Coughing and chest/back pain due to anxiety
Posted , 5 users are following.
Has anyone experienced coughing fits with mucus throughout the day and also chest and back pain and tightness due to anxiety?
I have had very many different tests - x-ray, computer tomography of chest, bronchoscopy, spirometry, bronchoprovocation testing, testing for allergies on skin, CRP and other blood tests - all came back normal. I also had gastroscopy and heart ECHO.
First time I was diagnosed with anxiety was after I recovered from a mild form of Covid. That time it was really bad, but coughing was not my physical concern at the time, so now I am at a loss if this can be due to anxiety. I am coughing a lot, but with mucus, my chest is tight most of the time, also my chest hurts as well as my back.
So I was wondering if anyone else was diagnosed with anxiety and has coughing with mucus as one of the symptoms.
Thank y'all in advance! ❤️
0 likes, 5 replies
DaisyDaze Zux
Posted
Sounds like it could be combination of things. I have a mucousy cough but due to sinus / allergies. Usually hits me first thing in the morning or after going from inside to outside and vice versa. My back has hurt because of coughing too. Right in the upper middle. The heating pad helped.
Anxiety and stress have caused me to have the tightness.
Also, medical experts have said covid can have lasting affects.
So, as far as stress/anxiety goes, if I read or watch a favorite show it gets better. I think our bodies react to stress in a scary way. I am trying to determine how to deal with stress, as all the self-help books are useless.
So, I can say yes, I've had similar symptoms.
james91983 Zux
Edited
i have been having chest and back pain with a cough also get rib pain. my bloods are all clear. im losing my head over it
issey92630 james91983
Posted
i'm the same - have a terribly tight chest at the moment and have had every test going. It's driving me mad and is so incredibly stressful.
solidarity with you both
Andros Zux
Edited
Yes! I've been having terrible back, chest and neck pain for the last few months. I went to my osteopath and she found I was all knotted up through tension and it was causing all the back, ribs, ligaments, and muscles to pull against it each other.
I work from home at the moment and I know it's the long-term bad posture, general lack of movement (e.g. not even walking to the care to drive to the office) plus the general stress from bereavements and on-going pandemic. There is something called costochronditis which is inflammation in the cartilage that connect the ribs to the breastbone - it can be caused after a respiratory infection, or coughing, or physical injury, moving something heavy. I had a heavy cold a while back which lead to a sinus infection so for me, it's all related. When I do stretching exercises and feel more relaxed, the aches disappear so it's tension related.
I had Covid in 2020 and the chest pain afterwards was inflammation that took some time to go.
There's a lot of work about the vagus nerve affecting our responses to stressful things and that might be worth researching too. I find that knowing my body better helps me to help it.
Take care.
Zux
Posted
Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences with me! It's truly puzzling to understand what causes the cough. I've had so many tests that I truly want to believe it's just another physical form of anxiety. I read a lot about anxiety related cough and, indeed, it can be related to vagus nerve. Since I also have joint pain for a few years now and the case has not been identified, my family doctor also advised to see a rheumatologist and test for auto-immune disorders which may also affect respiratory systems. So this is still ahead of me. Anxiety may come with so many physical symptoms that it really confuses the mind. I never had any health anxiety, but now I seem to suspect many possible illnesses based on my symptoms.