ANGINA???

[simplysal]

I have suffered from chest pain and ectopic beats now for 8 years. This I believe caused anxiety. My chest pain can be underneath my left breast, in my neck, jaw and underneath of my left arm. This pain comes mainly at rest of when I'm stressed at work and this pain also comes on when I'm hot for example - when I take my two children to their swimming lessons, the pool area where we are able to sit is just boiling and steamy. I feel hot, the veins in my hands just get huge and I get the pains in my jaw and down left arm.

My father died of an MI at 60 but needed a triple heart bypass at age of 51 (though he was a heavy smoker for years). My mother has been on blood pressure tablets for quite a few years (to treat high bp).

With the history and my pains, I've had NUMEROUS ECG's (worst thing shown up on this was non-specific t-wave abnormality), I have had chest x-rays (normal heart size, lungs clear), I had a negative stress test around four years ago (haven't requested one since). I've had trop-t blood tests. I've taken myself to A&E twice with chest pain and a Medical Emergency Unit (different hosp) with chest pain and nothing can be found. I have seen three Cardiologists but the third one that I saw just did one flatline ECG (I wasn't having any pain whilst he was doing this) and it naturally didn't show up anything significant and he told me to stop worrying and to get a life. My GP now feels I'm neurotic.

I just feel that there is definately something wrong as I'm 33 and none of my friends have these episodes of jaw/left arm pain and random chest pains.

I read on here to see if any of the other threads remind me of my situation and I can't determine whether I'm someone who has anxiety and the anxiety causes all of this or whether I do in fact have something wrong that hasn't yet been picked up and this situation is causing the anxiety. I know this much, I adore my children so very much and if I do have something wrong and it hasn't been picked up and I go on to have a heart attack and die, I would cry every day in heaven that no one took me seriously when they had the chance you know.

Yes a doctor could give me Diazepam or something else to calm me down but Diazepam won't get rid of any heart problem that I have and ultimately this is what I think I have.

Any suggestions?

[looking4answers]

Im sorry you have been feeling so bad..I hope you feel better.We all feel like our symptoms possibly have been overlooked and most of our doctors think we are neurotic.thats pretty normal for on here..I can identify with wht you are writing about when you get hot and the veins swell on your arms and such.I don't think I have ever had the discomfort about the jaw but I have tmj and its hard to tell because i have jaw and teeth aches constantly ..

All of us with health anxiety and panic and anxiety also feel there is something wrong and no one else knows but us..its pretty normal feeling.. So I think you should realize what you are experiencing is pretty normal for someone that has health anxiety ,

You have good reason to be anxious because of your father. When someone close to you has something like that it sometimes causes people to be anxious about themselves.. Nothing you have mention makes me think you have anything serious wrong but im not a doctor and can only say if you are worried keep going to other doctors until you feel that you have been diagnosed properly .

Im pretty sure you don't have heart issues and sometimes people parents have things wrong with them even siblings but they can have nothing wrong.. My mother did have angina most of her life. The doctor told her this and she would get sick spells and never took meds for it although she was prescribed them. She also worked very hard and was overweight and ate about whatever she wanted to . She suffered with terrible arthritis almost to the point of not being able to walk. She used to describe bizarre things so foreign to me about how she felt but she had a long life and lived a pretty long life and died at 79 at home.. She told me a year before she died that she had a good life..

My brother died at age 44 massive coronary he didn't even have heart problems..it was a hidden condition so you think you have anxiety you can imagine me at age 55 outlived him 10 years already so I worry about the same fate but its pretty much not going to happen..But I wanted you to know others have the same issues you do ..we are all here for you and you aren't alone..Try not to worry so much take care .Michael

[sammypetter]

Hi,
Angina is a condition where your heart is not getting oxygen like it should causing chest pain. The difference between angina and a heart attack is that usually angina pain will subside if you relax.if you are woken in the middle of the night with chest pain, its probably something more serious. Either way angina is indicative of a blockage so a docs advice is best.

[Jaco45er]

Hi Sal

Well I would say pop to the docs for a checkup, but I think you have that covered

My anxiety goes straight to my chest, and I stress about my heart. But when you understand what is actually going on, you realise that the chemicals released during anxiety act on your organs and especially your heart, so you get a faster beat, pounding, phantom/shooting pains and feels like an elephant sitting on your chest with laboured breathing.

Alarming isn't it? but guess what, totally harmless it's just what happens to the anxious body.

Now that you have been given the all clear (once or twice ) by the specialists, think about turning your attention to the real problem, that is, the faulty thinking.

In my own experience, I overcame (nearly overcame save for the odd dodgy day) this HA anxiety by taking up more exercise (ironic I know but it works) and I read a lot of Claire Weekes books. These helped in my case.

Trust me, time taken now invested in how you think, will pay dividends as you are young and with the right help (you could talk to the GP about CBT too) soon enough you will be enjoying life again with the kids instead of all the inward thinking (I have been there, spending more time thinking about how you feel than actually living).

Incidently, the swimming pool, a humid warm enviroment makes me feel unwell, so maybe you are just sensitive to the heat combined with the humidity?

GL

Jaco

[simplysal]

Thank you so much for your reply.

It is so very true that I'm existing and full of apprehension and worry and I'm missing out on actually living and enjoying things.

I wish I could go back to a time that my thoughts weren't centered around my 'heart' health. Going to a music concert I either have to be right at the very front or right at the very back just incase I need to 'get out'. If I am invited to watch a Rugby match in the stadium I'm wanting to go in the lower stands because I fear that if I walk all the way up to the top and get breathless, my thoughts would be centered around what if I have a heart attack etc. I daren't go on because the list could be endless but yep, I think having CBT would be beneficial. I think I'm still in the denial stage where I keep convincing myself that if they just found what was wrong with me I'd be fine - I should just think to myself that there are people out there who have had big heart operations etc that don't stop enjoying their life because of it so even if I did have something wrong I shouldn't be thinking about it every minute of every day!!!

What am I like!!! Anxiety is a terrible thing - sometimes the anxiety of having something wrong would probably be worse than if we actually had what we are so very worried about getting!!!

Many thanks for your responses, I should just learn to relax and enjoy each moment - I'll definately try xxxx