View Full Version : Still Worried About My Heart only Left side pains
Can anyone answer the following question my doctor can't.
Why when I have a "Panic Attack" does it mainly effect my left side.
I will get Chest Pain that goes round to my back, I don't hyperventilate (well my breath rate may go up a little say from 12pm to about 15-20pm) I would not call that over breathing or is it.
I will get numbness/Shoulder heaviness and a numb feeling down my left arm (never the right one) I can also get this with out any other symptoms.
I get the feeling of nausea to the pit of my stomach (but have never vomited).
Jaw pain only on left side, I can also get this with out any other symptoms.
Confusion and a sense of Doom.
But yet on the 2 occasions I have been rushed to hospital and have had my ecg's and chest x-rays, Blood work and so on they have found nothing.
But it still happen WHEN I have a Major Panic Attack it Effects MY left side
Any Ideas or Does anyone else only get it on one side
Yea my panic attacks affect my left hand side too. Left side of my chest, jaw and arm hurts and I get rushes from the left side of my chest down my left arm. I get really nauseous too but have never threw up either. I don't know why it affects just our left hand side to be honest, I never get any problem with my right side!
When I had an extreme panic attack once I couldn't even control the left side of my body properly, I reached out to grab my boyfriends hand because I was scared and completely missed it and couldn't seem to work it! Then when I went to stand up I fell into the wall because it felt like my leg didn't work! Was terrifying but I was fine when I calmed down. x
---------- Post added at 12:33 ---------- Previous post was at 12:27 ----------
Just thought! Muscle tension is the main cause of pain with panic attacks/anxiety. Maybe because we're so worried about the left side of our bodies hurting (heart attack) we tense up that whole side unknowingly so it starts to hurt?
When I was at my worst I'd have continuous pain/numbness in my left arm, chest and jaw but now I've started to relax more I hardly ever get it. Try a massage or a long hot bath when you feel the pain or put something warm on the area and force yourself to relax and see if you get any improvement.
I hope you feel better soon x
It's a funny old thing, the why's of panic and anxiety are endless, everyone has a different bug bare with it. Mine is dizziness, my irrational brain will say omg you can't be this dizzy fir months on end without it being a tumour or something awful, I think that when it comes to chest pain and your symptoms it's best to get a full cardio check, if it's all fine then you have to accept that it is anxiety causing your symptoms, I can read about an illness and symptoms and I end up feeling most of the symptoms myself. Do you breathe from the chest when you are anxious, if you do, you will put strain on the muscles around the chest and they may ache a bit. Are you sitting on the sofa in the same position, perhaps leaning on your left side? This could cause joint and muscular pain on the left side? X
@Pokerface, I am sorry to hear that Panic Attacks have the same effect on your left side as mine and at the same time pleased that it is just not me (and that disheartens to say).
I think you are right about the muscle tension as we expect it to be a heart attack we must tense up trying to fight against it.
Hope your anxiety/panics come to a end soon.
@Laura123, You have said what i try to preach onto others posture is a thorn in ones side. Yes I do lean to the left as I sit in the same area of the sofa (my safe spot) and its the left hand side. I try not to breath from the chest as understand it causes shallow breathing and in turn leads to hyperventilating.
Also I have explained to my doctor my concerns about the heart as just under 2 years ago i noticed that my calve muscles were in constant twitch and they still do to this day and was worried sick about mnd/als but as soon as I was told it was nothing to worry about by a neurologist I was able to put that scare behind me a just live with it. But as far as a cardio check up goes my doctor thinks it would end up making things worse, I think far from it if anything it would save them money and time in the long run ie:me phoning the amburlance when i get bad.
Also it sometime concerns me as i was born with a hole "in" the heart and was told many years ago it had healed up when i was a toddler but it scares me that maybe just maybe the stress could be putting undue strain on my poor old heart.
As you both say its a case of trying to relax (thats a big word).
Take care both of you and thanks for your replies
I sooooooooo know how you feel, last night I was just sitting and I got a wicked chest pain, usually they go pretty quickly, but this was seemed to have lasted a couple of minutes, from there it is instant panic :scared15: I got up i was sweating, and feeling numb on the one side, back ache, short of breath full blown panic, I went outside took of my sweater, by this time my heart was pounding so bad. I called my mom, thought about going to the hospital, and freaked out more. Got my husband, and finally calmed down, now today I do not even want to move, freaking out about work tomm, and how I will get through. I wish we could realize that it is anxiety, and that we do it ourselves. But I am convinced something is wrong! I am petrified of a heart attack or lung cancer. I am so afraid of this death, that I am not living. It sucks how it takes over our lives. I am making an appointment with Doctor tomm. and I am asking for every test possible. If they come back fine. I really have to find away to just live with it. Hope you feel better. but you are not alone I feel your pain.:bighug1:
mollymalloy
21-10-12, 16:15
I to have pain only on my left side, head, chest and shoulder/upper back which round to the front along my rib cage, and thought it was a slow reaction of a fall I had had a few months earlier. It does get worse if I am stressed or worried.
I have examined my posture and find myself slumping over on to the left. Now I am thinking that those muscles are used less and tight so whenever I do get the stabbing chest pains I do stretches to lengthen them and the pain does go away.
There are many chest stretches to be found on youtube.
I have also heard that some people carry their stress in their shoulder muscles.
I used to think it was my heart and that I could drop dead any minute, that was 3 years ago.
All this to say that you are not alone!:)
@panickyme, That is sound advice "I am asking for every test possible. If they come back fine. I really have to find away to just live with it"
That is so true if they comeback fine it helps to understand it is just anxiety/panic attacks and hopefully you/me/everyone can move on with our lifes knowing that our worset fears are just in our minds.
@mollymalloy, I will look on youtube thankyou muscle's muscle's thats all i hear from here and in my own head and i am 90% knowing its true! anxiety-muscle tension-panic attack-calm down period-reflection and then sorry to say it starts again.
Hope you both have more good days than the bad and well all get to see the light at the end of the tunnel.:hugs:
I also mainly get symptoms on my left side, except tmjd is in my right jaw for some reason. I have chest pain in my lower left ribcage which comes and goes and causes me major anxiety! I believe mines is due to posture as I am aware mines is very poor!
I know it's an old post but my panic attacks are usually assosiated with left side (I suffer from rarish spine problem causing me pain in back and sides and also now chest- long messy story really lol). My left arm gets kinda stiff and tight, rib cage hurts, do get funny tension in my neck and jaw. And if I get new source of pain or sensation in my left side it usually kicks off with heart beating stronger, flushes, and me feeling like it's the end. Last one happened last night while falling asleep. I know I'll be a bit funny when going to bed tonight :-(
I know it's an old post but my panic attacks are usually assosiated with left side (I suffer from rarish spine problem causing me pain in back and sides and also now chest- long messy story really lol). My left arm gets kinda stiff and tight, rib cage hurts, do get funny tension in my neck and jaw. And if I get new source of pain or sensation in my left side it usually kicks off with heart beating stronger, flushes, and me feeling like it's the end. Last one happened last night while falling asleep. I know I'll be a bit funny when going to bed tonight :-(
Hello asmmargod.
It sounds like you a real hard time of it. Having symptoms at night when falling asleep is one of the worst feelings trust me I know I was having them constant for abot 6 months every night it was a living nightmare.
In the end I worked out a routine to help guide me into sleep.
I'm sorry that you seem to suffer in the same sort of way as I do but the thing we have to remember is that we are built all the same way and the biggest factor in all our lives is to survive.
I hope you fall asleep calmly tonight.:bighug1:
Hi, all my pains are left sided, Have almost constant chest pain behind left breast. Had a massive panic about 2 months ago and went to a & e and had ecg which was normal then had bloods done by GP but yet the pains are still here and I get the pain before the panic, night time is always the worst
kerri, we sound alike in the way things have presented.
Hope you are well
Thanks for kind words.
Doubt about that sleep though. Played with my son earlier started having burning pain across my chest and I'm still feeling like it's the end. My heart'sbeating funny, still pain in chest and burning around the neck so it's gonna be hard and long night I reckon. :(
Asmmargod. To help you drift into a peaceful sleep and fight panic attacks I found what you need to do is play a trick on your mind and make it think of something else and make it work for you not against you!
I do stupid things like going through my times table and forwards and backwards just to give the mind something else to do also another thing is when you are in bed make sure to relax your breathing and find a spot on you body that feels really comfortable and calm it could be anywhere your toes your belly anywhere and when you breath in tell yourself that you can feel that comfort/relaxed feelin in another part of the body lets say the feet and when you breath out say the word relax and the move up your body all the way to the top of your head, so the from your feet the next area would be your ankle an so on.
I hope you can understand what I mean as I'm on my iPhone so can't look back over it all :)
Yup. Understood it. I do rely on deep belly breathing quite a lit as it was part if my.physio for my back issues. I'm trying to learn the trick with focusing on certain parts of my body but still not getting the required effects. I'm not new to anxiety and stress but fairly new to panic attacks and still not understanding fully how and why my body does it to me :/
but fairly new to panic attacks and still not understanding fully how and why my body does it to me :/
If you can find the answer to that you would make millions, I had a meeting to day to try and get some help with my cpn and I told her I think a problem is I spend most of my time trying to find answer as to why it happens to me and not trying to find out how to stop them.
Sometimes we can trace back to a time when our anxietys started I can trace mine back to a day if not and then with in a few hours but I cant find out why
I think asking why is a question with in a question:blush: wow that makes no sense to me but maybe it will to someone.
I hope you find middle ground with in yourself so you can find inner calm.
Anxious_gal
14-01-13, 23:38
Chest pain doesn't always mean it is your heart that's why ECGs are so helpful : )
There is a thing where the cartilage in your chest area can get inflamed, I can't remember the name but I know it causes chest pains. It's totally harmless and I think it just clears up on it's own.
Lots of muscular and nerve issues, even digestive issues and heart burn, anxiety all harmless but can cause real pain and discomfort.
Chest pain doesn't always mean it is your heart that's why ECGs are so helpful : )
There is a thing where the cartilage in your chest area can get inflamed, I can't remember the name but I know it causes chest pains. It's totally harmless and I think it just clears up on it's own.
Lots of muscular and nerve issues, even digestive issues and heart burn, anxiety all harmless but can cause real pain and discomfort.
Hi Anxious_gal
I think it is costochondritis you are thinking of i have suffered from this for 3 years I think it is now at first 6 months it was hell but it only flares up big time now and again but it is always in the back ground for me.
If you can find the answer to that you would make millions, I had a meeting to day to try and get some help with my cpn and I told her I think a problem is I spend most of my time trying to find answer as to why it happens to me and not trying to find out how to stop them.
Sometimes we can trace back to a time when our anxietys started I can trace mine back to a day if not and then with in a few hours but I cant find out why
I think asking why is a question with in a question:blush: wow that makes no sense to me but maybe it will to someone.
I hope you find middle ground with in yourself so you can find inner calm.
I know my anxiety got worse when I had to stop working due to pain caused by my spinal iissues. Since then I started worrying too much about lungs and heart.
Panic attacks came when I landed in A&E after feeling dizzz and then hyperventilating and high heart rate. It turned out to be ear infection and due to spending too much tine on settie as I kpet being dizzy I introduced pain in left side if my chest and it kinda went down hill from there.
Now am not sure if the pain is there due to anxiety or due to my spine getting worse.
Seeing a neurosurgeon next week to discuss my MRI scan and xrays.
Hoping it'll settle me down a bit.
And in the meantime trying to put it all to panic attacks.
Can't find better solution :/
I get chest pain nearly everyday it's terrible. Got it today below left breast just feels tight. Anyone else suffer with this ? Also get dizzy a lot
Test... I just posted a long post with lots of information and it kicked me back to the login page. :huh:
Ok... now it worked. I guess I'll try to recreate the basics of what I had posted:
I wanted to share my experiences with what could be the reason for these symptoms (after too many years with them): The vagus nerve - a major nerve that is in charge of a lot of the activity on the left side of the body (heart, stomach). I talked to my doc this week and she mentioned it again, that they think it's connected to IBS/Anxiety. I didn't see it mentioned here, it may be in other threads, though. Here are two threads from other forums that discusses it from a gastroenterology view.
Hm. I am told I can not post links yet. I found them at healthbords.com - it's a thread called GERD with arm & vagal symptoms (some good info in that thread), and medhelp.org - a discussion about the vagus nerve started by belita857. They are both old discussions, but there's a lot of good info gathered in them over the years.
Hope it helps someone! I wrote a lot more in my first post but can't remember it all.
Arwen
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