I have had 12 ekg's in the last 2 months and all come back normal. I suffer from panic disorder, but I feel constant chest and left arm pain. Should I still worry that something is wrong with my heart?
2006-10-07 12:17:14 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Heart Diseases
I am a 25 year old male, my grandfather died of congestive heart failure at 77
2006-10-07 12:23:16 · update #1
If you have panic attacks, it is hard to say, because that can certainly create symptoms similar to a heart problem...even when there is none. However, resting EKGs are not infallible. A stress EKG, where they monitor your heart rate during exercise (or during a chemically induced stressor) give a better picture of the condition of your heart. Even then, it is not 100% accurate, but it is frankly better than a resting EKG.
2006-10-07 12:26:13 · answer #1 · answered by kathy_is_a_nurse 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those are symptoms of anxiety or a heart attack. A heart attack has been ruled out by extensive testing. If a Holter monitor and an EKG and blood tests cleared you, that is definitive. You would not have suddenly developed a cardiac condition in the five years since then. Maybe when you're sixty, but you could not have clogged up your arteries in five years. There is nothing they could have overlooked. The blood tests looks for compounds that are released by damaged heart muscle, so if those compounds are not present, the heart muscle was definitively not damaged. You should return to get treatment for the anxiety.
2016-03-28 01:10:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are having chest pain you should have other tests besides an EKG. Ask for a stress test and a holter monitor for 24 hours to make sure there is nothing missed. If everything is ok you may need something low dose to calm your nerves. Your mind can affect your body and cause actual physical problems so you do need to have some further treatment. It might help to sit down with someone and have them explain the difference of what you are experiencing from what happened to your grandpa and what things you should watch for to assure you it is not happening to you.
2006-10-09 07:57:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to get help with the panic disorder. If you can control the panic then you will see if the pain goes away.
A psychiatrist can help. He is a medical doctor and an expert in managing anxiety and panic.
You dont' say how old you are, or your heart history, or even your sex.
But if the EKGs are fine you are likely experiencing panic related pain.
2006-10-07 12:20:30 · answer #4 · answered by Tempest88 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An EKG is not the only diagnostic tool. If you're still symptomatic, see a cardiologist. If you're currently seeing one, see a different one. Yes, panic disorders can cause chest and arm pain that mimic a heart attack. But they still need to be ruled out.
2006-10-10 00:00:10 · answer #5 · answered by Lisa 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please dont worry about your heart. When I was 27, I started having panic attacks. I ran to the E. R. several times, they could not find any thing wrong with my heart. When you worry , you are adding a second fear and that makes the panic attacks much worse. You can not die from panic disorder. My suggestion is to keep in mind you are very young, you suffer from panic disorder, not heart trouble. These panic problems will sometimes go away on their own, mine did.
2006-10-07 18:23:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have the doctors suggested putting a 24-hour heart monitor on you? It's called a Holter monitor, and here's some information about it:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003877.htm
I suspect that what you are experiencing is tachycardia, which is just the fancy name doctors use for a rapid heartbeat. There can be lots of causes for tachycardia, and some can be dangerous and some are almost harmless.
Some possible causes of tachycardia are medications, dehydration, overexertion, and overweight. Try drinking lots of water, losing excess weight, cutting down on cholesterol and fats in your diet, and resting whenever you feel weak.
See your doctor and ask her if you are taking some medications that could be causing tachycardia, and ask her about taking a daily aspirin.
Read this Wikipedia article about tachycardia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachycardia
2006-10-07 12:20:13 · answer #7 · answered by Jim 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you can assume your problem is your anxiety disorder and hypochondria.
If you receive treatment for the anxiety disorder your symptoms will go away
2006-10-07 12:19:59 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋