Chest Pains

[marks1986]

Hi All,

I am a 23 year old male.

I have been diagnosed with anxiety, i have managed to control fairly well however I still get that tight band round the head feeling and random dull and sharp pains in and around the chest area. I have been to the doctors and blood tests have been all clear. I dont seem to have attacks anymore, but i get these pains just sitting at home or when i think about my anxiety.

does anyone know if this is normal or if this could be more serious and i should go and see the doc again?

thanks

[Gee_88]

Although I've not been officially diagnosed with anxiety, I've been to my GP several times about it and I suffer chest pains too.

One kind of pain I get is to the left of the sternum below the 4th rib. It's a sort of pinching that lasts only about a second. I also get this on the other side but it's not very noticeable. Another thing that really startles me is a very sudden, pressure like pain in the middle of my chest. It lasts less than a second but is very scary. Like you, I only seem to notice them when I think about them (same goes for skipped beats). One time I felt this weird "zap" inside my chest... no idea what it was but it felt like one of those shocks you get from those games where you can't touch the metal.

My doctor said because of my age (21) he's absolutely not concerned for my heart. I've had many ECG's in the emergency room and a chest x-ray once and no doctor has ever shown concern for my heart. Even though I find it hard to accept my heart is okay, I am only very slowly getting over it.

The pains are caused by tension in the muscles. You probably don't even realise how tense you actually are. One time, I was terrified I had a side effect from a drug which causes your jaw bone to die. I actually brought on symptoms because my face was tense and I would suck on my teeth, making them feel tender. I didn't even know I was doing it until I made an effort to stop.

By the way, chest pain is actually a medical emergency so if you are really really concerned when they come on, you should go to the emergency centre. If these pains only last a few seconds or less it is almost always not your heart.

Again, if you are concerned, see your doctor again.


And this is not meant as medical advice, see your doctor for that.

[marks1986]

thanks for you response.

these pains only last for a second or 2 then stop then i get it in another place, sometime in my left arm, leg, neck or the right hand side of my chest as you mentioned.

i used to get them a while ago and then they stopped when i seem to get over the anxiety attacks, but yesterday and today i they seem to have came back. if they continue i will see a doctor to be on the safe side.

[coops025]

I took some indigestion tablets which cleared mine up, however mine chest pains were constant.

You could give it a try but im not sure if it will work in your case.

[Gee_88]

marks,

Funny that you get them on the LEFT side of your body, and only the right side of your chest! Same for me, but I get pain in the left arm, not the left, sometimes the neck and shoulder, and on the right side of the chest (this one is not as intense).

Perhaps we're subconsciously tense on the left side, as that is usually the side that pains due to heart conditions arise.

Thoughts anyone?