Aches and pains all over - heart related?

[ann88]

For the last week or so I've been getting aches and pains all over, and I'm absolutely convinced that it's heart related. Here are my symptoms:

chest pain - sometimes central, sometimes slightly left sided
arm pain/throbbing - both left and right arms, both at the top and in the forearm - this is worrying me as I read about someone experiencing pain in their forearm as they were having a heart attack
pain in fingers
neck pain - mainly in the back
jaw ache/pain
It's hard to believe that it can be muscular as these pains are not constant - they generally only last a few seconds at a time, sometimes a minute or so. They are not agony, just relatively mild aches/pains.

I've had lots of tests in the past (although not for a while) and I'm only 22, no risk factors as such, but I still can't seem to convince myself that there's nothing wrong. These pains just come on at random times when I'm pretty relaxed.

Over Christmas I was jogging on my Wii Fit and got a central chest pain which stopped within a few seconds of stopping running. I got this every time I tried jogging for a couple of weeks, so I havent tried it since. Although the sensible side of me is saying it must be muscular (costochondritis?), the irrational side says it must be heart related, and I haven't been to my GP about it. This is probably adding to my worries about these pains.

Has anybody experienced this? thanks x

[nomorepanic]

Most chest pain is harmless and is not heart related at all.

It could be costochondritis and could be muscular. The other thing to consider is acid reflux/indigestion which causes pains in the chest, throat, neck, back etc

You need to see a doc to be honest as we cannot diagnose medical conditions on here.

[Nattyburt]

Hi there,

I suffer with the same sensations and pains you do, especially the chest and arm pain. Believe me it is not your heart. Mine is down to nerves in my neck and shoulders that are being pressed under all the tension i carry. When i jog my chest is agony, so i stop as i too think my heart will give way at any second, and then when i think rationally again i realise it's just my poor muscles in my chest and it's nothing to worry about,

Heart pain tends to be extremely painful with shortness and breath and dizziness. The chances of you having undetected heart problems at 22 are very slim, almost non existent. So please just relax, have a long bath, and get a hottie on them sore muscles. The more you focus on it the more it will trouble you.

Hope it feels better soon

xx

[ann88]

Hi thanks so much for your reply. It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one! I've just googled :blush: (I know i shouldnt but i was trying to reassure myself!!) and just read something that has now got me worried sick that the chest pain whilst running could be angina...

comes on during exercises and disappears quickly after resting (yes) then restarts again upon continuing exercise (yes), can be caused by fast/irregulart heartbeat (my heart is fast most of the time because of my anxiety and I've also been to the docs lately about these awful irregular heartbeats I've been getting)...

Now I'm scared stiff thatI might have angina, i know i shouldnt have googled and i won't do it again and i will book a docs appt on monday but i'm reaaly terrified now :ohmy:

[nomorepanic]

It is highly unlikey you have angina at 22 to be honest.

Stop googling as well

[Nattyburt]

Oh No..... the golden rule is never to dr google it.

You know you could put in any random symptom and it would come up with a list of diseases that you may or may not have.

You have not got angina, my uncle has angina and he is doubled up in pain, and he is also alot older than 22.

Just thnk about it, if it was muscular pain, wouldn't that also get better with rest?

Please try not to panic, you really are fine.

xx

[ann88]

I know, I don't know why I did that!! I think I was hoping for some reassurance and ended up scaring myself silly. Then again I don't know how much reassurance I can hope for by typing 'chest pain when running' into google...

I think I'll try a different kind of exercise tomorrow (exercise bike instead of running) and see if I get the chest pain. I do remember that when I did that over Christmas I didn't get the chest pain, I think that's what convinced me at the time that it was muscular.

I must book a docs appt on Monday!

Thanks so much for replying, I feel calmer now! :D

[nikkikamm]

Ann...I am so with you on this one..I have googled so much about my heart the last month its ridiculous! I am having chest discomfort that comes and goes but has been here a while now...I had an ekg chest xray done and it was fine. It seems when Im working or lifting or when I exercise I feel it more..but I do get it when Im just sitting to. I say its gas stuck there to make myself feel better..I just hope I dont die bc I live alone and well thats a scary feeling! I have a Dr appt Monday so I hope they can give me another test to make me feel better (mentally too) Im going to ask for a 24 hr holster or Echo. Good luck!

[holly87]

ann88 .. i get aches and pains every where but my doctor assured me there part of the anxiety .. i get them in my neck my arms my egs feet hands face head absoloutly every where .. i dont think you should worry there just sensations .. i find it hard to beleive people that try to reasure me so i understand how hard it is to fully beleive someone .. i worry every day .. where as before i got anxiety i would never had worried over aches and pains every body gets them its just we notice them more because were alert to them if u like so we monitor every sensation .. and then get worked up :)

[zo3096]

I too am suffereing from severe anxiety and having exactly the same pains in the same places as you and convinced mysef it was my heart which is why I came on here looking for someone going through something similar. Although older than you at 34 the one thing we have in common is anxiety so trying to take something from that.

[Lola-Lee]

Hello,I have really bad anxiety and have aches and pains from head to toe,but i do not worry about it,knowing it is mostly anxiety and stress,I now have tried to educate myself on how to deal with this bloody awfull ailment.
Lola_Lee:D

[ann88]

Wow thanks everyone for all your replies - it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one. It's so hard to think logically when i get pains in my chest/arms/jaw etc, but I suppose I just have to think it's happened so many times now that surely I would know if something was really wrong... i hope!!

Thanks again everyone, I really am grateful to everyone who has replied to me :)