Breathing

[mummyanxious]

The past couple of days I've felt very tight chested like a band across my chest which comes and goes when I am lying down or after I've been doing small tasks. I'm scared its heart failure angina or a heart attack.
I get a tightness in both breasts.
I've been trying to tell myself its muscles tightening up but not sure if that can cause shortness of breath etc.
When I stretch I can feel muscular pain in my back and under my ribs.
I'm not sure whether its all linked or whether I should be worried.
And of course its the weekend so the only option is the hospital if I need to get checked out.

[tiff123]

Join the club. Have you ever had ecg or basic cardio tests? I'm guessing you have had this checked out before and been given the all clear.

Its probably because like me when you are stressed and anxious you don't breath properly, and muscles get all achy/hunched up.

I get v out of breath with this at times, but I know its the anxiety and don't let it panic me anymore.

Hope you feel better and get some (mental) rest.

[mummyanxious]

Yes I've had tons of tests in the past. Told not to worry etc etc. but all this breathing and chest stuff has started since I had the chest infection the other month. I'm over that now but these feelings remain

[xBettyBoopx]

This is my main symptom, I have it as I'm typing this! I want to keep telling myself that it's tension and anxiety but I get scared like all of us that it's something sinister. If I had a penny for everytime I felt like this I'd be a millionaire!!:winks::winks:

You won't need to get checked out mummyanxious, it will go away when you stop being tense (easier said that done).

Els
xx

[mummyanxious]

Thank you for your reply. I get it even when I talk! Out of breath and gasping.
Yesterday the tightness was specifically directly behind my nipples on both sides. Today its in the middle of my chest.
I'm fed up of going back and forth like a broken record over my heart and chest. This has all carried on like I say since I had a chest infection. And I've had a chest X-ray since which shows this has gone completely.
If I press on my ribs they do hurt and it goes through to my back but I can't see how that accounts for the deep can't breath feeling like I'm suffocating or someone is squeezing me.
Last night I was watching tele and I laughed and after the laugh I felt short of breath???

[mummyanxious]

Yesterday it had eased off a bit. I spent a mostly relaxed day.
Last night the palpitations returned with avengance. My heart felt like it was completely put of rhythm at times with skipped beats and thuds. Took me ages to get to sleep.
Today I've got the tightness behind both breasts again. I am so fed up of this. Just want to lead a normal life without this heart worry.

---------- Post added at 07:05 ---------- Previous post was at 07:04 ----------

Oh and now I've got pain into shoulder too but don't know whether its muscular. It comes and goes it with no specific movements.

[Ella13]

Hello, jeez do I feel your pain! It's really strange as I have bouts of feeling absolutely fine then the next day I'll get a constant ache in my chest, feel like someone's pressing down really hard. My breathing lately has been awful really short breaths, feel like no air Is actually reaching my lungs, I seem to sigh and yawn all the time, the dr told me it could be hyperventilation, have you heard of this? The only exercise I really do is walk my dog and go for the very occasional jog (and by that I mean maybe once every few weeks) and also been told I'm not getting enough exercise and it could be that but after even walking I'm gasping for breath and it makes the pain in my chest worse! I've had blood tests ECG and an echo and everything was fine but I still worry about it every day! What have the docs said to you about it??

[mummyanxious]

Thanks for your reply.
I know in the past I've been guilty of hyperventilation. I'm not sure what this is tbh. My chest feels relaxed enough but like you say just feels like there's no air getting in.
I caught myself the other day having walked upstairs breathing from my throat! Not even my chest but my throat. No wonder I felt odd.
I think I'm guilty of having a couple of symptoms and linking them together sometimes. Like the awful palpitations plus this shortness of breath must signal heart failure for sure or angina. But then I try and think rationally that surely I would be gravely ill if my heart was truly that bad???
I seem to go in a circle with it. Once the breathing issues feel a bit better the heart thing comes back to the front. Then when that subsides the chest tightness starts up again. It's none stop no good carefree days with it.

[anx mum]

Hi I can really relate to you. The breathing symptom is by far the worse ive had this so many times where I feel im suffocating. At moment im worried cos I have chest pain had ecgs bloods echo and recently had ct scan just waiting on results im convinced ive got angina:weep:. My anxiety is sky high hate feeling like this :hugs:

[mummyanxious]

Are you still waiting on your results. I hope they get some answers for you x