What could these chest pains be?

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Hi everyone, hope your all well

I haven't posted a thread for a while as my anxiety has been a bit better than what it was a couple of months ago. I used to be a daily poster about my random symptoms and health anxiety issues.

Anyway, my main problem are these chest pains that I have had for ages now and are these are what mainly started my anxiety issues. As I said my anxiety is a better but it is still there and just waiting to hit me badly again. I just want to know what these chest pains are, they are niggling at me on and off all day every day and i feel I just cant fully get past this anxiety while they are still there.

The pains vary, from a dull ache that's lasts for minutes, on and off for hours, to sudden sharp pains out of nowhere that make me jump but then they go away as soon as they have come. Light stinging pulsing pains. They are usually on the left side of my chest but also have them on the right side less frequently. I also get a similar pain on the left side of my back now and then. I sometimes have gurgling/rumbling sensation in the same area of my chest. When I eat in the mornings, my chest makes these strange noises, so i don't know if it has something to do with my digestion, i don't have any pain that relates to eating.

My resting heart rate is usually mid to low 40's. Usually about 43BPM while lying in bed. My blood pressure is always on the low side, usually around 115/55 but sometimes is down at 90/40. I think they have always been like this, my brothers results are similar.

I have had an ECG which came back normal and blood tests which were all fine apart from high cholesterol, which I didn't know why i had as i am reasonably fit and don't eat badly.

These pains are not palpitations. I have been back to the doctor many times about this but after listening to my heart and the ECG they don't offer anything else. Also as i,m reasonably young they don't suspect anything and I have anxiety issues so they put it down to that.

Can anyone offer any advice on what could be causing these pains? If its just something I have to learn to deal with how the hell do I do that?

Thanks for reading and any ideas on this would be much appreciated x

[panickyme]

I wish I knew, you just described me to the t. I cant stand those chest pain, and they do make you jump. (freaks me out every time) I would be fine also, if I didn't get them. Hope we figure it out soon, its driving me crazy. :mad:

[chl_hobbs]

I am the same. What annoys me is as I have history of anxiety and ptsd,the drs immediately put it down to that.I keep trying to explain that its the pains that MAKE me anxious!I then end up crying at them out of frustration which makes them confirm their 'diagnosis'! charlotte x

[ricardo]

Hard question to answer but we know with anxiety ones muscles tense up and that maybe part of the cause.
You have low blood pressure, the GP has seen you.If they persist I would get a second opinion.Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[Anxious_gal]

If it was your heart or would have shown up on the tests.

It's possiable it's nerve pain. I can get sharp pains that seem to follow a path.
I can get them from my jaw through my neck, collar bone and into my chest.

Muscle pain, if your shoulders are tense or you're sitting a lot that can strain your chest muscles.

Possibly might have a vitamin deficiency, my calcium levels were low and gave me heart palpitations. I think being low in potassium can lead to muscle pain.

Anxiety, when I panic I can get the most god awful chest pain and pressure. How I know it's not a heart attack is that once I calm down the pain eases up.

Tummy issues, people often go to the ER with chest pain only to find out its indigestion or heart burn.
Try changing your diet, eat more natural foods, try those good bacteria pills or probiotic yogurts and drinks. Studies show they can reduce anxiety and depression in mice lol as well as aid weightloss.

Try omega 3 too :)

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Thanks Guys, Yea it just gets you down when your trying to battle through this anxiety and there the chest pain are just stopping you from getting out of this mess.

[Gotagetthroughthis]

So ive been having the usually niggling chest pains today but nothing to major that worries me. I go out to walk the dog, while i'm just standing there while the dog has a wee, I get and intense pain from deep within the left side of my chest, like a slow gurning stabbing pain, its hard to explain and then that sends me off into nearly full blow panic mode until it goes away a minute of so later.

I'm fed up with all this, the doctors don't understand that if i don't get to the bottom of these pains then i don't think i can get over this anxiety!

[panickyme]

That's what happens to me! They come out of nowhere, I feel fine until that happens. My husband and I went to a friends, and we were just sitting there talking, I felt fine, and BAMMMMMMM :ohmy: I get that darn chest pain, it's crushing, and it scares the sh........t :scared15: out of me. I just want to go home then, I was panicking for the rest of the night. I can't stand it. Then another time I was on the computer, and my dog was kinda resting on my chest, and I got it again, I instantly feel like I can't breathe, and my heart starts racing, I got my husband, he's like hon you do it to yourself, I'm like I can't do this to myself!!!!!!! Something is wrong. I totally know how you feel, and I'm still hoping we figure it out sometime soon. :shrug:

[xtremx]

Hi, Another post that reads like my life story.

Only things different is my pulse rate is around 60 and bp around 124/80, Other than that it is all spot on.

I too think my chest pains preceded my Anxiety and everything has spiraled out of control from then, I suffered from something called costochondritis really bad for 6 months I would give it 10/10 for pain I would be holding my chest crying my eyes out in pain day in day out.

But I never went to the doctor as was scared it was my heart and it was going to kill me, So that 6 months really took a lot out of me (before that time I never googled symptoms or anything like that).

I have had 2 treadmill ecgs, Loads of standered ecgs and 2 trips to A&E via amberlance (very scary) so have had x-rays done of the chest and Bloods to check the heart muscle. All Have comeback OK.

But I too still have concerns it is my Heart, My doctor will not send me to have an ECHO or see a cardio Doctor.

But I think once I have had a echo done and a cario has check it out I can put this all behind me if the results are OK as my heart is a major concern.

But my doctor does not see it that way.
My brother had a heart attack at 47, I was born with a hole in the heart (I understand that has healed up when I was younger). After I have been walking for a will my chest will start to ache and them my anxiety will kick in so I get caught in a circle of is it or is it not my heart.

So just to say you are not alone in all this.

[bertone902]

i get the EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS! i think u might find out that its trapped wind somewhere near your left lung and heart my doc told me and if you read u about trapped wind in chest theres a lot of way you can relieve it. id defo try it before jumping to conclusions about your health :) you should be fine :)

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Thanks for the reply's guys, looks like there's a lot of us going through the same sort of thing. Hopefully we can find some answers and get past these chest pains sooner or later.

[Gotagetthroughthis]

This is really stopping me from moving on with my life. I have the chest pains on and off all the time. I try and go about my normal business, ive forced myself to start playing sport again but every time I do I get so out of breath like i literally can not get breath, im wheezing. Not like how being out of breath used to be. I also get a strange feeling head ache and a bit dizzy and disorientated which just makes me think there is something wrong with me.

[anx mum]

Your thread describes me to a t like you im getting chest pains mine is like a dull ache. Like u i have had many ecgs which have come bk ok. Whatever this is its stopping me living my life the most i do is take my dog for a walk for half an hour and even then im out of breath. My breathing has changed too feels like i havent got enough air its horrid. My doctor has put this down to anxiety dont know how to cope with this.

[Gotagetthroughthis]

I think these pains are something to do with digestion now.

[techwoodjez]

So many posts on here tonight match my current issues this being one of them its so uncanny , have had similar all day , just sent me into that viscious circle again, but sympathise with you , hope you find an answer:)

[Arnie365]

Hi this is me to a t as well!

I've had them for 7 months. Had all the tests and everything is fine with my heart. I too felt I wasn't anxious before they came on and it was only the pains that caused my anxiety.

Where am I up to now?

Well the good news is that the chest pains have pretty much stopped through a combination of fluoxetine (7 weeks today) and cbt therapy (though do still get the odd one). Both my doctor and therapist have confirmed that its normal for the symptom to come on before you feel anxious because what I didn't know was how much of our thoughts go on in our sub conscious minds (upto 90% of everything we ever think we don't know about) so you are anxious in your sub conscious, this causes the pains and then your conscious mind picks up on the pain, starts worrying and feeds the anxiety and then the panic comes. Hope that makes sense. Took me a while to get my head around.

So I wish I could say I was cured but my main problem now is what this doctor thinks is indigestion which causes a really painful pressure type pain in the middle of my chest just below my sternum. So of course someone worried about their heart I immediately think heart attack again. I have an endoscopy booked in a couple of weeks so hoping I get to the bottom of this. The main reason can be that anxiety and stress causes more stomach acid so hopefully mine is just inflamed from all my months of anxiety and panic attacks and now I'm getting over it my stomach will heal as well.

Hope this helps reassure others.