View Full Version : The Heart
1) Can you get symptoms to do with the heart purely from anxiety?
2) Does anybody else suffer with this?
3) Somebody reassure me. I'm a 22 year old, active, non-smoker and light drinker. I can't have a heart attack surely? Can I?
Dealing with it myself right now. The short answer is NO you cannot have a heart attack at 22 unless there is something else going on, like hardcore drugs, stimulants, overexerting yourself to the point of heart failure, etc.
The truth for both of us is that most heart trouble stems from artherosclerosis and that only STARTS building up in your 30s. It starts with fat smears and then progresses to little pockets and then to hardened plaque. It takes years of abuse and age to get to that point. You will be fine (as will I)
1) Can you get symptoms to do with the heart purely from anxiety? Absolutely! Chest pain, palpitations etc. It's one of the most common symptoms of anxiety and also one of the biggest fears of HA sufferers.
2) Does anybody else suffer with this? Do a search for heart or chest pain and you'll have more than enough to read.
3) Somebody reassure me. I'm a 22 year old, active, non-smoker and light drinker. I can't have a heart attack surely? Can I? Logically and rationally based on what you said, what do you think?
Positive thoughts
HAnoway, I think that you will find a great deal of people who have your exact same heart symptoms and anxieties. Pain, tightness, spasms of or in the chest area, along with palpitations and racing, fluttering feelings of the heart are extremely common in anxiety sufferers.
This has always been one of my greatest fears and concerns. The more that I try to figure it out or to fight it, the worse the pains can become. I know it sounds crazy and it is difficult, but the best thing that you can do is to learn to accept that these symptoms are nothing more than anxiety and they can't hurt you.
Have you tried CBT or reading any books on acceptance. There are some great ones out there. There is even a free CBT course online. It has helped me a great deal.
Good luck on your journey.
james_grimble
09-01-14, 15:13
For 7 months I have had chest pains, pain down my left arm, lightheadness, constant awreness of my own heart beat, palpitations, strang spasm feelings that last a second and take my breath away !
I have had probably 10 ECG’s all perfect,
Blood test all fine,
24hr monitor fine,
Echocardio – Everything fine.
At first I just couldn’t accept it was only anxiety, I am 29 and as of 7 months ago, I had never had chest pains, palps or this spasm feelings. The cardiologist has said I have a 3% chance of having a heart problem and that is the same percentage as everybody else with a normal functioning heart !
He said my problems are 100% not cardiac related, he says they are either anxiety or gastro.
Hard to accept but after I have had the echo I am now accepting that it is just anxiety !
Have the tests for peace of mind but don’t worry yourself you are ok !
Id say the last 7 motnhs have been the hardest of my life, ive been on holiday that i couldnt enjoy because i was worried id have a heart attack whilst away, ive thought i was going insane, its really knocked me out my stride.
But now i am determined to get back on with life !
I have chest pains and left arm pains.
Thing is I know it's anxiety as it gets worse when I focus on it and when I look at heart related things etc. However it's just horrible.
I've just got through some other anxiety and now this is hitting me. So frustrating.
Hi...I was just about to post on chest pain as since I started my new job in November after a v.stressful year and redundancy I am suffering almost daily. I am now convinced it's angina or blocked arteries...went to A&E a few weeks back..had bloods, ECG, BP done - all normal and Normal cholesterol so they said not heart but have now read that these things don't show up on those sort of simple tests...now I'm terrified I have to have an angiogram. I am so tired and weary with new job ...secretary, so typing all day agin so muscles cld b tense and I am finding longer hours v.hard but walking to bus makes me worse so that looks like angina...I am not used to walking so maybe have had this problem and not known about it till now so really worried...don't want to get into a state agin after getting better but frightened I am going to drop down with a heart attck now. I am mid fifties, slim but T that funny age.
But it doesn't sound like you have to get an angiogram, because your heart is reading very healthy. I'm not clear--are you being referred for one or are you thinking maybe you need to get one? I would recommend exploring therapy or CBT before I went to an angiogram, if so.
I read that because of my age and getting pain on walking in the cold since I changed jobs that they would have to diagnose by angiogram...gosh I have also read an old post by someone who's dad had a massive heart attack after being sent home from A&E And was told that his undiagnosed Angina always wld have resulted in a big heart attack eventually..gulp The pain is all in my back as well. The poster said that they had talked to the cardiologists when her dad was in and they said that ecgs don't pick up angina.
Hi...I was just about to post on chest pain as since I started my new job in November after a v.stressful year and redundancy I am suffering almost daily. I am now convinced it's angina or blocked arteries...went to A&E a few weeks back..had bloods, ECG, BP done - all normal and Normal cholesterol so they said not heart but have now read that these things don't show up on those sort of simple tests...now I'm terrified I have to have an angiogram. I am so tired and weary with new job ...secretary, so typing all day agin so muscles cld b tense and I am finding longer hours v.hard but walking to bus makes me worse so that looks like angina...I am not used to walking so maybe have had this problem and not known about it till now so really worried...don't want to get into a state agin after getting better but frightened I am going to drop down with a heart attck now. I am mid fifties, slim but T that funny age.
Hi JJ,
I'm not a doctor but I have had two heart attacks, bypass surgery and stents. I know what angina pain is like. Truly this sounds stress related. I highlighted parts of your post that stood out to me backing up my thoughts.
If indeed you had blockages, it would be accompanied with higher than normal BP as the heart must work harder to get blood past narrowed arteries. At least that what I was told by my cardiologist.
If you're in doubt, a cardiologist is your best bet to put your mind at ease but based on what I read, a less stressful job and a vacation would do you wonders! ;)
Positive thoughts
Thanks Fishmanpa. I want to believe that but why does it say on good old Dr Google that women get lesser symptoms than men and angina can give pain from a mild dull ache to full on crippling chest pain? I am sorry, I've hijacked someone's post here for which I apologise...us anxiety sufferers are all me, me, me!!!
I read that because of my age and getting pain on walking in the cold since I changed jobs that they would have to diagnose by angiogram...gosh I have also read an old post by someone who's dad had a massive heart attack after being sent home from A&E And was told that his undiagnosed Angina always wld have resulted in a big heart attack eventually..gulp The pain is all in my back as well. The poster said that they had talked to the cardiologists when her dad was in and they said that ecgs don't pick up angina.
Hey, I read that I can get a million dollars if I just write back to this nice Nigerian:)!
You do not have to get an angiogram just because you read somewhere that somebody did. You do not have to get an angiogram because of somebody's dad's heart attack. Heck, even if your doctor referred you for one you don't actually have to have one.
But nobody with medical training who's seen you and your symptoms has referred you for one, because they don't think you need one. This wouldn't change even if they read your article thing and heard about somebody's dad somewhere, because they're judging your case based on medical reasons and what you present with--which is what they ought to be judging on.
So not much point about panicking about a test you're not actually going to go for. I really think you'd benefit from trying to treat your anxiety instead; it's a lot less invasive, and I think it has much better potential for improving your life. What about giving it a try?
good old Dr Google
I heard Dr. Google is being sued for false diagnosis and scaring the bejeebers out of HA sufferers. In fact, they say he has the demeanor of a computer algorithm and could care less about anyone but his advertisers.
This started with the start of a new stressful job. Does it happen after work and on weekends? If you're truly concerned, book an appointment with a cardiologist.
Positive thoughts
Not so much but then I am not walking half a mile in the cold to a bus stop at weekends. I thought pains in the chest when walking were typical angina symptoms. A male friend is waiting for a bypass and one of his symptoms was that...he reckons his BP was ok too....I just don't know what to believe but like you say, prob need to see cardiologist but frightened of angiogram.
Not so much but then I am not walking half a mile in the cold to a bus stop at weekends. I thought pains in the chest when walking were typical angina symptoms. A male friend is waiting for a bypass and one of his symptoms was that...he reckons his BP was ok too....I just don't know what to believe but like you say, prob need to see cardiologist but frightened of angiogram.
Angina doesn't necessarily happen only with exertion. Even after my triple bypass in 2007 I had some angina pain. It wouldn't happen often (maybe once a month if that) but it did happen and there was no rhyme or reason to it. I haven't had an attack of it since the stents last year.
I don't know what to tell you. Seems with the way you feel, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Positive thoughts and good luck!
Played football tonight. I play at a reasonable level. Couldn't push myself because I was scared my heart would just give in.
I played last night and it wasn't an issue. Feel like this is getting exponentially worse.
---------- Post added 10-01-14 at 02:49 ---------- Previous post was 09-01-14 at 22:58 ----------
Feel ok until i start to nod off and i feel like i'm going to stop breathing.
The heart is in focus very much so when it comes to panic and anxiety. Literally our feelings come from there, not sure how or why but the heart seems to be at the center of our emotional well being. I've had probably 500 panic attacks in my life and although most of them I thought I was going to die nothing more happened than the affects of the panic attack itself. This is where people like us get into trouble. Most people can perceive and place into context a sore chest, but the panic/OCD/anxiety person takes that sensation and runs with it to all the corners of the world. That is my greatest weakness. I find myself creating internal landscapes with all sorts of horrible fears and thoughts. We have to fight when we get stuck there, tooth and nail. Don't accept letting your anxiety bring you down. We are all here for each other and trust me group such as this have helped me far more than any therapist or shrink.
I've had such a good weekend for anxiety and in one moment its all gone to pot again. I hate it.
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