RLR
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Hi James,
Welcome to the forum. First let's try and dispell some worry you have about the historical case you mentioned. People don't just "drop dead" from an unknown cause. A person experiencing sudden cardic death in their 20's is most likely due to something known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, especially if they were athletic. Death of such a nature is actually never sudden, but rather has been inherent in these unfortunate individuals for quite some time. In any event, the case is never one to be held up as representing any point along the continuum for the consequences of anxiety disorders and associated physical symptoms, or even in the absence of anxiety for that matter. It's a very rare occurrance, not the common rule.
Typically, when acute chest pain occurs as a consequence of exerting the body and palpitations are observed, we tend to consider something called Wolf-Parkinson White Syndrome and it occurs with far more frequency in women than in men. But I seriously doubt that it's the case where your concerned and it presents a very characteristic pattern on ECG as well, so it would have been observed.
Some folks have abnormally strong pulses and it's not uncommon for them to be felt at various locations when under exertion. This is especially true if you are not conditioned or have a sedentary lifestyle. When the body is under exertion, there is a great demand for oxygen to the muscle tissues affected and the body in general. The heart and lungs must alter their course in order to meet these demands and cardiac force is elevated, along with heart rate.
Since the tests you mentioned returned negative, then I'm constrained to point out that negative represents no evidence of pathology or disease. So it's safe for you to relax and take it easy in several ways by building up stamina gradually and only exercising to the extent you achieve 85% of maximum heart rate potential. Your maximum heart rate (MHR) is the highest number of beats per minute your heart can reach during all-out effort. Because maximum heart rate decreases as you get older, a popular calculation used is: 220 - age = MHR
For example, a 25-year-old man would have an MHR of 220 - 25 = 195 beats per minute.
This is a good guideline to follow.
You'll be fine and I can certainly tell you here that I've received my fair share of questions about heart beats, heart rate, chest pain, palpitations, etc. from concerned patients. True heart disease is not a mystery by any means and the signs are unmistakable. You're not in that group, so take a deep breath and relax.
Best regards and Good Health
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