Could all this be anxiety?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi guys and girls 
This is a lengthy query so please read fully and give me your best answer, as I'll attempt to give you my best background and in depth symptoms.
I'm a 35 year old male from the UK, I am 6ft 3 and weigh 142kg (Yes I'm aware I'm obese) for the past 3-4 years I have been diagnosed as 'health anxiety' as I have had a bad habit of panicking over my heart health and have had numerous ECG and tests which I'll get into further into my query (This anxiety has since been diagnosed as PTSD due to past childhood abuse)
Anyway, the reason for my query today is I've been getting chest pains recently, kinda like an ache over the left side of my chest and smetimes around the lower sternum (but more epigastric region / below xiphoid process) this can come on by itself and goes away again within a few minutes (usually less than 5) this sort of pain has been investigated before and has been put down to many different explanations including 'costochondritis' and other inflammatory conditions also eben put down as anxiety with normal musclular / chest wall pains.
However...
I've recently been coughing up a thickish, clear, sticky sputum (not frothy and not blood stained) I've had doctors listen to my lungs - All clear, I've had sputum sample taken that came back as 'heavy growth - normal flora' I've had blood tests and they were all also normal. usually I cough and its coming from back of throat (the phlegm) I dont' have to cough it from my lungs in other words. I've also used pulse oximeter at work (see attached images) and my oxygen is usually 96% + and most frequenty 99% which I know to be normal.
Due to my health anxiety I'm now focussed on my heart again and panicking about all types of things from pulmonary edema (which I know isn't possible as my chest is clear - also had a chest xray) and I've also had tests to confirm my heart is perfectly healthy !!
Anyway, the tests I've had on my heart include (in chronological order)
Mid 2011 - Coronary calcium score (to check for CAD) = ZERO / Normal
2011 - Present - numerous ECG showing nothing other than Q waves and occasional T wave inversion
2016 - 2017 - Referral to consulatant cardiologist due to Q waves on ECG
January 2016 - 24 hour heart tape performed which caught palpitations however report confirmed these as normal with no ectopic beats and no issues of any kind heart rate recorded as highest 135 (working) and lowest 56 (sleeping) MEAN average was 89 (my curent pulse whilst writing this is 80 BPM
Febuary 2017 - Echocardiogram performed, checked entirety of heart including aorta and was also completely normal no issues whatsoever
March 2017 - Attended A&E with excertional pain and chest discomfort for 6 hours prior, ECG, Chest xray and bloods (cardiac enzymes) = All normal
April 2017 - Attended A&E again with similar pains again ECG and bloods... again normal
May 2017 - Attended GP regarding this phlegm and had oxygen tested, initially was 94% but hands were cold and this subsequently rose within seconds to 99% chest sounds were normal with no rales and was advised to try citiradine for hayfever which i've never been diagnosed with before - do my symptoms fit hayfever?!
SO with all the above checks and my cardiologist advsing a stress test is not necessary due to obvious healthy heart... Should I be worrying about my heart, if not then what is causing the phlegm and the feeling of being short of breath along with the heavy achiness in my chest (left side behind left pectoral muscle and down to lower left ribs as well as below sternum near epigastric area)
I have most recently also been having some tenderness and pain in my abdominal area and I do suffer with GERD / Acid reflux issues but have not yet had an endoscopic camera to find a cause.
Any help is much appreciated I'll end my query now with some background health on myself for your reference.
***********
Non Smoker
Non Drinker
Non Diabetic
No Family history of heart disease
Cholesterol marginaly elevated but not requiring medication
No excertional pain on excercise
Not on medication of any sort
Chest pain rating (out of 10) I would rate as 2 or 3 at its worst.
No profuse sweating
No Dyspnea
No Syncope
O2 sats good
BP normal
Only issue I can comment on is I get slightly short on breath when rushing around but doctor puts that down too being overweight & unfit
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0 likes, 3 replies
SaberWolf steve76697
Posted
This sounds like the same problem I'm going through. I'm having mild chest pains that come and go on the top left hand side and sometimes I get this chest tightness feeling & I also have anxiety I'm always worrying for no reason and I get really dizzy with the meds. I've been to several Doctors I had an EKG,Blood Tests, Echocardiogram,30 day Heart Monitor & they all came back normal. Healthy Lungs and Healthy Heart. I also Had about 2 xrays sense I was having pain in my chest.sometimes I have shortness of breath it comes and goes. But relaxing and taking deep belly breathing seems to help quite a bit. I have been Diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder..
Psyched_Out_Kim steve76697
Posted
That sounds like your acid reflux is acting up. I have the same symptoms with the phlegm and the chest pains in the same area, etc. I have more of a silent reflux, so the phlegm is a big issue, as well as the lump in my throat feeling. To add to that, I have gastritis that likes to act up every now and then, and that adds to the epigastric pain. It seems that these symptoms cause added anxiety, yet anxiety can cause stomach problems. It's quite the vicious cycle.
Trina536 steve76697
Posted
Hi, all the symptoms that you are having are ALL anxiety,it's difficult to believe that everything your feeling is not some illness or disease,if you really think about it every time you feel a different symptom you focus on that,and the previous symptom goes away, and what you're feeling is real but NOT an illness,the anxiety and depression is the illness,tricking your mind to think it's something else, the feelings of anxiety and panic attacks really do mimic a heart attack,but NOBODY has ever died because of of a panic attack,I hope you get some relief from this crippling illness soon,and just to say that anyone that suffers from anxiety and depression are a lot stronger than they give themselves credit for, it is a battle fought hard and we can and will get the better of it eventually, ?