worried is this angina?

[anx mum]

Can anyone relate to this ive been getting pain in central chest area and under left breast for well over a month now, now ive got shoulder and arm pain feels like a dull ache its there pretty much constant at first i had alot of tingling that has seemed to have gone also when i do exercise i get so out of breath i have put weight on does this sound like angina?

[nomorepanic]

Bev - perhaps you ought to explain that you have been told you have a frozen shoulder and had numerous ECG's

[fruity]

Could it be gerd! Are u having tests!(i know you,ve proberly had every test going) have u had a second or more oppinion? How are u at this very moment. If u get too bad ring nhs or something. U can tell me to shut up if uwant because it,s something u probrly don,want to hear or sick of heariing.

[Annie0904]

My husband has frozen shoulder and it does make the arm very painful. warm or cold temperature packs can help to ease the pain and massage helps too.

[nomorepanic]

Here is the NHS site about angina:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Angina/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx

[anx mum]

An ecg dosent always detect angina the other tests i havent had

[AuntieMoosie]

Hi there,

You would know for definite if it was angina because angina is brought on by physical exertion, you don't get the pain if you're resting or being still. If you get bad pain on exertion, and if it was due to angina, the pain would subside as soon as you rested. I would very much doubt that you have angina otherwise your doctor or A&E would have picked up on your symptoms straight away and they would have ordered an exercise ECG. Hope this helps put your mind at rest :hugs:

[anx mum]

They said cant have exercise ecg cos not 40 im 33

[nomorepanic]

Who said that Bev? So no-one under 40 is allowed to be tested for cardiac problems or referred to a pain clinic? Sorry but I think that is rubbish and I would challenge it.

[skippy66]

You're right Nic but the fact is she doesn't need an exercise ECG as from what she's described she doesn't have angina. An exercise ECG would be:

1. Costly (for taxpayers)
2. Unnecessary
3. Give temporary reassurance until a new symptom popped up and the next test was sought.

which is probably why they've tried to say it isn't available.

Anxmum, you clearly have problems with health anxiety and I can totally relate as I was as bad as you 2 years ago. Reassurance is not the solution but I am posting this to tell you that I am completely free of it now and I'm determined to help others out of it because I know how life-destroying it can get. I did not need therapy or meds. Good job because I was too scared to take the meds they gave me at the time.

Step 1: You need to stop looking for reassurance!!!!!!!!!!! I can not emphasise this enough!!!

[AuntieMoosie]

I so agree with Nic there, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be able to have an exercise ECG, if that is what you would like, then I would go back and see your GP, if you get the same answer, then ask what is the reason for it??? doesn't sound right to me.

---------- Post added at 23:01 ---------- Previous post was at 22:51 ----------

skippy66...sorry I think we cross posted :)

I do fully agree with what you say about Health Anxiety, fortunately that's something I don't suffer with, but I agree that it's the Health Anxiety that needs dealing with and not the symptoms.

However, I feel as it's causing her this much worry and anxiety, then maybe it's best to have the exercise ECG just as a means of reassuring her that all is well, I do take on board what you've said about the cost and the reassurance thing, but maybe sometimes it's just best to dot the I's and cross the T's so to speak.

Bev have you ever had any form of therapy in regards to your health anxiety?? If not, I would really recommend that you try some CBT or something, it must be having an awful effect on your life as well as those around you at home :hugs:

[skippy66]

However, I feel as it's causing her this much worry and anxiety, then maybe it's best to have the exercise ECG just as a means of reassuring her that all is well, I do take on board what you've said about the cost and the reassurance thing, but maybe sometimes it's just best to dot the I's and cross the T's so to speak.
[/QUOTE]

Believe me as I've been there, reassurance does not last long. I had exercise ECG then demanded echo of the heart, then another exercise and echo a few years later, 24 hr tapes x2, 24hr blood pressure monitor. I dread to think what I've cost the NHS due to Health Anxiety over the last 10 years or so. In my defence I have paid quite a lot of tax as I am lucky enough to have a pretty well paid job.

What happens is that the i's and t's never get dotted or crossed. You are temporarily reassured, then you start to doubt the accuracy of the test, then you google to find out what the test can't detect, then you wait some more, get new symptoms, then you want a different test. Then, when you've had the different test, you want the original test again because enough time has elapsed to make you think you may have developed the original problem in the time between tests, if that makes sense.

It is a slippery slope and NOT the right course of action for her in my opinion. But hey, I'm not a doctor.

[Kells81]

I'm sorry but I 100% agree with skippy, doctors are encouraging health anxiety by allowing all these tests to be done.
We all moan how long the CBT waiting list is-I personally had to wait 9 months, maybe this could be improved if less money was spent giving repeated medical tests to health anxiety sufferers.

[AuntieMoosie]

Hi skippy thanks for replying :)

Yes I'm understanding more of what you're saying now, the relief would only be short lived and then the doubts would return, it's a difficult one isn't it??

I'm so glad that you are now free of it. Touch wood, I've never had health anxiety, but I've had my share of some other one's :) :hugs:

[nomorepanic]

Bev I looked back over your posts and you started with chest pains in 2008!!

Then you moved on to breathlessness and then headaches then calf pain and then back to chest pain.

If it was anything serious you would be seriously ill by now and you have to remember how long you have had all these problems and nothing has been found and nothing happened.

The HA on the other hand has that been addressed??

[AuntieMoosie]

Hello Kelly,

Yes whilst I partly agree with what you're saying unfortunately it's not quite as cut and dried as we might wish it to be :)

Firstly we have to remember that those suffering from health anxiety have an illness just like the rest of us, it may present differently to us, but it's an illness all the same, and they, too, are just as entitled to medical attention as the rest of us are :)

Then, of course, we have the doctors who must be faced with difficult decisions, they have to also cover their backs and be seen to be doing the right thing. If you have a patient presenting with symptoms which could be of a serious nature, how are they to know whether they are down to anxiety or from something else???

I do totally agree with you about the dreadful waiting lists for CBT in this country. Do you know what's making me really angry at the moment??......it's the new smoking adverts!!!..........how much did they cost????.........I think everyone now knows, without a doubt that smoking is dangerous, we're not in the 50's or 60's now, it's a fully known fact, yet they can spend goodness knows what amount of money on that!!!!!!:mad:

With the amount of people in this country suffering from psychological problems now, and it's ever increasing, I think loads more money should be pumped into the mental health services and all of the therapy's...........whooops!!!........time for the moosie one to step off the soap box!!!! lol :hugs:

[Kells81]

I'm not saying health anxiety isn't a illness, I completely think it is but it isn't one that will be helped in anyway by having multiple ECG's done (for example).
Money aside it does no good to the health anxiety sufferer, it prolongs the condition.

I also don't have a problem with them going an ECG when the symptoms are first presented to rule out any underlying condition-they should not then do more because the patient won't believe it.

[nomorepanic]

If they refuse tests though and someone dropped dead imagine the law suit lol

[Kells81]

Maybe they could also have a lawsuit for allowing a patient to go through years of tests instead of helping with the health anxiety instead though.....someone should try that actually and see if they have a case or not lol!

[nomorepanic]

Yup they need to invest in more CBT therapists

[Kells81]

A few high profile cases where people win would hopefully give the government a kick up the bum!

[Brunette]

Bev I looked back over your posts and you started with chest pains in 2008!!

Then you moved on to breathlessness and then headaches then calf pain and then back to chest pain.

If it was anything serious you would be seriously ill by now and you have to remember how long you have had all these problems and nothing has been found and nothing happened.

The HA on the other hand has that been addressed??

Nicola's post sums it up.

Anx mum: you come on here regularly, you seek advice, but you never seem to listen to any of it. I do sympathise as it's clearly a symptom of your health anxiety but you need to understand that it's a waste of your time and everybody's that replies to you - all you are doing is going round and round in circles. You ask the same questions, you get the same answers, nothing changes.

It's your health anxiety you need to be seeking help for - not your chest pains.

[anx mum]

thanks for that brunette i today was taken to hospital my ecgs are now coming bk abnormal so maybe there is some truth in what i say of course im gonna be anxious having chest pains ans left arm pain

[katesa]

thanks for that brunette i today was taken to hospital my ecgs are now coming bk abnormal so maybe there is some truth in what i say of course im gonna be anxious having chest pains ans left arm pain

Hi Anx Mum,

Were you feeling stressed when you had this ECG done? My friend had two come back abnormal but there was nothing wrong with her, she was just stressing out and raised her blood pressure which made the ECG seem abnormal. What did they say? What are they going to do?

[nomorepanic]

My partner had abnormal ECG's - scared the life out of him but then saw a cardiologist and he said they were probably normal for him!

What are they doing now then?

[anx mum]

Dr at hospital spoke to my gp and shes gonna refer me to cardio dr feeling scared tonight got pain chest and arm just had morphine and breathing feels strange

[nomorepanic]

I don't understand why they didn't get you to see a cardiologist today. They kept my partner in and then he saw the cardiologist the next day as they have to do blood tests as well.

Obviously it is not serious though which is good news.

[katesa]

Dr at hospital spoke to my gp and shes gonna refer me to cardio dr feeling scared tonight got pain chest and arm just had morphine and breathing feels strange

If there was anything serious then you wouldn't have been allowed to leave, believe me. And your breathing may be feeling strange because of the wooziness of morphine or maybe just because you are stressing out.

It'll be fine. Chances are that everyone would have at least one abnormal ECG if we had enough of them but most of us wouldn't have anything wrong. Just get an early night and make the most of the nice "away with the fairies" feeling that morphine can give :)