I am in desperate need of some help.

[chrisdunn3]

I have already made a post on my chest tightness, and how many times I have been to the ER in the last 2 weeks. They have done an echo test, a stress test, blood work, so many EKGs, and they monitored my heart for 12 hours and they say that my heart is fine. I finally got put on some medicine the last time I went in and got told to go see a psychiatrist. I am at work right now, and my chest pains are so bad. It even hurts when I talk and breath. I was in the ER sunday morning and they released me and I really don't want to go back, but this chest tightness and shortness of breath are seriously never ending and make me constantly worried. Has anyone ever went through this. With the constant hospital visits and constant chest pain. I keep thinking that they are missing something at the hospital and they are overlooking my tests because I am only 24 years old, I don't smoke, and I don't have a family history of heart disease. I just can't see anxiety and stress causing this much discomfort going from my chest, to my back and shoulders, down my arms. Pretty much my whole upper body aches. Please someone give me some answers or tell me that you have been through something like this. I am about to go to the hospital again after work. It's the only place I can go that gives me some relief from all of this.

[chrisdunn3]

I sell cars. I'm up and walking around a lot, but not lifting anything. And I don't lift weights at all. I was running like 5-6 miles a day up until about 3 weeks ago when this all started, and since then, I'm too worried I'm going to have a heart attack if I overexert myself. The last time I went to the ER, she didn't even look at my blood work because of how my times I've been in there recently and how my tests all came back perfect (besides I have a low resting heart rate around 45) which is because of all of my running. I just think there is something they aren't looking at and I'm going to have a heart attack and think it's a panic attack again and then die. I have at least 3 panic attacks a day.

[Ryker]

£10 says it's all in your head and it's a common or garden, plain old boring panic attack.

I think you know that too, which is why you're addressing it to an anxiety forum and not a cardiology one.

[chrisdunn3]

I'm addressing it to an anxiety forum because I suffer from severe anxiety and severe panic attacks. I have been told that these symptoms can be associated with anxiety and stress, but I've never heard of the symptoms lasting as long as they have been asking me. And the cardiologists all tell me I'm fine, but how often do you hear someone medically cleared at the ER, and then a week later they have a heart attack.

[chrisdunn3]

I have an appointment with my PCP tomorrow and see what he says. I was just wondering if anyone has ever felt the way I do. Of course I am going to overthink it about my heart, because that's the worst case scenario and that's how anxiety thinkers think. But, I have been told by three cardiologists that its not my heart. So, I'm just trying to talk to someone whos been through it or is going through it so I can maybe get some knowledge about this because I know I'm weeks out from getting seen by and orthopedist or anything else.

[Ryker]

I suppose it happens.

Do you have a handle on what causes your panic attacks?

[chrisdunn3]

I suppose it happens.

Do you have a handle on what causes your panic attacks?

I don't right now. I haven't had one in a while before this chest tightness. Ever since I got that, I have had multiple everyday. The main thing that sets my panic off is the chest tightness and the shortness of breath. Then I start to get shaky and even more light headed. I honestly feel like I'm having a heart attack when the chest pain hits.

[Ryker]

I think this is your first job. It may be keeping a diary will help.

The body does throw all sorts of small aches and pains at us. It only takes a tiny thing to trigger a thought that , if allowed, can snowball, grow and invite all its other thought friends around for a party. Before you know it you're in A&E.

The skill to learn is to be able to watch those thoughts arrive, examine and poke at them at your will and then watch them fade away or scuttle off into the distance before they can grow or summon their friends.

Whether or not you allow a thought-party in your head is up to you. It's your head.