*Constant* Chest Pain from Anxiety?

[hycotuss]

Does anyone have this for a symptom??  It's horrible, feels like I'm going to drop dead from a heart attack at any second during the day.  Have had multiple tests with Dr., said I have anxiety - put me on Celexa (3 mo's now) but it has done nothing.  Tried breathing exercises, meditation, etc - none of that stuff helps.  And can't really exercise because I'm scared I'll drop dead!  Please help, this is ruining my life, hurting my marriage and my job.  The chest pain is very real and painful to me, but the Doc is telling me it's a chemical imbalance and basically all in my head...   ???

[nat_p]

ive had that every since i could remember but just recently has started to get worse as ive been getting more anxiety or depressed. whatever u wanna call it i had alot of people one of my best friends even go to the doctors for different things and she had to see so many that would all tell her the same things but no one ever fixed the problem until she saw a specialist so maybe you can try that

[Marqzy]

Hi,
I read your post from 2009 and can't help but relate. I was wondering if you could let me know how you are doing...I need some hope.

[Midikat]

I'm in the same boat as all of you. My chest pain started in May 2014.  Left sided, weird labored breathing, constant fear I'm going to have a heart attack at any moment. ER several times, Drs numerous times, switched Drs avor 6 times because I constantly fear the Dr. missed a serious heart condition I have.  It's now impacted my life, work and happiness constantly feeling like the Drs have missed a serious heart condition I may have.  All my tests are normal: X rays, blood work, 2 CT scans, holter monitor, stress test and echocardigram, yet the pains are so severe sometimes and always right by my heart I've convinced myself this MUST be a heart issue, they are ALL WRONG! I never thought I was anxious.. now the only thing I'm anxious about is my chest pain and heart which may explode at any moment.  I feel for all of you, I'm right there with you.  I start therapy next week.  I refuse to let this chest pain impact my work and social life any longer. I want to be my old me before these pains.  I use trazodone to help me sleep because for most of June and July I could not even sleep constantly waking up fearing I would have a heart attack and doubting my Drs.  I pray therapy helps, it's my only hope at this point and time... waiting it out.  I'm sorry we are all suffering

[pandaears]

I just want to say, my heart goes out to all of you. I'm about to take the bar exam, and so recently the stress, studying, and late nights have gotten to me. In one of the early morning classes, I felt like I was having a heart attack and after getting checked out, I was diagnosed with anxiety.

I started to drink more because when I drank, I didn't feel the constant, looming phantom chest pain. I told myself, "I'm a smart guy, I can drink in moderation to treat my anxiety."

I soon found myself wanting a drink at 9am. I've never felt dependent on alcohol, so this horrified me.

So I switched to controlled breathing, exercise, and focus. They've really really helped me. Especially the breathing method used in one of the aforementioned posts. (ctrl+f "belt line" to find the post)

The thing that worked volumes for me is immediate exercise. Before my heart starts racing, but when panic is setting in, I find a private place and do jumping jacks. You may look a little ridiculous, but, it's a light exercise you can do just about anywhere in any kind of clothes at a pace that's comfortable to you.

It's worked volumes for me. I know that I'm going to be in the bathroom during the exam, breathing deep and doing jumping jacks.

I have a feeling once the exam passes, so too will my chest pain. Which is a luxury not afforded to most of the people in this forum. I am so terribly sorry for those that have lived years and years with this, and I hope that you all eventually find  your peace.

[SPR27]

I've been dealing with anxiety for three years now and it has been a difficult journey.  It started with compulsive thoughts.  I would go to bed thinking about the exact same fears I had waking up.  It drove me crazy, but I played it cool around everyone I knew.  I noticed physical symptoms of anxiety whether it be performance anxiety or not being able to eat all day because of the feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I started drinking more and more alcohol and became depressed from the constant thoughts of never knowing what was going to happen next.  Only in the past year I started experience the symptoms that we have all described.  There are good days and there are very bad days.  I wake up every morning not knowing if I am going to see another day. I wake up with excruciating chest pain, burning sensation throughout my left arm, shortness of breath, and the worst is being aware of my own breath.  I feel as if I am in control of my own breath sometimes and am afraid to fall asleep because I don't know if my body will continue it without me being conscious.  I too have visited the emergency room twice and had EKG's done with the results all coming back negative.  It's ironic how upsetting it is to find out you have nothing wrong with you.  There are many people who would love to hear that from a Doctor, but not people who suffer from anxiety.
I woke up today and the pain has been worse than I've experienced in the past few months. I read these to calm me down, because it helps knowing there are people out there just like me.  Today, my readings led me in another direction, and I hope it can be insightful to you as much as it is to me.  The main problem with anxiety is the vicious cycle it creates.  The only way to beat it is mentally.  However, the person who is having the problem is not mentally stable. Without being mentally stable, it is difficult to overcome the obstacle.  So, it leads to the negativity of all of us focusing on the amount of years we have spent living with these symptoms and assuming everyday could be our last day.  The irony lies within the fact that any day could be our last day.  There have been comments from people dealing with this problem for 22 years! That is awful and I feel empathy for these people, but on the bright side, it is 22 years that these symptoms we all suffer from have not actually done what we all fear; killed.  I'm tired of having to leave social settings and spend days in my bed because mentally I feel it is the best way to cure the symptoms.  Of course  these made up ideas will cure the symptoms because the symptoms themselves are also created by us.  Next time I have chest pain, I'm going to run with it.  I am going to stay where I am and keep doing what I am doing.  Will it be scary? Absolutely. But when(keyword because it will happen) I overcome the battle it will make me stronger on the other side.  And if worse does come to worse, maybe I will have a heart attack or die, but I'd rather enjoy my time now than live the next 50 years with these symptoms and hate the life I lived.  
I truly hope this can be helpful to at least one person.  I sincerely feel for everyone that goes through the same issues I go through every day.  Hopefully, this new outlook on life not only works, but lasts.  I, like everyone else in this group, miss the days in which I used to feel like myself.  The days in which you could look in the mirror and it didn't feel like the person looking back at you was someone you didn't know. I can't deal with it anymore, and I've never been someone to accept defeat.  The most difficult part of any illness is staying positive and even if it is false confidence we all possess at this difficult time in our lives, I hope we can all experience the feelings of confidence in ourselves and well-being once again.  

[lifeisinteresting]

Hello! Let me start of by saying I am a physician and I do understand what you are all going through. I just finished reading most of the post in this thread and all I can say all of you are strong people. Think about it, all of you are enduring this horrible attacks or constant states of impending doom and pain. I not only understand what you guys are going through because of my profession and see this daily(literally) but also because I myself suffer from this condition. I am in my mid 30s and have suffered from anxiety since I was 18. Most of my symptoms were episodic and typically affected my GI system(nausea/vomiting/decrease appetite) and some abdominal discomfort. I thought it was bad then but it just got worse.

As of last two weeks ago I've had constant chest pain, some days worse than other. I became concerned and went to see my doctor, had an EKG which was not exactly normal so I was referred to see a cardiologist. Since I am a physician I can literally call a friend and get seen right away. So I saw a friend cardiologist and got stress test and it was normal. My heart was cleared. Symptoms persisted and have gotten stronger. While at work I started clinching my chest and fel pain up my neck (really painful) so my co-workers got concerned. I refused to go to the ER because I was already thinking it was anxiety. I ended up going to an ER where friends of mine work, got a work up including CT scan of the chest that was normal. Now my doctor wants me to see a GI doctor and to be honest I will not. Why? because I know it is all anxiety and everything is going to come back normal. I truly believe that the best for all of this is therapy. Unfortunately there is no magic/silver bullet that will cure this. Many people have given very thoughtful advice on previous posts regarding diet,relaxation techniques, spirituality(key component), exercise and so forth. All will help, they are not all as effective on everyone but the important thing is to try.

Why am I convinced this is all anxiety? I have tried to apply my medial knowledge and think what would I do if I had myself as a patient. Symptoms are very non specific such as pain sometimes is in the middle of the chest, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the mid axillary line, sometimes on my neck. Also, the quality of the pain changes, sometimes is sharp, sometimes pressure and sometimes burning. Intensity changes all the time as well from just a little discomfort to "holy crap" this really hurts. I could go on and on. My point is that based on my experience as a physician and medical knowledge I cannot think f any medical condition that can cause all of that other than a mood disorder in this case is anxiety. This is affecting life and career but I know that I am not alone....there are millions of people going through the same or worse anguish. I am not here to provide medical advice. If you have any concerns go see your Doctor or go to the ER/call 911. I am only speaking about my experience.

I have tried many things to alleviate the symptoms throughout my life . I have concluded that Therapy is what has worked the best. It took me a long time to find a therapist with whom I had a connection as some were really a waste of time. On the other hand, once you find one that you connect with you can make incredible progress. I moved and now I have not found a new therapist that I feel comfortable with. This whole chest pain is a very new thing to me and hard to believe it as I really don't feel anxious but the symptoms are there and are very real. I'll have to find a way to manage them before it ruins my life. I said once and I'll say it again......YOU ARE ALL VERY STRONG!!!!!!!!! If you can overcome this or endure it you can do so many amazing things in life. Just think about it!!! you are where you are right now despite having to deal with anxiety. Don't think about where would you be without anxiety. On the other hand, think..I am STRONGER than others because I have accomplished "X" even with anxiety.

I apologize for such a long post but even Drs are not immune to anxiety.

[TracieHi]

Thank for your words of wisdom and comfort. I'm sorry you suffer, but thank you for sharing.