I have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and have many times thought i was having heart problems when not. After a stressful evening at work, I felt like someone was punching me in the center of my chest. At first I dismissed it as my anxiety again, but when I turned to my left it would happen again. I was breathing shallow and a couple of times it seemed as if I lost my hearing for a second or two during the pain. Heart problems run in my family. After a few times of going to the er and being told it was just my anxiety, I do not want to go through that again. It is now 30 minutes later and I feel slightly short of breath, like I have something lightly pushing on my chest. My left arm feels weak (which is common for my anxiety attacks) and the bottom of my left shoulder blade is sore. Should I be concerned or not?
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If heart problems run in your family, you should definitely get checked out. ECG (electrocardiogram) as well as an ECHO (echocardiogram) are fairly standard non-invasive procedures.
I have had symptoms similar to you. Fortunately, I checked out fine (no abnormalities in the structure of my heart). However, my heart does have some electrical irregularities that are benign (not harmful) and are improved with proper rest, diet, and avoiding certain foods (minimal caffeine and alcohol). Also minimizing stress, and anger. It's worth noting that the (above) tests did not show any electrical issues whatsoever. It is the conclusion of my doctor when I "insisted" that something was wrong with me.
I also have Inderal (propranolol) on hand in case I get a lot of palpitations (rare). I got it prescribed by my doctor (AFTER running the above tests to rule out other issues).
I want to tell you that this is just anxiety (anxiety FUELS more anxiety = cycle of anxiety). If you stop worrying about it you will probably feel better. It is possible (even probable) that your emotions are producing a somatic (bodily) response. This is classic - for example feeling angry all the time can result in elevated blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke.
I still think it is a good idea to get checked out. If the tests all come back negative, you will be able to relax knowing the fact that you are indeed healthy.
Good luck, keep me posted.
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