Enough to rule out heart?

Hello everyone (: so about a week before Christmas I had a panic attack, thought I was having a heart attack, left arm would go numb, dizziness, some chest pain and left armpit pain . Had an ECG done on the ambulance and the ecg was perfect, so I went back inside.

A couple days later I felt pressure in my chest and dizziness so I went to the ER ( picture is me in the ER) and my Ekg and blood work came back fine they couldn’t find anything, the blood work they did was a pregnancy test , CBC W differential and Basic Metabolic Panel .

I keep thinking a heart attack is in the works or something like it’s “building up” to one for some reason, I’m having on and off pain in my left arm, it varies from my wrist, shoulder and fingers sometimes. I don’t know what to do anymore, I live alone as well which makes it even more scary 😓 is it possible to have a heart attack at 25 with no known family history of heart issues? Thank you 🥺

[tamka38]

If everything came back normal be happy with the results if u still worry talk to your doctor my sister had her first heart attack at the age of 12 but heart disease runs in the family

[Calm_mama]

Hi Angel!

This sounds like anxiety/panic. They were very thorough. Usually doc will check a thyroid level. I would check to see if they did that (can cause secondary anxiety and is usually totally correctable) Sorry you are going through it- I know it's scary. Hugs~

[velasquezk12]

i feel like this all the time 😩 i went to a cardiologist and everything was fine w my heart its just anxiety but i still feel like im going to have a heart attack or something but im only 18 lol i doubt you’ll have a heart attack n the thought of it is probably making you anxious

[ChicagoGirl1961]

Ecg is very accurate. You did not have a heart attack. Rest easy. Surely only health anxiety at your young age....rest easy and be well.

[kvolm2016]

I'm sure this was very scary! Glad to hear that your medical tests came back with good health results. Now that you know it was not a heart related episode, have you spoken with the medical professional that you see for anxiety?

[Hidden in reply to kvolm2016]

My doctor has mentioned therapy but I’m not quite ready to face/Talk about my past, so right now I am reading the book DARE and trying to exercise what I’m learning so I can give my nervous system a break lol

[kvolm2016 in reply to Hidden]

I have not read it but hope you find some applicable advice! I understand your caution with investing in therapy since there is usually a need to "face the past" to get to the root of many issues. But therapy is also very helpful for addressing present day habits/patterns/issues and for learning healthy strategies.

[Hidden]

Is it possible? Sure. Is it likely, especially if you don't have the genetic risk factors associated? Doubtful. The EKG and blood work tell a lot. Now, I don't want to have you doubt yourself, but the EKG results are as good as the heart is acting at the moment. That all said, if it was good and your doctor/the cardiologist didn't notice anything, I would feel peace in that. If you were having a heart attack, blood work shows a chemical that indicates heart muscle damage. Lacking that, it sounds like you can call it a clean bill of health.

For now, I would keep doing preventive things like supplementing fish oil (if allowed), check your blood pressure at the same time a few times a week, and the good old diet/exercise stuff they preach. The problem with anxiety and heart attacks is they mimic a lot of the same symptoms. You did the right thing by taking the precautionary step. I've been there and I felt like a fool, but it sure was nice being an alive fool. The symptoms of anxiety and panic are an endless list. Your body is trying to do whatever it can to protect you and this causes a lot of weird uncomfortable things to happen.

Try to rest and relax and just monitor the pain. If you feel very dizzy, short of breath, cold sweats, and/or very bad pain, absolutely call 911 or get to an ER. If your doctor is okay with it, perhaps a baby aspirin to see if the pain resolves? Often after a panic attack, I'll feel exhausted in the chest area from all of the angst, stress, and discomfort. For now, it sounds like you can rest assured knowing things have been checked and all is well.