Strange "drop" feeling in chest

[appstudent]

Hi. I have a fairly involved question, so please bear with me. I was recently diagnosed as having panic attacks by my primary care physician. I am 24, recently returned to college. Before I went to school, I had none of the problems I am about to describe.

My feelings of being weirded out first started when my left arm and hand started going numb. Doctor said it was due to neck spasms. Next, different things started to pop up. I definitely have panic attacks (periods of racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, tightness in my chest, nausea, etc) but I also have a strange feeling in my chest 95% of the day. It feels sort of hollow all the time, and every two minutes or so I will have a feeling like a "drop" or almost like a shock in my chest. I have had PVCs (all the time) for at least 5 years, and it almost feels like a more severe one of these. When I'm having this problem, I also have difficulty swallowing and can sort of feel the swallow going all the way down. The drop feeling is worse when I bend over or crouch down.

I went to the cardiologist last week and he did an echo and said I have a perfectly normal heart. He prescribed alprazolam for the panic attacks. What I can't make anyone understand is that even when I'm not having an "attack" I still feel icky inside. I take my pulse a thousand times a day and it varies from 58-85 when at rest, depending on the time of day. Also, I wake up in the middle of the night feeling like my heart is barely beating (super slow) and I can't breathe.

I have been experiencing terrible insomnia, mostly due to the fact that I am terrified I'm dying. There are sometimes periods of days with no sleep whatsoever (it's 4am as I type this!). My main concern is that I could have a heart condition that would not be easily identified just with the echo. I haven't passed out or had trouble exerting myself or anything, but when I feel this way I don't want to do anything but be perfectly still and I can't stop thinking about it.

It also seems to perhaps be connected to food. I used to love eating and look forward to it and my family really based a lot of our good times around meals, but now food sickens me. When I'm hungry I get the "drop" feeling, then I think if I eat it will go away, but it doens't and sometimes actually worsens. Then I think perhaps I need to use the bathroom, and I either will go and be sick to my stomach or not be able to go. I have never had problems with my bathroom habits before, but haven't been "regular" in over a month now.

I want so much for this just to be anxiety and for it to go away naturally. People tell me to think of something else and it's just my "panic attacks" but when you have physical symptoms that are very bothersome and constant, it's hard to just turn it on and off. Please let me know if there is anything else this sounds like, or if I should just trust my cardiologist and take my xanax and try to find some counseling.

PS - Additional info about the alprazolam. It's only .25 mg, and I've taken it twice. The first time it didn't seem to do much. It definitely calmed me, but didn't help with the hollow chest/drop feeling. Tonight I took it and actually experienced some relief. I was able to go out with friends and be very productive. However, once I went to sleep I kept waking up and my heart rate was very low. I don't know if this is because of the xanax, but it was very scary and has kept me awake.

I'm sorry to post all this, but I have been to the doctor multiple times and they are very helpful but I never leave fully satisfied. I'm really scared and this is interfering with my school work and social life severely.

[casslol2323]

Hey, I've been having this exact feeling too and I'm only 15 years old. It really scares me when I get that "drop" feeling in my chest and it keeps me from sleeping. I believe I have anxiety, because I'm always worrying about everything, but I haven't been diagnosed with anything. My mom told me the feeling I get in my chest is just heart palpitations which is something I get with my Anemia because I am anemic. But it still scares me and I get it randomly. Sometimes I will get pain in my heart too and I just get so scared. I don't know what to do. If anyone has any ideas on what this could be, I would love to read it. Any advice or information will be helpful. Thanks. Glad I'm not the only one feeling this! Just hoping its nothing serious.

[zazbo]

could be MVP Mitral valve prolapse. This is when the valve that feeds your heart is further down into the heart rather than back up in the artery. sometimes with heavy work or even crouching down will cause what they call regurgitation. this is when the blood from the chamber flows backwards out the in valve. this created a pulling sensation on the sides of the heart wall giving you a :bump:feeling.  This issue is not uncommon and usually is be-nine. however in severe cases it can result in the need for a valve transplant.
this issue is hard for the doctor to diagnose being usually when your at the doctor this issue isn't showing its self. I myself got them to attach the heart monitor then crouched down a few times so they could record it.

[mcateehardy]

You have just described ME! I am 65 years old and have been putting up with this for years. But I do not have panic attacks nor ever taken Xanax or anything else. I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse when I was very young, so I have attributed it to that. The only other thing I do is to cough several times when it is bad. It does seem to help as though it is jetting my heart back to normal.

[Jansell84]

I think the feeling we're all having is related to the central nervous system. I was on Ativan for the past few months. I passed out and had a seizure which has lead me to severe anxiety and depression. I've been in bed for the past few months due to the depression... it's been horrible. But back to the drop feeling, I didn't have it when I was on the Ativan. Had it before, and I just recently weened off Ativan and now I have it again.

I say it must be caused by the nervous system because Ativan suppresses the central nervous system which is what helps you relax when severely anxious. Since mine disappeared while on Ativan and came back after I quit I figure that's gotta be it. Doesn't mean everyone's is the same thing but most of the descriptions I've read are the same. So anything like Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin... benzos should provide relief. Problem is benzos can be real dangerous if taken long term... so be careful. I had pretty bad withdrawal from low dose Ativan I only took for a few months. Great drugs but they can cause serious problems if your body becomes dependent.

Take care and God bless

[Lopiux]

I have the same feeling, with me it started like i was having a heart attack, i was so scared and could not breath. Every day i was feeling like i was about to die out of nowhere. I went to the doctor he said it was anxiety i was feeling that drop in the chest i was never relaxed then continued convincing me that i have throat cancer ... just as i moved out of it i was thinking about the lung cancer i am so not relaxed i dont know what to do ... any one felt like this before, please help me

[Avonessa]

Same thing with me. It's a terrifying feeling and every time I think back to having those feelings I feel stupid and weak. I ended up in the mental ward at least 3 times when I was having a panic attack and thought it was a heart attack. Now I know that in order to relieve it (naturally), I have to first realize that I'm having a panic attack. Next, I identify 3 things with each of my 5 senses--3 things I can touch, hear, taste, see, and smell. It helps to relieve my panic and anxiety, and I try to distract myself when I start to overanalyze everything my body is feeling. If you die, you just die--It wouldn't be painful because most people say it's like falling asleep. Whatever comes next is unknown and I apologize if I've offended your religious or spiritual beliefs.

[npbro]

Could be vagus nerve stimulation through digestive issues or postural problems.. when your anxious you get tight and it aggravates it further... also anxiety messes up your digestive system cortisol reponse its just a huge chain reaction. I had some **** like that for a bit but now I get that drop feeling maybe once every 2 weeks and its from indigestion.. I also fixed myself using marijuana though.. be careful if your going to self medicate though for anxious people it can be scary until you get used to being high.. (it helps bc marijuana helps with digestive issues, stress and posture) And theres other options like fix your diet, exercise work on muscle imbalances and get busy with life and stop focusing on your body/ stressing out over it.. You have to remember its just an annoyance and nothing is wrong with you.
Stay strong one day you'll forget you ever had this ****** period if you learn to move on..