Aa
19yrs., Chest Tight, heart beating heavy...
I am 19 years old, i am a smoker and have been smoking for 3 years, but am slowly winding down. What im going through now is definitly making me quit. I currently smoke maybe 4 cigarettes a day (Marlbro lights). Smoking has never had even close to an effect like this on me.
I drink maybe a few beers every other to every weekend around 4-6 depends on the week.
I'm not sure if this would have an effect on it but i figured it couldn't hurt to give a little information.
I recently have been having what feels like heart attacks and palpatations. I was sleeping one night after a concert and i didn't drink that whole night, but i did have a few cigarettes maybe 6-8. I crawled into bed, it took about 30 minutes to get home, and after about 5 minutes of lying down, with no warning it felt as though my heart did a flip in my chest, I immidiatly felt light-headed, i jumped out of bed ran to the kitchen got some water and began sipping slowly thinking this is an anxiety attack, but not taking the chance and taking 2 asprin just incase. it took some tea, and it took an hour until it subsided enough for me to sleep.
For the next week my chest hurt in the area of my heart(basically the whole left side of my chest), and than at the end of the week i was at work and suddenly felt sharp pains in my chest, i instantly became light-headed, my heart began racing. i tried some water, but began to feel faint, called my parents to take me to the Emergancy room. While there they took a chest x-ray as well as 2 ekg's the second because i asked them to double check. They said everything looked fine, they even said that my heart seemed etremely healthy and it looked as if i kept in shape. (Which i try to do, i am of athletic build, not overweight. but not all muscle).
So they gave me some ibprophin and sent me on my way, even though i still complained of severe pain. they told me to consult my doctor, by the time i got to my doctor a little over a week later, the symptoms seemed to have just faded, they did an extensive ekg and said i needed to give some bloodwork which i still need to do.
About 2 days ago it returned and while i was at work i felt 3 sharp stabs, this time it was definitly a stabbing pain, and once again lightheaded, my heart began racing, i called my parents for some asprin and drank 2 bottle waters and ate a bag of pretzles thinking maybe i didnt drink enough or eat enough throughout the day, that didnt really help. my dad brought me two asprin, and a zantax thinking it could just be digestion, My dad suffers from acid reflaux disease.
that didn't really help either but after awhile it faded somewhat. However, since then, my heart has felt as though it is beating heavy, i can't sleep because of it some nights because i can feel it throughout my body. It hurts occasionally usually a stabbing or sore pain. and my chest feels tight. I currently am expereincing this as im writing this question. it feels as though when i inhale it's shallow, or as if when i breathe a breathe will just disappear. i feel like theres alot of things moving around getting tangled in my chest. i occasionally feel pops or clicks. I sometimes get panic attacks but they have never been like this, i occasionally get back pain but nothing like this, and my back hasn't bothered me for a good while. I was wondering if this makes any sense to anyone. alot of the times it feels like my chest is numb on the surface. maybe because i keep checking it and rubbing it. But right now my hearts not racing, it just feels as though it's off-beating occasionally, and is beating very heavy at a regular rate, and my chest feels tight all around the left side.
I plan to see my doctor but i would like to try and understand how severe this is, i feel as though i should race to the E.R. everytime this happens because it feels like im going to die, however i don't want to waste their time and mine, if i show up waste money and have them just tell me im fine and they cant find a problem like the last time.
I drink maybe a few beers every other to every weekend around 4-6 depends on the week.
I'm not sure if this would have an effect on it but i figured it couldn't hurt to give a little information.
I recently have been having what feels like heart attacks and palpatations. I was sleeping one night after a concert and i didn't drink that whole night, but i did have a few cigarettes maybe 6-8. I crawled into bed, it took about 30 minutes to get home, and after about 5 minutes of lying down, with no warning it felt as though my heart did a flip in my chest, I immidiatly felt light-headed, i jumped out of bed ran to the kitchen got some water and began sipping slowly thinking this is an anxiety attack, but not taking the chance and taking 2 asprin just incase. it took some tea, and it took an hour until it subsided enough for me to sleep.
For the next week my chest hurt in the area of my heart(basically the whole left side of my chest), and than at the end of the week i was at work and suddenly felt sharp pains in my chest, i instantly became light-headed, my heart began racing. i tried some water, but began to feel faint, called my parents to take me to the Emergancy room. While there they took a chest x-ray as well as 2 ekg's the second because i asked them to double check. They said everything looked fine, they even said that my heart seemed etremely healthy and it looked as if i kept in shape. (Which i try to do, i am of athletic build, not overweight. but not all muscle).
So they gave me some ibprophin and sent me on my way, even though i still complained of severe pain. they told me to consult my doctor, by the time i got to my doctor a little over a week later, the symptoms seemed to have just faded, they did an extensive ekg and said i needed to give some bloodwork which i still need to do.
About 2 days ago it returned and while i was at work i felt 3 sharp stabs, this time it was definitly a stabbing pain, and once again lightheaded, my heart began racing, i called my parents for some asprin and drank 2 bottle waters and ate a bag of pretzles thinking maybe i didnt drink enough or eat enough throughout the day, that didnt really help. my dad brought me two asprin, and a zantax thinking it could just be digestion, My dad suffers from acid reflaux disease.
that didn't really help either but after awhile it faded somewhat. However, since then, my heart has felt as though it is beating heavy, i can't sleep because of it some nights because i can feel it throughout my body. It hurts occasionally usually a stabbing or sore pain. and my chest feels tight. I currently am expereincing this as im writing this question. it feels as though when i inhale it's shallow, or as if when i breathe a breathe will just disappear. i feel like theres alot of things moving around getting tangled in my chest. i occasionally feel pops or clicks. I sometimes get panic attacks but they have never been like this, i occasionally get back pain but nothing like this, and my back hasn't bothered me for a good while. I was wondering if this makes any sense to anyone. alot of the times it feels like my chest is numb on the surface. maybe because i keep checking it and rubbing it. But right now my hearts not racing, it just feels as though it's off-beating occasionally, and is beating very heavy at a regular rate, and my chest feels tight all around the left side.
I plan to see my doctor but i would like to try and understand how severe this is, i feel as though i should race to the E.R. everytime this happens because it feels like im going to die, however i don't want to waste their time and mine, if i show up waste money and have them just tell me im fine and they cant find a problem like the last time.
Hey Man. I can tell you that the Alcohol is probably the most likley culprit of the sensations you experience. I just until recently lived a really health abusive lifestyle that I changed on my own because I just couldn't take the sesnations of the heart beating hard, skipping, and racing. I still get episodes the day after I had a bit to much to drink, especially when I get completely hammered, the next day is just brutal.
Alcohol is a depressant, and makes us feel better while intoxicated, but then 10 times worse when we are hungover. Thats why so many drink constantly, unlike us that binge drink, becuase they do want to suffer from the hangover.
I still drink 3-4 times a week, but very conciously., But I'm learning that when you have a few drinks it is exremely difficult to control your drinking after you've already have had a few. Especially when you're out with friends and laughing for hours on end....
I tend to sleep on my wrist against my chest wall to constantly monitor my body before sleep. This has really hindered my quality of life over the years. I started expereiencing these sensations when I was 19 as well. I'm 32 now, and still alive. I'm sure I'll live a normal length life, but I'm just programmed to Worry about everything.. What a pain in the butt.
Alcohol is a depressant, and makes us feel better while intoxicated, but then 10 times worse when we are hungover. Thats why so many drink constantly, unlike us that binge drink, becuase they do want to suffer from the hangover.
I still drink 3-4 times a week, but very conciously., But I'm learning that when you have a few drinks it is exremely difficult to control your drinking after you've already have had a few. Especially when you're out with friends and laughing for hours on end....
I tend to sleep on my wrist against my chest wall to constantly monitor my body before sleep. This has really hindered my quality of life over the years. I started expereiencing these sensations when I was 19 as well. I'm 32 now, and still alive. I'm sure I'll live a normal length life, but I'm just programmed to Worry about everything.. What a pain in the butt.
Sometimes Lifestyle changes are just not enough. Sometimes your brain wont allow you to stop worrying about your condtion. NO ONE said become dependent on drugs but allow yourself to take some medications until you get a grip on the situation. NO ONE said you have to take these pills forever. Take them and try them until you feel better and more confident about your health. Medications are made to help you, not to hurt you. I once had problems with anxiety and my heart, and thank the lord for the lovely medications that turned my life around
You are 19 years old and scared of dying...I know, I was once in your shoes. You are letting this frighten you to the point that you are trying to control your autonomic nervous system. All that happens in those circumstances is that you become obsessed with what your heart is doing and become focused on it. It is a self-perpetuating cycle and must be broken by you, letting yourself return to normal. It is not easy to do, but I did it when I was your age. THE LAST THING YOU NEED IS TO BECOME DEPENDENT ON MEDICATION when you have been given a clean bill of health. I am not saying that you are not feeling a premature beat, pounding heart, or racing heart at times, but it is more than likely the result of adrenalin rushes. Some of us are more sensative to certain stimulants, particularly caffein, and green tea is LOADED with it. Energy drinks, Mountain Dew type drinks, alcohol, cigarettes, most recreational drugs, among many other things, can trigger episodes like you are describing. The pain you are describing sounds a lot like something I once had, and that was spasms of the diaphragm and it took a long time to resolve. Stabbing type pains are almost never associated with the heart. Heart pain is almost always a dull, gripping sensation deep in the chest that usually eases when prone. A change in your lifestyle would probably help more than anything.
Sounds like you need a good dose of 20mg Celexa, 2, 0.5mg Xanax, and maybe 25 to 50 mg of a beta blocker like Toprol, or something like that. That should take care of the problem. Celexa is an anti dep. but also is used for anxiety. Xanax will help you sleep ad become relaxed, and the beta blocker will slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and lower the force fo your heart beating. I know I used to have strong beats like you and started a beta blocker, and was cured as I can no longer feel my heart stabbing and thumping in my chest. A beta blocker can also help with PVC's.
Goodbye
Goodbye
Well i've been drinking water and green tea the occasional glass of soda... still smoking but usually like four cigs a day, and there lights...
i do tend to drink quite often... if these beats are perfectly normal than i dont understand why it causes such intense pain. I mean pain is a message from your brain that something is wrong. and the more severe the pain the worse the problem... well if it feels like im having a heart attack at least once on a daily basis theres gotta be something goin on here...
i mean i understand what your saying and trust me i understand that this probably does happen to almost everyone at some point but i really need to know for sure... and my doctor doesn't seem to know...
i do tend to drink quite often... if these beats are perfectly normal than i dont understand why it causes such intense pain. I mean pain is a message from your brain that something is wrong. and the more severe the pain the worse the problem... well if it feels like im having a heart attack at least once on a daily basis theres gotta be something goin on here...
i mean i understand what your saying and trust me i understand that this probably does happen to almost everyone at some point but i really need to know for sure... and my doctor doesn't seem to know...
The first thing you have to do is to understand that the more you worry yourself, the worse this is going to get. What you are describing are premature beats; everyone on the planet has them from time to time. The heart's electrical system (the cells that make up the electrical system) is capable of firing these beats; it's a back-up system to the SA and AV nodes. This is one reason a heart that is transplanted beats without a connection to the brain. The chest pains that you describle are not heart related, certainly not at your age with several clean bills of health. Try not to worry about these episodes, you are a long way off from dying from heart disease. Good for you for trying to cut down on the cigs and try and stay away from drinking beers and anything with caffeine. (coffees, mountain dew and many soda products, chocolates teas etc) Doing any of that will certainly help you as well.
Alright, well i have had 3 ekg's which the doctors say my heart is very healthy, they said they can tell i exercise. I had a Chest x-ray, i now have had a blood test which came out perfect to the T...
Where do i go from here, it's still going on... im still researching this and it could be a number of things, intercoastal neuralgia, pvc's, it could be a sciatic nerve. I don't get it, sometimes it feels like it's my heart directly, others it's like i'm pinching a nerve, and other times it just feels like it's sore..
Where do i go from here, it's still going on... im still researching this and it could be a number of things, intercoastal neuralgia, pvc's, it could be a sciatic nerve. I don't get it, sometimes it feels like it's my heart directly, others it's like i'm pinching a nerve, and other times it just feels like it's sore..
oh i am slightly crazy, more so at random times... I do deal with alot of stress, and cannot deal with stress all that well...
If the doctors don't find anything than i guess ill have to do it myself... Theres no way im living with this.. Anyone who has dealt with this for a long period of time, i can not tell you how strong you are, because this has been going on for about a week straight, i didnt sleep for 3 days than finally got to sleep during a break in the pain...
See my dad thinks it's acid refaux, he suffers from it... i took a zantax after the last major pains and it seemed to help a bit, and if i take asprin after it seems to help a bit as well...
I can't deal with this for as a long-term thing hell no...
If the doctors don't find anything than i guess ill have to do it myself... Theres no way im living with this.. Anyone who has dealt with this for a long period of time, i can not tell you how strong you are, because this has been going on for about a week straight, i didnt sleep for 3 days than finally got to sleep during a break in the pain...
See my dad thinks it's acid refaux, he suffers from it... i took a zantax after the last major pains and it seemed to help a bit, and if i take asprin after it seems to help a bit as well...
I can't deal with this for as a long-term thing hell no...
It's sure sounds like PVC's, I get them every other beat.. I've had all the work they can do and they dont treat PVC's it's just something your forced to deal with.. I know it *****, it hurts, it makes you dizzy and you feel as if your dying or your heart fighting to keep beating.. It bites and it's not fair.. They may give you meds for stress, I know they dont work for me but I do take them, then they may ask you to go to councling. I know your not crazy and the councling wont work.. I'm just waiting for doctors to learn how to do their jobs to find a reason or a treatment so I can get back to my normal life that I had..
see that right there scares me i cant deal with this consistantly... no way could i deal with this...
I haven't slept in 2 days because everytime i try to sleep my heart beat pulsates through my body and i begin to feel offbeats or skips or pains.
Im going for bloodwork here soon...
I've looked some stuff up a bit, and it's a possibility of (pvc).
but im no doctor and have no degree... How is it that this just pops out at random, could it be associated with back problems, lack of exercise ( i get more than most but couldn't hurt to do more). poor diet, theres gotta be an underlying cause that can be treated, i wont accept that this is something im gonna live with because i will never sleep again...
I haven't slept in 2 days because everytime i try to sleep my heart beat pulsates through my body and i begin to feel offbeats or skips or pains.
Im going for bloodwork here soon...
I've looked some stuff up a bit, and it's a possibility of (pvc).
but im no doctor and have no degree... How is it that this just pops out at random, could it be associated with back problems, lack of exercise ( i get more than most but couldn't hurt to do more). poor diet, theres gotta be an underlying cause that can be treated, i wont accept that this is something im gonna live with because i will never sleep again...
I've been dealing with the same thing as you for over a year now, sometimes it's just a nagging pain like a charliehorse in the chest and others times it's a stabbing pain.. They cant seem to find anything dispite how many times you go to the doctors... I've had every test out there and still nothing.. Just hang in there..
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