Heart Fears

[RetailMoth]

I'm honestly not sure if it's my heart, anxiety, or gas...but I'm terrified it's my heart.

I've noticed, on and off for about a year or so, I've been having weird feelings.
First off, there's an occasional vibrating feeling in the center of my chest. It does't hurt, it's just a little weird and uncomfortable, and usually goes away after two seconds. Sometimes it comes back throughout the day, sometimes not. It tends to show up when I get very stressed.
When I check my pulse, I don't notice anything really off - my resting rate is 72 beats a minute.

Another thing I've started noticing is this weird...sorta bubble feeling in my left breast? It feels like a bubble is swelling up, and then...not popping, but just going away. It happens usually after I eat certain foods - I first noticed it after eating pizza fries at a convention, feel it sporadically after I eat lunch at work, and today I felt it after a day at the mall (movie popcorn, and chili fries at the food court).

I admit I don't eat the healthiest meal for my lunch at work - there's a burger place right inside the store, so for lunch I eat fast food, and have coffee with my breakfast. But I'm a few pounds underweight, I walk fifteen minutes to and from work and am a cashier in a fast-paced environment. The only known heart problem in my family is my grandfather having smaller/clogged arteries that he had corrected a few years ago.

My friends say it could just be the stress, but since these feelings are all in my chest and I eat junk food, I'm slowly becoming terrified it's my heart. I'm scared this is a sign that I'll have a heart attack.

Does anyone have these symptoms? I can't afford a cardiologist, and I'm scared something is going to happen to me.

[bin tenn]

It sounds like GERD. That was my first thought when I read "bubbling feeling in my left breast". And the "vibrating feeling" - that could be palpitations of the heart (harmless), but if you have GERD, it could actually be the esophagus dealing with acid. The heart and esophagus share many of the same nerve pathways, so it's often not pissible to distinguish pain/feeling coming from one versus the other. Eating fast food and drinking coffee will definitely exacerbate GERD symptoms.

Of course, if this is all new to you, ask your doc. He/she can evaluate as necessary. But if this is not new and you have no telling symptoms of real heart trouble, I imagine you're fine. I'm not a medical professional, however, so please don't take my opinion as fact.

[RetailMoth]

That would make sense, especially since the bubble feeling always happens after eating or drinking certain things...

I dunno about the vibrating being new? I first felt it like, two years ago when I was very anxious or worried. It would usually stop and calm down as I did.
But in the past few months it's been more frequent as my anxiety/stress has risen.

[bin tenn]

Well, if the frequency directly relates to the amount of stress/anxiety, I imagine it's not a physical issue, but instead a byproduct of stress/anxiety. I think it sounds like GERD + anxiety, and you're making connections (e.g. vibrating must be heart) when those connections are not valid. I know, I've been there many times myself.

Sorry you be been stressed and worried about this stuff. I just don't see it being an urgent matter, other than it's best to treat anxiety sooner rather than later. I wish I had found my way out sooner.