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Chest Tightness and Extreme Shortness of Breath

Hi everyone,

I'm in a very bad place right now. For about a week now I've been struggling with this horrible tightness in my chest and also a sharp pain that comes and goes. I have been extremely short of breath, I feel like I can't get a full breath in and that even if I could the tightness and discomfort in my chest is preventing me from actually doing so. Just walking around the house I have difficulty breathing. All this going on in the past week has sent me into a full blown craze. I thought I was doing so well and now I am convinced I'm dying and can't stop crying. I've been to the hospital twice in the past week because I was so short of breath that I was so dizzy and lightheaded that I swore I was going to faint.

I'm convinced that I have a blod clot which is causing all of this. Most of the doctors or nurses I have seen tell me it's anxiety related but I still refuse to believe them. They ran a D-Dimer Blood Test for me which is negative and assured me I don't have a blood clot but how can a blood test be 100% correct? I'm so scared. The doctor eventually said that he thought I possibly have costocondritis, which I think is just him trying to me any diagnosis so I would leave.

Another odd thing is that I constantly feel as if I need to clear my throat by burping or letting air escape. Even sometimes I need to yawn or open my mouth really wide in order to try and let a sufficient amount of air into my lungs. I also feel extremely nauseous.

Can anyone please shed any insight onto what I'm going through/feeling? Has anybody experienced anything similar at all that can help to ease my mind? I'm an absolute mess right now.
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Avatar universal
Been there man! I've got so wrapped up in that negative cycle of thoughts I was convinced I was dieing. If the doctor has run the tests and they've come back negative then I really wouldn't worry. I can tell from your post your obviously very upset, I've got a link to a comprehensive list of anxiety symptoms. Its unreal how many there are.

http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms.shtml

If the physical symptoms get too bad, try taking some over the counter medication, such as ibuprofen as I've found these great for chest pain (I can't take them anymore as I'm on Citalopram for anxiety and the two dont mix)

Hope you feel better soon
Helpful - 0
9576580 tn?1404996788
You need to start trusting people. No one fully can trust another person when it concerns your own health but it's clear you're very distressed! Unfortunately that's proven to worsen symptoms you may have. It's possible you're asthmatic. Do you smoke?
Try thinking about your breathing when your chest feels tight.
Does it worsen when you're upset/angry?
I had this problem and turns out I have asthma and had a severe chest infection. Try staying away from stressful situations and keep yourself calm and see if your symptoms improve. In the meantime, keep on to your doctor if you're feeling physically uncomfortable.  
Helpful - 0
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Arlington, VA
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Arlington, WA
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