It's the one thing I absolutely didn't want to hear from any medical professional; there MIGHT be something wrong with my heart after all. Last night I had the worst symptoms I've ever experienced in my chest and left arm, even extending to my neck! It was all bad enough to wake me up at 4 in the morning and keep me up. They included:
- Weakness/Numbness in my left arm, extending to my hand and collarbone.
- Tightness in my chest which - for about half a minute at one point - became a crushing sensation like someone was standing on me.
- Dizziness, especially when sitting up.
- Palpatations
- Shivering
- Pulsing headaches and a pulse in my lower back
- Head rushes/zaps and feeling faint
I could remember from past "Googling" how all of the symptoms are typical of a heart attack, and the fact they wouldn't subside and gradually got worse supported my fears. The worst was yet to come. The symptoms faded after about half an hour but most came back with a vengeance. For about 5 seconds at one point, I was unable to move, speak or even breathe. I've never been so worried in my life; I wasn't even trying to fall asleep at that point, and my parents didn't believe me when I was finally able to call for help.
Luckily I already had a doctor appointment with my GP booked this morning. She checked the notes I made about my symptoms, and listened to my heart, but claimed I was ok. I'm still waiting for an echo to take place, and I was petrified to hear the doctor is trying to mark it as urgent, as she "no longer believes this is only the work of anxiety." I may have a "leaky valve" or other heart problems.
I just want to be normal. I don't want any heart problems at all, I hate living in fear like this. Any excercise at all now raises my heart rate to stupidly fast palpatations and causes tightness. I agree with the doctor - how can this possibly be anxiety anymore?