Anxious About Heart Condition

[SaraAmoo]

Hey guys, so for the past 4 days I recently developed a pain in my chest however it only sparks up if I'm lying down or if I apply pressure to my chest. Accompanying symptoms are cold sweats, nausea and tingling in my fingers. I looked up these symptoms online and they're all leading to a textbook case of high triglyceride count. I know if this is left untreated it can lead to heart disease. This scares the crap out of me since I'm only 19 however I'm also anemic and overweight; I weigh 190 but according to my height I should be 150, I'm not sure if the anemia adds any extra stress on my heart either.

Anyway I'm completely freaking out, this is flaring up some serious fear. The anxiety is increasing my heartrate and I'm scared it's going to make the symptoms worse! Any tips on how to calm down or has anyone had to deal with an unhealthy heart??

[Gladys]

Dear Sara,

Sorry to hear about your concerns.

I don't know if you've got a heart condition or are just anxious about it. You can take a look at the website http://www.panic-anxiety.com/aricles/chest-pain and see if you can relate there.

Having said that, if I were you, I'd get myself checked out by a medical professional to see if I had a heart condition. If you decide your chest pain is stress related you could miss something that's going on with your body. Even if you do have a stress related disease, it's still real and should be investigated medically.

As for the extra weight you're carrying, I'd think about losing that. Although you need to get yourself a physical checkup before any thoughts of diet or exercise. Losing two pounds a week is supposed to be the correct timescale for a weight reducing diet (anything more is dangerous!). You also need to find some sort of exercise in order to insure the weight you lose is compensated for toned muscles. That's important, because dieting means losing from the heart muscle as well as everywhere else.

Best wishes

[ImJace]

I have all sorts of heart related anomalies. But they are caused from anxiety. My Dr. said my heart is very healthy. I also had my blood work done, and everything was where it needed to be. Sometimes I get chest pains, other times my heart palpitates and feels like it's going to stop. But I just remind myself I'm healthy and try not to focus on it. Before I know it I notice the symptoms lessen or completely go away

[Itz Omi]

Hi there,

I've never heard that about triglycerides causing those problems - that's odd! My mom was the queen of high triglycerides - hers was 900-1200 on medication - and she didn't have tingling fingers, nausea, or cold sweats...at least that I can remember?

I can't imagine that applying pressure to your chest would cause HEART pain. Your heart is protected by your ribs and whatnot and putting pressure in that spot isn't going to squish your heart or anything. It may be a muscle close to the heart causing referred pain, and since you think it's your heart, that anxiety may be causing the other symptoms. After all, this only started 4 days ago - if you had a genuine heart problem, I would think you'd have gotten a heads up sooner than that! I mean, it wouldn't hurt to have it checked out, but it sounds more like a strain to me, and the accompanying symptoms are your worry about the pains. I had that same problem, too, when laying down and having pain in that area (totally forgot about it!) that lasted, I don't know, a week or two? That was a couple years ago. I haven't had it since.

By the way, as far as your weight is concerned, you are still young and it's not like you're obese, so I wouldn't think your weight is going to have an effect on your heart just yet. Of course, why wait - you & I both should lose some before it does cause problems. But if it makes you feel any better, I have a family member who is 60 years old and has been obese for years...she is probably 5'2" and, I don't even know, not far from 400 lbs.? I don't know of her having any heart problems, though it does run in the family.

It wouldn't hurt to call an advice nurse, though she will likely have you come in. They can't be too careful - they don't want any lawsuits - plus I'm sure they could use the money. But you could at least get some reassurance.

[SaraAmoo]

Thanks for your advice all

Oh by the way, what I meant by the pressure on my chest is specifically related to lying down, I always sleep on my stomach side but recently it's been giving me a sort of 'tight' feeling in my chest.
I agree that it may be a muscle close to the heart as I don't really believe I could have heart problems out of the blue especially since I've been healthy my whole life! The reason I'm ruling it out as not being anxiety related is because it's such a new symptom. My panic attacks have never included this odd chest pain so it's a bit alarming.

In any case, I decided it's better to be safe than sorry and started on a stricter diet. I'll be adding exercise into my daily routine little by little and I'll be going to the clinic on Monday.

I'm definitely not as worried anymore so thanks so much!

[Itz Omi]

As long as you have anxiety, you will have new symptoms cropping up all the time. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

It doesn't sound worrisome to me, personally. Just sounds tension-related.

Good luck on your exercise/diet! Considering I've had 2 See's candies today, I guess I could stand to do better. Ha! But it's "that time of the month" so, dang it, I need chocolate!!!