Sharp chest pain, feels like bruised breast bone

[zephyress]

... On and off chest pain. Comes n goes.  24 hrs now and feels like broken or bruised breast bone in center of chest.
Hurts when i breathe, but i can breathe.  
Anyone else feel this specific chest pain due to anxiety or is this something else??

[zephyress]

And thanks for your responses.  :-)

[zephyress]

@JamesAA
Yes, these new hot flashes that make me sweat last only a few minutes, midday when Im not really nervous. So ok this makes me trust that it can be a new anxiety symptom.  

My doctor sends me to the cardiologist once a year, I think its to relieve fears and it allows me to control the anxiety. I also have mitral valve prolapse that should be checked once a year anyway. But its not life threatening alone.

I am prescribed the lowest dose (0.25) xanax and i only take a quarter of THAT when needed.  Im 105 lbs at age 40 and i usually only need to take it right before my menstrual as thats when my anxiety is somewhat uncontrolable. at ths particular time  I get night sweats now along with the usual bad tremors and heavy heart beat (not tachycardia tho).
The ER doc yesterday said possibly my body is needing more xanax but I disagree because I can go 3 weeks without any, and last yr Ive gone 5 months (I seem better in spring/summer weather), and my primary doc
says that my dose is too small to develope an addiction since I dont take it regularly.

Its been a long time that Ive been searching for someone with very similar detailed problems.  ... Someone to compare symptoms on a more detailed level. So if u like, keep in touch.  Thats what these forums are really all about anyway, right? :-)

[JamesAA]

We sound like 2 peas on a pod Zeph.  I get that sensation exactly like you described too and my cardiologist assures me it is NOT cardiac related.  I still wonder how simple anxiety can cause a very real pain but I'll trust others when they say it can.

I also get those anxiety hot flashes.  Not all that often but when they strike I start sweating profusely.  It can last 2-3 minutes, then it usually goes away.  I should note that it's not always occurring during my panic attacks.  Most of my panic attacks do not bring this hot flash thing out.  Most of the time it just strikes sort of out of nowhere, often though when I'm nervous.  But after 3 minutes I'm fine again.  

I also go through periods where I don't need meds but I have PLENTY of flare up days and when I do I MUST take klonopin otherwise I'm a useless wreck.  

I have a couple questions for you (and a comment).

1- what meds do you take if and when your anxiety spikes?

2- why do you go to a cardiologist?  Are you like me and just have a general fear of heart attacks (called cardiac neurosis)?  I have this and it can ruin my life when it's bad.  I think your cardiologist will agree with me on this one that you do NOT need to get full cardio workups every year (unless there is and underlying problem).  In the case of a normal patient, you can probably wait 3-5 years easily before getting any cardiac tests (again in the absence of symptoms).  Hell my dad is 76 and he's never had any workups done is his life.  But then again he doesn't have the same fears I do.  Lucky him.  lol

Good luck to you.  I can relate to you so damn well, you have no idea.  

[zephyress]

I have learned to control my anxiety. 3 yrs ago i was diagnosed as generalized disorder.  But now i control it and can function normally without meds :-) but sometimes during stressful times i have flare ups.
So i went to get checked.... Disgnosis for chest pain is costochondritis so im on meds anti inflammatory.  The other symptoms are unknown cause so im assuming just from anxiety, sudden sweats and fatigue and all that.  Ekg was normal and blood counts fine. Cat scan for blood clots fine, xray was fine.  But i still need follow up w thyroid test done to rule that out. Thanks everyone

[birdie0907]

I bet your gp will tell you the fatigue is in your head, but the only reason I say that is because you said you will get the actual diagnosis from the doc. Again, I have had that experience before I went to ER a year ago, so it is most likely your anxiety is getting the better of your nerves and making you think a problem exists.
It is easy to self diagnose incorrectly, and you have already noted that is the case with the headaches since they are just part of anxiety and will go away once you get the anxiety under control. Try to focus on how simple the solution is in order to give the solution the chance to occur.
Of course some people can't do this and need therapy.

[zephyress]

Yes. I was already informed that the horrible daily headaches in the back of my head (at base of neck) are stress related. But the sudden fatigue and nausea are problems for me. A midday sudden sweat n fatigue that i had to lay down on the floor for a 5 minute power nap was a problem the other day!
So now the strange chest pain (feels like bruised breast bone) is a concern :-(
But as I said, I see csrdiologist every April and all is normal. So I have a few months until my anual checkup
Thanks for replies
Sometimes symptom lists are so vague

[birdie0907]

You didn't mention nausea before. On an unrelated note, I caution you about over worrying giving you a heightened awareness of your body and thinking you are fatigued when you really aren't. The nausea could be gastritis which causes anxiety because it can make you feel so bad instantly that it freaks you out. I have that gastritis problem but learned to ignore flareups other than going on meds when the stomach needs some help.
Your gp will give you a good idea of whether you need stomach meds.

[Life360_Dave]

Hi, i know the feeling also. Sometimes ribs get stuck on muscle tissue and is a very uncomfortable feeling. When this happens to me, i move my chest in different directions and eventually the rib snaps back. Its a really scary feeling.

[zephyress]

Thanks for response. Someone said also could be low blood sugar to explain sudden nausea n fatigue.  Goin to GP. thx

[birdie0907]

The pain sounds like normal anxiety tricks being played on your chest. The hot flashes are likely also caused by your anxiety playing tricks with you. I had all that kind of thing a year ago but the ER said there was nothing wrong so I relaxed and it all disappeared.
The headaches are not related to your heart either. Belching is an unrelated issue too. You didn't simultaneously catch 3 unrelated diseases right now, so there is likely nothing to worry about. You could always go to emergency for a doctor's diagnosis, however the pains you have are classic anxiety chest pains so likely there is nothing physically wrong with you. We can't diagnose you so it is up to you to figure if you want to see a doc.