Heart issues

[doggmutt]

A few months ago, maybe 5-7 months I started noticing a weird feeling in my chest/heart area, as if my heart or lung was becoming enlarged. I would cough and could almost feel like my ribs were scraping ever so slightly against my heart/lung. Wasn't sure which one. This was the only symptom I had been experiencing for awhile, until recently. Maybe last month I started feeling pains and irregular heartbeats, palpitations, like my heart was straining or something, I'd get really tired after being awake for maybe 2-3 hours. And now for about a week or two...I've been getting dizzy feelings, sharp subtle pains in my chest followed by irregular heartbeats, and feelings of vertigo, instances of nausea, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to relax to fall asleep. In fact, I feel it worse when I lay down and try to sleep. I've been experiencing heavy breathing, like it's very hard to breathe, sometimes when I take deep breaths I feel like my windpipe could just close up, my heart starts beating rapidly, and my head swims.

Sometimes while breathing I get a sensation in my chest like it just wants to close up or something really weird, I can't describe it. And now as I am typing this I have this really sick vertigo sensation, like my body is moving but I'm sitting still, it's hard for me to focus. As of right now my heart SEEMS to be beating fine, but every so often I get sharp pains and like a weird feeling in my chest area, the feeling I'm talking about feels like I can feel blood flowing through a vein in my heart rapidly, and after it passes I feel a subtle relief.

I am 23 years old, turning 24 next month, and I have been smoking cigarrettes since I turned 18, and grew up in a household where my father smoked constantly, so I've been exposed to second hand smoke all 23 years of my life as well as my own. I have a problem with anxiety, I try to keep it under control but I think I stress myself out too much. Recently I've noticed that I am a little more hyper, as if I have more energy or something, but I still have these symptoms with my heart. Also when I do get a little nervous or anxious, now I can feel it running all through my body down to my toes and fingers. I have yet to experience any sharp pains in my shoulders or arms, neck or back, just rushes of adrenaline through my body. I haven't really taken good care of myself through my life, haven't been eating right or anything. I'm around 5'8, 160 pounds, not in good shape.

The only reason why I haven't seen a doctor is simply because I do not have insurance nor can I afford it. I have a part-time retail job that I actually have yet to start as of today, and I do not go to school. I live in poverty and can't really do anything on demand at the moment, so I'm kind of at a loss right now. I just recently changed habits, I've almost completely cut off smoking, limiting myself to 2 cigarrettes a day down from half a pack a day. I'm trying to quit altogether but it is very hard. I don't like chewing gum or taking patches or any type of nicotine control methods because its not in my personality. I can quit easily, it's just a matter of boredom for me. When I am active, smoking is the last thing I think about because I know it takes from my ability to function properly.

Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

  I wish I had known about the financial help prier to my heart attack.  Had I known I would have had everything taken care of five or more years ago.  I can't say I had the same symptoms as you but the symptoms I had told me it was my heart.

  I had the heart attack and went to one hospital.  They could only stabilize me and I was transported to another for surgery.   3/4ths of the bill from the first hospital was paid for by their own charity and had I not made as much, the entire bill would have been taken care of.  The second hospital I have a $14,000 bill for the Dr.s and $43,000 bill for the hospital.  The Dr.s cut their bill in half and I'm making payments.  Had I talked to them I may have even got more cut because as it is I can't afford to make the monthly payments of $100.

  The second bill for that same hospital I'm waiting on some paperwork from the IRS.  This will tell the hospital how much to cut from the bill and discussing this with the hospital, if everything is in order they will take care of the entire bill!  And on top of this all three groups were more then wiling to help out!!

So, if your problem is what Tiaracheal and I think, then the lack of money should not be an issue!  There is no way I can ever pay even a fraction of the $43k should something go wrong with the paperwork but I'd rather have that over my head than to be dead or worse.

[Tiarachael]

I've been having the exact same problems down to the smoking, height, weight, and everything else, and apparently I have a problem with my heart.  Go to the doctor or the ER!  Your heart is not something you should be ignoring.  I know it's hard when you don't have insurance, but you could be exasperating the situation by waiting to have this issue dealt with.  All the symptoms you listed are common signs of an underlying issue, and you don't wait to procrastinate with that.  There are also usually medical referrals you can get from the hospital when you cannot afford the medical bills.  Talk to the receptionist or call around to different hospitals to find out whether they have anything available for lower-income individuals.  Bottom line is, this could always turn out to be nothing, but you never want to play around when it comes to your life.