Traveling pain....anyone else experience?

[pinkshaylee]

I have dealt with chest pains since the beginning of my severe anxiety journey (I’ve written about it here some). I’ve been checked out at two different ERs, followed up with two different PCPs (moved back to hometown). EKGs, blood tests, all drs came to the conclusion that it is anxiety related. I had come to peace with that and dealt with it as it came.

Now along with moving back home, my medicine has changed and so has the chest pain. It used to be along my sternum on my left side, sometimes in my shoulder and arm. Now I still feel it in those places but when I feel it in my shoulder and arm, the pain is stronger than before. Also, I feel it more often under or below my left breast. The pain can be dull, sharp, or prickly feeling. Sometimes it lasts for seconds, sometimes for minutes. I have pain at some point almost every day especially this past week.


All of that to say, those of you who also deal with anxiety chest pains, have you had a similar experience? I feel like my overall anxiety level is down over the past couple of weeks.

 

[Beach-5389]

It is great that you have had your chest pains medically checked out and they were anxiety related. Keeping that in mind can be helpful in keeping things in perspective.

I have also been to the ER with chest pains for which no cause could be determined other than my anxiety. My chest pains are usually in the same place or sometimes in a larger area and vary in intensity. Sometimes I also l have pains in my arms. I have come to recognize that when I have chest pains, it is usually related to feeling increased stress and to look around in my life for triggers or something that has changed that I am concerned or stressed about. I try to use my chest pains as a body signal that my stress level has raised to point that it would help if I try coping measures to deal with it because my mind does not appear to be consciously aware of this. When I acknowledge them and accept them as here's my anxiety chest pains again, it helps let them pass. When I react to them, they seem to last longer and sometimes grow in intensity.

Anxiety and depression have many physical symptoms and I try to remember that. But I forget, especially when stressed!