Still Worried About My Heart only Left side pains

[xtremx]

Can anyone answer the following question my doctor can't.

Why when I have a "Panic Attack" does it mainly effect my left side.

I will get Chest Pain that goes round to my back, I don't hyperventilate (well my breath rate may go up a little say from 12pm to about 15-20pm) I would not call that over breathing or is it.

I will get numbness/Shoulder heaviness and a numb feeling down my left arm (never the right one) I can also get this with out any other symptoms.

I get the feeling of nausea to the pit of my stomach (but have never vomited).

Jaw pain only on left side, I can also get this with out any other symptoms.

Confusion and a sense of Doom.

But yet on the 2 occasions I have been rushed to hospital and have had my ecg's and chest x-rays, Blood work and so on they have found nothing.

But it still happen WHEN I have a Major Panic Attack it Effects MY left side

Any Ideas or Does anyone else only get it on one side

[PokerFace]

Yea my panic attacks affect my left hand side too. Left side of my chest, jaw and arm hurts and I get rushes from the left side of my chest down my left arm. I get really nauseous too but have never threw up either. I don't know why it affects just our left hand side to be honest, I never get any problem with my right side!

When I had an extreme panic attack once I couldn't even control the left side of my body properly, I reached out to grab my boyfriends hand because I was scared and completely missed it and couldn't seem to work it! Then when I went to stand up I fell into the wall because it felt like my leg didn't work! Was terrifying but I was fine when I calmed down. x

---------- Post added at 12:33 ---------- Previous post was at 12:27 ----------

Just thought! Muscle tension is the main cause of pain with panic attacks/anxiety. Maybe because we're so worried about the left side of our bodies hurting (heart attack) we tense up that whole side unknowingly so it starts to hurt?

When I was at my worst I'd have continuous pain/numbness in my left arm, chest and jaw but now I've started to relax more I hardly ever get it. Try a massage or a long hot bath when you feel the pain or put something warm on the area and force yourself to relax and see if you get any improvement.

I hope you feel better soon x

[Laura123]

It's a funny old thing, the why's of panic and anxiety are endless, everyone has a different bug bare with it. Mine is dizziness, my irrational brain will say omg you can't be this dizzy fir months on end without it being a tumour or something awful, I think that when it comes to chest pain and your symptoms it's best to get a full cardio check, if it's all fine then you have to accept that it is anxiety causing your symptoms, I can read about an illness and symptoms and I end up feeling most of the symptoms myself. Do you breathe from the chest when you are anxious, if you do, you will put strain on the muscles around the chest and they may ache a bit. Are you sitting on the sofa in the same position, perhaps leaning on your left side? This could cause joint and muscular pain on the left side? X

[xtremx]

@Pokerface, I am sorry to hear that Panic Attacks have the same effect on your left side as mine and at the same time pleased that it is just not me (and that disheartens to say).
I think you are right about the muscle tension as we expect it to be a heart attack we must tense up trying to fight against it.

Hope your anxiety/panics come to a end soon.

@Laura123, You have said what i try to preach onto others posture is a thorn in ones side. Yes I do lean to the left as I sit in the same area of the sofa (my safe spot) and its the left hand side. I try not to breath from the chest as understand it causes shallow breathing and in turn leads to hyperventilating.

Also I have explained to my doctor my concerns about the heart as just under 2 years ago i noticed that my calve muscles were in constant twitch and they still do to this day and was worried sick about mnd/als but as soon as I was told it was nothing to worry about by a neurologist I was able to put that scare behind me a just live with it. But as far as a cardio check up goes my doctor thinks it would end up making things worse, I think far from it if anything it would save them money and time in the long run ie:me phoning the amburlance when i get bad.
Also it sometime concerns me as i was born with a hole "in" the heart and was told many years ago it had healed up when i was a toddler but it scares me that maybe just maybe the stress could be putting undue strain on my poor old heart.

As you both say its a case of trying to relax (thats a big word).

Take care both of you and thanks for your replies

[panickyme]

I sooooooooo know how you feel, last night I was just sitting and I got a wicked chest pain, usually they go pretty quickly, but this was seemed to have lasted a couple of minutes, from there it is instant panic I got up i was sweating, and feeling numb on the one side, back ache, short of breath full blown panic, I went outside took of my sweater, by this time my heart was pounding so bad. I called my mom, thought about going to the hospital, and freaked out more. Got my husband, and finally calmed down, now today I do not even want to move, freaking out about work tomm, and how I will get through. I wish we could realize that it is anxiety, and that we do it ourselves. But I am convinced something is wrong! I am petrified of a heart attack or lung cancer. I am so afraid of this death, that I am not living. It sucks how it takes over our lives. I am making an appointment with Doctor tomm. and I am asking for every test possible. If they come back fine. I really have to find away to just live with it. Hope you feel better. but you are not alone I feel your pain.

[mollymalloy]

I to have pain only on my left side, head, chest and shoulder/upper back which round to the front along my rib cage, and thought it was a slow reaction of a fall I had had a few months earlier. It does get worse if I am stressed or worried.
I have examined my posture and find myself slumping over on to the left. Now I am thinking that those muscles are used less and tight so whenever I do get the stabbing chest pains I do stretches to lengthen them and the pain does go away.
There are many chest stretches to be found on youtube.
I have also heard that some people carry their stress in their shoulder muscles.
I used to think it was my heart and that I could drop dead any minute, that was 3 years ago.
All this to say that you are not alone!

[xtremx]

@panickyme, That is sound advice "I am asking for every test possible. If they come back fine. I really have to find away to just live with it"

That is so true if they comeback fine it helps to understand it is just anxiety/panic attacks and hopefully you/me/everyone can move on with our lifes knowing that our worset fears are just in our minds.

@mollymalloy, I will look on youtube thankyou muscle's muscle's thats all i hear from here and in my own head and i am 90% knowing its true! anxiety-muscle tension-panic attack-calm down period-reflection and then sorry to say it starts again.

Hope you both have more good days than the bad and well all get to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[lo89]

I also mainly get symptoms on my left side, except tmjd is in my right jaw for some reason. I have chest pain in my lower left ribcage which comes and goes and causes me major anxiety! I believe mines is due to posture as I am aware mines is very poor!

[asmmargod]

I know it's an old post but my panic attacks are usually assosiated with left side (I suffer from rarish spine problem causing me pain in back and sides and also now chest- long messy story really lol). My left arm gets kinda stiff and tight, rib cage hurts, do get funny tension in my neck and jaw. And if I get new source of pain or sensation in my left side it usually kicks off with heart beating stronger, flushes, and me feeling like it's the end. Last one happened last night while falling asleep. I know I'll be a bit funny when going to bed tonight :-(

[xtremx]

I know it's an old post but my panic attacks are usually assosiated with left side (I suffer from rarish spine problem causing me pain in back and sides and also now chest- long messy story really lol). My left arm gets kinda stiff and tight, rib cage hurts, do get funny tension in my neck and jaw. And if I get new source of pain or sensation in my left side it usually kicks off with heart beating stronger, flushes, and me feeling like it's the end. Last one happened last night while falling asleep. I know I'll be a bit funny when going to bed tonight :-(

Hello asmmargod.

It sounds like you a real hard time of it. Having symptoms at night when falling asleep is one of the worst feelings trust me I know I was having them constant for abot 6 months every night it was a living nightmare.

In the end I worked out a routine to help guide me into sleep.

I'm sorry that you seem to suffer in the same sort of way as I do but the thing we have to remember is that we are built all the same way and the biggest factor in all our lives is to survive.

I hope you fall asleep calmly tonight.