Hi

I’m not sure if I am being overly concerned but I feel as though I may be having some heart complications. Normally, I would consult with my physician but I have recently retired from the State of Florida and am on the Cobra insurance plan. Although costly, I have 18 months to find another insurance carrier (now 11 months) and I have been turned down several times. Nobody will cover me because of past health issues (nothing with heart) so you see either way I go, I feel I am digging my own grave - I can’t afford to have this added to my medical history and this is why I am reaching out for your help.



When this all started happening I thought maybe I was having anxiety attacks now I know this is not the case.



First – this seems to only happen at night. It started many moths ago when I would wake up gasping for air. It felt as if my body had breathed out and then my automatic breathing would just stop – so when I woke I was trying to pull air into my lungs. This also felt as though my heart may have skipped a beat – a wired kind of pain that is hard to describe. There have been times – but not each time – where my heart starts to then beat real hard and you can visually see the pounding through my chest.



If it is not like what I have described above it is like what happened tonight. I finally associated a feeling with it that may help me explain what I am feeling. I woke and new it was happening again so I half sat up to ease the pain a bit. It feels as though it is trapped gas (an air bubble) is passing through my heart and causing pain as it passes, then this leaves a feeling as if my heart is bruised, so to speak, after it has passed.



I recently quit smoking a few weeks ago but I experienced this prior to quitting and after so I don’t think that the act of quitting has had any positive or negative effects on this issue. My husband and I have been married over six years and he doesn’t smoke. I have never smoked in front of him which of course had limited my smoking to about 3 cigarettes if that, a day so that gives you a brief smoking history since I don’t want to write a book for you to read.



This heart pain happens about every 2-3 nights and as stated above I cannot afford to go ask my regular physician since I am sure he would most likely order tests to be completed thus making these notes part of my history.



My hopes are that this is something minor that you have heard and experienced through other patients that you can put my mind at ease. Some times I fear going to sleep just because I don’t want this to happen when I have nobody that can help answer what is happening.



Thank you for your time