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Chest pains
After a spell with some pretty scary health symptoms I was told by two doctors that all these symptoms were anxiety. I started seeing a therapist after the second doctor told me I should. My therapist had me get another opinion on my health by a new doctor. I was found to have had a bowel infection. After 2 weeks of antibiotics most of my symptoms have cleared up. However, I am still having terrible chest pains and a feeling of not getting enough oxygen. I also get a feeling of numbness in my left arm though it also affects my other limbs. I've had two EKGs done and three blood tests and I've also been tested for tick-borne illness. Everything comes back normal and the doctors will not check my heart further as long as my EKGs come back normal. Does this sound like it is anxiety related? Anyone else get chest pains on the left side only? They are very sharp pains that are just below my left breast and radiate to under my left arm. They come and go every minute or so and can go for as long as several hours. What can I do to help these pains? I want to avoid going to the ER as I am uninsured and they never check me for anything anyway. Just the same stuff that's already been checked over and over again. I am scared to death that this is a cardiac problem and I will die of a heart attack. My uncle died in 2008 with Marfans Syndrome. I am 24 years old, 5'2", 104 pounds, I don't drink, smoke, do drugs or have caffeine. I try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. My blood pressure is 110/80. Please tell me I'm not the only one with chest pains like this!
Dang I'm sorry mines been fast and all that it really scares me bc My mom dad and pawpaw has had a heart attack at young ages
Mine too! My chest now hurts all the time and my heart is always pounding. It wakes me up several times a night. I just had an appointment this past Monday and after a normal EKG the doctor decided to actually just listen to my heart for awhile. She heard it mis-beat and it was very fast. She said it sounded like it was trying to slow down but couldn't. She says I have tachycardia but they aren't sure of the cause. I'm being sent to a different clinic that has more experience with cardiac issues. Scary stuff. :-(
Mines the same way mines an everyday thing and I honestly just keep wanting to tell at the doctors bc they say I'm fine but its an everyday thing like my chest is sore all the time.
I have been tested for diabetes and I don't have it. I was also tested for Lyme disease just in case. I do live a pretty healthy lifestyle. I only eat whole foods that I prepare at home myself. Plenty of whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats. I was much more active before the bowel infection I was treated for. I am now adding exercise back into my routine. I walk for about 30 minutes a day and I do some exercises with weights. Thank you so much for your answer and suggestions! :-) I get winded easily so I have to start out slow. I went to the ER yesterday and they think I have acid reflux and reflux induced asthma. I will try the medicines they told me to and hopefully that will help!
I too had the same experiences i got blood work done and it turns out i was diabetic and i had alot of anxiety but i was overweight so i woukd suggest get a blood test done if you dont have insurance or the money i would recommend eat healthier and exercise and cut way back on sodium. I had the same numbness on left side and chest pains but i cut way back on salt and it is alot better hope this helps hope u get better
Thank you so much for your answer. I did have an echocardiogram done about 4 years ago and it came back normal. The doctors will not refer me to a cardiologist unless I have an EKG come back abnormal. For the most part they are not taking my symptoms very seriously. I think the biggest reason is not so much because I have anxiety but that I am uninsured. I think they are afraid I will not pay for the tests and treatments because they are so expensive. I am also on an extremely low income.
While I tend to agree that you don't have anything going on with your heart, I too think further assessment is warranted, preferably by a cardiologist. An EKG is only ONE diagnostic study for the heart and only assesses its electrical function. There's a lot an EKG can reveal about your heart, but it certainly isn't the only test...there are others (like the folks above mentioned) that would paint a more accurate picture .
Those would be an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart and all of its anatomy), holter/event monitor (basically a heart monitor you wear for a period of time, from 24 hours to weeks at a time, depending on the situation), a stress test, etc. Those are just the basics, the commonly ordered tests.
Usually, an echo is the next step after an EKG if symptoms persist. Just because you're low income doesn't mean you should not have a specialist assess you, and just because you have anxiety, doesn't mean everything is anxiety related. It stinks that a lot of times anxiety sufferers get dismissed by docs who think EVERYTHING we have is related to that.
The work-ups you have had to date are definitely reassuring, and I would be surprised to hear that further assessment revealed any issues, but I think it's reasonable to insist upon it. Good luck, let us know!
Those would be an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart and all of its anatomy), holter/event monitor (basically a heart monitor you wear for a period of time, from 24 hours to weeks at a time, depending on the situation), a stress test, etc. Those are just the basics, the commonly ordered tests.
Usually, an echo is the next step after an EKG if symptoms persist. Just because you're low income doesn't mean you should not have a specialist assess you, and just because you have anxiety, doesn't mean everything is anxiety related. It stinks that a lot of times anxiety sufferers get dismissed by docs who think EVERYTHING we have is related to that.
The work-ups you have had to date are definitely reassuring, and I would be surprised to hear that further assessment revealed any issues, but I think it's reasonable to insist upon it. Good luck, let us know!
Yes! I can't afford to get the meds till Friday so I'll try it for awhile and see how it goes. I feel better just knowing that it's not my heart so far as they could tell. I have no family or personal past history of heart disease so they felt it was extremely unlikely. They saw nothing wrong in the tests they ran.
You can have the stabbing pain with acid reflux. Did they give you any meds to see if it helps?
I went to the ER this morning at the suggestion of my doctor and they think it is acid reflux and asthma. I always thought reflux was more of a burning sensation rather than a sharp pain?
That's another thing they won't check for. I've made many many suggestions and they always have a reason why those suggestions couldn't possibly be my problem. So frustrating!
That's what my chest pain is right now. It had been a stabbing pain and now it is more of a constant sore feeling. I just went to the ER this morning and they did another EKG and a chest x-ray. Everything is fine. They think I am having acid reflux and asthma. It put my mind at ease, for now anyway. In a month I'll probably have another scary symptom that freaks me out. >_<
True, it could be a muscle problem. It's sad that it can be so hard to get medical treatment at times.
I mean I have Thearopist and ill text her everyday bc I have anxiety everyday after my daughter was born is when it hit. It was so bad, and now ever since then I have had chest pains everyday it feels like a pulled muscle but at the same time I'm always hirt of breath and my muscles are always so tense and hurting. Like all the time .
I would think so. When I had a peculiar, but temporary, heart problem, they checked me with an echocardiogram to make sure I had recovered. And that was after an EKG.
Are doctors taking you very seriously? The new clinic I'm going to is taking me seriously but because it's a low income clinic they can only do so much. The first two doctors seemed like they were just trying to get rid of me!
That's the same thing I was thinking. They won't check me because I am uninsured. I know that young people can have heart problems. We had a 16 year old in a nearby town drop dead while playing football. It was found that he had an undiagnosed heart problem. Other than my uncle, no one else in my family has had heart disease. Cancer is the big killer in my family. I had an echocardiogram done 4 years ago. It came back normal. Would that be more accurate than an EKG at diagnosing a heart condition?
An EKG does not always show heart problems. It will show an irregular heart beat. My daughter went through the same thing you are at around 18 years old. She was diagnosed with MVP, mitrol valve prolapse. Not sure if I spelled that right It's not too uncommon and seems to effect young women more than anyone else. It can cause those stabbing chest pains.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. I just wanted to let you know that yes, something might be going on other than anxiety. I don't understand why your Dr won't at least put a 24 hour monitor on you to get your heart rhythm. Maybe because you don't have insurance?
I'm not trying to diagnose you. I just wanted to let you know that yes, something might be going on other than anxiety. I don't understand why your Dr won't at least put a 24 hour monitor on you to get your heart rhythm. Maybe because you don't have insurance?
I have seen two doctors in an office and only one doctor at the ER. They all seem to think I'm too young to have heart trouble and they are all saying it's anxiety. I'm not sure that it is and it's scary that I can't get a doctor to take me seriously. They just do the same EKGs and blood tests. I just don't think those tests are adequate but without insurance they seem reluctant to do anything else.
Something doesn't sound right. I guess it could be anxiety, but no one told you that, did they? If you have serious concerns I would see another doctor, but in his private office, not the ER.
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