Muscle/nerve/anxiety pains or heart pains?

[Arogers5]

A bit of background - I have been suffering from anxiety for around 4 years now. Early last year I managed to get a lot of my symptoms under control and I went most of the year with relatively low anxiety/pain. However, around October, I started getting sharp and aching pains in my arms, hands, neck, and sometimes legs. The pains were mainly on my left side, however this subsided within a few months.

As of yesterday, these pains have come back, however they are a lot worse and a lot scarier than before. Yesterday I woke up and every time I got up/walked/excerted myself at all, my I would get this shooting pain from my left chest going into my armpit and up the side of my neck. I went to my GP and had an ECG and chest x ray done, which came back fine. Today I woke up and my entire left arm is in pain, constantly. The pain is a dull ache with frequent stabbing pains near the armpit, elbow, and wrist. I'm also having oxassuonal stabbing pains in my neck and right elbow.

I'm absolutely terrified this is my heart - although I've had ecg and an x ray which have come back fine, But i know that they can't show blocked arteries or other heart conditions. I'm supposed to be going on holiday tomorrow morning but I'm terrified and on the verge of cancelling - I've no idea what to do!

Alex

[Hidden]

Hello Alex

I was going to say go back to your Doctors and ask them what is causing it as you are still suffering but then I saw you were of on your holidays tomorrow so bad timing

The main thing is the tests you have had done came back all clear so no heart issues or chances are it would have shown up , it could be anxiety related it could be a trapped nerve or a few things causing it but as we suffer with anxiety we always think it is life threatening when it isn't

If you feel fit enough to go on holiday then I would go , they have doctors where ever you are going and I would presume you have insurance cover but I doubt you will need either , see if been on holiday you start to relax and these symptoms go away that would answer your question then to what it was as would point to anxiety and if you are still getting them when you get back then ask what else it could be and what tests you could have to find out

I do hope it subsides and you have a lovely holiday , sorry I could not be of any more use and hope someone answers that might be able to give you some better advise

Take Care x

[Arogers5 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you! At the moment I am telling myself it is a trapped nerve but obviously my brain is still telling me that it's my heart

[Gilldy]

I would advise you to go to A&E- better safe than sorry. I had a heart attack 10 years since ,I'd had an ecg 3 days previous which showed nothing so maybe a second opinion is worth having.

[Arogers5 in reply to Gilldy]

Do you mind me asking what your symptoms were like?

[Arogers5]

Not at all - I've been looking forward to it and wasn't stressed before the pain

[Gilldy]

I had chest pains on and off for a week or so before. My blood pressure often went up dramatically with anxiety in the months before. On the day of the attack i had awful chest pains and felt sick. Drove to A@E , had an ecg and bp check, they were on the points of sending me home with stomach ache when my heart stopped. If I hadn't been at the hospital I wouldn't have survived. Apparently it's very uncommon but worth checking out.

[Arogers5 in reply to Gilldy]

What were the chest pains like? In the middle/stabbing etc? My pains are to the very left of my chest and infrequently stabbing - about once every hour. And then my arm is aching lightly with occasional stabbing, it feels generally uncomfortable.

[Gilldy]

Heart pain can take many forms - it could be something quite harmless but if you are worried get it checked out. A&e staff always say if you think you might be having a heart attack they are happy to see you. You might just be having an anxiety attack or have pulled s muscle but if you're not sure ............

[Sheanxious]

I have had those same type of symptoms on and of for the past year...multiple trip to the emergency room thinking that I'm having a heart attack but they always say my heart is fine. I even had to wear a monitor for three days during one of my bouts of this. Also came back with clean results. I hate all of this it makes no sense. Especially since my anxiety began during a good part of my life. Not back when I was in an abusive marriage but five years after that when I'm remarried to a wonderful man and very happy with my life. That's when anxiety begins? Why?

[Arogers5 in reply to Sheanxious]

My anxiety also started a long time after all of my troubles. I think it takes a few years to build up in your system/mind and then it eventually is unleashed

[Johnnie1234]

i have the same thing sometimes pressure come and goes like a scray feeling and soon i as i get up it goes away and also bad pain on my left arm i saw a cardiologist 2months ago or three i have appointment with him the 12 of this month so hopefully lets see but he did alot of test he says everything is normal with the test he did had me run on a trim mill, echo, 7day heart monitor , and sonagram like a picture to see my heart while its pumping he said its fine he said hit the gym and stuff he did say i have a little bit of arrythmia but not a dangerous one he didnt give me no meds or anything he said im fine so i guess he wouldnt lie to me but sense that time i seen my heart was racing alot daily like 2 times a day or three and been getting pain left arm and ris sometimes like spasms on my chest but i hsve beta blockers aswell before i saw the cardiologist my heart rate and blood pressure was really high then they told i have to see one just to make sure nothing is wrong soo i did say im fine hopefully i am and nothing happen to me then ill be to late im nervous everyday and worried about it just dont wanna die so young still got a life to live only 20 years old male .

[Arogers5]

I woke up in so much pain in my arm this morning I didn't know what to do - couldn't go to dr as I'm travelling now! I went for a run because I felt like I was going to have a meltdown, after the run my pain vanished! I still have the odd twinge but the majority of it had gone. So I'm hoping now that this was a nerve/stress issue