Still worrying about my heart

[LF87]

Sorry to post again today, but I am really panicked.
I have pain in my back to the top, and some stabbing pains in the front chest area. It feels a little like heartburn, but then I don't know if it is or not. I'm really worrying I'm building up to having a heart attack. Does anyone know if that happens? Or if you just have one out of the blue? I'm so scared I'm having warning signs or something. I've felt as though I've had weird pains all day. Don't know how I'm going to sleep.

Any advice would be really appreciated x

[chomer86]

Hi LF87,

I hope you are ok, You sound very anxious right now. I too have worries about my heart it's taking over my heart. I have a history of heart problems and am under the cardiologist at the moment and awaiting results so I know the fear well. Panicking and Anxiety can lead to chest pain and the more we panic the worse it will feel. The more we concentrate on it the more we will feel it. Try distracting yourself for a while watch your favourite movie, listen to your favourite music or read a book. Im sure if you can distract yourself you will find you forget about it and suddenly realise "oh I haven't felt that pain in a while" this confirms anxiety. I had a terrible night last night waking up gasping for air as I was falling asleep. so scary. had to miss work today. Hope you manage to get some sleep tonight X

[LF87]

Hi chomer, thank you for replying.
I have been very anxious all day, the worst I've felt for a while. I'm sorry to hear you too are having worries.
I was about to watch some tv, but I'm actually too anxious to concentrate. The pains did subside when I was making the dinner tonight which I do enjoy doing, but they've come back. With it being bedtime there's just emptiness to start thinking about it again.
Because I've never really had any anxiety over my heart this is all very new. I'm worried I should be going to a and e right now instead of talking about it. Theyre like burning or stabbing pains in my back and chest. It's really scary :( x

[Serenity1990]

Almost all chest pain is attributable to something rather less serious than a heart problem. Pulled muscles in the chest wall, tight muscles in the back, indigestion, etc. are all totally harmless and commonly cause these kinds of issues. Anxiety (as I've learned recently) can cause quite innocent chest pain.

You mentioned heartburn; acid reflux (which, by the way, can itself sometimes be attributed to anxiety) can often cause chest pain. If you get this a lot (i.e. for months on end), this is surprisingly common and treatable with simple medication.

I am by no means a doctor, but I understand what you're going through. Please try and relax, if you're still worried see a doctor and try to trust what they tell you!

[LF87]

Thanks Serenity.
I guess for some reason I always assume that I don't get panic attacks anymore, at least not like I used to, so therefore I wouldn't get chest pains. But I forget that spending a whole day in an anxious state is going to have some sort of effect on my body.
The chest pain thing is scaring me cos it's very new, and I don't know if it's real. I've focused so much on every twinge in my back and chest that I don't know if I've brought it on. The scary thing with this stuff is you don't know whether to up and get yourself to the hospital.
Night time is the worst too. Especially when you have a rubbish boyfriend who won't come over and says 'you're fine, you've done this all before'. So frustrating! No, I am not fine, I am freaked out and have pains!
I did go to my doc about it, she said my heart sounds fine but offered me an ecg.

Really not a good day.

[chomer86]

Hi LF87,
Thought I'd check in on you today, How are you feeling? I find night time is the worst too. My hubby goes to sleep early so I feel alone when anxious at night too, it is scary. I had a bad night last night also, I am also emetophobic (just to add another thing to my list) and I read on facebook someone was being sick all day after all their family had it & I instantly felt really sick and couldn't sleep. Its awful. I'm sure your heart is fine, like the other previous poster said there are soooo many other things that could be causing your chest/back pain and im sure anxiety is just contributing too it making it seem worse. But if your still worried maybe get that ecg done to put your mind at rest xx

---------- Post added at 13:30 ---------- Previous post was at 13:17 ----------

Sorry to crash your thread here for this but I cant figure out how to start a new thread:doh: I did start my own thread about 18 months ago, but I cant figure out how to do it! an any of you lovely people point me in the right direction please :flowers: x

[LF87]

Hi chomer!
Yeah I'm thinking I might go tomorrow to get it done, but I'm really scared of hospitals and tests and all that stuff so I don't know if I'll be able to go through with it.

I used to suffer terribly with emetophobia when I was younger. I saw a brilliant private psychologist and I got over it. I was so bad I became agoraphobic, due to being terrified of throwing up in public. She got me doing all sorts to face my fear and these days it's not an issue. Instead I've got lovely HA to play with :/
To start a new thread just go to the forum at either the top or bottom and it will say Post new thread x

---------- Post added at 15:28 ---------- Previous post was at 15:27 ----------

Thanks for asking how I am today by the way :). I'm not as bad as last night but still concerned. Hope you are ok today too!

[chomer86]

Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better. The ECG is nothing to worry about at all, its quick and painless and you get your results more or less straight away. I used to be scared of hospitals and tests too but I think ive had that many now its second nature :roflmao:
However I do still fear hospitals in case I come out with a sickness bug. Congrats for getting over your emetophobia. Mine is getting worse, I hate going to work incase I catch it, I hardly visit anyone or go anywhere in winter in fear I might catch it. Christmas used to be my favourite time of year but now I seem to have gained a Christmas phobia as the bugs always seem to be flying round then. Maybe I should mention this to my doctor, I guess I just cant imagine how they could help as they cant guarantee you wont get sick? Anyway Good luck if you do go tomorrow & let us know how you get on:hugs:

[ohwell123]

hi just my two pence worth

I two had the stabbing pain in the back 2 nights ago then i jumped out of bed and the pain moved to the front and I thought OH GOD THIS IS IT weird feelings down my left arm the lot

then about 2 minutes later I burped and it all went!!!!!!!!!

the anxiety is causing indigestion acid reflux and trapped air, then when you get a pain of anykind from these you Gulp air that you dont need during the day

so basically were setting ourselves up for de ja vu symptons everynight when our minds not occupied

another thing ive done since my first panic attack is grind my jaw but then out the blue ill get a headache or a funny feeling down the side of my face setting me off on another panic

hope what ive put is a bit reassuring its how we stop it now I suppose once i get used to one pain I get another so its easier said than done

ta kris

[LF87]

Hi ohwell. Actually I do seem to be having a lot of burping at the moment, I know that sounds gross but I do. Especially last night. Thanks for your comment, has made me feel better :) I've still got some pains today but I don't know if it's cos I'm too focused on that area?

Chomer, the thing that got me over the sick phobia was confronting it. I was obsessional about it, I used to have to ask my mum every night 'i won't be sick will I', and she'd have to promise me over and over, it became ritualistic. So the woman I saw said it was a form of OCD as well as the phobia itself. I forced myself into my scariest situations, like being on a metro or tube where there's no toilets nearby incase I needed to be sick, and did it over and over. Eventually it got easier. And the thing I always say to myself now is, being sick isn't the worst thing ever! Happens to everyone, doesn't make you horrible or whatever. It's all over in a minute or so.
The ecg worry is that they'll find something wrong, then basically everything would be ruined. I'd live in constant fear. So I'm basically to scared to go because of what they may find. I dunno what to do. X

[ohwell123]

Hi LF go and get your ecg done explain to the nurse that you have lets say underlying anxiety as your bp might be elevated so this can be expected as to not send you off with more concerns I think your ecg will be fine mine

becareful not to read to many symptoms etc into things as believe me your anxiety will create them dry mouth headaches throbbing pains here shooting pains there

what really shocked me was I used to get the pins and needles got used to that then it manifested itself to more of a prickly itchy feeling to keep me more on edge how the hell does it do this lol

take care and occupy your mind I also find drinking anymore than 2-3 pints of beer absolutely feeds anxiety like petrol and a match the day after
kris x

[chomer86]

Thanks for the info. I'm not too fearful of it happening in public (though it would be awful) more just the actual being sick itself. So scary. So nice to hear a success story like yours though, gives me hope!
I used to feel like that about the tests and 1 day they did find something (im sure this wont be your case) I was terrified at first thinking what have I done!! But after speaking to a cardiologist about it and it being explained to me its not so scary and it wont kill me and there are tablets I can take to reduce it - though I have a tablet phobia too! (I know im a nightmare, right?!) But I feel better just knowing what it is when it happens and it reduced my anxiety about it greatly as I don't fear its something more sinister when it happens. So please try and stay positive im sure in your case you will be perfectly fine, but worse case scenario really isn't that bad, theres so much help out there and so much they can do its not all doom and gloom. Hope this helps. Good luck hun! xx

[LF87]

Oh yeah, alcohol makes my anxiety horrendous the next day. Thanks, I will let the nurse know about the anxiety. I'm not gonna go today though!
Oh no, I can't imagine how that must have felt when they found something. Good to know it's all manageable though. That's the thing, we all expect any problem to be the absolute worst thing ever, when in actual fact all you need are tablets to help. I'm supposed to be getting blood tests tomorrow but think I'm too scared for those too.x