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What Causes Headache, Throat Tightness And Chest Pain?
Question: Hi,
A timeline of events:
April-move into apartment, develop respiratory problems, daily headaches and other allergy symptoms, can't say move apts (probably mold that was causing it).
May 1st-15th I'm doing fine in new apt (same complex), until one night I feel a bit of tightness in my throat which I perceived as a possible allergic reaction and then it basically spirals into what I believe was actually a panic attack that lasted hrs. I went to my Dr in Mexico and he gave me something similar to xanax which calmed me down and I was eventually OK. The minute I walked back into the complex I felt a rush of anxiety and panic like symptoms but I was able to "talk" myself out of it.
So I've currently been back in the US to get away for a bit and see my Dr here. The current symptoms I'm having are mild/dull chest pain that comes and goes and may or may not come with tightness/soreness in my throat. These symptoms occur a few times a day and I cannot seem to find any correlation between them and my daily activities. I don't know what's going on.
A timeline of events:
April-move into apartment, develop respiratory problems, daily headaches and other allergy symptoms, can't say move apts (probably mold that was causing it).
May 1st-15th I'm doing fine in new apt (same complex), until one night I feel a bit of tightness in my throat which I perceived as a possible allergic reaction and then it basically spirals into what I believe was actually a panic attack that lasted hrs. I went to my Dr in Mexico and he gave me something similar to xanax which calmed me down and I was eventually OK. The minute I walked back into the complex I felt a rush of anxiety and panic like symptoms but I was able to "talk" myself out of it.
So I've currently been back in the US to get away for a bit and see my Dr here. The current symptoms I'm having are mild/dull chest pain that comes and goes and may or may not come with tightness/soreness in my throat. These symptoms occur a few times a day and I cannot seem to find any correlation between them and my daily activities. I don't know what's going on.
Brief Answer:
likely to be anxiety but do get an ECG
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
The symptoms are sugestive of either a cardiac condition or is simple anxiety. The point that the symptoms bear no relation with activity level- points towards anxiety being behind all this.
Before concluding it to be due to anxiety- it is wise to rule out any cardiac cause. Please get an ECG, if it is normal one can safely assume that heart is fine.
You also thought of allergy being the reason behind all his- which I think is unlikely as : you remained ok in same complex for 15 days in between before the symptoms reemerged spontaneously.
So, after getting the test one can conclude anxity to be solely responsible for the problems.
Anxiety can come to anyone, especially under change of circumstances/ job/ place of living/ under stressful situations/ sudden unexpected life event. So, if the change in apartment was in anyway related to above points- it could have triggered the anxiety symptoms.
Hope the replies help you to understand your symptoms.
Please ask more questions for clarifications.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Psychiatry
likely to be anxiety but do get an ECG
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
The symptoms are sugestive of either a cardiac condition or is simple anxiety. The point that the symptoms bear no relation with activity level- points towards anxiety being behind all this.
Before concluding it to be due to anxiety- it is wise to rule out any cardiac cause. Please get an ECG, if it is normal one can safely assume that heart is fine.
You also thought of allergy being the reason behind all his- which I think is unlikely as : you remained ok in same complex for 15 days in between before the symptoms reemerged spontaneously.
So, after getting the test one can conclude anxity to be solely responsible for the problems.
Anxiety can come to anyone, especially under change of circumstances/ job/ place of living/ under stressful situations/ sudden unexpected life event. So, if the change in apartment was in anyway related to above points- it could have triggered the anxiety symptoms.
Hope the replies help you to understand your symptoms.
Please ask more questions for clarifications.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Psychiatry
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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