Kind of new symptom - what would you do?

[happygal]

Hi all,
Some of you know I have been hanging around this forum for the last several years - I usually disappear when my symptoms get better and return when something new starts to plague me. Well, anyway, here I am again.

Several days ago I started having very localized chest pain in the bottom of my chest. Intellectually, I am quite certain it is TMS; but emotionally, I worry that it is my heart. The pain ramped up a lot the same day my daughter threw up in the car and my 5-year old son scratched his cornea playing with a stick and the pain miraculously dissipated when I had a distracting conversation with a stranger. It has been coming and going since then. I went for a run with the pain, and it increased only moderately - never spreading outside it's tiny spot, but I think I spent the whole time focusing on the spot and evaluating if it was getting better or worse (and it always gets worse when I do that). I figured that if it was really my heart, a run would have caused me to keel over. I checked my blood pressure yesterday and it was 110/70 - not exactly heart attack material. I have had no shortness of breath or any other worrying symptoms, just a localized ache in the bottom of my chest coming and going for days.

I did have some anxiety attacks earlier in the year (around March or April) with some chest pain and got the all clear from my family doctor that it was anxiety and not my heart. They also did an ultrasound of my heart last year when I was pregnant because they were worried about my shortness of breath (I mistakenly made an offhand comment to my doctor) and they insisted I go to the ER and then to the cardiologist, who told me based on that test, I have a strong heart. It wasn't a full stress test, but it would have shown any abnormalities.

I have an irrational fear of heart problems which likely stems from my father having his first heart attack at 37 and dying at 47. (I am 43.) For some reason, I forget that my 70 year old mother has had no symptom of heart disease and my father's sister is 80 and still kicking.

Anyway, I have been debating whether I should bother going to the doctor again. I feel like I just went through something similar 6 months ago. But I am also thinking better safe than sorry... And maybe she would be able to put my mind at ease.

Anyway, just looking for words of wisdom from any of you smart people out there... Every time I think I have conquered this TMS thing, it eventually sneaks up on me again. I need to get better at stopping it in its tracks.

thanks all!
amy

 

[Peggy]

My daughter has had open-heart surgery and she gets chest pains. Over the last 20 years we always mention it to the doctor and they say it is nothing. She does go to the cardiologist every 2 years for check ups, they seem satisfied that seeing the cardiologist every 2 years is enough. I think she has trauma in her chest from the surgery when she was little, and when she feels stress, this is where it shows up. My Mom died of a heart attack and my sister had a hole in her heart, and my daughter had heart surgery. When I was in my twenties is was worried about having a heart problem, had the whole thing checked out ( a true tms'er even back then). I just think our worries and stress and catch up with us and the heart is as good of a place as any to manifest this strain. I don't think there is anything wrong with going to your physician to rest your state of mind, but I really doubt you need to see a cardiologist.

 

[Anne Walker]

I am sure having anxiety over our heart health is very common! It seems like every month I have some sort of passing chest pain or palpitation that gets me thinking about my heart. There was a fellow TMS wiki friend that was having extreme palpitations last year and just reading about it, had me obsessing about my heart. That being said, I have gone in numerous times and consulted with my doctor about my heart. Occasionally, he has run some tests. There is no harm in getting your heart checked out for comfort and reassurance. We can't pretend that heart disease does not exist and it is one of those things that is important to know. There is so much that can be done preventatively if there is a problem. So if you are truly concerned, I recommend getting it checked out.