Severe tightness is chest/Anxiety/GERD/Pulmonary hypertension

[Thuney]

I am going to post this on several sites because I have no idea where I belong.  I have been having a tightness in my chest for over 4 weeks now (like an elephant is sitting on me) and it makes it difficult to breathe.  It gets worse at night.  When I sit down, my stomach area doesn't feel right.  I am under extreme amounts of pressure/stress.  Dr is going to do a stress test in 2 weeks--also put me on Nexium and Ativan.  The Nexium seems to make me burp somehat, but no great relief.   What all could this be?  Could it be GERD, hiatal hernia?  Plain stress?  I can't breathe at night which causes me to panic and makes it worse.  What is pulmonary hypertension?  I am trying to wait for the stress test, but sometimes get in a panic and want to go to the ER.  Andy ideas?

[Digital_removal]

I have been going through the exact same thing. Will be 3 weeks this Sunday. It's just a weird tightness in my chest...kind of close to my neck. It's not painful...just a constricting feeling that freaks me out. It got so bad last week that I went to an E.R. They did an EKG...chest X-rays....blood work....checked my blood pressure and everything was fine. No angina...no asthma....no esophogul errosion....nothing wrong with my lungs. Yet I still have this tightness.....sometimes it feels like its in my neck....or in my shoulders. I've quit smoking. Stopped eating fatty foods. Im hoping this clears up on it's own.

[Deeds]

and you haven't gone to the e/r!!??  tightness in the chest, gerd as all signs of heart problems and possible heart attack impending...and NO - I am not trying to scare anyone but, you have to take the steps to get an EKG and make sure you haven't or aren't about to - have a heart attack.  I have a friend from Highschool who was a bad asthmatic - everyone thought she was having a bad asthma attack when in fact she over medicated herself and was having a heart attack.  she passed away - during her final week of College exams...

[ndmiii]

I have had GERD for over 2 years.  At first I did not know what it was but it caused severe burning in the center of my chest and radiating pain across the top of my chest, under my arm, in my ribs (but no elephant) and down the full length of my arm (this is when my brain says "heart attack" no matter what I believe.  During a major event there was a constant tightening in my chest and a definite feeling of anxiety.  I have been prescribed Nexium (worked for a while), aciphex (worked for a year) and now protonix .... this seems to be working.  The last event was at 36,000 feet, flying back from D.C. a couple of weeks ago.  When I landed, I experienced all of the above and in addition tingling, cold hands, numbing of the face and light headedness ..... all of which can be attributed to anxiety.  I was admitted into the hospital, tested for every heart condition under the sun and once again told ..... GERD is the problem.  I will be having another EGD (upper GI scope) in a few days and will find out more.  It is a scary experience and it definitely can present a feeling of doom & gloom.

In a nut shell ... going to the ER is a very good idea ... if you have not already done so ....

ndmiii

[I_HATE_ANXIETY]

Gerd is a sign of heart disease? Are you sure of that?