chest pains etc

[melvin]

hi guys
i just want to know what other people do when they get chest pains etc .iv been down to a and e twice this last couple of wks with chest or arm pains they do ecg and blood test all ok but time i drive down there my chest pains nearly gone so i never know if its my heart or not . i keep going to docs and they have sent me for chest xrays etc and keep telling me its anxiety .my question is how do other people deal with this .every time i get a chest pain i go into a depression and i feel realy realy tired afterwards . i dont know why i feel like this i feel like just sitting down and not moveing o and i keep takeing my blood pressure im not happy till its a low level . if i get good news from docs i feel on a high for some reason then a couple of days later i get a pain and i feel down again

[morganbird]

hey mervin
When I have all the symptoms which at the moment is 12 out of 24 hours a day I come on here and read the health anxiety page and write on the forum.
I find it helps as everyone on here understands ur feeling.
I am waiting to see if I can have blood tests to put my mind at rest.
I have also started cbt which I am hoping will help I have noticed alot of people recommend it so mention it to ur doctor.
I hope this help and u feel ok soon
If u ever need to talk feel free to message xx

[nomorepanic]

Melvin

If the pain has gone by the time you get to A&E then this indicates to me that once you know you are your way and can be checked out you stop stressing hence the pain goes.

The worst thing you can do is sit still - you need to be up and exercising and moving around. Trust me I know !

[melvin]

thanks for ur replys guys :)

[Anxious_gal]

well it would depend on how bad the pain is, and if you were anxious and panicky leading up to the pain, I would focus on calming down, long deep breaths, calming down is the best way to really know if your chest pain is something nasty .
With anxiety chest pain tend to be muscular so relaxing can help ease the pain.
I guess eventually you just accept your going to be ok, after all the times you got chest pain and each and every time you were fine, just a matter of accepting that you will be ok even though your anxiety is telling you other wise.

[s11fyx]

I guess your holding your self really tense which us what is csuseing the pain. Try and relax I know it's easier said than done x

[LisaT]

and I'm another who can relate, my muscles go tense and then I get pain, I felt better when i went to a and e as well xx

[melvin]

thank you for all ur replys guys

[Davinci817]

Use some accupressure points during these attacks.

There is a spot on both wrists that you can press. If you lay two fingers from the opposite hand just where the palm of the hand meets the wrist you will find just below your fingers two ligaments that run side by side. Right in between those ligaments is a pressure point. A pencil eraser/rubber is very good for this spot. You will know when you have found it, don't press hard but just enough that you feel it. Usually five minutes of this will bring me back down.

The other spot is right in the middle of the chest and just above the sternum, it is a little indentation. This spot too will be easy to find because it is kind uncomfortable when you press it. Just walk two fingers right down the center of your chest....you will find it. You can put pressure here for a few minutes and it helps.

Focus on your breathing. In through your nose and out through your mouth very slowly. Almost pretend you can see your breath going in and out.

Of course all of these are really distractions, which is what you need more than anything.

Oh and.........STOP TAKING YOUR BP!

[ElectricAlice]

Hey I used to have chest pains for about 7-8 months. They were always there, sometimes stabbing, sometimes achey, sometimes burning, sometimes just in the background. But I used to obsesss over them and I went to the A&E twice, the DR's about 4 times and got all the xrays and ECGs and tests, etc. And they said everything was fine. I kept thinking the worse, they woulsnt go away.

In the end what I had to do to stop them, was to simply accept they were there and to accept that they were just muscle pain. Which was bloody hard to do! But I was explained that we have a lot, a huge amount infact, of muscles in our chest. And I then started watching the way I was sitting and holding myself. Noticing I was tensing my chest and my shoulders and my neck all the time without even noticing.

Even when I wasn't tensing I got the pain.

It went of for ages and ages. Now I get it only when I think about it
And worry about it. If you just accept its anxiety (I know it's hard, VERY hard), then they will get much better. Distract yourself. And know it
Does get better.