thought it was a heart attack......

Hello everyone! i am a newbie,

4 days ago i left work and headed to the E.R with crushing pain in my chest and left arm was tingling like it was about to go numb, i had someone at work check my BP which was in the triple #s both top and bottom. After being admitted for 3 days and much testing it was determined that i do have 2 small blockages in my heart. I am in my mid 40"s and heart disease runs on both sides of my family which my cardiologist is certain that i am doomed to have it. OK fast forward to discharge day. I am signing papers and getting my instructions and medications 4 to be exact , 2 for blood pressure , one for cholesteral, and a baby aspirin daily. And it all began again crushing pain in my chest through my arm and sweating ( sweating was new) the nurse said get undressed and back in bed, they did yet another EKG , ( i 'll bet i had 40 done in the course of the 3 days) and there i was in for the night , labs would be repeated in the morning. Nest morning i was walking the hall near my room stir crazy cause i am also on a nicotine patch since admission ( like quitting smoking is not adding stress to my life ) and  i see my cardiologist in the hall visiting other patients . Yep you guessed it , it happens again. Keep in mind , all ekg's were always normal and although i was being monitored the whole time nothing ever picked up on the monitors as abnormal.

My dr. came to the conclusion that i have an anxiety disorder and i do believe this to be true, problem is now i know ihave to change my lifestyle and eat right and exercise and of cours i am now 4days smoke free yay for me.

but i just went for a short walk with my dog and after like 5 min i got the chest pain again i am actually scared to do what i need to do I think..... Is this possible?? Am i just internalizing that i will eventually have a heart attack in my life ? Is living with heart disease even at this early stage going to make me crazy?

 

dga665
Welcome to HealingWell. This is a great site. I look forward to getting to know you better.

I feel like you have a lot going on right now and with the chest pain and the family history of CAD I can understand the fears and anxiety you have been under. Also quitting smoking is a huge accomplishment.

For people that smoke and have ever thought about quitting smoking there are many challenges to overcome when you do decide to quit. One of those challenges is overcoming anxiety. Just thinking about quitting smoking can bring on anxiety not to mention the feelings associated with anxiety after quitting. All of a sudden the choice has been taken out of your control as you have to quit smoking due to a family hx of heart disease. Knowing that you have 2 small blockages is also bound to raise your anxiety.

Could anxiety cause the chest pain sx - IMHO yes. In fact it is hard to know sometimes whether the anxiety come first and then the chest pain attack or panic is causing the anxiety.

If you have concerns that your Cardiologist has not served you well please obtain a second opinion. Perhaps going through a cardiac rehab program at Physicial Therapy through your hospital would help lower the anxiety and someone would be with you if you have chest pain.

I admire you for the life style changes you are making and I know it is one step in front of the other. If you go back a step let it go and get back on track.

I wish you peace,

Kitt

DG - So many things have similar symptoms to anx/pa. Def. keep w/ doc on heart c/o. Great links in the posts. I initially poo-pooed dx of anx/pa and meds. Took yrs off/on to accept it all 4 me. Also poo_pooed regular meditation, breathing exercises, therapy and "inner child" issues. I will emphasize how wrong I was & how vital it is to takr regular down times during the day to teach my body/mind to relax as a preventative measure not just when I was feeling anx/panic. Many illnesses cause anxiety so keep testing going. Careful wj exercise. TALK TO DOC. Keep looking. WELCOME TO HW!