Is it my heart??

[Rebecca77]

I have a constant fear that there is something wrong with my heart, I get pains in my chest alot, sometimes it feels like someone is poking me in the chest, other times it feels like a squeezing sensation. I also get this strange feeling in my throat, a bit like a quivering sensation and I feel like there is too much air in my throat and wind pipe, the throat thing has been constant for about 5 weeks. I have been to the doctors and had an ecg, blood tests and a chest xray... all came back normal, but i cannot stop thinking there is something wrong. The Dr says it is anxiety and that I should try to relax and think positive!! easier said than done. I am constantly checking my pulse and trying to get reassurance but these feelings are destroying my life, i don't want to go anywhere or do anything that i think will exert me in case I have a heart attack. I know I am a very anxious person and sometimes I do manage to rationalise my thoughts but it is so difficult. I am sick of hearing myself moaning or letting people down by not doing things. I wish the dr would send me to a specialist but he has point blank refused as he says it is anxiety.... but how does he know for sure?? I looked into going privately but first they said I would have to be gp referred and also they wouldn't do it because they felt I was too young.. I am 31.
If anyone else has symptoms like this please get back to me at the moment my life is a complete nightmare, just waiting for something terrible to happen!

[angie3077]

Hi Rebecca,
Your post really reminds me of myself a while back - I too was convinced that there was something wrong with my heart and was forever going back and forth to my GP trying to convince them of the same thing. I had blood tests, ECG's a 24 holter monitor test and an echocardiogram and all said that there were no abnormalities. You know the mind is a very powerful thing and if you are spending most of your time thinking there is soemthing wrong you will make yourself experience symptoms, believe me I have done this. What your doctor says sounds spot on - your are experiencing quite bad anxiety and it seems to me that you do not need to see a heart specialist you could do with some councelling, I had CBT therapy and found it very beneficial. It teaches you to manage your thoughts better and change the process of negative thinking. I really do not want to sound patronizing as I was where you are a while ago I had all the same symptoms you mentioned and I could have gone on forever thinking there was something wrong, but as the doctors kept saying - they cannot fix something that does not require fixing. I am sure if there was anything seriously wrong with your heart then you would already know about it and stopping yourself from activities is only going to make you more miserable, anxious and keep the process going on and on. You need to be keeping yourself busy doing things and I would put money on the fact that you would probably not feel any of your symptoms whilst you are busy - it is only when we stop and think that we allow this horrible cycle of bad thoughts and symptoms to start. Please ask your GP about a referral to CBT or similar therapy, you need to be looking at how to improve your life and not looking to find something wrong that isnt. Best of luck to you
Angie xx

[roosey]

thats me too , keep thinking im having a heart atack. pains in chest and breathless.... but i think to myself- I felt like this yeaterday and i am still here..so thats helped a lot

[fawkes07]

That sounds almost exactly like what I go through. I have chest pains most of the time on my left breast, most of the time they are almost like little jolts of electricity, very brief and it scares me to death. Sometimes though they are dull and last a few seconds. I've had blood tests, two EKGs and 2 echocardiograms, everything came back fine. My doctor put me on effexor xr and it has gotten a lot better, still though at random times I still get the pain for a brief second, but I always try to calm myself down. This website has helped alot knowing that I am not the only one going through this. I hope you can get control of your anxiety! Best Wishes:)

[jackie7]

girls i am just like you and am really bad at the minute, your pains sound just like mine, sharp and dull, everywhere over my chest, arm etc

s o so hard isnt it

am so worried too, i do yoga and meditation which helps alot but when the pains are bad nothing helps

iv thought mine is not just muscular but indigestion, but dony know what to take for that

you are not alone

jackie