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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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I Am Suffering From Chest Tightness. I Don T Have Asthma.

I am scared because I don t know if this is stress or really a heart problem? Last friday (last week, not this past friday) I had been experiencing difficulty breathing, more pronounced then usual. I went to the doctor and they did an EKG and said I had AF, so I had to go to the ER, where they did another EKG and said it looked normal, and the doctor EKG looked normal (they say) and that there were artifacts that were contributing to it. I am still not convinced. Can an EKG reading be abnormal one instance then an hour later be back to normal? I am scared because no one will try to conform anything, and if I ask to go to the doctor one more time I m afraid my mom is going to slap me X_X She really can t afford all this. I normally don t breathe really deep, it s somewhat shallow, and everyone pointing this out has me worried now. For the past month I ve had alot of chest tightness. A panic attack only lasts a little while, but the chest tightness/pain doesn t go away, and my heart beat still feels very odd every so often (like there are extra beats) They said it sounded fine but these weird beats come and go. I m scared because I don t want to have to sit around until it gets worse or something bad happens. They ve done bloodwork a few weeks ago and last week (never heard about last weeks) and said it was ok. I ve had numerous x-rays done the past month (one at the ER too) and they said it looked ok. I just don t know what to do. I m mostly bothered by the difference in the 2 EKGs, and why it would point to me having AF if I supposedly don t have it. I don t know, CAN it just be stress/anxiety? This weakness and shortness of breath (even though im getting enough oxygen) and the constant discomfort in my chest has made me loose so much sleep, and i ve got so much tension pain from that and so many aches in my legs and arms . I am not sure what is what, and it s scaring me. I m 17, btw. I have been tested for asthma twice in my lifetime, I don t have asthma, and they kept trying to give me asthma medicine that did not do anything :P So I m pretty sure by now I don t have asthma. Nothing directly causes the chest tightness.
Sun, 20 Dec 2009
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Chest tightness and difficulty breathing are normal symptoms of Anxiety disorder but it's also normal symptoms for Asthma. I would get heart palpitations (irregular heart beat), and shooting pains through my chest and arms. The only way to find out if you have asthma is to take the medication for a test run. If you feel better after using it, then its just that. The doctor can also put you on a test run of anti anxiety medication for a week or so. It's best to just give it a try to find out what you have, because anxiety and asthma are difficult to diagnose by having tests done. As for the type of anxiety medication you should try, I would recommend Effexor XR, or something similar. You can ask your doctor. I wouldn't recommend Zoloft as it can make you depressed. It is possible for one test to come back differently than another. It can all depends on alot of different factors. I hope this helps a bit.

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I Am Suffering From Chest Tightness. I Don T Have Asthma.

Chest tightness and difficulty breathing are normal symptoms of Anxiety disorder but it s also normal symptoms for Asthma. I would get heart palpitations (irregular heart beat), and shooting pains through my chest and arms. The only way to find out if you have asthma is to take the medication for a test run. If you feel better after using it, then its just that. The doctor can also put you on a test run of anti anxiety medication for a week or so. It s best to just give it a try to find out what you have, because anxiety and asthma are difficult to diagnose by having tests done. As for the type of anxiety medication you should try, I would recommend Effexor XR, or something similar. You can ask your doctor. I wouldn t recommend Zoloft as it can make you depressed. It is possible for one test to come back differently than another. It can all depends on alot of different factors. I hope this helps a bit.