Squeezing in chest

[Cheyworship]

I have a severe pressure in my chest that’s on the left side. I can feel it in my back and sternum, and it’s recently started moving down my arm. All my tests are normal, I’m really freaking out. It’s literally CONSTANT. It’s been like this for over a week. Nothing I do stops it. It makes me really worried. Doctors tell me it’s just anxiety but I know it isn’t because it’s all day everyday. If it was anxiety it would only be there when I’m having a panic attack. Sometimes it goes away for a few minutes but comes right back.

 

[bin_tenn]

If it was anxiety it would only be there when I’m having a panic attack.

That's not at all true. Anxiety is a state of mind, not a single moment in time. When you have anxiety disorder, you will inevitably be in a state of anxiety on at least a semi-regular basis. That means you'll be prone to symptoms, both mental and physical, quite often.

It may or may not be anxiety causing the sensation, but anxiety will certainly make you notice it. It'll feel more prominent and concerning as opposed to how someone without anxiety would experience the same sensation. My guess is that it's muscular or possibly related to gas.

Do you have GERD or other issues with acid reflux? What's your overall health like? Overweight, regular alcohol / drug use, smoker, good or bad diet, regular exercise or not, etc?

 

[FearSucks]

Your body is in a state of constant hyperstimulation when it comes to having an anxiety disorder. Symptoms can be off and off, intermittent, chronic, and will sometimes persist indefinitely until the major stressors calm down.

 

[Cheyworship]

That's not at all true. Anxiety is a state of mind, not a single moment in time. When you have anxiety disorder, you will inevitably be in a state of anxiety on at least a semi-regular basis. That means you'll be prone to symptoms, both mental and physical, quite often.

It may or may not be anxiety causing the sensation, but anxiety will certainly make you notice it. It'll feel more prominent and concerning as opposed to how someone without anxiety would experience the same sensation. My guess is that it's muscular or possibly related to gas.

Do you have GERD or other issues with acid reflux? What's your overall health like? Overweight, regular alcohol / drug use, smoker, good or bad diet, regular exercise or not, etc?

Thank you for the reply. Everything I found online tells me that chest pain from anxiety should only last a few minutes. I don’t have any issues with GERD, I’m technically underweight (125 lbs), I don’t use any drugs or alcohol or smoke ever. I have an okay diet, I walk everyday pretty much. I’m worried it’s serious, if it was gas it wouldn’t last too long, but it doesn’t feel like a musculoskeletal issue at all. ): I’ve been thinking going to the hospital again over it, it’s been driving me crazy.

 

[bin_tenn]

Thank you for the reply. Everything I found online tells me that chest pain from anxiety should only last a few minutes. I don’t have any issues with GERD, I’m technically underweight (125 lbs), I don’t use any drugs or alcohol or smoke ever. I have an okay diet, I walk everyday pretty much. I’m worried it’s serious, if it was gas it wouldn’t last too long, but it doesn’t feel like a musculoskeletal issue at all. ): I’ve been thinking going to the hospital again over it, it’s been driving me crazy.

Chest pain from anxiety can last a while depending on the cause. If it's chest pain from the adrenaline rush, yes, that's only a few seconds. However, if it's due to tension, that will last as long as you are tense - which can be quite a while. Gas issues can also last a while.

If you've been cleared by medical professionals, especially multiple times, it's extremely unlikely that anything is really wrong. Anxiety causes us to latch on to things. We have a hard time letting things go, even when they aren't that crucial.

 

[Iugrad91]

Haven’t we learned by now that the internet is NOT a place to get medical info? You are in a constant cycle of anxiety and even if you don’t feel anxious, the physical effects can last a long time. That’s why we are all here, we have symptoms and sensations that (usually) stem from anxiety, yet we are afraid it’s something serious, which makes our symptoms worse/constant. If you’ve been checked out by a doc and had a full work up done then maybe try some other things to help the anxiety. Did he suggest trying anything to ease your anxiety?

 

[ajdc2dc]

I have a "stress" spot on my ribs, left side just under the pectoral region, about where the stomach is. When I first started having anxiety and panic attacks it hurt a lot and I even went to the ER for it twice thinking it was heart attack. After EKG, ECG, stress test on treadmill, endoscopy, x-rays of major organs, every kind of blood test, and months of physical therapy, it was determined to just be caused by the constant tension of anxiety that I hold in that spot. For your own reassurance you should see a good Doctor, get tests, and when they determine it is just anxiety you have to accept that and let go and move forward. Sometimes anxiety people breathe in too much and gas builds up in that kknd of stress spot. It can be relieved with acupressure and help from a physical therapist. Having a good CBT therapist to work through learning to be comfortable with uncertainty has helped me a lot with my health anxiety. Hope any of this helps.

 

[Jonathan123]

Thank you for the reply. Everything I found online tells me that chest pain from anxiety should only last a few minutes. I don’t have any issues with GERD, I’m technically underweight (125 lbs), I don’t use any drugs or alcohol or smoke ever. I have an okay diet, I walk everyday pretty much. I’m worried it’s serious, if it was gas it wouldn’t last too long, but it doesn’t feel like a musculoskeletal issue at all. ): I’ve been thinking going to the hospital again over it, it’s been driving me crazy.

What most of us fail to recognise is that anxiety can mimic any known disease. Known! Because if we don't know about them they would not worry us. If it's in our mind the symptoms can happen. That is why Googling symptoms can be self defeating. Anxiety is 24/7. It may die down for a while but so often will recur even stronger. So you were told on the web that anxiety chest pains should only last a few minutes. Wrong! This is a good example of how those who have never had anxiety think. I don't care who said it, maybe some professor or some such person, they are wrong. I speak from experience and the many people I have talked to. You have been checked out medically and found to be ok. So believe them. You say it's driving you crazy. Well it will if you concentrate on it. 'How can I not when it's always there?' you might say. You can if you accept it all without adding more fear to the fear you already have.

 

[Sweet T]

That weird bc I’ve read that chest pain that goes on for hours or days is likely not cardiac related.
Angina chest pain is usually not more than 15 minutes and usually accompanies trouble breathing.
My chest and ribs are constantly tense and can be painful and sore. I do shoulder blade stretches to help. Bring shoulder blades together and hold for 10 seconds. Do 10 reps. This might help. Good luck.