aortic aneurysm or pulmonary embolism in a 22 year old.

[roxy90]

I cant believe I'm.posting another thread! I know I sound completely crazy but my back/chest pains today have been worse than ever, and I have a constant pain below the breast bone.

I thought my blood clot fears were done but no :( I have 99% oxygen and a negative d dimer test 5 weeks ago.

Im also worried because I've just read that an aortic.aneurysm can cause chest tenderness and mixed.with my stomach pain im freaking out. Is one particularly likely in my age?.scared im going to drop dead from.a.clot or a ruptured aneurysm x

---------- Post added at 18:37 ---------- Previous post was at 17:57 ----------

Oh.and one more thing,.when you go to A and E.with chest pains and they do an.ECG and blood test, what do.they test for? Do they test for cholesterol? I had high cholesterol as a child and.now im.afraid its going to.kill me :(

[nomorepanic]

No they won't test for cholesterol in a standard blood test.

[roxy90]

Okay im definitely scared now.thanks for your reply x

[saab]

High cholesterol won't kill you at 22. It is just one if the factors that can lead to heart problems if you have it for a long time. My bil's dad has had very high cholesterol all his life - he is now in his 80's and started taking statins a couple of years ago I think.

A blood test can pick up if you have had or still have a blood clot or heart attack. They tested me when I was sent to A and E by my gp with palpitations.

A chest pain at your age is more likely to be muscle pain or anxiety. My chest feels tight and heavy when I am anxious. I read on a cardiology forum that if you can make the pain better or worse by moving or pressing on it, then it is not heart pain.

The chances of having a pe at 22 are very slim I would think unless you have been completely immobilised in bed for weeks, or on a very long flight. I would think you are in a very low risk group for pe. Hope you feel better soon.

[roxy90]

Thanks your reply, im starting to feel a little better

My worries about the cholesterol is that I think I have had it for a long time. I know I had it when I was younger, it was picked up in an eye test. I know I had lowered but now im worried that its risen since then and that my arteries already have had a head.start in.clogging up.

As for the Pe im just.freaked out because I was sent to A and E.with a suspected pneumothorax or Pe and I've been frightened ever since. X

[saab]

If it was suspected, but found not to be the case, then logically you are no more likely to have one now than anyone else. I can see where your anxiety has come from - the idea has been put in your head and is now very hard to shift. If they thought you had suspected tb, then it would be tb that you were now thinking you have.

Even if you had high cholesterol from birth it still takes years to cause the damage that can lead to heart attack - and I say CAN, not will, because lots of other factors are involved. I think you have many years before you need worry about cholesterol, though everyone needs to eat a heart healthy diet to prevent problems later.

[roxy90]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I feel a lot easier.about the blood clots but I could.cry over heart attack fears. Im sick of this.back and chest pain, im sick of reading about.young people.dying from heart issues, im just so scared and fed up x

[saab]

If I read about someone dying of an undiagnosed heart issue it will set off my anxiety a bit. Funny though, I am not cheered up by the news that 60 million people in the UK did not die suddenly today and actually had a nice healthy day. In CBT they call these cognitive errors, mistaken thoughts that make you feel anxious:

Jumping to conclusions - I have chest pain, must be a heart attack. Actually, it probably isn't at age 22.

Magnification - you overestimate the importance of something. Pain= serious illness. In fact things can be painful and very minor.

Black and white thinking - There are a whole scale of illnesses, ranging from trivial to serious. It's not all or nothing.

Catastrophic thinking - this is what I do. Your mind assumes that the outcome will always be negative, despite evidence to the contrary. Not just negative though, usually the worst possible outcome.


I would recommend you get Claires Weekes 'Self Helf for Your Nerves' book, or Richard Carlsons 'Stop Thinking Start Living' - you are too young to waste your life waiting for a catastrophy that is not going to happen. I have wasted 9 years waiting for a heart attack.

Try the Anxiety Network, they have good coping statements for anxiety.

[JCRyanDenton]

How common are these aortic aneurysms anyway?

[roxy90]

I think they're quite common to have one actually, but only 1 in 10,000 actually do rupture
And theyre much more common in 65+ year old men (of which I am neither lol) think there is also a genetic link
None of this is me, but im still worrying! Especially since.I have stomach pain pressed down and I could feel a pulsating. Argh.

Saab thankyou.for that, sounds so much like me its unreal. I know im too young to worry about this.stuff but.its completely taken.over my life to the point I dont have one anymore :( I'll give them books a try x

[JCRyanDenton]

I think they're quite common to have one actually, but only 1 in 10,000 actually do rupture
And theyre much more common in 65+ year old men (of which I am neither lol) think there is also a genetic link
None of this is me, but im still worrying! Especially since.I have stomach pain pressed down and I could feel a pulsating. Argh.

Saab thankyou.for that, sounds so much like me its unreal. I know im too young to worry about this.stuff but.its completely taken.over my life to the point I dont have one anymore :( I'll give them books a try x

The pulsating is a normal thing. I have had it for a long while and i read up its a normal thing.

Also if your stomach really hurts when you press down on it, then its possible but only if it REALLY hurts. If i press down on any part of my abdomen the pain is all the same (as in the pain only hurts due to touching down and its not too bad).