[faerie_moon_x]

Hello,

I usually don't post here but over on the bipolar forum. I have bipolar but also generalized anxiety disorder. For the most part my anxiety is just a low lying thing, always there but not terrible. But then sometimes I have mild panic attacks when I'm under stress.

Anyway, since about March I've been having random chest pains. I have been to my MD about this pain, and am to follow up in about 2 months. He said it's because I have a vitamin D deficiancy, but I'm not so sure. I've been supplimenting my vitamins and getting some sun. For a while the pain let up, but now they are back. I'm not sure if it is some type of medicle thing or maybe anxiety.

I notice that when my heart rate goes up, that is when I have the pain. It is an intense squeezing that starts in my abs and travels into my chest, where my whole chest area feels like I am getting squeezed. I can't breathe, it gets worse if I try to lay down. It lasts for several minutes, and I have woken up with it about two times, but usually only happens when I'm awake. I'm wondering if this might be some type of anxiety or panic?

Has anyone else experienced something like that? I'm just curious.

[lynn P.]

Yes anxiety can cause chest tightness/pain and there are a few other common things like acid reflux. Do you have any problem with acid reflux. Does slow deep breathing help - often anxiety sufferers breath very shallow which leads to tightness in the chest. Its good you're checking out the physical reasons and I hope it gets better.

[uchiha]

Originally Posted by dark_heart_x

Hello,

I usually don't post here but over on the bipolar forum. I have bipolar but also generalized anxiety disorder. For the most part my anxiety is just a low lying thing, always there but not terrible. But then sometimes I have mild panic attacks when I'm under stress.

Anyway, since about March I've been having random chest pains. I have been to my MD about this pain, and am to follow up in about 2 months. He said it's because I have a vitamin D deficiancy, but I'm not so sure. I've been supplimenting my vitamins and getting some sun. For a while the pain let up, but now they are back. I'm not sure if it is some type of medicle thing or maybe anxiety.

I notice that when my heart rate goes up, that is when I have the pain. It is an intense squeezing that starts in my abs and travels into my chest, where my whole chest area feels like I am getting squeezed. I can't breathe, it gets worse if I try to lay down. It lasts for several minutes, and I have woken up with it about two times, but usually only happens when I'm awake. I'm wondering if this might be some type of anxiety or panic?

Has anyone else experienced something like that? I'm just curious.

The first time I started to experience panic attacks, I felt like I was having an heart attack. After the panic attack, I would still feel a soreness in my chess for a few hours. I also experience tightness in my abdominum, tingling sensation in my arms, light headed ness, and shortness of breath. So yeah, these are some of the common symptoms of panic attacks. It sucks! My symptoms have reduce and not as intense, but still sucks. Hang in there!

[faerie_moon_x]

Thank you.

Yes anxiety can cause chest tightness/pain and there are a few other common things like acid reflux. Do you have any problem with acid reflux. Does slow deep breathing help - often anxiety sufferers breath very shallow which leads to tightness in the chest. Its good you're checking out the physical reasons and I hope it gets better.

When it's happening I can't seem to take deep breathes. It's very painful to do so. It's very hard to breathe when it's happening. I try to reamin calm and take deep breathes, but every intake feels like it is making my chest tighter. I have also tried to lay down, but that makes it 100x worse.

The first time I started to experience panic attacks, I felt like I was having an heart attack. After the panic attack, I would still feel a soreness in my chess for a few hours. I also experience tightness in my abdominum, tingling sensation in my arms, light headed ness, and shortness of breath. So yeah, these are some of the common symptoms of panic attacks. It sucks! My symptoms have reduce and not as intense, but still sucks. Hang in there!

I feel sore after, yes. And lightheaded and heaviness in my arms. I was scared the first few times it happened that it was a heart attack of some type.

The odd thing is, I don't always feel anxiety when it happens. It seems to be when my heart rate goes up. Or when I'm asleep. Do people often get woken up by panic attacks?

[Glowiebird]

I have random chest pains too! I also get them down in my ribs! They sound just like yours; they take my breath away. At first I was worried i was going to have a heart attack , but I'm 16 & pretty healthy. I have anxiety pretty bad & that's what my chest pains are from. I've never been woken up by them, but they are random and also last for a few minutes. I'm sure that it is just your anxiety... When i don't think about them, they usually go away . So just try to keep your mind clear; your body reacts to stress in strange ways.

[uchiha]

Originally Posted by dark_heart_x

Thank you.


When it's happening I can't seem to take deep breathes. It's very painful to do so. It's very hard to breathe when it's happening. I try to reamin calm and take deep breathes, but every intake feels like it is making my chest tighter. I have also tried to lay down, but that makes it 100x worse.


I feel sore after, yes. And lightheaded and heaviness in my arms. I was scared the first few times it happened that it was a heart attack of some type.

The odd thing is, I don't always feel anxiety when it happens. It seems to be when my heart rate goes up. Or when I'm asleep. Do people often get woken up by panic attacks?

Yeah, it has happen to me twice so far. I have woken up in the middle of one.

[unaluna]

I was getting gallbladder attacks that were more off to my right side, not my left, that I also worried were heart attacks. it felt tight across my mid back. I spent a year eating pretty much just bran flakes and soy milk - that was all I could stand to eat, I was pretty nauseated too. I was under a LOT of stress at the time. and yeah it was a terribly sharp pain, enough to wake you up. gallbladder is nothing to fool around with, if the pain doesn't let up, do go to the dr, I know of a guy who let it go for like a week or more ie in bad pain the whole time, who ended up dying from it.

[faerie_moon_x]

Thank you. I will be going to doctor again soon to follow up. Getting vitamin D was helping for a while but it seems to not be helping now? I don't know if it is physical or not. But, I will go back because I keep having them. Since Friday I've had them twice a day. That's more than before. They used to be more sporadic. The one this morning was a worse one, but not the worst one.

I've been having them since March, when I started back to work. In fact I had my first one the day I went back to work, which at first made me think it was anxiety. We shall see.

Thank you all

[waynec]

Originally Posted by dark_heart_x

Thank you. I will be going to doctor again soon to follow up. Getting vitamin D was helping for a while but it seems to not be helping now? I don't know if it is physical or not. But, I will go back because I keep having them. Since Friday I've had them twice a day. That's more than before. They used to be more sporadic. The one this morning was a worse one, but not the worst one.

I've been having them since March, when I started back to work. In fact I had my first one the day I went back to work, which at first made me think it was anxiety. We shall see.

Thank you all

i have a real concern with heart disease so every chest ache (not even a pain) would cause anxiety and sometimes a panic attack. did all the tests and, except for slightly high bp there is nothing wrong. it took years to believe it and still, when i am at a low point, i will still start getting anxious if i pull something. last 3 days i awoke with an ache and just didn't feel like fighting it so i took a .25mg xanax and biked for 40 minutes before doing something i had to focus on. if all the tests are good, each day when the pain starts tell yourself you are well. do it long enough and you will eventually believe it.

[faerie_moon_x]

Originally Posted by waynec

i have a real concern with heart disease so every chest ache (not even a pain) would cause anxiety and sometimes a panic attack. did all the tests and, except for slightly high bp there is nothing wrong. it took years to believe it and still, when i am at a low point, i will still start getting anxious if i pull something. last 3 days i awoke with an ache and just didn't feel like fighting it so i took a .25mg xanax and biked for 40 minutes before doing something i had to focus on. if all the tests are good, each day when the pain starts tell yourself you are well. do it long enough and you will eventually believe it.

Yes, thanks.

When I have them I try to relax. The results of the tests were blood tests. Vitamin D deficiency and high c-reactive protein. So, I will just relax until I go back. Thank you.

[faerie_moon_x]

Hello again, I thought I would give you all an update to what my chest pains were since you were all so kind and helpful.

It wasn't anxiety or a heart problem. I was actually releasing gallstones from my gallbladder. It came about that on 7/21 at 4 a.m. I started to have the crushing pain in my chest and it lasted for 30 minutes, it was so sever I could not breath, sit, or lay down. I was pacing around just trying to relax and I was sure I was having a heart attack. So my husband called 911 and I was taken to the hospital. After an ultrasound they saw the tubes between my liver and intestines were full of gallstones.

So I had to have my gallbladder removed and all the stones, too. But I ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks because I also got pancreatitis from the gallstone removal. I have since learned that gallstones often make people think they are having a heart attack, which is good to know.

Anyway, thanks again and I just wanted to update you on what was actually going on.

[unaluna]

whew! glad you made it thru alright! one ER dr finally dx'd me as having "atypical" gallstone disease ie not typical, cos I just didn't have the usual symptoms. but except for the occasional (maybe monthly or quarterly) drive-thru McD's french fries, I never eat fried food, I can't without getting illish.

[skeksi]

I'm glad you got it resolved! I had pains like that years ago and the ER told me three times it was anxiety attacks (at the time I was not diagnosed with my anxiety disorder) but it turned out to be gallbladder, too. It's a horrible pain!

I hope you've healed up well.

[eloquentdisaster]

Oh my, that sounds horrible! I'm glad you found out what was wrong, though. I hope you feel better now.

[johnnmack102]

I usually don't post here but over on the bipolar forum. I have bipolar but also generalized anxiety disorder. For the most part my anxiety is just a low lying thing, always there but not terrible. But then sometimes I have mild panic attacks when I'm under stress.

I'm awake. I'm wondering if this might be some type of anxiety or panic?

Has anyone else experienced something like that? I'm just curious.