Chest Discomfort - constant feeling of passing out

[tomslik190]

I am a nearly 43-year-old male, 6'2", 250 lbs.  When I was 29, back on 11/29/1993 @ about 5 pm, I had an episode that RUINED my life.  I had just come home from work and sat down to relax in front of the TV.  After a few minutes, my heart beat very ODDLY and VIOLENTLY for a second or two, then went back to a regular rhythm BUT I instantly felt lightheaded, slightly dizzy, and my heart felt like it wasn't beating right, like it was on the verge of stopping or like it wasn't pumping properly, like I was on the verge of a heart attack. I have felt like this CONSTANTLY ever since (no one seems to understand it when I say I feel this way CONSTANTLY to this day). I remember thinking "this is not something that is going to go away".  At the time, I weighed about 210-215 lbs, used to lift weights a lot, and was fairly active with softball, cycling, basketball, etc. I had zero medical history before this and had not been to a Dr. in at least 10 yrs. because I always felt great until the moment this happened. I am adopted, & do not know my birth parents health history. I ended up going to the local Urgent Care center the next day & then seeing my Primary Care Physician for the first time shortly after. He checked me over & sent me home.  Since then, I have seen him 4-6x per year about the same thing. I have seen a total of 15+ different medical professionals in 13yrs. Even went to the Cle. Clinic for tilttable,hemodynamics tests,vestibular function test. A had several CT&MRI scans,several chest x-rays,stress test,trans-esophageal echo,several EKGs, several ultrasounds,EEG,holter,etc.

[tomslik190]

(continued) sleep study, nearly 1 year of biofeedback therapy. I even saw a Medical Intuitive in 8/06 because I was am getting so desperate. The only thing they found were an occasional PVC & a small hole between the ventricles or the atriums. I have been on several psychotropic drugs with absolutely no improvement (1 sent me to the ER). Was also on beta-blockers & other heart meds that did nothing. Currently taking daily multi-vitamin, fish oil, chromium, CoQ10, 80 mg Lipitor, and 2mg xanax daily.  In the last couple of years, it has gotten worse, to the point where I only do what I have to do and NOTHING ELSE, because my heart feels wrong and I feel like I'm on the verge of collapsing or passing out, even while lying down.  It feels like I'm in the middle of a heart attack ALL THE TIME….but there is no pain, just a constant dull ache in my chest & a minor headache almost always.  Stomach gurgling is EXTERMELY UNCOMFORTABLE!!  Driving is becoming a real difficulty.  I have forgotten what it's like to feel normal.  BP is typically 120-130/70-80.  Cholesterol is around 160 now.  I was very happy in life before this happened and now everyday is a complete struggle and totally unbearable.  I even have a stethoscope and listen to my heart a lot and it sounds fine but it feels like something is stuck, blocked, or clogged and the blood flow is impaired.  I still have episodes of PVCs and other strange beats where it is not in sinus rhythm but only for a second or 2.  On a scale of 0-10 with 0 being dead & 10 being the way I felt before this happened, I am at a 3 with no relief in sight.

[DrCain]

I understand your situation and have a similar one -- maybe not the same but we share some characteristics. I have been searching for help for 11 months. In January I was driving down the interstate at 79 miles per hour and passed out. I had no prior symptoms but was recovering from bronchitis, double ear infections, and sinusitis. Luckily it was slow enough that I pulled over to the side of the road. Since then I constantly feel like I am going to pass out, and did a few times after this but mostly I get just close to passing out and then shake myself out of it. I have not been able to drive since which has ruined my speaking career as I used to travel across the country. They did all the same tests you had and found nothing but a mild mitral valve prolapse. The tilt table test was positive after they injected me with a drug-like adrenaline (can't remember name) so they labeled me as having neuromediated syncope. Since then I have read up on the tilt table procedure and I'm not sure that is a reliable test. They put me on Toprol XL 25mg (because I also developed high blood pressure) but it did nothing. Went up to 50mg and no change. I have been to 4 cardiologists, an internalist, and my regular GP and no one knows what to do. I have discomfort in the chest but not really pain and am always dizzy, especially in motion like when I am driving.

[tomslik190]

I have also been told that the tilt table test is unreliable. After my tilt test, they told me to wear compression stockings and to drink electrolytes (gatorade), both of which did nothing. Motion doesn't make my symptoms any worse.  It's just bad ALL the time.  I have never actually passed out since this started, but did when I had the flu about 20 yrs ago.  It feels like my heart is full of marbles or holes.  If I were asked before this happened "What is the worst thing you can imagine happening to you?" I never would have come up with something this bad.  When standing in church, I have to hold on to the pew in front of me because I feel so unstable.  All they could come up with is anxiety but how can I go from being completely nonanxious for the first 30 yrs of my life to being constantly anxious for nearly 13 yrs because of an event that lasted about 1 second?  I have become a complete recluse, not because I am afraid of going anywhere or doing anything, but because I DO NOT feel well, EVER!  Apparently what's going on with me is not medically possible.

[DrCain]

I am a psychologist and have researched the connection between heart problems and anxiety. The symptoms are very much alike. I do not think what I have is anxiety either but I decided last week to try some Zoloft just to see if I could get rid of that feeling. It is too soon to tell whether this will help our not. I'll keep you posted, if you like to see if it works. Like you, I can't imagine how anxiety can just appear one day out of the blue and for no apparent reason. My GP is a good one and she told me she has seen anxiety symptoms, particularly at night, as the first sign of heart problems.

[anacyde]

Let me tell you a story.

I was a successful, motivated, driven young woman in her early 20s.  I was a full-time college student working part-time as a counselor.  Life was awesome.  Stressful, but great.  Then one night I had a life-altering experience.  I was sitting with my ex in our living room watching TV.  I started feeling dizzy and sound got distant.  I thought I was going to lose consciousness.  My chest tightened and began to hurt and my heart felt like it stopped beating, then it began pounding until I was so sure I was having a heart attack that I called 911.  When I arrived at the hospital and had every test known to man, I was told I had slightly low potassium, but nothing that would account for my symptoms.  I was told I had experienced an anxiety attack.  I laughed.  I was a counselor, I knew what an axniety attack was, I wasn't an idiot and I was sure the doctor was.  I went home.

Twice more that same week I was back in the ER, and quite angry when they kept dismissing me.  It took me about two months to come to terms with the fact that I had anxiety disorder.  It took even longer for me to get a grip on it, because it was controlling me.

I left college, quit my job, and had no life.  I wouldn't even leave the house along because I was terrified.  I went from being highly successful...to being nothing at all.  In a flash.

Things are much different now.  I got my life back, and I think I am a stronger person for it.  I probably am stronger and more confident now than I ever was.  I have a husband, family, job, and I'm about to graduate college (FINALLY...I took three years off to get married and have children).  Anxiety is hell, and it can ruin your life.  The symptoms were very real, are very real, and it is difficult to believe anxiety (something I always equated with feelings of stress) could produce all of that in someone who never had anything like it before.  Well, it did.

It sounds like your heart really is fine.  I also struggle with the palpitations you describe.  In fact, a LOT of us here do!  You can certainly find some support and good company.

Medications did NOT WORK FOR ME.  Time, the right frame of mind, acceptance and determination worked.  That and this place, which kept me sane ;)

I hope this offers some insight.

[DrCain]

Thanks for your insight on anxiety. I won't rule it out then! I do live a driven, high pace life (full time clinical practice, just published a book, public speaking across the country, university teaching) -- but I've worked at this pace for 30 years without problem. Maybe it has something to do with age. Maybe it is time to slow down.

[tomslik190]

Thanks very much for the feedback and your personal stories.  When I had the reading with the medical intuitive, she said that she did not see anything wrong with my heart...but did say that somthing wasn't right around my heart....possible something shifted and is pushing on my heart.  Because of my weight, I have been holding my stomach in for years, possible putting pressure on my heart, which is why it feels wrong.  She also said she saw jagged energy down my left leg.  I have a herniated disc at L5 and it affects my left leg (I had not told her about this - I did tell her about the wrong feeling in my chest and heart prior to the reading).  I have heard from several people that she is very good.  She said she did not see anxiety at all.  I was referred to her by the psychologist I had been seeing for almost a year.
Once, when I was feeling particularly miserable, I pushed my stomach out and felt something drop in the region of my heart....I immediately felt completely normal...but had diarrhea...had to run to the bathroom.  Felt really good for several hours and thought I was cured...but later that day I started feeling bad again.  There have been a couple of days when I have awaken in the AM and felt normal, but again it only lasted for a few hours.  I have never felt afraid of anything...I just don't feel well enough to do anything.  Before the incident in 1993, I had lived for several years with occasional PVCs that did not bother me at all because I always felt great.
I usually lay on the floor with my hand between my chest and the floor and roll around...this seems to help.  I also have belching "fits" that seem to help as well.  It is VERY ODD!

[bweb]

who was your medical intuitive.  I have spoke with Su Walker.
Was it her?

[madjlp]

Have you tried working with a chiropractor or orthopedist?  Given the long term nature of your problem, a skeletal/muscular explanation certainly seems possbile and would be consistent with at least some of the symptoms/anecdotes you relay.  Have you been checked for autoimmune diseases (a long shot admittedly)?  I am 29 and had a very similar episode (3 months ago) to the one you described having at that age.  I'm still working with doctors to figure it all out but to no avail thusfar except for a vague theory about having had myocarditis due to a viral infection.  The long term effects of myocarditis can include scarring which i would think could result in pain - in your case an angioplasty or, preferably nuclear stress test could let you know how your heart looks and would let you know if you have long tern effects from scarring whether from myocarditis or something else.  Have you been treated for reflux?  My endoscopy showed no signs of reflux but I'm being treated for it anyway and think it has taken a little bit of the edge off, tho the correlation is not clear.   If you haven't had an endoscopy or other gastro investigations it could be a worthwhile area to investigate - a hiatal hernia could certainly cause some of the congestion/pain you've talked about.  You mentioned having had a lot of imaging done but an ultrasound of the abdomen might be in order to check on your other organs - especially since you have the stomach issues as well - the stomach piece could be something as simple of  h pylori bacteria, anxiety driven gut problems (anxiety can screw that whole system up) or something more exotic.   Last thing I'll mention is meditating - there's a huge body of literature indicating that mindfulness centered on daily meditation practice can help people overcome anxiety/panic - I'm not advertising for it but its out there (look up Jon Kabat Zinn) and its a non drug way to go thats proven - I'm trying it with some minor success thusfar and think it has promise in general for my life whether or not it helps knock out my symptoms (whos to say if panic is the chicken or the egg in your/my/anyone's case?)  I know its helping me deal with them in a healthier way.  Best of luck - keep us updated!

[johanni]

You really have nailed this one anacyde.Actually believing that it is anxiety and not something physical,is the key to recovery.Like you I always worry about the symptoms and the state of my heart,but slowly realising that it may all just be anxiety.It is so hard, like you say, to accept this!However I believe that I am slowly starting to get a handle on it.
Regards,
Dimi.

[steph928]

Hi. I am 24-years-old, I started having what I call "attacks about 6 months ago". My vision will get blurry, my heart will start pounding very hard, and then feel like it is not beating at all. I will become very dizzy and almost pass out. It is ruining my life. They have run a couple tests, an MRI of the brain showed that I have had a few mini-strokes already and an echocardiogram showed regurgitation. My doctors are in the process of checking me for an autoimmune disease. I can't live like this. This is the way I feel every day. Can anyone help.

[iseeinbandw]

I have had the same exact episodes as both of you have. I'm a guy, 30, and in my early 20s I had the same symptoms as anacyde and now that I'm 30 I have started developing symptoms as Tomsilik. I must agree with anacyde that we are completely OKAY and that our problem is anxiety. I have suffered from anxiety most of my life. I have even used some of the SSRIs but they just didn't work for me. My heart issues started when I was having sex with my ex for the first time. I was so worried that I would finish prematurely and I wasn't enjoying it at all. When I became so fixated with the thought, my heart started racing so fast that my chest muscles tightened so much that I had muscular pain for the next 3 days. Ever since, I am aware of my heart all the time. Recently I feel that I'm about to pass out because my heart is not pumping any blood to my brain. The way I overcome it is by grabbing on to the bed or a chair and I have to physically shake my body. This worries me all the time, but after reading extensively on this issue and given that  I have a strong science background and I'm able to appreciate our human body more profoundly and see its potential, I have concluded that our problem is ANXIETY. I think the key is to find a way with dealing with stress and anxiety. I never imagined that anxiety could be so devastating. There is a highly recommended website that I heard on National Public Radio. It is mindhabits.com. It's a game that's supposed to help manage stress and help us with our selfesteem. It was developed by some Harvard or MIT Scientists. If you try it, I hope it helps. Thank you for sharing your experiences. It helps to know that we are not alone and that our problems are real.  

[Dale144]

Male 47 (athletic in shape) weight 92.5kgs Height 6"2...history for the last 30yrs includes lifting considerable loads ie rolling on there edges 210kg steel and plastic barrels...lifting 20lt containers etc. My "past times" include repairing old houses an rennovation of the same. I often work steadily and comfortabley at 2 jobs and get about 7-9 hours sleep every night. Hardly ever needed to see a doctor as always in good health.
  I would say I was extremely fit. However about 6 months ago my world seemed to take a u-turn... now I find my self my only do the bare essentials only what I have to...my days are now absolutely idle...i sit round watching TV and go to bed exhausted at 7pm...wake once or twice during the night to go to the toilet and rise out of bed at about 10am....i feel tired at around 2pm and usually sleep soundly until about 4:30pm... watch abit of TV etc eat tea and head of exhausted to bed at 7pm again.

While awake I feel a constant mild chest discomfort in the region of my heart it is relentless and is always present. Over the last 30 years I have eaten well..lots of vegitables fruit etc...but confess to consumeing approx 6.2 tonnes of ice cream ( 4lts a week...every week).

I have recently been refered to the hospital had a stress test...all ok...blood test...ok due for a holter in one month and an ECG test in 2 months time(waiting time at the hospital).

Cardiologist has no idea what my problem is... I have a suspition that it might be heart disease...can anyone please cast some light here....Thank you very much Kindest Regards Dale
  

[shaybay24]

I have a very similar condition to what you've all been describing. Unfortunatley, im only 18 years old and already experiencing the awful reality of anxiety.
My first episodes were happening when i would be out with friends. One night, a bunch of us went to celebrate my friends birthday at a restaurant and i began to feel light headed. I thought i was having a blood sugar low and so i ordered a pepsi and i guess i convinced myself that i would be fine after the sugar was in my system.
Every so often after that i would have similar episodes and convinced myself that i needed to see a doctor about hypoglycemia.
One night i was at the mall with my friends and i began to feel dizzy and faint so we got some ice cream. On the way home after dropping my friends off, i started shaking and losing feeling in my arms and legs. I was on the 401, the busiest highway in Canada and so i began to freak out. Not only was i feeling helpless but i was also stuck in the left lane in a major traffic jam. Dead ahead of me was the accident and i could see the seriously injured victims being hoisted into the ambulance. This made me even more anxious because the ambulance that i felt i needed was right there but i knew i couldnt just hitch a ride like that to the hospital. I managed somehow to pull off the highway and into a gas station. I called my mother at the house (half an hour away) and she rushed to come pick me up and bring me to the ER. Meanwhile i was still thinking it was hypoglycemia and that i was going to die. This put me into a deeper panic and the whole ride to the hospital felt like forever as i hyperventilated and probably put my mother into a state of panic herself. Arriving at the hospital, they took my heart rate and blood pressure. My heart rate was through the roof but my blood pressure was normal. 8 hours later i saw the doctor. He discharged me saying i had a panic attack. I too didnt want to believe it and to the day i still wonder. I am a competitive figure skater and have had a history of heart palpitations after completing my solos on the ice. They last about 3 minutes and they feel like my heart stops and goes. Of course at the end of a solo i am exhausted but i never feel like my heart is going too fast against my own will. Instead, it always feels like it is slowing down and skipping beats. I wore a holter monitor for 48 hours and was able to catch an episode on it. I was diagnosed with AV heart block two weeks later and i believe my lack of in depth knowledge on the condition is worsening my anxiety. My mom is convinced that my heart is causing my feeling of not being quite with it, feeling dizzy and faint, having chest discomfort and feeling like there is something in my chest with constant pressure. Im not convinced at all because when i had the episode while driving, i didnt feel any palpatations like i do after my solos. Im convinced that due to the lack of information ive been able to gather from any medical preofessional, im experiencing anxiety from simply not knowing what could happen. When its your health you hope for the best but unfortunately fear the worst.
I recently decided to quit skating because of the pressure its putting on me and the way im feeling right now. I finish school at 11 a.m because i stayed back another year after grade 12 to take a few extra courses because i wasnt sure what i wanted to do at university yet, so now my days are very empty and my mom worries i will develop depression. I constantly feel nervous and it is an awful feeling. It affects my digestion, social life, and confidence every day. Im working with a psychiatrist and i feel great after talking to him, but once i get home the anxious feelings start to creep up again.
I dont know what to believe. Is the anxiety being brought on by the palpatations or is it just plane old anxiety.
Im 18! I have a whole life ahead of me that i would like to live without worries about anxiety or heart disease. I WANT MY LIFE BACK!! How could it all be taken away from me in a matter of one day. My life has literally been turned upside down and i need to get back on the ground!
I guess all i can say is that we all seem to be suffering with the exact same thing.
I will keep you all in my prayers and hopefully one day we will be free of this horrible reality.

[ant100987]

i am a 22 year old male i have been experiencing constant discomfort around my heart for about 6 months now, It all started from when i was watching tv and suddenly it felt like my heart jumped and stopped beating i fell to the floor and rang 999.  i was took in to hospital and have had every cardiac test done and they havent found nothing and saying its anxiety, i never have had anxiety before that day so why did it come on so sudden,I also have had severe headaches and light headedness come on the for the past 2 months from the moment i wake up until i go sleep and all the tests done for that came back negtive, It has basically ruined my life because i cant go out because i feel so ill. ive basically gave up on finding a answer, can anyone help me?

[Melhuish01]

Hell guys, I'm a 22 year old,male from Surrey England. About 5 years ago i was sat with my best friend watching a film eating pizza when out the blue my heart was going over 200bpm, i rushed down stairs to his parents begging to go to the hospital, i was taken and i was giving various  
blood tests and some powerful medication to lower my heart rate. Reassuringly i have plenty of close family, and my Auntie was a doctor so is calm in situations without being patronizing to mask my feelings from the truth. They Believed i had an extra ventricle at first which is text book stuff, but after many hospital trips to a specialist/friend, they had come to the conclusion i was fine after many ECG scans and heart monitors which picked up nothing.
That was the first chapter of my heart troubles, which was just minor palpitations when i was going to sleep, but the fun doesn't stop there.
This is where i feel people feel im starting to fall in to the hypercondriac category, although my heart is a very real problem.
About 3 months ago ive been having far more frequent stronger palpitations.
Some times they were faint, some time really severe, such a difficult sensation to explain, like a cold rush of adrenaline throughout your head and chest.
So Blood tests yet again, ECG scans, the standard procedure.
This was a time i had a second lump on my testicle and was getting severe headaches and thought i was ridiculed with cancers, i literally thought it was going to be bad news. Yet again everything was fine, and i was reassured i had a strong heart with no abnormal readings and my blood tests showed i was only a little high on cholesterol.
I have to share im very fit gym goer, in shape, i hardly eat like an unhealthy teenager and am always at work and active,
Now heres my current state, about a week ago since ive moved in with my cousin and his girlfriend.
All day every minute of the day i have constant anxiety feeling in my heart, it will race than dull down to where it feels so weak it struggles to beat. I get lightheaded and feel im on the verge of death, i start to think crazy thoughts which never helps. But im so assured its not stress as im happy about everything, ok, i feel i lack a purpose at my dead end job but why the sudden stress from it, ive been there a year and a half now. If anyone can put my mind to ease i will be forever grateful, even if you can think what is so wrong with me now, i would prefer to know than not. I found this a great help reading how im not by myself, although i am in the sense this problem makes you know you are, Keep healthy people and i wish everyone long lives. x