Anxiety Chest Pains

[sacrilegend]

Hi everyone, i have been reading posts on here for a while, and they have afforded me great comfort during the darkness of the last year, but this is my first post that i have made my myself.

The main thing that has kept my health anxiety going is the fear that i have about my heart. For about 3 months i had a full blown 24hr a day obsession about my chest pains, i hardly thought of anything else, and it was just awful. CBT has been an absolute lifesaver, it has changed my life completely, and i no longer have my heart obsession, although i do have health anxiety and constantly analyse every little symptom and think the worst of everything. My anxiety is not as intense as it was, if it was a 100 before, its a 50 now.

The thing that is still bothering me, is the fact that my anxiety and panic have lessened so much, i havent had a panic attack for about 3 months, but i still occaisionally get the chest pains? And this then brings the anxiety back a bit, and makes me think "why am i still getting these random chest pains when i am not anxious?" I would like to add that while these pains were still quite intense i took myself up to A&E and had an ecg and blood tests, and all came back fine, they just said i had swollen tense muscles in my shoulder.

I do get a bit of indigestion, which i believe is linked to my IBS. Otherwise, i am pretty healthy and dont have any serious health issues and none run in my family. Well, the only thing that runs in my family is mental health issues :)

I do believe that if i could just get past this heart thing, my anxiety would lessen even more and i could just get on with my life. Its so frustrating.

Does anybody else have experience of this? Even when you are not anxious, or have managed to get your anxiety down for a while, you will still get chest pains? Is this the 'normal' thing with anxiety chest pains? When you look it up on the net, they only speak of the chest pains caused by a panic attack, but i have had these pains while panicing, while feeling anxious, or just randomly while feeling normal!

[Mogwog]

Hi

You'll get loads of great advice on here, have a look a other peoples posts regarding chest pain - its such a common symptom of anxeity..
Hope your ok.

Laura.x

[TASHIE D]

hi there was just reading your post and i am so glad that there is someone else out there going through the exact same thing as me!!!
i will be feeling fine and happy all day and then bam a chest pain comes from no where and start panicing!!
i feel really sorry for you as i know how it feels just wish that one day i will wake up and not think i am going to have a heart attack and die!!
i was fine for months and getting on with things but its back i feel so silly going back to the doc i just feel like i am wasting there time xx
anyway i hope u keep well and fine nd hope it passes x
tashid

[Earthworm]

I get exactly the same thing too - chest pain was my "big thing" when I first started with panic & anxiety nearly 10 years ago and I guess to a certain degree still is now. Thats ten years and I'm still here - surtely if I had a heart condition something would have happened by now!! Mine comes and goes too (usually linked with the level of anxiety I am experioencing) however I can be absolutely fine and in a sustained period of calm when I get chest twinges out of the blue - I think it's just a very common and normal symptom. I know it's so easy to say (especially to people like us) but do try not to worry ... good luck!

[Night_Owl]

Hi sacrilegend

I've suffered from chest pains on and off for many years,it's always a good idea to get them checked out which you have done.Hopefully it will give you peace of mind that there's nothing seriously wrong and the chest pains are just a sympton of anxiety there are quite a few posts on the forum about them and it's more common than you think and anybody who's suffered from them regularly know how terrifying they can be.

I left it for ages before I went to the doctors and only wish I did it sooner as the severity of the pains seemed to reduce once I'd been told that my heart was perfectally OK.I still get chest pains when anxious and sometimes when not but panic no longer sets in and the chest pains ease much quicker.:yesyes:

[sacrilegend]

Thank you all so much for your replies, they are a great comfort to me :) As much as we know about the physical symptoms of anxiety, sometimes its hard to reassure yourself when they just happen out of the blue with no real reason. Especially for us who are much more prone to worry! Its really good to know I am not alone though. I wish you all well. Xx

[ninaj19]

I can totally relate to what you say about chest pains coming from nowhere, when u are least expecting them even!Like today i felt fine this morning, then i went out to do some shopping and my chest muscle pain started with a venganace, i suffer with this quite reguarly so its nothing new but i havent had it for a couple of weeks so it feels worse. It comes really sharp, very painful, always on the rightside inbetween my breast and middle of my chest, ive had this for over a year, ive spoken to the doctor about it and he says its just muscle tension, and anxiety. I did have a stressful day yesterday so i think it has stemmed from that really. i usually have a couple of painkillers which takes the edge off and makes me feel better at least.
Its horrible when all you want to do is just get on and enjoy your day, then it stops you. I hate it, i think im more frustrated by the fact that there doesnt seem to be much i can do about it and i think im going to suffer with it for the rest of my life.

[Captain Caveman]

i think im more frustrated by the fact that there doesnt seem to be much i can do about it and i think im going to suffer with it for the rest of my life.

Yo there. There is plenty you can do about it. I used to have chest pains galore from anxiety. You can learn to let feelings come and go without resisting/tensing. Over time, you spend less time panicing about them and they go away quicker and you don't fear them like you once did. It's not easy letting go. But in the long run it will be worth the exausting and scary effort you put in: http://www.panicend.com/