cardiovascular condition or anxiety

[goodgirl28358]

I started having symptoms about 8 yrs ago when i smoked. I have stopped now for 6yrs. I started waking up in the middle of the night with racing heart severe headache chest pain and pain in my arms and face. I don't even have to mention the syptoms good before a doctor will say anxiety. I have had problems with anxiety and I know what the symptoms are. This is entirely different. With recent trips to the emergency room I have learned that my resting blood pressure is running 172/104 and sometimes higher with a heart rate of 112 during these episodes. The heart rate is sometimes 112 when the blood pressure is normal. Sometimes I have chest spasms that occur between my breasts and feels like I can't get my breath. The headaches and heart palpitations have become so frequent now that it is very alarming. I have been given Seroquel, Alprozolam and Celexa so far but these episodes still occur. These symptoms started during my sleep and now the episodes occur during the day during sleep and lots of times upon standing. I'm a 49 yr old asthamtic and have fibromyalgia for which I only recently started being treated. This is not anxiety. Can someone please help?

[ottawa1gtb]

Ricobord sounds like he knows what he is talking about. I would be nervous with those additional symptoms you mentioned. When you go to the doctor make them listen to other possible causes it could be and state that you want to be checked for all of them. Alot of people play the passive role in the doctors office and dont insist on having their concerns checked out. My friend was passive, she knew something was wrong, doctors kept saying nothing was wrong...she died 18 months later...cancer. It could have been prevented with a simple MRI or cat scan. I'm not saying all this to scare you...just to encourage you to pressure your doctors to do as you ask as far as testings.

[Ricobord]

If these were anxiety/panic attacks then the meds should have helped at least somewhat.  The two things I thought of first were a heart echo (to make sure there isn't an underlying problem with your heart) and a sleep study.  

I have had anxiety, pounding heart, tachycardia (palpitations), elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and difficulty breathing as symptoms of my late stage Lyme Disease and Bartonella infections. All of the symptoms of Fibro can also be caused by Lyme Disease.  

I really encourage you to get checked out by a LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) to see if tick borne infections are a possibility.  Most doctors know very little about them and don't know that patients can test false negative. An LLMD knows the diseases well and can make a clinical diagnosis if appropriate, or exclude them for you so you can continue exploring other possibilities.

[goodgirl28358]

Thank you very much for your input and your concern. I really appreciate it. I have had panic attacks before and this is very different. I forgot to mention that sometimes I have sharp pains in the left side of my head and something like nausea almost like the kind you feel when you ride at an amusement park only worse and it's all over. This is robbing me of peace of mind to the point that I cannot function any more.

[ottawa1gtb]

I have anxiety. Mine get so severe that my shoulders, neck ,and chest get shooting pains similiar to bolts of electiricity, usually breathing difficulty follows it, head aches from stress, heart palpitations (like butterflies in chest, almost takes ur breath away) sometimes as frequent as several every few minutes throughout the day..sometimes days at a time. I have never experienced these symptoms while sleeping although I have had "panic attacks" in my sleep. which is POUNDING heatbeats. I have learned to control panic attacks very well but anxiety is much more difficult to control short of meds. Make your DR listen to you from start to finish...you are the one "PAYING" for his service.