Is It Panic Attacks

Hi T.,

I really don't think it's panic attacks. When I used to have them, I had all kinds of other symptoms such as sweaty palms, heart palpitations, shallow breathing, panicky thoughts always coincided, surroundings sounded far away and could hear my heartbeat over everything, etc. I had panic attacks for years and years and years. I was finally put on medication and they went away. Then, when I went through post partum, they came back and I never ever wanted to go through it again.

If you think it really is, you could google Midwest Center for Depression and Anxiety and take the self-test. I went to decades of counseling, took medicine, etc. Nothing helped me like Lucinda's tapes. I have the full set and know now that if I ever start having them again, I have these tapes to rely on. So, if it's that - I'm just trying to let you benefit from lifetime of learning from this.

My chest never hurt afterwards - esp. for days. However, I have had stress bubbles that I've had to pop in my chest and it felt more like that. But, it didn't hurt for days.

The holidays can be a particularly stressful time due to everyone's heightened expectations. Take some time for yourself. With 5 kids and a hubby, I'll bet you need some quality time for just you. Others have offered really great ideas for that.

Hope this helps. :) T

I have had the same problem. I have chest pains that are on either side and sometimes they go up into my collarbone and neck. It feels a little better if I press on the pain, but I can have them constantly for days at a time. My dr. checked out my heart and lungs and they are fine. (EKG and x-ray) I also started taking Protonix for Hearthburn or acid reflux - but that didn't help - so my dr concluded it was anxiety. I do have a lot of stress I guess. I now take valium only as need and it really helps. The dr. gave me xanax at first - but I hated it - it made me too loopy and forgetful. I hope that helps!

Everyone reacts to anxiety different. It could very well be just that. I have been blessed with having anxiety and panic attacks but have never had that same problem. My mom and sister and I all have different reactions to anxiety. Check with your doctor (usually I check with my ObGyn since I am more comfortable) to see if this is what the problem could be. There are many medications and herbal supplements out there that help with anxiety and/or panic attacks.

Good luck and I feel for you!!!

I could be acid reflux and/or heart burn. If you are having a great deal of stress and your heart is OK, that is what I'd put my money on. I had acid reflux several years back and sometimes my chest would hurt like that. There are some over the counter stomach acid reducers. When I had reflux the doctor put me on Prevacid. It took awhile to heal up, but eventually the prevacid did the trick (along with avoiding some foods). I'd talk to your doctor about what you are experiencing.

Holiday season can be stressful without the arguments etc. Try to make some time for yourself to decompress if you can. With 5 kids (3 of which are teenagers) I can imagine it is difficult to get any time to yourself that that you have your fair share of daily issues to deal with. Even if it's a 45 min bubble bath in dim light a few evenings a week it might help you out. Give it some thought and see if there might be some small things you can do to help you relax and catch your breath from time to time. Stress can do some crazy things to the body. Last holiday season I actually lost some hair. :-)

Best wishes to you.

T., I also had those same symptoms, only deep chest pain and then soreness in that area for a day. It would really scare me, because I thought I was having mild heart attacks. I never had all the other symptoms of "panic attacks". I went to cardiologist and had an extensive array of tests. Needless to say, I was healthy. I continued having those pains for about another 6 months, randomly. One day, by chance, I started to breath very deep, inhale and push stomach out, exhale and bring stomach back in. It is the oppostite of what we automatically do with our breathing.Remember to breath deeply! I breath this way for about 1 minute and the pain goes away immediately. No pills, no anti-anxiety.. Simple, but it works every time! I belive we just get really stressed and the mechanics of our bodies just forget to do something, whatever that may be. Know this sounds strange, but please try it! Good Luck

"five" kids and you wonder why you are having chest pain??? God bless you girl! You are probably just responding to the stress of everyday life with 5 kids (mostly teenagers) and arguing with your husband! If the arguments are about trivial things, try just letting them go! Let him win a few, and perhaps your chest will win also! Try some yoga or at home meditation! Turn that brain off with some deep breathing! I can write you some techniques that would help you relax if you want, just email me back if you are interested. Your husband could use these techniques also. The more relaxed you both are, the less stress, the less to argue about! Good luck.

I would say it's most likely a precursor to a panic attack. Sounds like exactly what i had in collage when i was under tons of pressure and just was at my wits end. I got my lungs and heart checked out, all clear. I was then sent to talk to a psychiatrist and given a light dose of anti-anxiety medicine, which worked! My advice is to go talk to a psychiatrist or psychologist, this is VERY normal. Good luck.

Hi T., sounds like the beginning of panic attacks.
I am a veteran of panic attacks and have come up with many solutions, some herbal and some thru energy healing.
I made a video of one of the easy treatments you may find helpful.
see it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MLjZMcsAg4

Let me know if this helps, one night I woke up having a horrible panik attack and I did this exercises and calmed right down.

could be panic, but also consider an allergic reaction! I had a simular sit. several years ago and they ran every test on me under the sun and they all came back clear. Diagnosis: panic attack. All went back to normal. But then, several mos. later, I had another and they asked me if the two situations had anything in common. At first glance, NO! They were at dif. times of day, in dif. places and in dif. circumstances. And yet, I didn't think they were panic. Then, after a few days of thinking, there was a common factor-both places that these attacks took place in were some-what remodeling- Turns out, I am allergic to electrical smoke (even in small amts) and, possibly, sheet rock fines (dust). It shut my lungs down and I passed out or nearly passed out both times after chest pains and difficulty breathing like a severe asthma attack, but have never had asthma! Both times, my chest hurt like crazy for days afterward!

Just a note-even if it is panic- and you can't breathe well, this is what the drs. told me:
-NEVER breath cold air (go outside in the cold)
-As hard as it is, try to take slow deep breaths (this calms the lungs and better oxegynates your body) or better yet, even hold your breath for a little while (hard, I know, but it calms your lungs).
-breathing warm, moist air is best and thus, breathing in a paper bag really does help (yeah, I always thought this was some silly tale, but it is true).
-If your extremeties start to feel tingly, you are not getting enough oxygen to them and need to try the above harder and get help!

And for your benefit, they performed the following tests on me to make sure it was "nothing":
chest X-ray (to check lung function and for tumors)
stress tests (don't know specific types)
heart tests
blood tests (don't know specific types)
blood oxygen content test

They may need to check the above on you too, just in case!

Hope I've helped!
T.

I suffer from anxiety as well. However, I also have Costochondritis, which is inflammation of the cartilage in my ribs and sternum area. It causes me to have chest pain and rib pain that can be almost unbearable. Mine radiates to both sides of my chest, but mostly left side. Also, it can cause my arms to go numb, arms to hurt/ache, fingers to tingle, shoulder and neck to hurt/ache. What happens is the cartilage being inflammed causes your muscles to tighten, which causes muscles attached to those muscles to tighten. It's like a domino effect. It sucks!!!!

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/a/costocho...

Mine is chronic, probably because of my anxiety and stress issues. I've had it since I was about 20 (I'm 27) but it's only become chronic since the beginning of this year. You won't see it say stress or anxiety is a cause on many websites, but my doctor has assured me that that is what mine is caused from. I have had many, many cardiac tests done and nothing has been wrong. One thing about costochondritis that is distinctive is that you can "touch" your pain. If you push slightly on your sternum or chest and it hurts when you push, most likely it's costo. However, it's important to have your heart checked out as a precaution.

People with costo have to find what works for them. Different things work for different people. For some, anti-inflammatories and pain meds can help. This doesn't help mine. Therapeutic massage can help. I took Pilates at TCC this semester, and it helped keep mine from flaring up.

I'm not saying this is what you have, because I am no doctor, but it's something for you to think about. You can ask your doctor about it. There is no test they can do to "see" Costo. After having been cleared of any heart problems, my dr diagnosed me by pushing on my sternum and when I cried out in pain, he said I had Costo.

Not sure what kind of chest pain you are having but a lot of people will mistake heartburn for heart problems. Stress is the number one cause of acid reflux and or a build-up of stomach acid, causing heartburn and sometimes causing ulcers. Next time see if an antacid helps. I take Pepid.

It may be acid reflux. When it gets bad, you sometimes feel like you are having chest pains and you may have tenderness in the area if you are still having smaller bouts. The acid from your stomache is actually starting to burn a hole in your esophagus. Check with your MD, or you can try rolaids soft chews and if that helps, you know the problem.