# Chest pains



## sebastian (Aug 11, 2004)

Hi,

I'm curious if any of you ever experience a kind of persistent minor chest pain. Here's what i'm feeling: When i draw in a deep breath, i feel a minor discomfort around my heart area. It's akin to what i feel sometimes when i run a long distance or work out rather vigorously. Except i've felt this, in a very minor sense, for a few days now. I guess since Thursday or Friday. So, i'm starting to get a little worried. The only thing that's keeping me from flying to an emergency room is the fact that i've had a higher-than-usual amount of anxiety plaguing me over the past few days and this symptom has coincided with this. I've checked out some heart-related illnesses on the internet, and it doesn't seem as if this would be related to any of them as i don't experience any other symptoms other than this kind of vague slight discomfort when i breathe in deeply. Plus, i don't really fall into the "at risk" category. All of that, combined with my very consistent pattern of anxiety lead me to believe that this might be an anxiety issue.

So, i'm on here wondering if any of you experience this, or have experienced this. And don't worry, i'm not basing any kind of decision on going to the hospital or not, on what all of you will say. If this keeps up tonight, i'm going to go regardless just to be on the safe side.

Anyway, please let me know if you have experienced this or if you know anything at all about anxiety-related chest pains, etc.

Thanks,

s.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Ive gotten tightness in the chest when ive had bouts of extreme anxiety. Sometimes ive had it last a few hours or so. I used to get chest pains when i had a panic attack and that would freak me right out even more.

But ya if it keeps up go to the hospital. You cant be to careful.


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## jeremy (Apr 28, 2006)

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## sebastian (Aug 11, 2004)

jeremy said:


> I think I remember reading about the fact that you smoke. Now would be a good time to give up if your worried about heart disease.


Actually, i haven't smoked for two years coming this Halloween.

Thanks both of you for your comments. If anyone else can add anything, i'd be much obliged.

s.


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## jeremy (Apr 28, 2006)

...


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## Guest (Oct 2, 2006)

I've been having chest tightness/palpitations for the past month, i had two ekg's, a chest x ray, and a stress test, it was conluded that it was caused my 24/7 bouts of anxiety, im sure your fine but hey, i got checked out, it cant hurt, eases ur mind a lot


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## Milan (May 29, 2005)

I have had severe chest pain to the point where breathing was difficult. Had the ticker checked out and they found nothing wrong.

Anxiety, fatigue and sometimes alcohol are the main contributors to my chest pain. I still have it a little these days but nothing compared to what it was like 18 months ago. If I have a bad nights sleep I still get the chest pains the day after. These days I'm riding my bike to work (which would have been impossible only a few months ago) and it's a 46km (29 mile) round trip and when I exert myself a little too hard I do get mild tension across my chest, as you do, but that I believe will diminish as my conditioning improves.

Sebastian, I understand you?re a bit of a wine buff/drinker - maybe lay off for a few days and see if that makes a difference?.just a thought.


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## sebastian (Aug 11, 2004)

Milan said:


> Sebastian, I understand you?re a bit of a wine buff/drinker - maybe lay off for a few days and see if that makes a difference?.just a thought.


Oh surely you jest, Milan. I'd sooner die! :wink:

Well, i'm fairly sure it's either stress or a bruised rib or something of the like. If on Wednesday i'm still feeling this, i'll go see a doctor or something. I just keep thinking of that damn House TV program where they do the close-ups of the heart seizing up and everything. I mean, God knows what's going on in there. But really, i think it is just stress. I've asked a few people outside of the cybersphere and they seem to concur, along with the usual "Well, you really should get it checked out though" disclaimers.

But thanks all for your suggestions. And if it turns out to be anything exciting, i'll be sure to keep you updated!

s.


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## HalfAPerson (Aug 22, 2006)

Hi Seb,

I experienced something similar many years ago now. I was only in my early twenties, but I was experiencing extreme stress at the time. I ended up going to urgent care and they told me I had an inflamed ribcage due to stress. I took ibuprofen to help with the swelling and the mere knowledge I didn't have anything life threatening helped the chest pains ease up.

If it's still there, I'd go to the doctor just to rule stuff out...Not something you really want to take a chance with.

Good luck...


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

Dear Sebastian, 
I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Heart problems dont really manifest in that way, unless you have angina, which you dont. I'm expecting its your muscles, although I used to experience muscle contractions on the right and left side of my chest along with anxiety, and now I know its my porphyria. I guess you could always try the porphyria diet, but I'm really trying _not_ to overdiagnose people with it....



> I just keep thinking of that damn House TV program where they do the close-ups of the heart seizing up and everything.


God I love that show. I feel like him and I are on the same wavelength when I watch it. Its like a football game for me. I'm like "No you idiot! He has copper overload and Wilson's disease causing his ataxia! Check his Ceruloplasm, dammit! Check his eyes for a Kayser-Fleisher ring!" Some of its close-ups can make me squeamish, but I've gotten used to that stuff. I wish that medical professionals were all as smart as him, but alas, even at university hospitals, guys like me are a rarity. They always say if you have a rare disease, go to a univerisity teaching hospital to find a medical detective, but there's noone out there who really retained the info like I did, so I ended up ordering my own tests. At least I've got House.

Peace
Homeskooled


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## derangedred (Apr 13, 2005)

You're chest pain is probablly something unrelated to dp/dr. It might just be because dp/dr makes you think about it more, and get paranoid about it, that the pain, or what you think may be could be exagerrated.

So you should get it checked out for sure, but I wouldn't worry about it as much as you are, because its probablly not as serious as you may think.
And its most likely not dp/dr related mechanically. Although it may be from the amount of anxiety.


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