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Suggest Treatment For Anxiety, Breathlessness, Heaviness In Chest And Left Arm

Posted on Mon, 31 Aug 2015

Question: I am a 27 year old female, pregnant with my fifth and have suffered from extreme anxiety for 2 years. I have never quite had these symptoms though I had got my anxiety under control from what I thought. But on Sunday I started having a pain in my jaw, I started googling(bad I know) and decided it was the beginning of a heart attack. Monday I started having symptoms of the breathlessness and heaviness in my chest and down my left arm. I had them off and on all day. Tuesday I decided to go to the ER they did a EKG and took my stats as well as did a d-dimer test and all came back good. Wednesday I started to throw up and get nauceous after each probelm and was unable to eat very much. I have continued to have the symptoms off and on for the last few days. This is day 6 now. Sometimes it gets really bad and I'll get all of the symptoms at once that last about 10-20 minutes. But then I'll be ok for a little while and then I'll have one symptom like the jaw or the arm. Last night I felt great! I slept through the night with no symptoms except heavy breathing that went away pretty quickly and then I woke up looking for the symptoms and I noticed one my TMJ right where the jaw is was tight.. Since then ive continued to think about it and then it started tingling slightly down my left arm and down my back. Now I have no pain in my chest just slight tingling down my back and arm. My question is should I go back for my testing? or is the classic anxiety symtpoms that im not being able to get passed?

Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
probably anxiety symptoms.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to HCM.

I have gone through your details thoroughly and understand your concerns.

Pain in chest, tingling, numbness, breathlessness etc are all classical symptoms of anxiety.

This is almost confirmed by your normal test reports.

You have had these symptoms since 2 years.
In some cases, these symptoms can increase in pregnancy as pregnancy itself can act as a stressor.

So, in my opinion, there is no need any further investigation. You feel tightness in one of yout TMJ. For this you can consult an ENT specialist to rule out the local lesion.

You can visit a psychiatrist for proper management of symptoms. Antianxiety agents like escitalopram or sertraline (prescription drug) are safe in pregnancy.

Also, practice relaxation exercises like deep breathing and meditation. This should help you.

Hope I have addressed your concerns satisfactorily.

Feel free to ask further.
Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Shubham Mehta (5 minutes later)

Thank you for the reply. I have continued to exercise this week besides the symptoms. The working out feels good and helps the symptoms but then they return a few hours later. Is there anything else I can do with my diet and the breathing exercises?

Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (12 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
avoid caffeinated substances.

Detailed Answer:
You are most welcome.

Green vegetables and fruits are natural serotonin enhancers.
So increase their intake in your diet.

Avoid excess tea and coffee and soft drinks.

Breathing exercises are simple.
Take a deep breath counting upto 5 slowly. Hold for the count of 3 and release slowly counting back to 5 slowly.
This should help you.

Since your symptoms are disabling, I would recommend drug treatment for this.

Hope you find my suggestions useful.

Take care.
Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Shubham Mehta (36 hours later)

I have one more question. Last year I had a CT scan because they thought I may have had a PE and also a normal EKG. The doctor came back in and said my heart looked great, no PE and no tumors anywhere from where they could see on the CT. This last time I went in I had a chest X-rays and another Normal EKG. Do heart attacks just come out of no where? Or would the doctors have noticed something in those tests?

Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
there is usually a predisposing factor.

Detailed Answer:
Dear,
Heart attacks can come out of no where. But usually there is some predisposing factor like high cholesterol, family history of cardiac disease, high BP persistently, diabetes etc.

There are also some silent attacks. But these are usually noted on ECGs.

As your doctor confirms that your heart is healthy, i think you should not worry.

Stay relaxed.

Hope this helps.
Take care.

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar