So, for the past month or so, I started having these chest pains. They've come and gone, so I've been trying to ignore it. Two or three weeks ago, I wound up scaring myself into thinking I might be having a heart attack. Obviously, I wasn't, but the anxiety sure made me feel that way. Tried to ignore it some more, family was blaming anxiety, because I've been under a lot of stress lately. But last night I was feeling pretty bad (probably thanks to wearing myself by attempting to fix my washer, twice, and failing, twice), and it was bad enough that I lost sleep over it.

That was the last straw, so I saw the doctor today. Initial tests show that my heartrate is high. Anxiety would do that. Question is, is it just anxiety? We're not sure. I'm gonna go in for a blood test on the 30th (Wednesday), to check my cholesterol levels and other stuff. That's about an entire week away, though, and until then, I'm going to be fighting this anxiety, trying to keep myself calm despite the reoccurring pain. Not an easy task, because it's become very distracting, and not always because of the pain (right this moment I feel fine, it's just bothering me mentally).

Which is why I would like some well-wishes, and even some prayers if you're religious. I need to survive the next week, get through the blood test, and hope that all it is is anxiety and not something more serious.

For several years of my life, I had mitral valve prolapse. I had this heart condition for a while, and there was always concern of some kind of heart complications. I really don't know exactly how I dealt with the stress of it. The valve eventually grew into place and it's supposedly no longer a problem. Even if it is something that could be fatal, I don't think it'll do it within a week.

On the bright side, if it is just anxiety, you're going to be perfectly fine. I know that doesn't help at all, but it's true. As far as prayers and/or well-wishes, you'll have both.

You're in this religious person's prayers, Dray.

I suffered from severe heart failure for several months undiagnosed, it was so bad that I had trouble walking, sleeping and breathing, but everything turned out fine in the end. Any chest pain you have isn't going to kill you anytime soon, and it's most likely just stress, piled on top of more stress from stressing over your stress.

Heart issues cause tons of other issues alongside chest pain, so if you aren't noticing anything else, you are probably fine.

Good luck.

Hang in there, Dray!

Yeah, I've got you covered in prayers and well-wishes, too.

However, I co-sign on facts' sentiments. If the doctors thought it was extremely serious, they would have directed you to the ER right then. Just try to rest and and keep that in mind. Distract yourself with a fun game.

Thanks, guys.

There are a few things I've figured out. For one, drinking diet soda helps me feel better for a little bit. Why, not sure, nor do I know if drinking a lot of diet soda will be a good idea in the long term. Another thing I've noticed is that even though I kinda hurt if I get up and move around, it also makes me feel good. Most importantly, swimming does not have any negative effect on me at all. I just went swimming earlier, and I felt very healthy in the pool.

I'm sure anxiety is part of the problem, but I also wonder if weight is a contributing factor. When I went to the doctor, I got weighed, and found out I'm at over 200 pounds, which is a problem to me. Ideally, I should be closer to 170 pounds. So I might do some walking and more swimming and see if losing weight helps. My grandparents have agreed to lighten up on the sweets in the house, too.

And you have them.

It does sound like anxiety. I've had chest pains myself in the past (even to the point it felt like a heart attack- don't know if it was related to anxiety though) and it turned out okay. No matter what though, I hope you get to feeling better soon.

So last week I went in for a blood test, and I just heard from the results. My "TSH" is low. I'm not 100% sure what that is, and I don't wanna look it up because health stuff makes me squeamish, but they said that it can sometimes cause the problems I've been having. Everything else is fine. They want me to come in for another blood test Wednesday morning, this time without fasting since we now know cholesterol isn't an issue.

I believe that refers to the Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone. A friend of mine is a nurse and is adamant about keeping a strong thyroid, but there's nothing squeamish about doing so.

Well, that's good, Dray. I mean, at least it apparently is not going to be something as bad as you might have thought. But, yeah, keep filling us in.

You have all my well wishes and prayers! I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. I haven't been checking the forums much.

I had a similar problem like this during my second year of college. Anxiety made it worse. Mine turned out to be asthma, and I had some rib inflammation as well with it.

Also- you'd be surprised just how much heartburn(and a lot of stuff can cause that) feels like chest pains and can be scary.

I wouldn't worry about the blood test results. If it is important, your doctor will have them and talk about it with you. From what Dyne said, it could be that your thyroid isn't working at full capacity, and may even be a reason for the weight gain. That solution is usually as simple as taking a daily pill. I'm glad your grand parents are there for you as well. Wish I lived closer so I could do more. It is miserable hurting and having anxiety about hurting. I know that first hand.

I also agree with Facts. It IS good you got this checked out, however. It never hurts to check.

I still can't see how it would be heartburn. Isn't that generally centered around the esophagus?

And the weight gain is probably from sitting around due to lack of job. And also because I had a donut every day when I was on the job. Sometimes two.

I have severe heartburn and go through Tums like candy. It can cause pain all over you chest.... it sucks.

Hey Dray. I've been dealing with chest pains for over ten years that are still partially unexplained, which sounds scary but the truth is I've been able to live with it. I hope yours go away much quicker. In any case, only rarely is it the sign of something life-threatening.

Among possible causes of chest pain, besides stress:

"Angina" - Kind of the garbage-bag diagnosis for chest pain that's not coming with other, more severe symptoms. If you hear this from a doc, it might mean they don't know what it is... but it's not likely to be something too severe.

Heartburn/Acid Reflux - I've talked to several docs about this (some think it's the main cause of my pain; I believe it's just a contributing factor), and yes, acid reflux can cause all kinds of pain, all over your chest. Not just in specific places like your esophagus. You could try taking Zantac for 2-3 days and see whether it helps.

Gas Pains - I know it sounds stupid, but it's a possibility. Sometimes you can get extreme chest pain from gas without even realizing it's the cause. These are easy to treat with over-the-counter medications so see whether they help.

Muscle Pull (or bruising) - Chest muscles can be pulled at totally unexpected times. If you're having the pain when you get into certain positions, or in the exact same spot, it could be a muscle thing.

Asthma or Allergens - Do you have breathing problems lately, even while you're not experiencing the sharper pains? If so, mention this to your doctor; it could be connected to a breathing/airway problem.

Musculoskeletal problems - For example, if your chest cavity isn't big enough. This is a very unlikely one, but keep it in mind if you can't find answers elsewhere.

Heart problems - Somewhat unlikely, I think, from what you've said. But of course worth checking out. One of the most common ways they can catch problems is with a Cardiac Stress Test. These are expensive, but useful. I think EKG's are used a lot too. If you're extremely worried you could get an angiogram or something like that, I think... but I seriously doubt you need to.

About your heart rate and similar - have you tried taking it at home? I tend to get nervous at the doctor if I have to explain stuff, and as a result my blood pressure was showing up higher than expected. The nurses were concerned about the numbers, and my doc recommended I buy a blood pressure cuff to keep at home (it's only like $30) and check every week or so. I found that yeah, it's just "White Coat Hypertension"; it's normal when I'm relaxed. These cuffs can also check your heart rate.

I know how scary it can be to experience these pains for the first time, and how hard it can be to keep your mind off of it. You just need to do whatever it takes to put your mind at ease, because stressing out about it can compound the pain. You might feel like you're dying, but you won't.

You'll be in my thoughts and prayers, and I truly hope you find out what's responsible soon and that it's nothing too serious. Give it your all.

Saw the doctor. As far as cholesterol goes, I need more of the good cholesterol. Need to figure out how to manage that. More importantly, the thyroid situation... not over yet. They're talking about getting an ultrasound on it to make sure nothing is growing on it. But that'll be a while, and they said that it's entirely possible this problem could fix itself. Here's hoping, right?

Just went to get an ultrasound. I'll find out if there's any nodules on my thyroid after the weekend. Hopefully not.

My mom had that. She had a radiation treatment for it and now takes some kind of medicine to compensate.

Not really something I want to think about as a possibility. Anxiety is part of why I've been hurting.

Anyway, just got a phonecall. I apparently now have an appointment with an endocrinologist on the 8th of October. Greeaaaat, let's try to extend this as long as we can.

Yeah, last night kinda sucked. A lot. Probably the worst I've felt since this started. Had to lie down 'cause sitting up just made me feel worse. Got a good night's rest (for sleeping on the couch, anyway), feel better right now.

I'm really beginning to wonder what's causing it. 'Cause on some days, I feel just fine, and then it comes back on others. So there must be some sort of variable that's contributing to this.