Ye Olde Chest Pain

[raggamuffin]

Hi all,

I'm sure anyone who's had anxiety or poor stress management long enough is no stranger to chest pain. Heck I've not gone 1 week in the past 5.5 years without at least a bit of fleeting chest pain.

For me it often feels on the surface around the sternum. Muscular but up front in the chest. Sharp or dull. It can be in a variety of locations and last seconds or minutes. Sometimes I have days where the same pain will come and go in the same location.

Recently I had a pain which felt different. I know, that already is ammo enough for anxiety. It woke me up one night, a deep pain. Didn't feel anywhere that specific other than on my right side. The depth of the pain location worried me and it turned into a panic attack. Shortly after the small (5 min) panic I started burping a lot. So I put it down to gas.

Usually if I get trapped wind it's stomach pain or lower sternum pain. This deep pain comes and goes now, probably because I was not used to it so now, even with rationalizing it my mind is still on edge about it returning.

Needless to say it has several times since. Always accompanied by frequent burping. I know trapped gas can be sharp pains, or sore to the touch or dull and dragging. Heck, sometimes it's even kind enough to feel like bloating and doesn't lead to any anxiety "what if" questions regarding my health.

So I guess I just wanted to ask, if a pain feels deep and different to other chest pains, is it something not too uncommon with anxiety? Deep down I already know the answer. I know the pain isn't persistent or escalating. Whilst it feels deep and my anxiety goes to lungs and not heart this time (probably because it's on the right side of my chest) I know that I can breathe fine and exercise without issues.

Of course when i'm really busy the pain is less frequent and when I'm worried about it then it comes around more often.

I feel like I do this a lot with posts on here. I start with a symptom that has me worried but spend the whole post rationalizing it with myself.

Ed

[all.one.planet]

That is so scary...to have this all these years and still be coping with it, seemingly in good humour Don't really have an answer for you. Just wanted to send some well wishes to you!

[raggamuffin]

I try not to respond to a symptom emotionally. Sometimes if i'm tired then it's hard to rationalize symptoms. But yes, it's been a long time. Thankfully i've gone from 24/7 symptoms for 5 years to around half a year of only a handful of symptoms a day. So i'm certainly starting to break the vicious cycle of anxiety > pain > more anxiety > more pain. Or, at the very least the circle is a lot bigger now so the anxiety and pains don't come around so often. De dum tss.

Ed

[all.one.planet]

It seems like you have a good hold on your emotions.. do you mind me asking if you have other health problems then just the anxiety?

[MiST]

I always knew you were full of gas and hot air Bro..

[raggamuffin]

None that Dr's ever made me aware of. Seem healthy enough for a 29 year old apart from the anxiety and occasional bouts of depression.

I wouldn't mind if I could make a career as a hot air balloon. It's just a shame it has to hurt.

Ed

[all.one.planet]

OH so you're pretty healthy overall! thats great to hear too!