of chest really close to the center of chest. Sudden random pricks in the center of chest. Sometimes the chest ache will transfer to the right side but thats rare. Sometimes my chest pain will hurt when i take a deep breath but now i get chest pain that is not affected by my breathing. Sometimes i get dizzy, a lot of heart palpitations randomly and when i exercise/run, upper and/or middle back of the left side will hurt. Ive woken from sleep coughing/gasping for air. Left rib cage will ache sometimes as well, ive woken up cuz ive felt that ive stopped breathing or that my heart was beating extremely slow.. Like WTF IS WRONG WITH ME!! I KNOW theres something wrong. Anyone in my situation or something similar? What did you do? Any diagnosis? Please... if anyone went through something similar like me and found out what was really wrong with them, PLEASE PLEASE tell me!! I want to know. I just really want to be able to relate to someone with a similar problem like me. Just typing all of this makes me depressed and want to cry away my life because my life is legit ruined. This is interfering with my everyday life and I just dont even want to live anymore a shitty life. Im not suicidal but living this life of torture is destroying my soul.

Hi,
I'm certain that you have Gastro-reflux disease (acid reflux). I, too, have had similar symptoms as you, and it's also often confused as having a heart attack. I felt chest pain, heart aches, dizziness, etc. For now, go to your chemist and grab gaviscon heartburn relief tablets (they will alleviate your pain slightly, and you don't need prescription), but to fix the problem, you need to ask your doctor about hopping on pantoprazole. Also, avoid foods high in acidity i.e caffeine, tomato sauce, chilli, citrus etc.