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Heart Palpitations Forum >> Symptoms and other concerns >> Now what!
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Message started by Dickyboy199 on May 16^th, 2012, 11:31am

Title: Now what!
Post by Dickyboy199 on May 16^th, 2012, 11:31am

Hi RLR,

Just a quick post to see if you can shed any light on my current symptoms please. Back in September I wrote about very fast beats waking me up in the night. Since then I've had it happen a few times day and night. Eventually I went to the doctors about 4 weeks ago and had an ECG done. This came back as normal. My doc said that the fast beats were of no concern and if they got any worse I could have a 7 day monitor.

Since then I started to have very bad burning in my chest and stomach which started weeks ago with a mild burning sensation in my right chest area. This came and went occasionally but eventually it was all over my chest and I was burping constantly. I then developed back pains under my right shoulder blade and then into the centre of my back. I went back to the docs and he said I was suffering from Acid indigestion which I haven't suffered from before on this scale.

He prescribed Omeprazole which I only took two tablets over two days and the following night I thought I was having a heart attack. I had pains, shivers sick feeling in my stomach I could not sleep every time I fell asleep I was jolted awake feeling terrible and my heart was racing all night. The next day I went straight back to the doctor who said it was probably side effects of the tablets so put me on Zantac which I decided not to take in case of further side effects.

After another week I was still having continuous back pains and feeling unwell so I returned to see another doctor on Monday who once again thinks this is just Acid reflux. He examined me thoroughly listening to heart chest etc and doing a very thorough abdo examination. He could feel my aorta in my abdomen and although not unduly worried has now ordered an ultrasound to check it out. I had blood tests done 3 weeks ago which came back normal. My BP was 147/95 which I thought unusually high but the doctor was not concerned??

My main concern is that I am still having chest pains, not much burning anymore but the main concern is my back. Almost constant pain under right shoulder blade and upper central back. I have lost my appetite and also lost over 10lbs in weight in 3 weeks! My legs feel shaky a lot of the time and I am so worried that I have something seriously wrong with me.

To me this is not Acid reflux. My concerns are that it could be heart related? Or an aneurysm? Why would the doctor order an ultrasound because he can feel my pulse in my stomach. I have always been able to feel it, is this normal? Please can you shed some light onto all this. By the way the pain in my back seems to lessen when walking. Also I went on a 5 mile bike ride last night and really pushed it but had no pain at all under exertion.

Thanks for reading and any comments will be very helpful as always!

Best Regards

Rich

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by RLR on May 23^rd, 2012, 7:17pm

Hello Richard,

Sorry to hear that you're not feeling well and my apologies for the delay in responding. On the brighter side, you can take a deep breath and relax because there is nothing seriously wrong with you.

Realize that the right scapula pain, although discomforting, is merely referred colic pain due to trapped gas within the transverse colon, which can also present as upper right quadrant discomfort. The tachycardia is due to esophageal irritation from the reflux variant. You can also stop worrying about the ability of your doctor to palpate your abdominal aorta, which is a common observation in many patients and the key clinical objective is to determine whether intense pain is elicited by deep manipulation. Frankly, I'll tell you that the test results will be negative. It's entirely normal to be able to palpate the abdominal pulse.

It's important to realize that the symptoms you describe with regard to diaphoresis, or sweating and tremulousness in the lower extremities is actually associated with the GI difficulties being experienced and not cardiac related. Acid reflux can impose a rather dramatic sensorium in many patients and it's not uncommon at all for them to vocalize their concerns about more serious disease based upon their general malaise and symptoms.

You must also resist the temptation to withdraw from the PPI treatment because of unfounded fears. Many patients with anxiety prolong, and even exacerbate, their difficulties because of irrational fears that their medications are potentially increasing their risks in some manner. The effectiveness of this particular type of drug is observed over several weeks of treatment and during that timeframe, your symptoms will vary from better to worse, but this is strictly associated with the patterns of the reflux and not the introduction of the medication.

Incidentally, the centralized posterior pain is related to the reflux and not cardiac in nature. Your doctor may want to run a serum amylase if the pain persists, which would reveal whether your pancreas may be inflamed, but even if the amylase is elevated, it is temporary in nature and does not constitute anything necessarily pathogenic.

It is also common for patients to experience remission of symptoms upon activity and understand that stress is a direct factor in the pathogenesis of most reflux disorders.

I see nothing here which should raise concern to the levels you are concerned about and I would suggest that you work closely with your physician regarding symptom improvement by continuation of medications prescribed until such time that it can be determined to be effective in this instance. There is absolutely nothing here to indicate a serious disease of any type and again, take a breath and relax. You're going to be just fine.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by Dickyboy199 on May 25^th, 2012, 12:52pm

Hi Rutherford,

Very nice to hear from you. Thank you for responding to my post as always! Very good to hear your diagnosis and something that I hadn't realised is that the medication can take weeks and that the symptoms can get worse in that time. All of your explanations are very logical and make me feel a lot more reassured.

I have the blood results back and the chest x ray. The chest x ray is normal and no action required but the bloods have a low lymphocyte reading of 0.8. Is this anything to be concerned about. The doc wants me to have another blood test in a month to see if they have gone back up.

Can you tell me if it is normal to loose the amount of weight that I have lost over such a short time? I have now lost some more weight even though I am eating a normal diet, less the extras! I do feel very sick most days and have a full feeling in my sternum. But everyday I either way the same or I have lost another pound!

The pain in my back is sometimes very intense and it wakes me at night. It comes and goes but it is there everyday. This is the main symptom. I am currently not taking any medication for this as I didn't want any side effects. I have been prescribed Zantac, Hydroxyline to help me sleep and even bixoprolol beta blockers to calm my heart down! I've also been advised to take paracetamol for the pain and gaviscon to aid the indigestion. Surely I cant take all these together can I?

Could this have become chronic because of not taking the medication and worry concerning what it is?

Thanks again for all your advice and time you take here with all of us.
How are you by the way?!

Kindest regards

Richard

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by Dickyboy199 on May 25^th, 2012, 12:56pm

By the way forgot to say the doc did do a serum amylase and this did come back normal.

Also I apologise for my atrocious spelling!! Way - weigh!!

Thanks again

Rich

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by RLR on May 25^th, 2012, 3:27pm

Well, it can't be "every day" because a 10lb weight loss over 3 weeks, or 21 days, is slightly less than a half-pound per day and not too surprising or even considered remarkable in the midst of GI difficulties of the type being described.

I think one of the overriding concerns is that you feel convinced that something more serious is at hand, ie "to me this is not acid reflux." I'm constrained to point out that you're basing the range of possible symptoms of the disorder by your own past or own analysis. In every doctor-patient interaction, each must assume their role in order for the formula to work. It's important for you to understand that the mechanics which underlie reflux disorders are highly influential to certain types of stress. You and I go a considerable way back in discussing the actual nature of your difficulties and to date over several years, I don't believe we seen any expression of the type of health concerns you tend to become concerned about here.

About every two weeks or so, the outer-most thin lining of the intestinal tract breaks down and a new layer forms. The presence of significant GI disturbances like reflux can interfere with that process and aside from appetite depression, nutritional absorption can be affected to a mild extent as well. Realize that there are certain cells in your stomach and small intestine which produce natural bicarbonate and in the presence of significant acid production, the ability of the bicarbonate to successfully neutralize it becomes overwhelmed to a certain extent and can make its way past the corridor where it is typically inactivated, producing symptoms and a sense of general malaise and ill sensation.

You are far more resilient than you tend to believe, Richard. The human body undergoes a tremendous amount of adaptation throughout life and in most all instances, does an extremely efficient job without interference. With all the medical media which increases concerns that disease is rampant everywhere, it is common for persons to develop the sensation that an albatross circles overhead and that it's only a matter of time. The truth of the matter is that for reasons we don't yet understand, most all people who express significant health anxiety actually remain quite healthy throughout life, yet their concerns rival and often exceed those who worry less but yet fall victim to the very illnesses which emotionally plague the worried well.

The bottom line is that you can't out-guess mother nature and you can't spend a lifetime in apprehension of succumbing to serious illness or disease. For people with anxiety, they leave the logical boundaries of statistical probability and live with the notion that anything is possible and that the generation of compelling apprehension can somehow actually increase the risk of morbidity or mortality. This often occurs because people with anxiety permit the anchors which normally keep such notions in check to become free-floating and attach to any salient concern which happens to occur. They might read about a particularly alarming incident, such as the recent number of athletes experiencing sudden cardiac death, and by habituation internalize the event as actual proximity to risk in their own case, despite the logical fact that no such association exists at all. A loved one might pass away and the anxiety patient often develops proximal fears that their own life is in similar jeopardy.

As I've discussed many times on the forum, this type of fear is very unique in that the brain responds in a very archaic and predictable manner, producing physiological changes which only serve to accelerate and affirm fears that one's suspicions are potentially very accurate. The irony of such a perspective is that the usual patterns of self-confidence to separate fact from irrational fear becomes eroded and yet the anxiety patient exhibits increasing portrayals of confidence that their irrational fears are accurate, so much so that they even convince themselves on occasion that their condition is emergent in nature and that haste to the nearest emergency department is necessary to avoid risk to life.

I know that I've discussed this in a variety of contexts over the years and I wont belabor the point again here, but suffice it to say that in any instance of misdirection, the lights on the pathway back home need to be re-kindled on occasion.

You're going to be fine, Richard. The lymphocyte count is of no concern and there are many reasons for such a variability and none of which should be of any concern to you. Work closely with your doctor to get the reflux under control, refrain from second-guessing whether your medications are safe to consume and above all, take a deep breath and try to relax. You've a long life ahead and it's going to be a fairly boring journey if encapsulated within the context of apprehension.

A man languishes over the fact that he has no shoes until he meets the man with no feet.

Over the years, I've had many unfortunate occasion to see extremely sick people. Take serious contemplation of the fact that you're not one of them.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by Dickyboy199 on Jun 2^nd, 2012, 1:46am

Hi RLR

Thanks for your very thorough reply which has really helped me put my mind at rest. I have started the Zantac this week and have been taking gaviston. Unfortunately I still don't have much of an appetite and my stomach is hurting most of the time. When I do eat I still get the burning in my chest but by far the worst symptom is the terrible pains in my back which have not gone! Is this normal to have these pains with no let up for over 5 weeks?! I have no interest in anything and I've never known constant pain like this. We are going away on holiday next week and all I keep thinking is should I go to A & E to get this checked out before we go. I still cannot put any weight on and have lost another couple of pounds.
Thanks again for your advice
Rich

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by RLR on Jun 4^th, 2012, 2:49pm

Richard,

Again, I see nothing remarkable here to suggest that your difficulties are of a serious nature at all. Realize also that musculoskeletal discomfort under the right scapula can also be caused by rhomboid spasm, which is one of the most common complaints in patients under significant stress or anxiety. Aside from referred colic pain, rhomboid spasm can be extremely uncomfortable and ranges from a dull ache to sharp piercing and burning sensations. Over-the-counter analgesics generally provide relief when combined with mild exercise of the area to prevent cramping and increase blood blood-flow. Hot, moist compresses for 20 to 30 minutes also tend to provide symptomatic relief.

You're going to be fine, Richard. Focus on trying to relax and avoid habituating thoughts which suggest something is always seriously wrong with you simply because physical symptoms are present and refuse to abate.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by Dickyboy199 on Jun 16^th, 2012, 2:05am

Hi RLR

Thank you once again for your reply. Yesterday I had an ultrasound of my abdomen and associated organs. I was told that everything looked fine including the size of my abdominal aorta. So that has put my mind at rest in that area but I'm still wondering what could be causing such pain? I have had this for 8 weeks now. I have now put a few pounds back on which is good but the pains in my back will not go away. It's mainly between the shoulder blades and is not too bad when I'm walking laying flat or sitting back. Sitting normally at my desk or slightly forward makes it worse. Often if I'm sitting forward and I put my chin on my chest I can sometimes make it hurt but not sure if it's exactly the same pain?

I still have not slept a single night right through and I have woken so many times sweating and boiling hot with racing heart feeling sick and burning chest with pain in back. This happened again last night and obviously these symptoms do make you think that you are having a heart attack which is very scary.

I can also feel my heart beating when sat and laying in bed and it feels very hard. I don't usually notice it like this before. Also every night when I wake during the night my heart will start racing for about a minute until I can get it under control with deep breathing. This happens numerous times in the night hence I am always tired. I've come from someone who used to be up early at weekends to go for a 10k run and workout every day to someone who doesn't want to do anything and is constantly tired.

My appetite is slightly better but my stomach feels upset most of the time the burning in my chest is a lot better but the pain in my back will not go.

I'm still concerned that this could be some kind of arterial blockage as I have read that some people only have back pain as the main symptoms.

Any suggestions? I'm going back to docs next week but so many times I feel I need to go to A&E as this is so chronic.
Thanks for your advice and reassurance
Regards
Rich

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by RLR on Jun 17^th, 2012, 6:08pm

Hi Richard,

Okay, this is not atherosclerosis. It's anxiety. The physical impositions by anxiety can be quite dramatic and I'm constrained to point out here that there is a fundamental issue which remains unresolved here and I would encourage you to explore the source to determine what portions constitute irrational thoughts and beliefs.

I've examined literally thousands of patients with your exact complaint pattern and frankly, you can continue self-diagnosis and get all the tests your insurance and wallet can afford but it will only yield the same frustrating and disappointing negative results. You're not sick, Richard.

Pain between the scapula, or under the scapula as in the case of rhomboid spasm, is extremely common and the chronic pain can be quite remarkable in some instances. It is the result of constant musculoskeletal tension.

You're going to be just fine. I see absolutely nothing of your symptoms which would constitute anything serious at all and frankly, I'm sometimes reminded of how entrenched irrational anxiety can be due to the fact that with over 40 years of medical specialty behind me, patients nevertheless feel compelled to simply repeat their own version of the circumstances and seek reassurance from heart attacks or other serious outcome. If I thought there were any risk of such a compromise, don't you think I would advise you? Surely you must recognize the irrational nature of your constant pursuit to find a problem that doesn't exist and the test results actually confirm it to be the case. Do you really believe that as a physician I just don't have a clue and that all the medical tests which are based on highly accurate scientific standards are all inaccurate or insensitive?

At long last, Richard, is the problem here the inability for you to face the fact that you're wrong? Could it be that you're unable to trust anyone, including yourself? You and I go a ways back with all of this and I'm constrained to point out that to date, nothing has actually been found wrong with you and you have not suffered any type of actual consequence from the concerns which constantly confront you.

At what point do you intend to yield?

Physical therapy or even a professional massage will go a long way to helping with the back pain and you need to relax my friend. There is nothing wrong with you other than the constant ruminative anxiety that something is wrong with you. If you can't trust me when I tell you, then why do you write and confess that it helps you? Apparently, those sort of statements are coming to represent more of a contradiction than a fact. At some point, it must become unavoidable that what I constantly repeat to you in response to inquiry is the truth and doesn't change because your doubts return.

You can turn the corner when you're ready, but not until you literally let go of the irrational belief that you're sick.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

Best regards,

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by Dickyboy199 on Jul 13^th, 2012, 9:59am

Hi RLR

Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. I was a bit taken aback when I read your last reply! But after reading my posts and reflecting on my symptoms and worry I do understand what you mean. In fact my boss, my wife, my doctors all agree with you! I just find it so hard to just blow all these symptoms off as anxiety and yet I am so aware of my own thought processes which constantly cause me to think there is something wrong.

I am having a stress test next week and a camera down my stomach to be arranged soon. My back pain has improved considerably although I still get the left arm ache. But my latest symptom is now my breathing!
I noticed last week that I was taking a lot of deep breaths and sighing throughout the day. Then on Saturday I woke up with what I can only describe as an involuntary extra irregular breath. The sort of breath that you get when as a kid you have been crying and then you keep taking quick short breaths!

This has now been going on for a week! It is happening about once every half an hour to an hour and it feels like a slight extra in breath that I cannot control. Im also yawning a lot and feeling the need to take a deep breath.

Do you know what this type of breathing is and how long it can last for as it's very irritating. Also is this just another symptom of anxiety? By the way I had to do some urgent plumbing in the ensuite on Saturday afternoon and I was leaning across the toilet on my ribs for nearly two hours. This has lead to a really bad ache all through my ribs and diaphragm so bad I cannot sleep on my left side or stomach. Also I can't bend down or run because it hurts so bad.

Could this be related to the breathing thing even though I was already having the extra breaths before I did the plumbing. Also can just leaning on ribs cause so much pain and last this long?

Thanks for taking the time again to read my pathetic posts!

Tomorrow we are going to see the Olympic torch as the Olympics start her in two weeks!

Bye for now
Best regards
Rich

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by bigcountry on Jul 13^th, 2012, 11:36am

Rich, I hope you are well. I rarely get involved in a discussion especially when it is between someone and RLR but I thought I might be able to give you some help from someone who experiences anxiety.

The breathing is due to the fact that we are wound REALLY tight on a daily basis. You are confused and stressed over all of these symptoms, you do not have an explanation, other than anxiety that explains them, so you worry constantly. I mean 99% of the time.....this taxes the body and it starts to react in the way that it should if you were in danger....unfortunately that is the only way it knows how to react....fortunately you are not in ANY danger.

Think of it like this. Everyone is like a rubber band....some people are loose and can handle anything that hits there rubberband....some people are nervous and if something its their rubberband it vibrates a little bit but it eventually calms down.

People with Anxiety are rubberbands that are stretched to their limit and every little thing makes the rubber band vibrate.

You need to look at yourself from a global vantage point....almost as if you are looking from above....you will see your thought patterns racing, your breathing irratic, your safety behaviors become so obvious!

It takes a little bit but once you start to see them then you can make a change.

For example....now when you experience the burning chest, pain in your back, racing heart....instead of reacting you say...Ok I am having that symptom that I have had before. What happened the last time I had that symptom. The Answer "Nothing". Have you had all of the test and they came back negative. The answer "yes"....ok so lets move on.

Anxiety and its physical symptoms is a truly powerful thing and shown by ALL of the people that come to this website! The sooner you realize this and take the steps to change your behaviors, thought patterns etc you will be able to get your life back.

Like RLR says...the energy we all use to protect ourselves from NOTHING could be spent living life.

You have to start somewhere...why not start now.

I hope this helps in some way.

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by Typer on Jul 15^th, 2012, 9:59am

I hope its okay for me to join in - although I hope RLR will return soon with some answers for you, and for me because, apart from the weight loss, I have been suffering almost completely the same.

I have severe acid reflux which before recently, I had not experienced although my GP thinks perhaps I have had silent AR for a long while and he has ordered a barium swallow for me which I will have soon.

I get the terrible pain between my shoulder blades - my oesophagus feels as though I swallowed a brick and the pain sometimes is pretty bad and when it is, the palps are thousands a day according to my last monitor which I had on while my acid reflux was bad. I also had quite a few episodes of atrial tachycardia (not really sure what that means) - If I lean forward just slightly on bad days the whole thing is exacerbated.

A nurse told me to lay on my left side, so that the acid would by gravity fall back into my stomach and not rise up my oesophagus - I dont know how that worked, but it helps a lot at night, even though on the left side I can hear and feel my heart beating and of course skipping away...still better that awful acid. Not sure if RLR could explain the anatomy and why if I lay on my right side, the acid is worse.

I have been eating a more alkaline diet which helps me a lot - I also eat celery and lettuce which really does soothe my stomach and alkaline fruits also, before meals to get my stomach to be more alkali and less acidic- all of these things have helped the back pain to almost go.

Maybe I am not having the same...but for me, stress makes the acid worse, the acid makes everything else worse. So I guess my question would be, have you had extra stress?

I have been following this and am keen to see what RLR will say as you have asked questions I also need answers to.

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by RLR on Jul 23^rd, 2012, 5:24pm

Hello Richard,

With respect to the sternum-related pain, it is possible to induce costochondritis arising from mechanical trauma. The need to obtain an inspirational breath, or yawn, is often telltale of shallow breathing, which can in some instances produce mild changes in blood-gas levels yielding too much CO2 and causing changes that can produce panic threshold events in some persons.

The nature of involuntary respiratory rhythm events is not uncommon and mostly endure because of awareness to the autonomic process which invariably produces unwitting intervention. It's much like the patient who becomes overly aware of the eye blink, subsequently complaining that it has become unnatural. It's important to realize the influence that the brain can have in overriding certain autonomic impulses and this is especially true with respiration. There is nothing to suggest that you have any type of underlying problem and it simply merits discussing this with your primary care physician when you visit for the tests mentioned. You'll be pleased to learn that much like your other symptoms, nothing serious is at hand.

Realize that many of your complaints are variable over time and involve multiple systems with no supporting clinical data to suggest the presence of any type of actual pathogen. This clinical picture is quite consistent with other persons who demonstrate the features of intense levels of anxiety.

You'll be fine.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by Dickyboy199 on Jul 30^th, 2012, 1:34pm

Hi Everyone

Firstly thanks big country and typer for your input, I don't mind anyone joining in and I welcome any advice and help that you can give.
Thanks again RLR for your sagely words which never fail to reassure and explain everything.

Sorry I haven't been on here for a while but I had a really bad shock last week. My boss who I've known for a great many years and who I am very close to had a heart attack! Completely out of the blue. He had a stent fitted and is home recovering so fortunately he is ok. But he was only telling me a few weeks ago that he had been experiencing exactly the same pains in the centre of his back as I have been! He also said he kept feeling like there was gas trapped in his sternum and an uncomfortable feeling! He put it all down to indigestion and was taking loads of Rennies for it!

Since then I have had a stress test which I managed 13 minutes and a max heart rate of 182. The doc would not do anymore tests, said not to worry about my heart anymore and to get back to exercising. My blood cholesterol was 3.3.

I'm still getting pains in both arms especially my left arm and also centre of my back although this has got a bit better. But the most annoying thing is this involuntary gasp which happens about 10 times a day and is worrying and really irritating. I'm also yawning a lot and I'm having to take big deep breaths a lot of the time. Even though I told the doctor nearly my whole heart history I forgot to mention the breathing! It's now been going on for just over three weeks. I thought it was getting better at the weekend but today it's back again.

Just wondered if I should of told the doctor and if it will go away on its own? I was starting to feel a bit better then I developed this gasping and then I bruised my ribs and just to bring my anxiety back up I had the terrible shock of my boss having a heart attack!

Anyway thanks again everyone I'll keep you posted of how I'm getting on. Now to relax before work again tomorrow

Kind regards

Rich

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by bigcountry on Jul 30^th, 2012, 2:24pm

Rich....the gasping and yawns is all about you being tense and upper chest breathing. I have this too but with my recent attempts to really step out of myself and see my behaviors I was able to identify these habits and that is just what they are....habits.

If you are like me you walk around all day very tense. When you are this tense you start causing many symptoms and create many bad habits....upper chest breathing which causes changes in CO2 levels which causes you to yawn alot. This same breathing will cause middle back pain and rib cage pain as well because it is not natural.

Do this. Every hour on the hour take 5 minutes and force yourself to breathe in to the bottom of your stomach for 5 minutes straight. This will do 2 things....one it will restrengthen your diaphragm and the second it will allow you to notice how NOT NORMAL your breathing is the rest of your day.

This is all due to the anxiety you have been causing yourself everyday. When you are anxious your body does these things naturally to help yourself prepare to either run or fight......well the problem with you and I is that we have created a NEAR CONSTANT anxiety and by doing this we have changed our bodies.....so what we need to do is relearn those normal behaviors and stop giving every little thing that happens to us any attention.

Live your life to the fullest.....be healthy and live in the moment....the rest is not up to you and me so why worry about it.

This is truly the point you have to get to to get your life back.....until then you will continue to suffer because it is only natural.

Hope this helps Rich!

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by richie on Jul 31^st, 2012, 10:09am

hi Dickyboy.

I ve read your thread with most interest.
Mainly because your chest and pain symptoms are the same as I experience. including the burping, the attacks at night, the pain between shoulderblades and chest.
I have this for months now too. In fact I have this for years. But sometimes its worse then other days. Last weeks I have a severe increase in pain and feel the same things as you describe.
I never thought of aneurysms there. sometimes I do think my heart is the problem but I had some tests last years and few weeks ago and it seems fine.
I have acid reflux for 17 years and still my doc says anxiety with my symptoms around my chest or costochondritis maybe.
But in your case RLR thinks of Acid reflux. hmm.. thats already diagnosed in me 17 years ago by my former doc. So why no one mentioned this as a possibility is beyond me.
only my substitute doc and I think RLR have said to me it could be from vagus and stomach induced problems.
but often anxiety is mentioned to me.

about your boss. yep ..that is exactly why I always doubt the anxiety and its nothing and so on. it happens too much in my opinion , illness, heart attacks and so on. And all these people are usually sent home too or didnt think anything was wrong.

how old was your boss?
and are you in the same age category?

I feel for you and understand your posting more than anyone.

hang in there !!

p.s I also have omeprazole for years now and i am familiar with this night attacks of shivering sweating fast heart rate and lot of burping and feeling very bad. no one ever told me it could be from omeprazole
amazed !

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by Dickyboy199 on Aug 4^th, 2012, 1:29am

Hi Bigcountry, Richie.

Thanks to you both for your posts. I've been trying the breathing technique you suggested (when I can remember!) and the last few days it has been considerably better. I seem to get it first thing in the morning in bed after I wake up then maybe a couple more times then at work it has sort of disappeared until later in the evening when it comes back? Seems totally involuntary and really weird.

The back pain and arm pains have almost diminished and I only get them very occasionally now. In myself I feel so much better than I did a few months ago. Back then I have never felt so ill and was convinced that I had something really serious wrong with me. I am now eating like a horse and have put nearly a stone in weight that I lost back on. Not that I wanted to do that! I occasionally get the burning after eating but again not severe. I am not taking any medication at all.

My boss is 55 but his father died from a heart attack at 38 and he has had to take statins for 20 years to keep his cholesterol down. He has not been able to exercise for years as he had to have his left ankle fused to his leg due to a degenerative bone problem. The scary bit is that he did not have really bad pain! Just back pain a feeling of indigestion or trapped gas in his chest and pain in his throat, ear and right arm. It has been such a shock to see him everyday normal and healthy and then this.

I've decided that I want to get on with my life and try to get back to exercising. I just want this involuntary gasping to disappear and I want to feel fit again. I'm not going to bother my doctor anymore as I think I've had nearly every test they can give me and still they have found nothing. I still find it a complete mystery as to what has been going on for the last 3 months? However I'm going to take each day as it comes and enjoy it.

Thanks again for your input, concern and advice I really do appreciate it and I hope you both are feeling well right now.

Kind Regards

Rich

Title: Re: Now what!
Post by bigcountry on Aug 4^th, 2012, 5:39pm

Rich, I am glad to hear things are going well!! Its amazing how anxiety can change our habits and even the chemistry in our bodies to such a scary degree.....but whats great is that you are catching your breathing and noticing a difference.....it takes awhile to change these things back to their normal events but if you continue to notice and correct it will help you! There are probably a lot of other things you havent even noticed....like how tense you are, the way you sit, etc etc.....its a change that happens so slowly how are you suppose to notice the changes....YOU CAN. I was shocked the first time I started noticing everything I was doing to myself....and whats even worse is that they are so habitual now, even though I try and pay attention, I still do them : )

It will be a crazy road but one I am determined to go down and hopefully I will never have to look back.

Great job Rich!

Bigcountry