All

I have gone to the Doc and to the ER room had chest x rays, blood work, a EKG ran on me can someone tell me if you get blood work done will that tell you if you have anything wrong with your heart or not.I just now experienced different stuff like anxiety/panic attacks.Middle of my chest has been bothering me a little bit and under my rib cage has been really uncomfortable can someone tell me what is going on.I need to know where to stand do i need to get a heart check up or what..

[Chrissy364]

I like you have had a lot of tests run. I'm a 17 year old female. I just developed a Panic Disorder starting on June 19th 2009. I had my first huge panic attack that day and went to Urgent Care. Since that day, I have had 3 EKGs, 2 chest x-rays, and blood work done, twice; all normal. Yet I get really bad chest pain and heart palpitations ALL day. Yet the doctors say I'm fine; I do not fully trust that statement yet though due to my constant pain. Anyway, I am getting an echocardiogram soon followed by wearing a Holter monitor for a day to make sure there is nothing wrong; even though my Dr. thinks do so is unnecessary cause every test has been normal. I would advise you to get your heart checked out by a cardiologist just to make sure too.

As far as the blood work goes, yes it an actually tell if there is damage to your heart. I wondered the exact same thing while I was in the ER. The blood work that is done when a heart problem is suspected is called a CPK blood test. This test reveals that your total CPK level is elevated. CPK isoenzyme testing can help pinpoint the exact source of the damaged tissue. If you have abnormal CPK-2 results, it means there is probably something wrong with the heart. CPK-2 levels rise 3 - 6 hours after a heart attack. If there is no further heart muscle damage, the level peaks at 12 - 24 hours and returns to normal 12 - 48 hours after tissue death. CPK-2 levels do NOT usually rise with chest pain caused by angina, pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung), or congestive heart failure.

I hope this helped :)

[Julie359]

If you have had numerous tests and they are normal it can be very hard to accept that this may be anxiety causing the problem, we don't realise that emotions can cause a drastic change in the way the body responds and reacts.  Anxiety and panic attacks can mimic a vast array of diseases like heart attack and heart disease so it is only natural to think along these lines.

However if all the tests are normal maybe you should approach your doctor and ask to see a therapist as you do feel extremely anxious.  You may have developed a condition called health anxiety, where you are constantly thinking that there is a physcal problem so you have tests done only to find they are normal and this is cause the root of the cause is emotional.

Have you been under pressure and stress lately?  Is there something going on in your life that you feel is out of your control?  

Have a chat with your doctor who may refer you onto a councilor or therapist, it can't do any harm.... and neither will a panic attack or anxiety... it feel like you are dying but you are not, the therapist can teach you breathing techniques and relaxation methods to stop the chest pain, rapid heat beat etc.... also they may give you a med to help with this.  

Take care and look after yourself...all the best Julie x