Chest pain coming or anxiety attack? How to tell, and tips for relief?
Hi all, I felt because I have varied GI issues this might be the better place to seek help for my chest pain.
A few years ago after a lot of tests/troubleshooting I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and more recently my doctor stated IBS. I’m not convinced on the last one, but I know stress is a huge trigger.
Going off gluten solves 90% of my problems but every now and then at some point (usually months go by)I’ve eaten the wrong thing and the chest pain associated with gastritis strikes. It definitely doesn’t FEEL like heartburn but I’ve been told again and again it’s a form of acid reflux.
Doctors panic when I say chest pain and I end up getting unnecessary EKGs and no relief. If I take something like Pepcid I feel no different.
The pain sucks, it’s like someone punching me in the chest, hard. Deep breaths hurt, changing elevation or position hurts. It usually lasts a few days.
This week I got hit with random back pain (could definitely be unrelated) and today I’m feeling the early signs of the chest pain. But at this stage it’s also hard to tell because I do get panic/anxiety attacks and I’m not always positive about the trigger. So I’m genuinely not sure which is the issue at the moment. When I panic, I also get chest pain/feels hard to breathe etc. and the idea of GETTING the pain makes me anxious. 🤦🏻♀️
So basically:
If this chest pain sounds familiar, how do you differentiate it from anxiety?
Any tips for relief/faster healing from the chest pain?
Thanks for any advice!