hard to describe feeling in chest

Hey, My name is James and I'm 26 years old. I take dexilant for acid reflux. The past 6 months+ I have been having this strange and hard to describe feeling in my chest/throat. Sometimes it kinda feels like a hard heartbeat that seems to travel up my throat then other times kinda like a flip in my chest/throat, I wouldn't describe it as a flutter. Sometimes I check my pulse when it happens and everything seems normal then sometimes my heartbeat is a little faster but idk if that is from panicking, when it happens it always rattles my nerves, like yesterday when it happened I think I had a full blown panic attack, my heartbeat shot up around 100bmp and I got really sweaty and nervous feeling like I was going to die.

I know I'm all over the place but like I said it's hard to explain... I went to my family dr and he did blood work andsaid everything looked fine then just pretty much said he thoughy it was anxiety and prescribed me some anxiety meds which I never had filled, I don't want to go that route. My nerves were still ruining my life not knowing what was going on so I went to a cardiologist, he did ekg's, stress test and a echocardiogram. He said I had a very small heart murmur and a very slightly leaky valve but he assured me that it was nothing to worry about and that I needed to try some calming activities like yoga. I had been doing really good since my appointment with the cardiologist, That was a little over a month ago and I hadn't had the feeling for over a week before my appointment, so it had been around a month and a half since I had the feeling until the night before yesterday then it happened again last night. There is no pain it's just a feeling, it happens, or at least I notice it morewhen I'm sitting or laying down. Now I'm back to being in constant fear of it happening again. Everyone tells me I'm having panic attacks and I don't doubt that but I don't get panicky until the feeling happens, the cardiologist told me I had a strong healthy heart but I'm a very nervous person and I can't help but worry about it being my heart. The only thing I can think of doing different the past few days is I have started eating spicier foods and onions again. I never drink caffeine, I drink water 90% of the time and I try to avoid chocolate. I apologize for this being so long and probably hard to understand I just really need to get this behind me so I can enjoy the great life the good Lord has given me, thank you

James

Welcome to the anxiety forum! You have come to the right place. We are so glad to have you!

What you are experiencing is textbook symptoms of anxiety. All of us, at one time or another experienced most of your symptoms. The hardest part about GAD (general anxiety disorder) is to accept the fact that we have anxiety. It took me 25 ER visits, several doctors appointments, and 100k in medical bills before I finally accepted that I am facing anxiety. Once you have fully accepted this then you have won half the battle.

Now you got to manage your anxiety. We do this with coping skills/ techniques. Check out our resource page (1st page, 1st post). There you will find different coping skills. Find out which ones work for you and apply them as needed. I find the deep breathing exercises to be of most helpful.

Healthy distractions are also needed to help keep our mind busy. Some of these are work, exercise, spending time with family, and coming on here. A big no no is googling your symtpoms. This adds tremendously to the vicious cycle of anxiety.

Have you seen a mental health doctor yet? Medication has proven to be vital on helping me manage my anxiety.

I also talk with a therapists once a week. She teaches me different breathing exercises and coping techniques. It has been very worthwhile for me by talking with her.

That's about all I have learned in a nutshell throughout my journey with this disorder. You cannot and will not die from having an anxiety/ panic attack. This is a mental health disorder not a medical one.

I hope that you continue to post on here. You are surrounded by people who know how you feel and will support and encorage you any time you need it. I look forward to hearing more about you.

God bless!

Cornell

James:"Its anxiety, the panic attacks you are having most of us refer to them out of the blue and thats just as good a description as i have heard. Mine were like yours out of nowhere i would get a feeling that i could not describe, now i know that its pre-adrenalin when the adrenalin hits the blood your pulse will take off, some of us get real high rates we feel out of control "dear God what is happening to me" it is that scary. Learn the mechanics of this condition it will help you to also learn to control it, this is the place for your condition, and you need not apologize this is our place! Peace
Larry ***

Sounds just like what I'm going through, and as a Christian it is shaking my faith up as well. I first started getting the strange sensations in February and was sure for quite a long time that it was going to be the death of me. My faith was so tested (and still continues to be!) Many times I went to sleep falsely thinking that the Lord must not want me to be with my family anymore. It was a very scary and depressing time.

As time progressed, I came to a place that I was able to say, "I will trust you God. Even if that means I am going to die." While we can't understand God, or His ways, or why these things are happening to our body, we can trust that His will is working in our lives regardless. As I look back to those scary and testing times, I can see that He has ultimately worked good into my life (and others) through this. I now eat healthier (and so does my family) and have a greater sense of trust in God's will for my life. (Whether that is sickness, or health.) Another thing that he is working in me is a greater sense of compassion for people. I always had compassion, but I rarely shared my beliefs with others.

I am sure this is a really scary time for you, but I know that God can and will use this to strengthen and empower you in the long run. For His glory!

You made a good choice though in being seen by the cardiologist. That was a great start. If they're saying anxiety, it will likely be hard to believe for a bit, but in all likelihood, they're the ones educated in health matters so we should trust them to a pretty good degree.

Hope this might help in some way!

Thx Cornell. :)

I can post this in the heart section if I need to but when the cardiologist said I had a very slight leaky valve do you think he was telling me that to give me a reason for the small heart murmur? He said that he had a heart murmur as well and that it was bigger than mine. He assured me it was nothing to worry about but then he wants to see me again in a year so that worries me... I know murmurs are very common but they don't always mean a leaky valve. Seems like I read somewhere that lots of people have small leaks as well but I may just be telling myself that to make myself feel better... thanks again every for being so kind and understanding

I applaud you for how well you are actually doing. I thought I had a heart issue and if they had told me I had one, no matter how supposedly small, I know I would've flipped. My heart goes out to you because I understand how worrisome it is. A doctor thinks they can tell you that you have a leaky valve or a murmur or whatever and you're supposed to just say okie dokie?

Having said that I really do think it's the anxiety that is doing this to you. It's normal for this type of thing to scare the crap out of someone. If there's one good thing at least it doesn't seem to be taking over your life all the time. Since mine started I'm nervous nearly all the time. I have some good days but there are many where I truly wake up shaking and it is the weirdest thing. I don't say this because I'm trying to say I'm worse off or anything like that, just trying to point out that at the very least yours hasn't gotten to that point.

I agree that the only way to start moving past this is to accept that your heart issue is okay. Until you do that it will eat away at you. This is way easier said than done I realize this. I wish you the very best with anything. Please continue to post here. It really helps to hear from others in the same boat so you know you aren't crazy and that you have hope.

JL.,

Here are a few more Resources that may help.:) Health anxiety is extremely difficult to deal with...do not feel ashamed. It is a disorder that is very challenging indeed! (I have heard some people who have both anxiety and an actually physical illness, say that the anxiety was equal or the harder of the two to deal with.)

Go through these and see if they are of help to you.

Health Anxiety - A Self Help Guide:

 

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hypochondria/pages/introduction.aspx

Helping health Anxiety

 

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_id=53

Health Anxiety- The Super Scanner

 

http://www.get.gg/docs/SuperScanner.pdf

Anxiety management coping skills

 http://www.stress-relief-exercises.com/

Self Help for PVCs

 

http://heartpvcs.com/pvc_cures.htm

http://heartpvcs.com/long_term_pvc_cures.htm


Keep posting with us!

S.C.

Yes, the leaky valve is what causes the heart murmur - at least that's what my doctor told me. I have a really mild one too.

And I get weird feelings in my chest as well but they're not related to the heart at all. They're definitely anxiety! I used to feel like it was some kind of wave of sensation that would travel up in my chest, but now it's more like it just shows up and hangs out there. I hate it when it happens and, like you, it can hit anytime, including when I'm just chilling in front of the TV or even sleeping. I get sweaty and clammy, then often cold. Sometimes dizzy.

I just noticed that you said you feel ashamed but don't. What is happening to you is a very real thing and only someone that suffers from this can know what you go through.
Its not just all in your head, it may start there but the physical manifestation of what your feeling is real.