Is my chest pain anxiety-related or a real heart issue?

Chest pain and health concern ocd

To start, I’ve had off and on chest pains on my left side for months now, I’ve had literally 6-8 EKG’s, 6-8 Triponin blood tests (checks your heart enzymes) and a chest X-ray and everything has been perfect. I’ve been very very anxious the last 3 days and this morning I woke up and was immediately anxious, then my chest started the aching again. I’ve been to the ER for this literally 7 times since march. They keep telling me I’m fine. They keep telling me it’s anxiety. I know anxiety can cause chest pain. The logical side of me knows this isn’t a heart attack, it’s been happening for so long, if it was imminent, I would be dead by now. But the ocd side keeps saying “what if this time is actually your heart?” It’s been on and off aching for 6 hours and my anxiety has been really high all morning, I’ve already had 2-3 anxiety attacks since I woke up. My pulse and blood pressure have been normal all day, I check them constantly. I keep telling myself “maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.” I’ll feel calm for a few minutes until the ache comes back and it starts the cycle all over again. I’m so tired of somatic symptoms. I’m so tired of living like this and constantly thinking today is the day it all ends for me. I’m so exhausted and sad and want to give up

Username: Will86Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

Wow this is legit the closest story to my own I've ever seen. There's a lot here to process but let me start with WTG on not going to the ER and resisting. I know it hurts and it's super scary but you're doing great. Self checking needs to come with a limit. Saying not to do it at all is probably going to be super difficult but limit it. I won't do it more than x times a day. I won't do it more than once every x hrs. I won't do it unless I experience x. Tell your ocd the only way you're leaving is in an ambulance and don't engage any further. Try to do what you would do normally in your daily life (work, play, read, clean, watch tv, etc). You can do this and it can get better. One other suggestion. Try a chiropractor ;)

Username: WilliamptrWilliamptr

Date posted: 1y ago

Hey man, this has been my story too and still i suffer from it, but haven't been to the ER anymore for more than a year. The thoughts are absolutely NOT important. The ultimate goal is to never check your Vitals again, never. That already helped me tremendously. I'm thinking about starting a specific support group on this theme of ocd, because it is so extreme immediate. And thanks for sharing this by the way, that's already super helpful.

Username: WilliamptrWilliamptr

Date posted: 1y ago

-man, you're not a man haha

Username: Will86Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

It's very extreme and definitely under supported here. At the age of 25 I had my first heart cath. Massively invasive procedure but wasn't until 35 (last year) that I learned it was OCD. I'm doing so much better now and trying to learn to heal from it. I think a moderated specific support would be a great idea!

Username: WilliamptrWilliamptr

Date posted: 1y ago

@Will86 Yeah, i had mine at my 20th, I'm now 33. Doing daily exposures with ERP helps me a lot, but the recurring thoughts are strong an grow very quick. That's why I think support is very helpful. It alleviates the power from it, especially when the automatic thoughts run the show for too long.

Username: Will86Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Williamptr I am at a point now of fighting habits not thoughts. If I feel a palpation my habit is to check but I don't have the doom and gloom thoughts that use to go with it.🤞🏻

Username: ThoughtBlockThoughtBlock

Date posted: 1y ago

Been there, and I know how terrifying and frustrating it can be to go through all that. I am still learning how to manage it myself, but I can say that taking some sort of action (getting up and dancing, taking a shower, exercising, etc…) can help distract and redirect my thoughts away from it. From my experience, checking vitals can either send me further into despair (and become a self fulfilling thing - like my heart starts racing from the fear and panic), or it sometimes can soothe it by knowing my pulse and/or BP is actual totally fine. I feel like it is a slippery slope though, and resisting the compulsion to check it is important. Do something else first, move your body-change the thought, and see if you can redirect. I am learning too, you are not alone.

Username: johnnyy

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

Health OCD

How do you guys deal with health OCD? It’s been eating away at me lately and I’ve just been nervous about something bad happening to me, even after visiting the ER a couple of times about chest pressure/feeling like I’m going to have shortness of breath. And they always seem to find nothing wrong. What do you guys think ?

Username: Graciegirl

Date posted: 1y ago

Health Anxiety/OCD

I’ve been struggling with OCD since middle school. Over the years I’ve had many different obsessions such as POCD, Harm OCD, and now Health Concern OCD. For the last 6 months my newest obsession has been thinking that I am having a heart attack. I constantly body check, google symptoms, ask others for reassurance. I live at my university which is a little bit far from home. This causes me to have to call my mom in the middle of the night every time I have a panic attack over this. My roommates a nursing major so she always offers to take my blood pressure which helps, but still I don’t enjoy living like this. I always feel bad bothering others, and constantly feel like a nuisance. If anyone else with these worries and obsessions can let me know new ways to cope with it that would be amazing:) I just started my switch from lexapro to prozac for my OCD and I’m hopefully starting ERP/CBT soon but any tips on how to help this would be amazing.

Health Concern OCD

Username: melodramaddie

Date posted: 37w ago

Health anxiety

So I’ve been suffering with intense health anxiety for a few years now, and just recently I learned it may be caused by OCD. It’s to the point where every time I get a headache I start to freak out, scared that I could be having an aneurysm. I am far too worried about having a stroke or heart attack for being 21. I can’t even enjoy a casual, relaxing hot shower anymore. I have to slowly increase the temperature when getting in and slowly decrease the shower while getting out because I am afraid that any drastic temperature change can give me a heart attack. I know deep down that these fears are illogical, but no matter how often I get them they still feel just as real every time. I try to reason with myself, but every time I feel mild discomfort in my body I can’t help but freak out. I am so tired of checking my face in the mirror for symptoms of stroke every time I get a headache or feel a weird sensation in my body. Every other day of the week I force myself to stay awake for a certain period of time because I’m scared if I go to sleep I won’t wake up. I get hymnic jerks every single night (where you jolt awake when drifting to sleep) because my brain is so occupied with making sure I’m staying alive that it jolts me awake because my body is trying to sleep while my mind stays awake. It’s so difficult for me to pay attention during lectures because I get so caught up in my health anxiety that I’m focusing on grounding techniques in order to keep myself from hyperventilating. I spend more time making sure I can understand the words my professor is saying to make sure I’m not having a stroke than actually paying attention to the lectures. Another thing I struggle with is having to count my medication every time before I take it to make sure I didn’t accidentally take two or more doses, even if I KNOW I only took one. I have to count them anyways otherwise my mind will convince me I overdosed. It will not stop until I count my medication and make sure I didn’t overdose. It’s honestly so tiring, and the sad part is that my health anxiety has actually gotten better. It was even worse before now, and everything I’ve listed is stuff that I still do. Does anyone else have this struggle? Because it feels so isolating and makes me feel like I’m going crazy.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond

Is my chest pain anxiety-related or a real heart issue?

Related posts

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Be a part of the largest OCD Community