Aa
Lots Of Chest Pain On The Left Side And Scared
Hi MedHelp.
I have been having some chest pain on the left side of my chest like for 2days and its mostly travels around the left side of my chest and Im so afraid I think its a heart attack or something and sometimes my arm feels tingling, I do have anxiety... I havent felt like this like I believe almost a month now, I am taking paxil 25mg if that helps and my hands feel shaky and I feel very tired and sleepy... Can this be the anxiety? Thank you.
I have been having some chest pain on the left side of my chest like for 2days and its mostly travels around the left side of my chest and Im so afraid I think its a heart attack or something and sometimes my arm feels tingling, I do have anxiety... I havent felt like this like I believe almost a month now, I am taking paxil 25mg if that helps and my hands feel shaky and I feel very tired and sleepy... Can this be the anxiety? Thank you.
Palpitations
Palpitations are short, abrupt periods in which the heart suddenly starts beating fast. If you’re in a sensitive state, this can ring alarm bells because you fear a sudden heart attack. The more you panic, the faster the heart beats. It’s therefore understandable why many people in this situation jump to conclusions and call for medical help. What you have to remember is that palpitations are perfectly natural and can often be caused by exhaustion or stimulants like caffeine. Your heart is an incredibly strong muscle, and it won’t stop or explode simply because it’s beating hard and fast. A healthy heart can beat fast all day long and not be in any danger.
Missed Heartbeats
The medical term for missed heartbeats is extrasystoles. A missed heartbeat is usually an extra beat between two normal beats. Given the pause that follows this premature beat, it just seems as if one beat was missed. And because the heart’s lower chambers fill with a greater-than-usual amount of blood during the pause, the next regular heartbeat can feel like a bit of a jolt. When you feel this sensation, you often freeze and wait in terror to see if your heart is in trouble.
Such missed beats are generally harmless. It can help to sit down when you feel this sensation, but if you wish to keep moving, do so. Exercise won’t cause the situation to get worse, and don’t convince yourself that going home to lie down is the only way to help the situation. If you retreat every time you feel an unusual sensation, that behavior can reinforce a negative idea that your home is the only safe place to be. Our hearts are not atomic clocks that always keep time; they speed up, slow down, or occasionally beat in an irregular fashion. People with anxiety are very keen observers of all bodily functions. From time to time, you may notice an irregular beat or two. This is nothing to get upset about.
Sometimes, individuals go through similar worries about their heart as they do with their breathing. People convince themselves that if they worry enough about their heart, or concentrate too much upon its actions, it may somehow get confused and forget how to beat correctly. It’s quite common for people who suffer from panic attacks to check in on their heart at regular intervals to make sure it’s still beating away.
If you simply can’t stop obsessing about your heart, here are some tips:
• Get a full medical examination. If you don’t, your mind will always bring up the “what if something really is wrong” card. When you get a clean bill of health, trust in the results and don’t second-guess them. If you really must, get a second opinion—but after that, stop doubting your good health.
• Remember that your body has incredible internal intelligence. Simply telling your heart, out of panic, that it might stop doesn’t mean that it heeds your fears. Learn to become more comfortable with your heart, and let it do its job. Listen to it when you’re relaxed and also when you’re exercising. The more comfortable you are with the diversity and range of your heartbeats, the more confidence you’ll have in it.
• Allow your heart to beat in whatever rhythm it sees fit. Don’t try to control the natural rhythms of your body by always insisting on a calm heartbeat. The more you allow your body to flow in the manner it so chooses, the faster it will return to a state of rest.
Very often, your heart only wants to palpitate a bit, thump a few beats harder. Why? That’s the heart’s own business. It’s your mind that interferes and panics, causing the adrenaline to kick off a longer cycle of rapid heartbeats. So from now on, make a verbal agreement with your heart that you’re going to stop interfering and obsessing over its health and trust in it 100 percent. Then hand over the controls. Let go to whatever way your heart wishes to behave. By allowing the sensations to happen and simply getting on with your day, you release the anxiety that you hold around your heart as well as the cautious monitoring of every heartbeat.
Palpitations are short, abrupt periods in which the heart suddenly starts beating fast. If you’re in a sensitive state, this can ring alarm bells because you fear a sudden heart attack. The more you panic, the faster the heart beats. It’s therefore understandable why many people in this situation jump to conclusions and call for medical help. What you have to remember is that palpitations are perfectly natural and can often be caused by exhaustion or stimulants like caffeine. Your heart is an incredibly strong muscle, and it won’t stop or explode simply because it’s beating hard and fast. A healthy heart can beat fast all day long and not be in any danger.
Missed Heartbeats
The medical term for missed heartbeats is extrasystoles. A missed heartbeat is usually an extra beat between two normal beats. Given the pause that follows this premature beat, it just seems as if one beat was missed. And because the heart’s lower chambers fill with a greater-than-usual amount of blood during the pause, the next regular heartbeat can feel like a bit of a jolt. When you feel this sensation, you often freeze and wait in terror to see if your heart is in trouble.
Such missed beats are generally harmless. It can help to sit down when you feel this sensation, but if you wish to keep moving, do so. Exercise won’t cause the situation to get worse, and don’t convince yourself that going home to lie down is the only way to help the situation. If you retreat every time you feel an unusual sensation, that behavior can reinforce a negative idea that your home is the only safe place to be. Our hearts are not atomic clocks that always keep time; they speed up, slow down, or occasionally beat in an irregular fashion. People with anxiety are very keen observers of all bodily functions. From time to time, you may notice an irregular beat or two. This is nothing to get upset about.
Sometimes, individuals go through similar worries about their heart as they do with their breathing. People convince themselves that if they worry enough about their heart, or concentrate too much upon its actions, it may somehow get confused and forget how to beat correctly. It’s quite common for people who suffer from panic attacks to check in on their heart at regular intervals to make sure it’s still beating away.
If you simply can’t stop obsessing about your heart, here are some tips:
• Get a full medical examination. If you don’t, your mind will always bring up the “what if something really is wrong” card. When you get a clean bill of health, trust in the results and don’t second-guess them. If you really must, get a second opinion—but after that, stop doubting your good health.
• Remember that your body has incredible internal intelligence. Simply telling your heart, out of panic, that it might stop doesn’t mean that it heeds your fears. Learn to become more comfortable with your heart, and let it do its job. Listen to it when you’re relaxed and also when you’re exercising. The more comfortable you are with the diversity and range of your heartbeats, the more confidence you’ll have in it.
• Allow your heart to beat in whatever rhythm it sees fit. Don’t try to control the natural rhythms of your body by always insisting on a calm heartbeat. The more you allow your body to flow in the manner it so chooses, the faster it will return to a state of rest.
Very often, your heart only wants to palpitate a bit, thump a few beats harder. Why? That’s the heart’s own business. It’s your mind that interferes and panics, causing the adrenaline to kick off a longer cycle of rapid heartbeats. So from now on, make a verbal agreement with your heart that you’re going to stop interfering and obsessing over its health and trust in it 100 percent. Then hand over the controls. Let go to whatever way your heart wishes to behave. By allowing the sensations to happen and simply getting on with your day, you release the anxiety that you hold around your heart as well as the cautious monitoring of every heartbeat.
hi every 1 just new 2 this. i been hav chest pain d last couple of days.its on d left side and d pain goes ito my arm.ive been 2 d doc they told me its my anxiety. been very worried i tink im hav a heart attack wen i get d pain. any 1 got advise for me.
I have started to get the chest pains back because I started eating certain foods again that I banned from my lifestyle before so I can try controlling my anxiety better. I banned cheese, milk, any bread that wasn't whole wheat, and all fried foods. It actually worked well to lower my anxiety levels, but as I started to ntroduce them back into my diet, things got worse again. My anxiety came back a little, and I started with the chest pains, and headaches all over again. I really think these foods are the culprit. I will try to stay away from those items, and let everyone know how I do. Thanks.
P.S. just to say that whilst I was reading your original post about your chest pain, and how you were feeling etc, I ACTUALLY started to feel the same symptoms as yourself, so do you see where I am going with this - anxiety is all in the mind, and mind over matter resolves EVERYTHING.
Sunset
Sunset
Hello there!!!
I would just like to say that I am personally the MOTHER of ALL CHEST PAINS if there was ever one!!!!
Personally have been suffering with chest pains on and off for over 26 years now, started when I was aged 10. First time I ever got it was when some tall big girl ran into me in the school yard and sent me flying she was a lot bigger than me. Ever since then it comes and goes but believe me it used to stay with me for days on end, and I thought I was dying at one point. In the end, a lot of it was actually down to anxiety, but the doctors also said that it was plueritic which is muscular so it wasn't ALL in my mind, but to be honest with you, if I was to sit down right now and WILL THIS PAIN TO HAPPEN, it just wouldn't, whereas I do feel a lot of it was in my mind, and always felt it had something major to do with my heart!!!! and one doctor once said to me in the ER look if it was your heart you have had the longest heart attack in histroy as it is going on over 20 years now and you are still here to tell the tale!!!
Interestingly enough though, you say you have not felt this way for a month now!!! why what happened a months ago??? did you have that pain then as well????
Let us all know how you are getting on won't you!!!
Sunset
I would just like to say that I am personally the MOTHER of ALL CHEST PAINS if there was ever one!!!!
Personally have been suffering with chest pains on and off for over 26 years now, started when I was aged 10. First time I ever got it was when some tall big girl ran into me in the school yard and sent me flying she was a lot bigger than me. Ever since then it comes and goes but believe me it used to stay with me for days on end, and I thought I was dying at one point. In the end, a lot of it was actually down to anxiety, but the doctors also said that it was plueritic which is muscular so it wasn't ALL in my mind, but to be honest with you, if I was to sit down right now and WILL THIS PAIN TO HAPPEN, it just wouldn't, whereas I do feel a lot of it was in my mind, and always felt it had something major to do with my heart!!!! and one doctor once said to me in the ER look if it was your heart you have had the longest heart attack in histroy as it is going on over 20 years now and you are still here to tell the tale!!!
Interestingly enough though, you say you have not felt this way for a month now!!! why what happened a months ago??? did you have that pain then as well????
Let us all know how you are getting on won't you!!!
Sunset
It just makes me soooo nervous because my mother keeps on telling me that because I am overweight I could still have these pains because I am getting anemic, or getting heart disease, or things like this. I wanted to cry today because I was so scared. I have lost 66 pounds since last year around this time, and I already gained back 10 give or take. I was at a point where I didn't want to eat much and now I feel like eating all the time. I am trying to control my cravings for fast food, but its so easy to just go and get it in less than 10 minutes. Thanks for your advice and suggestions and comments. I feel a little better. I just get worried that something bad will happen to me, and I can't control it.
I agree completely with Greenlydia in that while your descriptions of symptoms match common anxiety symptoms, and many of us have suffered from these, it is better to get it checked out than to sit aronud worrying about it, which is what you will continue to do until you hear a doctor say that "nothing is wrong with your heart." I have heard many people say that they would hate to go to the ER and be told "anxiety", as if they really want to hear "it's your heart", but I feel that every penny I've spent and time I've "wasted" pursing a medical diagnosis of symptoms was well worth it. They never found anything wrong other than anxiety, but everytime I heard that it reassured me and confirmed that I was only suffering from anxiety symptoms.
Hope you feel better soon!
Cori
Hope you feel better soon!
Cori
Hello,
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's just anxiety. I have had chest pains too, especially as of late... ofcourse they're not as bad but I really think it just has to do with anxiety or panic disorder you may have. Tremors is one thing I get every now and then.. they're very slight. With the chest pains, I get them every now and then lately.. It's usually for like 15 seconds or so and then it goes. Sometimes I think it's just gas. It's nothing serious I'm sure. A heart attack has a lot of other symptoms and these kind of symptoms will mimic that, but doesn't mean that's what you're going through or will happen. From what you wrote, I feel it's just anxiety. If you're very much worried about it, then you can always get it checked with your doctor. That will atleast clear that out, and also give you peace of mind.
Take care of yourself.. and try to take things easy.
I'm trying to do just the same. I'm here if you ever need to talk about your issues.
God bless,
Zai
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's just anxiety. I have had chest pains too, especially as of late... ofcourse they're not as bad but I really think it just has to do with anxiety or panic disorder you may have. Tremors is one thing I get every now and then.. they're very slight. With the chest pains, I get them every now and then lately.. It's usually for like 15 seconds or so and then it goes. Sometimes I think it's just gas. It's nothing serious I'm sure. A heart attack has a lot of other symptoms and these kind of symptoms will mimic that, but doesn't mean that's what you're going through or will happen. From what you wrote, I feel it's just anxiety. If you're very much worried about it, then you can always get it checked with your doctor. That will atleast clear that out, and also give you peace of mind.
Take care of yourself.. and try to take things easy.
I'm trying to do just the same. I'm here if you ever need to talk about your issues.
God bless,
Zai
Hi Sweetie,
It more than likely is NOT a heart attack, but I am not a doctor and even a doctor could not give you a diagnosis from his/her computer. You don't say how old you are, unless you did in your profile which I didn't read............but, I think it would be prudent for you to go to your local ED and tell them you are having chest pains. It's way better to be safe than sorry. And don't worry about feeling foolish if they give you a DX of "anxiety." That is what they are they for! And if it happens again next week and you get to freaking out again, GO BACK! If it keep happening, then it will be time to see your doc and get a referral to a cardiologist to make sure it IS just anxiety and not something organic.
Let us know how you are, OK?
Peace
Greenlydia
It more than likely is NOT a heart attack, but I am not a doctor and even a doctor could not give you a diagnosis from his/her computer. You don't say how old you are, unless you did in your profile which I didn't read............but, I think it would be prudent for you to go to your local ED and tell them you are having chest pains. It's way better to be safe than sorry. And don't worry about feeling foolish if they give you a DX of "anxiety." That is what they are they for! And if it happens again next week and you get to freaking out again, GO BACK! If it keep happening, then it will be time to see your doc and get a referral to a cardiologist to make sure it IS just anxiety and not something organic.
Let us know how you are, OK?
Peace
Greenlydia
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