Bad anxiety, but was it a heart attack?

[Skelly88]

Okay, I've had really bad anxiety for about 3 or 4 years now.  Well, I just recently moved to california, everything was fine at first, about 3 weeks into being in california, my anxiety started surfacing a little more and I was having panic attacks at night, well after about 2 days of that, I wake up in the morning and have a sharp pain that comes and goes in the center of my chest.  I was really worried about it...stressed me out a little.  So I got up, went on the computer talked to this girl, and we were going to go have lunch together.  I got dressed and went on my way, I drive for about 10 minutes, and i start feeling like...a weight in the center of my chest in that little area where no bone is.  and its making my lungs feel heavy so i have to try harder to take a breath.  So it starts to flip me out, my heart rate increases, and i start to have a panic attack, I pull off the street and park somewhere and my heart rates up, the weights still in the center of my chest, and i just feel awful, I start to worry even more, thinking i'm having a heart attack, then i get a tingly feeling go to BOTH of my arms (which i've heard is typical with anxiety ALSO with dehydration oddly)  So I start to breathe more, and try to calm myself down.  I'm really cold, and i feel terrible.

So I FINALLY get home, and I feel bad still, the tingly feeling is gone, and I lay down on the couch and try to relax.  I start to feel better kind of after a bit, still feeling anxious though.

the next day my anxiety is still there, as is the weight in the center of my chest, not AS bad though.  the anxious feeling persists for a few days, Occasionally I have heart palpitations, (my heart will beat normaly, then beat 2 times in quick succession, then normal, just weird).

Now, about my background

I'm 20 years old, I dont excersise regularly, i'm about 5'11 and 210 lbs.  I dont eat a lot of fattening unhealthy meat, i'm a big vegatable eater, I try to eat healthy

[Cleveland Clinic]

This really does not sound like  a heart attack at all.  You don't fit the heart attack profile based on your characteristics and the pain you are describing isn't typical of a heart attack.  Palpitations can sometime surface with anxiety as a result of high catecholamine state, and can even make the anxiety worse.  To be certain, I would suggest wearing a Holter or better yet an event monitor to make sure that there isn't an underlying arrhythmia that could explain all this.  Otherwise, I would not suggest any further cardiac testing (stress test, catheterization, etc).    

[Skelly88]

Thanks a ton, It was a big relief to just see you type that.

I think a majority of my problems are self induced.

[delphia7]

skelley, i hope you get the answers to your questions. just know you're not alone with the heart palpitations and panic attacks. i've have panic attacks since childhood (for good reason) and i now am almost 60 and have other heart problems. (see my question recently). just want you to know i hope you get better so you can enjoy your youth and that also, you're not alone. if u research, you may find a large number of people in this country suffer from (anxiety) and panic attacks. life is so fast-paced now than it was when i was your age. that i believe, doesn't help matters. be that as it may, you take care and get the help you need so when you get my age, those things will either be gone, or fully under control. take care-
delphia7