Hey guys! So Friday night I had my first anxiety attack I believe. I am female, 32 years old, only medical issues is gastritis and GERD that I control with diet and Omeprazole.
So I woke up Friday morning with a sore throat. I didn't think much about it but it got a little worse as the day passed. I took some Acetaminophen to relieve the pain. Later that day I had a work event that lasted until 9:30pm. I started feeling chest pressure and pain in the middle of my back around 8:45pm. Then I started feeling like I couldn't breathe properly. It was a horrible feeling, like I couldn't get a deep enough breath. My hands started getting tingly and my left arm started hurting. I then freaked out thinking I was having a heart attack. I went to the ER feeling short of breath and the pressure in the chest. They took my pulse which was 82, my oxygen level was 99% and my blood pressure was 110/70. They checked my heart and said that it looked great, that it was beating in perfect rythm that the pressure was not from cardiac origin and that my lungs sounded fine too. That my oxygination level was excellent so I was receiving oxygen, eventhough I felt I was not. He then checked my back and chest by pressing on certain points and I felt excrutiating pain, specially on my front left ribs near the sternum. He then diagnosed me with costochondritis and said that I had an anxiety attack too. That my heart and lungs were fine. He gave me a Xanax and some pills for the inflammation pain from the costochondritis. When he checked my heart and said everything was fine I started feeling much better and with the Xanax even more so. I had never taken a Xanax before but it made me feel relaxed and just a little sleepy.
I felt so horrible during this attack. I seriously thought I was having a heart attack or that my lungs were failing and I was going to die. I have been feeling chest pressure/back pain for maybe 10-14 days and the Dr said it could be from the costochondritis, that my entire ribs felt sore so that can cause the pressure/pain. Do you guys think its from the costochondritis or anxiety? I had my heart checked out with an Echocardiogram, blood test, Chest X-ray and multiple EKG's less that a year ago. My Cardiologist says my heart is healthy and with no structural issues. To go and excercise and have a happy life but I just fixate on my heart. I take my pulse several times a day just to make sure its beating properly. Even when I feel a little pain on my left arm (which when pressed hurts a lot) I think something is wrong with my heart.
Thank you all for reading this long post. I just feel I don't have anyone else right now that will understand what I am feeling.