Chest Feeling Tight, Quick Heartbeat? Scared of heart attack/suffocation

[RetailMoth]

Sometimes my chest feels tight - it doesn't hurt very badly, it's just tight. Sometimes it feels like I'm not getting enough air, even though I am, and I have to force a deep breath or a yawn to feel okay again. I try to breathe through my nose and relax when that happens - normally if I don't think about it, it goes back down to normal after a few minutes (but then sometimes I realize it's normal and I start focusing on it again and then the feeling's back). I was told that since I'm not wheezing or dizzy and the feeling isn't painful, it's likely anxiety-related and I don't need a doctor, but

This is embarrassing, but this evening I got turned on and for a few scary moments, that tight feeling came back and I briefly felt breathless. I panicked and had to take a few deep breaths and calm back down, try to get the feeling to stop. It did, but now I'm terrified because it just came from nowhere, for no reason I can think of!
I was so panicked I even checked my heartrate - 76 beats a minute. I was stupid and went to Dr Google (I know, I know) and everywhere I looked said I could suffer a heart attack at this rate.

I can't afford a doctor though - I have only enough money to survive, no insurance, no one can pay for me to see a doctor. I'm just so scared, why did my chest get tight then? Is that a normal part of anxiety or is it something much worse? What about my heart? I'm so scared about this.

(As I type this I get a cool feeling in my throat too. I guess my anxiety's acting up again, I need to try to calm down but I keep thinking about my stupid chest!)

[MyNameIsTerry]

Some of the symptoms of anxiety are very close to the symptoms of excitement and some times you can be excited and think "what are these sensations, oh no, these feel like anxiety symptoms" and rather than enjoy the excitement, you end up spiralling into anxiety mode.

I've had this myself in the past, when I was much worse than now, and worried that I could bring on my anxiety by engaging in something exciting eg sex. People sometimes raise threads about how these activities affect them and it s because of this issue.

Its just like how exercise also produces physical symptoms that can also be found in anxiety, hence it being a hurdle for many of us to do it.

The thing is, it sounds more like you are saying that the excitement came from nowhere but unless you mean it was an intrusive thought, it must mean that it was only excitement by being turned on and you thought about it as above and turned it into panic. So, if it wasn't intrusive, it didn't come out of nowhere afterall.

[paula78]

I get these symptoms daily an severley ive had them for 18 months an now back worse than ever plus ive got pain all around my heart an a pinchingor shock pain in my feet legs arms an neck.. Needless to say im petrified. I had a ecg last week an all was fine, plus a good check up which too was completley normal i also had blood tests which im awaiting the results. Im literally beside myself an fear mainly about my heart or definatley my arterirs im at a loss on how to cope anymore...i hope your well this evening am thankyou for your post .... Sorry bout the spellings this bloody phone xxc