Constant pressure/shortness of breath

[paulishere]

A week ago I woke up in the middle of the night with shortness of breath. I was pale, sweating, and a bit dizzy. I didn't feel chest "pain", just an intense pressure. I went to the ER, and :

- blood pressure was fine
- ECG was fine
- chest x-ray was fine
- blood tests (3 over 9 hours) were all fine

I was sent home, but the chest was store sore all day. Yesterday I went to the cardiologist and I did an ultrasound of the heart, which came back ok too, other than a small area which the cardiologist said that he couldn't quite make out, so I may have to re-do it, he's not sure yet. In about a month I'm going to get a 48 hour holter, and I'm being sent for a CT angiogram in 6 weeks.

Another thing of note is that I've been having trouble sleeping. When I close my eyes, my pressure seems to intensify and I get this sensation of being "out of body". I ca't explain it. It's like I try and take a deep breath, but I don't feel the release of breath out (although I obviously do, or I'd be dead).  The pressure is constant now. During my initial episode, it was about a 9/10... right now, it's about a 3.

I do have a family history of health issues - my dad had a heart attack - but with all of my tests coming back negative (so far), could this just be stress? Anxiety? Or something else entirely?

Thanks for any help you can give.

[pvctom]

Hello,

I am just mentioning this as a possibility - but have you had an upper GI or an Endoscopy lately - you could perhaps have some GERD or a Hiatal Hernia. Sometimes, if I lay down too soon after eating, I will get chest pain, fullness, and then GERD. Just a thought. I hope all is well with you.

[achillea]

As Jerry says, sleep apnea should be investigated, since it is pretty common.

That said, the 'out of body' sensation you describe is a classic psychiatric sign of great anxiety.  It is called 'depersonalization,' and you can google it.

[Jerry_NJ]

How's you oxygen saturation level, especially when lying in bed?  Didn't anyone raise the possibility of Obstructive Sleep Apnea?  Your symptoms other than the sore chest could all be caused by OSA.