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Anxiety Community
This patient support community is for discussions relating to generalized anxiety, anxiety and eating, anxiety and sleeping, mood swings, and phobias.
Anxiety and chest symptoms?
by SirDrums, Apr 16, 2007 12:00AM
Back in the end of January, I was sitting at home relaxing after eating a pizza and a rootbeer when all of the sudden, my heart takes off. Feels like its going very fast. It goes away for a second or two and then takes off again. I have had heart problems before and thought I was having or about to have a heart attack.
I drive myself to the E.R. I remember lying there and my heart rate would take off and I would feeling tingling in my hands, feet and somtimes in my face. To make a long story short, They said that I was having heart palpitations and they were not life threatening. My heart rate, as fast as I thought it was going was only at 112-120 bpm. Heck my HR gets to 180+ when exercising. They sent me home and I spent the rest of the night having palpitations and scared that I was about to die.
As a precaution they sent me to a cardio to give my hear a good check up. I had an echocardiogram, Nuclear stress test blood work and wore an event monitor for a month. Everything came back normal, even the event strips taken when I was having an episode came back normal.
My family doc then put me on prevacid for half a month. Didn't help. At this time I started having frequent chest tightness, tingling sensation in my feet witout the palps with hotflashes etc. The doc then decided to back track and see if they missed and MVP. He put me on 25 mg of toprol, a beta blocker, to see if any of the symptoms went away.
The tingling and chest pain become less frequent and so he decided to send me to another cardio for a second opinion. after looking at my test results from the first cardio and talk with me for about 15 min she said she sees no sign of ANY hear problems. After listen to my heart for 5 min she said no MVP either. She suggested that I may have been experiencing anxiety attacks.
So what do y'all think? Anxiety or no? My most common symptom seems to be a fluttery or excited feeling in my center chest area. Sometimes it becomes tight. Escpecially after eating. It doesnt happen all the time though.
I drive myself to the E.R. I remember lying there and my heart rate would take off and I would feeling tingling in my hands, feet and somtimes in my face. To make a long story short, They said that I was having heart palpitations and they were not life threatening. My heart rate, as fast as I thought it was going was only at 112-120 bpm. Heck my HR gets to 180+ when exercising. They sent me home and I spent the rest of the night having palpitations and scared that I was about to die.
As a precaution they sent me to a cardio to give my hear a good check up. I had an echocardiogram, Nuclear stress test blood work and wore an event monitor for a month. Everything came back normal, even the event strips taken when I was having an episode came back normal.
My family doc then put me on prevacid for half a month. Didn't help. At this time I started having frequent chest tightness, tingling sensation in my feet witout the palps with hotflashes etc. The doc then decided to back track and see if they missed and MVP. He put me on 25 mg of toprol, a beta blocker, to see if any of the symptoms went away.
The tingling and chest pain become less frequent and so he decided to send me to another cardio for a second opinion. after looking at my test results from the first cardio and talk with me for about 15 min she said she sees no sign of ANY hear problems. After listen to my heart for 5 min she said no MVP either. She suggested that I may have been experiencing anxiety attacks.
So what do y'all think? Anxiety or no? My most common symptom seems to be a fluttery or excited feeling in my center chest area. Sometimes it becomes tight. Escpecially after eating. It doesnt happen all the time though.
Just to correct: I meant to say I have NO previous heart problems. I guess I need to proof read my posts more.
It makes me feel better to know others out there are having symptoms after eating, not that it is good, I guess it helps me know its ok.
Its just so strange how this so suddenly happens. No warnings, just one day BANG and your a wreck .
Yet realize that you are NOT ALONE!! We ALL are suffering through what you are suffering through now, and more so!! You convince yourself that something HAS to be physically wrong, even though ALL the tests came back fine!! I am sure you must have had Thyroid tests up the ying-ying too, which also came back fine!! I cannot even count any more how many of those I had done, all by different doctors and hospitals!!
I had CT Scans, MRIs, an Echocardiogram (I in fact DO have MVP, but its mild) EKGs and EEGs, Haltar Monitors, TONS of bloodwork from blood cell count to electrolyte tests, LYME Titers, ANA Titers, of course the numerous Thyroid blood tests, Vitamin B12 test, along with MANY others I can't remember anymore!!
Yet trust me, especially with ALL of your tests coming back fine, then it is PURE ANXIETY AND PANIC SYMPTOMS to me!!
In fact, a friend of mine is now going through the SAME THING! Her heart is racing at times, she gets heart palps and minor chest pains (not as severe as mine were), and had EKGS, bloodworks for thyroid and diabetes, is going in to see a cardiologist, had a haltar monitor, and GUESS WHAT?? ALL CAME BACK AND WILL CONTINUE TO COME BACK FINE!! Because her, as are you, are PHYSICALLY FINE!
Yet don't get discouraged. Anxiety and Panic sufferers are suffering REAL problems, only that the problem isn't physical. It is all in the mind. The mind plays AMAZING tricks on us, which I am continuing to learn EVERY DAY!!!
Don't feel alone, and there are solutions: whether you decide to go the medicated route or self-help route by seeing psychotherapists, you will not be alone in all this, and you WILL overcome it!
~Crystal
I thinkits funny that they call it Axiety at all when I don't feel anxious at all... well until my body starts telling something is up anyway.
it is also amazing to think that all of this could be in my head. Just simply amazing.
It actually involves two glands located towards the front of the brain, close to the forehead, namely the amygdalas. These two glands work to control the anxiety levels and the release of adrenaline and other chemicals that pumps through your body every day. However, people with anxiety and panic disorder and problems have a constant HIGH level of anxiety that the amygdalas cannot always control. Or it may also be that once your anxiety levels get high, the amygdalas can't work properly to RESTORE the natural balance of the chemicals surging through your body. As a result, your body goes into the fight-and-flight response, and tons of adrenaline and other chemicals surge through your body, causing your anxiety and panic symptoms. In order to overcome the problems, the body (amygdalas) must learn to control the natural balance of chemicals in the body again. This can be done by one of several ways:
MEDICATION:
A combo. of an SSRI (a Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor) or Anti-Depressant and a benzodiazephine, or Anti-Anxiety med., is usually THE best cure for people with anxiety and panic disorders. I am currently taking Lexapro, an SSRI, along with Lorazepam, a benzo. I just started the Lexapro though, so I will let you know how it works for me!
THERAPY:
In the LONG RUN, therapy, particularly Psychotherapy involving a combination of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and Talk Therapy is THE best for people with anxiety and panic attacks. They work by having you FACE your problems and your fears directly in order to TRAIN not only YOU but your MIND that it won't hurt you. Over time, your body will learn to compensate and adjust these new learned techniques and restore the body's chemicals naturally.
DIET:
DIET is a key thing in the recovery of ANY one suffering from Anxiety and Pa