Chest pain caused by?

[Peter93]

Early last year I spent around 4months suffering with panic attacks which felt almost like heart attacks.

The panic attacks started because of this pain in the left side of my chest. It was a sudden jab, like a pipe blew up under the skin to start with followed by a dull pulsating pain. I called 111 and they booked me into see an urgent GP. ECG was normal, bloods normal, as far as they were concerned because of my age (21) I was fine and it just panic attacks caused by a pulled muscle - considering I was resting at the time a part of me finds this difficult to believe.

I had numerous panic attacks throughout the months and learnt to control them as I got sick of them controlling my life. However they all start with the pain, never the same as the first initial one. These are less serious but still concern me. It feels like a narrow tube pulsating and struggling to cope with what's flowing through it. And at times my the left side of my chest does feel tight.

I guess the DR had put my mind at rest because when I get this pain it no longer panics me. I just have accepted I may drop down one day.

Whilst this happens my vision blurs and its hard to concentrate on anything else, feeling faint and I guess not having the knowledge I do now it would send me into a panic attack.

My concern is that I don't believe its a muscular problem as I haven't done anything to strain that muscle. What else could it be?

[jemma116]

I read up on Da Costa's syndrome because I have never heard of that before.  But the article that I read did go on to say that a lot of the symptoms since that time that were grouped and called that, have been identified as different things.

Anxiety and depression can manifest itself in physical problems and can also exacerbate any medical conditions that already exist.

[maatson]

When I meant the syndrome, it is also known a soldiers heart, a form of anxiety state, when gets converted to bodily symptoms(somatization) may very well resemble a heart attack.

[Prancie]

I am having these also, they do seem to be almost like a heart attack, I do tend to get scared sometime, but am adjusting better, I do feel like stress is one major factor, and not resting properly..maybe this can help you some on how you are feeling also

[jemma116]

It's no surprise you have a panic attack when you get those types of symptoms.

It could be a muscular thing related to muscles and tendons and could also be spine related.  Do you have any spinal problems?  

Your vision problem and the fact that you have difficulty on concentrating on anything when you experience this spasm, suggests that there is insufficient oxygen getting to the brain.  This can happen if you have any neck problems.

Sometimes muscle spasms can just come on by the slightest of movement.
If you keep getting these problems, perhaps you should ask your doctor to send you to get an xray of your spine.  Getting a appointment with an ophthalmologist may also be a good idea to rule out any vision problems.

Let me know how you get on.

[maatson]

Da Costa's syndrome.