out of breathe and heart discomfort

[Kmccluskey]

I've found that when I am outside walking I feel really uncomfortable and short of breathe at times, this worries me combined with all these random chest pains I get. a 22 year old man should not be feeling like this when walking outside. it happens a lot in the wind and cold aswell. it just feels like my heart is struggling, could this be due to unfitness?, coz it is really uncomfortable and worrying thanks

kieron

[PanchoGoz]

You have posted about this issue before, and you've had tests on your heart and shown it to be fine haven't they? I think we extablished it was pretty certain there is nothing wrong with your heart.

[Kmccluskey]

yeah they did an ECG and echo. I can accept that anxiety creates physical symtpoms but I don't understand how it can make me feel out of breathe and have heart pain and feel weak when walking. that makes me worry I have narrowings that haven't been found yet. I just don't like feeling physically restricted during daily activities. it's frustrating because I'm putting effort in and not get in any reward

[NotCool]

I assume you have experience with anxiety attacks. Can it be, then, that whenever your heart rate starts climbing, for example, when you're walking outside, which is a light activity, your body/mind automatically assumes that something is wrong - a standard Fight&Flight reaction, and you start feeling other physical symptoms because of that?

Interesting, that you brought it up - i'm 25 years old myself, and because of the last months inactivity due to health scares and anxiety attacks, I'm in the worst physical shape of my life. And it just so happens that I went on a walk today, where I was walking uphill for a time - you can guess what happened. I started getting notice of my fatigue, my raising heart rate, and slight dizziness, and just like that, I began to feel a panic/anxiety attack under the surface.

Your results were fine. ECG and Echo would have picked something up. You're young, and what you need to do is to start building up your stamina from scratch, slowly, and steady, and that goes the same for me. I'm sure in time, once our bodies are adjusted to the exercise, you will feel normal.

[Seffie]

All sounds very familiar anxiety stuff to me considering you've had tests & you're only 22! I have had similar to you & Notcool is spot on when he says that feeling anxious when you're walking can bring on symptoms, I have had this too, especially if I start off walking fast - it's like that triggers adrenaline & my heart races. Often when our heart rate increases it makes us anxious then we overbreathe & start feeling light headed etc.
Although the term isn't used these days try googling Da Costa's syndrome which was nicknamed 'Soldiers Heart'. It might help you to understand that although you feel awful there is nothing actually wrong other than your anxiety bringing on physical symptoms. Hope you feel better soon!

[Kmccluskey]

yeah it worries me as it doesn't even feel like my heart is racing , it feels like intense discomfort in my chest and lungs , maybe my subconscious . I don't know . lol . thanks though guys

[Seffie]

That sounds like muscle tension from overbreathing - you can chronically hyperventilate & not know you're doing it. Look up chronic hyperventilation syndrome, it really does sound like this to me. Unlikely that your doctor will suggest this though but it's a real condition & misunderstood!

[PanchoGoz]

I agree with Seffie, you're focus is trying to control a natural process and putting pressure on it.
Perhaps you should try distraction techniques, counting backwards from 100 in 7s or something like that when you are walking about. If you are distracted I bet it happens less.

[Catherine S]

Also, when we are in a daily state of anxiety it affects all the muscles...even the eye muscles which is why people who are full of fear appear to be staring...and especially the muscles in the chest wall. When these muscles become tense its hard to take a deep breath. That may not be too noticable when sitting at home, but out walking or any other activity that requires deeper breathing would be affected by this tension. So in that way it is a physical symptom but its caused by an emotional reaction that affects the muscles. I find it harder to breathe in windy or cold weather because even for people who don't have anx issues, these weather conditions can take your breath away :ohmy: I would also say that the chest discomfort or pain is coming from these chest wall muscles being so tense.

There is a condition called Angina that i'm sure youve seen on Google (and I know you will have googled!) where you can be breathless and have chest pain on excertion because there isn't enough oxygen getting to the heart, but its not a complicated condition to diagnose and would be spotted with just the GP listening to your heart through a stethescope, and I have never in all my years heard of anybody your age with this condition. I don't think the doctors have missed anything so try not to worry.