Regular Chest Pain and Anxiety

Hi and welcome!

I am sorry that your answer is late in coming...but being a holiday...

Well I am glad that you have joined us:) I am sure that you will find that talking with others who have similar problems and experiences is helpful.

I certainly can relate to your post...I have had some very disturbing physical symptoms of anxiety myself. It can be really hard to distinguish between anxiety and something seriously wrong with your body, because anxiety mimics a lot of disorders!

However, you have been checked out medically, and all signs point to the fact that you are healthy...so now you can start to treat the anxiety.

Have you considered getting some help through therapy? It is a great, effective and long-term solution to anxiety and its symptoms. You can get a referral through your regular doctor. It will teach you the skills needed to combat the negative and fearful thoughst that are causing you to feel the way that you do.

In the meantime, we have some self-help ideas in our Anxiety-Panic Resources (main page, 2nd post) You will find links with breathing and relaxation exercises that will help if practiced daily! Try is for a week and see how you feel.

I understand the fear of exercise...I had similar issues while my symptoms were at their worse...and I have to exercises to work! (dance teacher) There were many days that I was convinced that I was going to just drop dead...but here I am many workouts later...and stronger.:)

You are going to be okay! Look into getting some help as soon as you can, and get started on your way back...there is healing and hope, believe me, I have been there and back.:)

Talk to you soon,

Scaredy Cat

Hey there. I totally understand where you're coming from, I had a lot of the same stuff happen to me. What I did was (after starting lexapro and basically daily Ativan) was to take half an Ativan before a workout to prove to myself that it was anxiety related. I quit playing volleyball after years because of the physical and mental stress of a pretty much non stop season and didn't work out much, save riding my horse and doing yoga. I didn't gain any weight really but lost a lot of the tone I had from constant exercise and to be honest, that only added to the stress. So definitely ease yourself into it! I also am hypoglycemic and any time I workout without eating some protein my heart starts racing and I immediately go into a panic attack, so maybe try grabbing a snack? That may be just me. Also be patient! It took me months to get to the point where I could go to the gym and now I go almost every day. For me it helps to work out with someone, even though I too have been to the er and a cardiologist and had an EKG done. Something about having someone I know in the building takes a load off of my shoulders. And (sorry for the novel) but for me cardio has always been more of a trigger than straight lifting, due in part to my asthma, I'm sure. But maybe hit the weights first and see how that goes?

have they ever mentioned costochondritis to you? if not, maybe you should mention to your doc and see what he or she says. i have had it off and on for a few years. it's annoyed but benign.

So this could be a one of a few things...

Like hazel mentioned it could be something skeletal/cartilage/muscular in nature as in costochondriitis, or it could be GERD related...the stomach issues acting up with activity...or it could be exercise anxiety.

You are afraid that the anxious sensations that you experience during exercises are due to something more serious, like a heart issue, and the anxiety escalates, and on and on in a cycle.

I would recommend getting back into a workout routine slowly, like with a 15 min. moderate walk, and work up from there as you gain confidence and feel better during activity.

Keep posting with us, and let us know how you are doing soon...we are here to support you through this.:)

S.C.

If you are still really worried about it, and suspect that it is more than anxiety, then I would ask your doctor about undergoing a stress test.

This is the type of test where you are monitored while doing exercise, such a running on a tread mill. You have had the EKG, which basically checks the heart function at rest, but this would give you a good indication of what is happening during activity.

Maybe this could help put your mind at ease.:)

S.C.

the pain is crippling, even without physical activity theres severe chest pain on my left side and it faces the same spot on my back, upper left area. im only 17 and i cant do stuff like i used to, drink, smoke, because the pain is just intense. my care taker wont let me go to the hospial or appointments with my doctor because everything was ruled out and nothing was wrong with me they said.. i go to therapy and i went to cognitive therapy some crap and i just didnt seem to work. istill have chest pain, i hate my life i have been so isolated. some days when im not even anxious and im actually calm and peace of mind its still there. i come to the conclusion that i wanna **** ****** but whatever. and i dont feel its anxiety attacks because i was on anti depressents for about 6months and after i got off them because i felt they made me feel robotic like i got of them. and i started feel like a human being and my panic attacks stoped but this pain is driving me crazy

Post Edited By Moderator (Scaredy Cat) : 5/25/2012 3:25:55 PM (GMT-6)

omg i would love it if i had this instead of me thinking i have an actual heart disease or some stuff. so if you have "costochondritis" can the pain worsen with physical activtity, heavy foods, smoking. and can i have chest pain but no rib pain. becase my ribs dont hurt its my back and chest that are severe pain. always on the left sidee.

Honestly, I don't know much about costo...and I am not qualified to diagnose you...sp you may want to do some reading up about it.

However, it wouldn't hurt to try an OTC anti-inflammatory pain med...if it stops the pain, then you'll know that it has something to do with injury/inflammation.  Here is something I copied off of a site for you:

NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin), naproxen sodium (Aleve), and ketoprofen (Orudis KT).
2. Acetaminophen (Tylenol and Panadol).


Good luck, I hope you find the answers that you need soon.

S.C.