Did I have a heart attack or am I suffering from anxiety?

[jmason]

I posted this already in the heart forums, so I apologize for multi-posting, I just feel the problem could be evaluated by both...

I'm a 30 year old male, and overweight. I've had off and on chest pains for the last few years, but always went away pretty fast with a nitroglycerin tablet. I figured I had some mild stable angina, of course I also have procrastinated with changing my lifestyle. I know I have risk of heart disease with being overweight, eating bad stuff, and not enough activity in my life (although I don't smoke, drink or anything illegal). However, over the weekend I had a huge wakeup call, and I don't even know if it was a heart attack or what, but I am so scared. My mother who is a retired nurse from UCI Med says I am suffering from some serious anxiety/panic. I really don't know what to think, as I type this right now I feel fine with just a small headache in the back of my head, near the crease where my neck joins my head. I just walked for half an hour on my treadmill and really feel fine.

Let me explain what I experienced this weekend and the symptoms. I would say around Friday (Aug 1) in the evening I really started feeling awful, especially the back of my head, and neck, and shoulders. This was all on the back side, no pain in my throat or jaw area. I was having a very hard time sleeping, I was feeling my heartbeat very very strong in the back of my head, in fact more so than if I put my hand over my chest. I thought I was having a very intense stress related migraine, it was so nerve racking because I got to the point where I was dead tired, and just could not fall asleep because of the pounding. I was also sweating intensely. At this point I was having no chest pains at all, it was all head and neck.

I finally fell asleep, however the quality of sleep was very poor, constantly waking up with a very hot feeling, but my skin didn't feel that hot. Around Saturday the head pains started to subside somewhat, and while sitting at my computer I got a very fast sharp pain about 3-4 inches left of the center of my chest, it didn't last long, nor did it really phase me, it almost seemed like some weird nerve twitch. Didn't think much of it. Still at my computer, about 20 min later I started to get some light burning chest pains radiating out towards my left arm. I took two nitrate tablets a couple minutes apart, I thought I had an angina attack coming on. It didn't do anything, but the pain felt kinda sharp... I've read that in heart attacks the pain feels constraining, like a squeezing feeling. This felt more like I was being stabbed or something. I went to lay down for awhile and the pain got worse. It got to the point where I had to sit up to avoid extra pain. The pain in my head started to get worse, and especially the back neck region. I was also getting some discomfort in my stomach, nausea feeling. At this point I was experiencing a lot of fear. All this pain brought on in less than 15-20 min from itself. I was also feeling very hot, my eyelids burned and I felt like I was on fire. I started to read websites trying to self diagnose, and my fear level was increasing so much, I honestly felt like I was going to die. I tried taking deeper breaths, go outside to soak in sun, nothing was working. I also felt very shaky and jittery, but the fear of dying was predominate over everything. I never recall feeling out of breathe or dizzy, but I did feel like I was going crazy.

After exhausting myself from looking on the net for help, I went in the other room and slouched down on the sofa under the cool blow of the A/C vent. I was watching the Food network, and it was taking my mind off things. Pain seemed to subside a lot, and I started to get a very serene feeling. I closed my eyes and actually felt very calm. There was still pain, but it wasn't driving me insane, it was bearable. I pretty much spent the rest of the day just relaxing, watching tv and looking at the web and trying to keep myself calm. It seemed to be doing the trick, the pain slowly went away, and so did any fear or distress. I was finally able to lay down without experiencing much discomfort, and fell asleep.

I woke up about 5 hours later, and I had a very sharp stomach cramping. It was weird, because after I got up and walked to the bathroom it had already gone away. I also still had faint chest, neck, and back of the head pains, similar to what I experienced the day before, only very very mild and bearable. It persisted most of the day off and on, coming and going like flicking on a light switch. It was just the weirdest feeling, not knowing what was causing the pain to come and go. It seemed like the more active I was, the less pain I experienced. If I walked on my treadmill the pain seemed absent, I don't know if this was mind over matter, because I wasn't in a sitting state thinking about it, or if the pain genuinely disappeared.

Saturday I experienced the worst feelings and pain I have ever experienced in my life. It seems some of the symptoms are heart attack related, I am scared for my health, because like I said I am overweight and have bad eating/activity habits. Today (Monday) I have been the calmest and in the least pain since. It's all been come and go, light pains here and there in my neck/head/chest. There has been one spot that has been somewhat persistent and that is along the crease/bump area on the back of my head where my neck joins. The pain feels very tension related. If I press and give my upper neck (back side) firm circular motions it kind of feels good and relieves the stress temporarily, similar to a back massage?

Today when I woke up I experienced some nasty heart burn and indigestion, but two doses of Pepto made that feel much better. I also had a slight cough, and I could feel it kind of in the areas where I had chest pain, the cough went away by mid afternoon. I really don't know what to make of this past weekend. I feel very level headed atm, thinking straight, no real fear like I had experienced, and any pain is very mild, and bearable. I'm hoping as time goes by it will completely dissipate. Does anything I've described sound like a heart attack, or something else?

I have actually felt quite a bit of stress the past week or so, and it seems like it was all building up to this weekend. As I said earlier my mother thinks it is some severe anxiety, but having the chest pains really scares me, especially with past episodes of angina, and my current weight and habits. I'm sorry if I wrote so much, I felt a better understanding of my experience would be better for any ideas of what happened to me. I'm currently unemployed and do not have any medical. I think I felt I needed to stick it out until I absolutely had no choice, I really don't even know where to go in my current financial situation and not having medical. Can I just walk into any hospital if I am having an emergency like this again? Will they deny me help, or stick me with a massive bill I will be paying off the rest of my life? I've been reading a lot over the last couple days and remember reading something like a trip to the ER without insurance and I could expect a huge bill.

Jeremy

[remar]

this very well could be anxiety but the best thing to do is get it checked out. at least go to your dr. the hospital won't turn you away, you will have to pay yourself if you have no insurance. your life is worth all the money in world so don't be afraid to go if you have these symptoms again.

[snoozies43]

Hi Jeremy,

This could actually be a little of both. Seems to me like it is more heart related...however your also very worried it seems about that..your weight..your mother. also. This all adds to stress.

I would definetly go to your local Dr. ASAP. Please be specific about all your symptoms . If you cannot remember them try writing them down. ok?

There are a host of anxiety symptoms, which i feel you may be experiencing a handful. Keep yourself calm and Go to docs or Er.

Best of luck.

[shmoo007]

I had simialar pains for weeks before I acutally fell down from my ongoing condition. Have you had any tests done on your heart like an echo or stress test? I had a holter monitor and they found that I had a lot of PVC's the pounding in the chest could be a real heart problem. It may be to panic but I never gave up I kept searching and they found I have vaso spasm and my heart will go slow all the way down to a pause or a stop and then take off very fast  and  finally go back to a normal sinus rhythm. I am now on a medicine called Cardizem LA it helps with vaso dilation and irregular heart rhythms. Call your doctor and ask to take some tests I am only 32, and they thought because I did not have a heart attack that I had no problem, that it was only anxiety, but with persistance I found a doctor who would go deeper and guess what he found it!!!!  And I am much better. I am off effexor and only on the heart medicine. I do not have painic attacks any more. I wish the best for you, don't give up find someone to listen and do their job and help you.

[daffysoundz]

how did it start for you an what are the symptoms