I need more reassurance about my tight chest!!

[emh]

I've had a very tight chest for a couple of days now. It comes and goes and i think (hope) it's related to stress. I was awake all last night with it, every time i drifted off it would wake me up. So i'm really tired, which doesn't help the situation. But today, suprisingly, hasn't been too bad and i was really pleased about that. But around the school run it just came on again for no reason. It feels like there is a tight band round my chest or a weight on it, it is so scary when it happens.
Please can anyone tell me if they've had the same thing, cos i'm freaking out a bit at the moment. I've never had this before. I've always had bad panic attacks, but not in this form. Is it cos my body has learned to deal with the panic attacks that it has decided to scare me in another way?!!
Any reassurance would be great!

[hello_mrzebra]

That feeling is a classic anxiety symptom. Tightness, weight on chest, feeling like you can't get a breath, etc. It usually peaks during a full-blown panic attack but it's one of those anxiety symptoms that can hang around all the time, even when you don't feel that anxious.

Try slowing down your breathing and breathing from your diaphragm. Take an in-breath for a count of 7, then exhale for a count of 10. As you do this, imagine the tightness in your chest is like a ball and with each deep, slow inhale you are cracking it open a bit, and with each exhale you are breathing out whatever is in there that's making it feel tight. You can think of it as white, healing air coming in and black, tense light going out if that helps. The idea is to open up your chest chakra. It works for me when I start to feel that way.

Good luck!

[emh]

Ahh, thanks for that. It's really helped to know this is a very normal symptom and I shall try the technique next time it comes on again x

[rjb2214]

if its regular chest pain, whilst yes I'd agree its anxiety, best to make sure with the docs - ask for an ecg

[emh]

There's no pain at all, just tightness. But i have booked to see the doc tomorrow anyway to make sure everything is ok.

[zest]

ive had a bit of that today as well.it usually tends to be the muscles that tighten,a bit like having cramp.ive been abit stressed so thats probably why .its good your seeing your doc just to reassure the issue !

[emh]

It is good that i'm going to go to the doc, but i'm also scared that he'll find something wrong with me. My chest has been so tight today i don't seem to be able to concentrate on anything. When it is really bad i find it hard to keep thinking it's just the muscles ect. Trying to keep positive, but it's all i can think of at the moment.
If it is just the stress will my doc be able to give me anything for it? i don't particularly want to go back on anti depressants. I haven't been on them for about 2 and half yrs and would rather not. But if that's the only thing that can help. I hope he doesn't just say try breathing exercises, think i've tried that already!!

[emh]

I went to the docs and had an ecg. All was fine so i should be feeling better, but i'm really not! The doctor seemed to worry me more cos i went in there saying i was having this tight pressure on chest and i thought it was anxiety, but he was really concerned and said if it wasn't for the fact that i was only 28 he would've sent me to hospital. He said that if it comes back again i need to go to hospital, but surely if it is stress/tension then it could very well come back?!! And what do i do then?!!

[Welsh.Baz]

Have you thought about asthma? It's possible especially this time of year to get it.

Also if he really was that concerned he'd have sent you to the hospital straight away, and the ECG would have picked up on anything untoward.

[mandyclare]

Some years ago when my anxiety was really bad I had such an awful feeling.. I was in a queue in a shop and suddenly it literally felt like somebody was pulling a belt tight just under by breasts... it was awful but not painful.. i started slow deep breathing and it went away as quickly as it came.. about 8 years later im still here with no sign of any heart attack so it was obviously anxiety.. very frightening though. I hope you carry on feeling better : )

[emh]

Thank you both for the reassurance. I really need to be grounded at the moment, because i just keep getting myself into such a state. And then that makes it far worse. I haven't had anything for over 24hrs, but since sitting here this evening i just can't stop thinking about it and now it's brought it back on again. i really need to chill out!!:wacko:

[Meewah]

Hi emh

I get tightness in the centre of my chest. It feels like someone has stuck some strong adhesive tape under my breasts. I feel if I rub the area I can ease it. Also if I stretch my arms right back I can get rid of it. It is always worse when I am resting. It never wakes me up but would keep me awake worrying. I have had it on and off since 2006.

I really worry about the state of the health system in this country. If I was you to put your mind at rest either pay £100 to see a Cardiologist or just walk in to the A&E dept and say you have a tight chest but also suffer anxiety. You will get another ECG or two, a night in a bed a chest xray and blood tests for the enzyme that shows we have had a heart attack.

I took both first I went to A&E then two months later after still convinced that they had missed something I took the £100 route and the cardiologist saw me at my convenience and put my mind at ease. He sent me to the local hospital for a echo scan on my heart, a Stress test on my heart and a 24 hour ECG. Whenever I had a tightning of my chest I had to press a button to record it on the tape.

Guess what, Nothing found. I was all clear. Still no diagnosis of Anxiety. All I know is that it goes away once you stop thinking about it.

I would get the tests. It really will help. Just prepare for the hospital food...yak!!!

Then forget about it and put it behind you. Problem is I had the tests 3 years ago now and my mind has started feeding me this bull that this could be an actual problem now and so here I am thinking doubts and feeling an urge to visit the docs again but I also feel if I do go to the docs I will start a cycle of events again and again and again....


Its your mind that needs reassurance so go get it....:-)


Mee