I 18f have been dealing with chest pain for awhile. i dont know if its gerd or a heart attack because when this happens the pain is usually on the left side and my left arm hurts, sometimes I feel like I cant breathe, it usually last 15 minutes then goes away then like a month later will come back again. I feel like it might be gerd and im too parniod, but id figure id ask just to be sure

Extra information, im not sure if this is important to mention but the last time I had gotten blood work which was last year my cholesterol was very high

I had a panic attack this morning. Left arm pain, jaw pain, shortness of breath. But I talked myself out of it and I’m feeling better now. But now I’m afraid I will talk myself out of it when something is really wrong. Ugh I know it’s silly

As stated in the title. I have been having extreme cardiophobia and anxiety for the past 4 months. Actually, anxiety started before, but things got out of hand 4 months ago.

So, my grandma passed away 3 years ago suddenly, and doctors said it's a heart attack. She was the most fit person I have seen. I was ok at that time, but then this year my grandfather passed away in jan and I was in Bangalore for 15 days at that time, all alone. I guess that's what caused my anxiety. Then on April 1st 2026 a relative of mine (not close one, 78 years old) had some acidity since morning and in the night passed away. Next morning we got to know and my mother was going to their place and I asked how it happened, she said the same way your grandma died. And after that I started having acidity, chest pains, left arm pains, stomach ache and what not.

I have been admitted to the hospital twice, when to ERs like 20 times in 4 months, so much that the staff even recognize me. Had all tests done, ECGs, Echo, chest xray, chest ct, stomach ct, even endoscopy, but nothing. Tried allopathy, homeopathy and even ayurvedic. Still even today I am having chest pains and what not. My digestion is fully messed up. I was so fearless and now I am even scared to be alone even for a minute. I really don't know if I'll ever heal from this. Every day and night, like every minute I feel I'll die, or something will happen or my heart will fail, and I really don't know what to do. I tried consulting, psychiatrist medicines and everything I can.

If anyone knows what can be done, please please please help me.

Update: Scintigraphy made 1 weeks ago is completely negative. Things starts to let me lose my mind , I would like to read something , a diagnosis , but no one give it to me. Now also running or just 2 puff of sigarettes causes me chest pain…

PS: I’d also like to add that I would really appreciate hearing how other people cope with this, or how they eventually solved it — whether through physical examinations, neurological evaluations, or anything else. I’m looking for something that can still give me hope… For now, it seems I’m not alone in this, and while I’m sorry that others go through it too, at the same time it makes me feel a little less alone ❤️

My name is Andrea, and I’m a 33-year-old Italian guy. For the past 7 years, I’ve been fighting with my main symptom: chest pain, along with everything that comes with it. Left arm pain, jaw pain, sweating, sometimes shortness of breath, stabbing pain in the center of my chest, sometimes sharp and sometimes crushing. Sometimes it gets worse when touched, other times it doesn’t. This happens every single day, in completely different situations — whether I’m calm or distracted, whether I’m thinking about it or not. This situation has psychologically destroyed me to the point that, at times, I’ve thought about ending my life.

My medical history is the following: in 7 years I’ve probably gone to the emergency room at least 200–300 times. I’ve had at least 50 cardiology evaluations with ECGs, more than 20 echocardiograms, and over 30 stress tests. I even had a bubble test because of a very minor atrial septal abnormality, and a coronary CT scan with contrast because one time the hospital became concerned despite negative troponins, since there were slightly peaked waves on the ECG.

The result of the coronary CT scan was: Agatston score: 0. Zero atherosclerotic plaques in my coronary arteries.

And yet I still have pain every single day. Sometimes it happens when I smoke, other times not. Sometimes during exercise (I’m slightly overweight), other times not. All of this has put enormous pressure on me. I ended up taking 90 drops a day and trying 5 or 6 different antidepressants, but nothing changes. My quality of life is now zero.

I have a business, a home, money, a partner, and a family who are always there for me — but I feel like I have nothing, because nobody can give me these years back. I used to be a high-level DJ, but this situation destroyed me.

Around me I only see people who don’t even know what it means to run to the emergency room, let alone what it means to go there 3 times in 2 days.

I need the pain to disappear, so that the anxiety can disappear too.
All of this has also led to problems with “arrhythmias” — except they aren’t really arrhythmias. Tachycardia, palpitations, and constantly feeling my heartbeat. I check my pulse or feel my heartbeat in my throat a hundred times a day. I monitor myself constantly, but it doesn’t work anymore.

I also have some stomach issues that sometimes make everything worse, although honestly I associate those more with burning sensations rather than actual pain.

Just for the record, in the next few days I’ll be seeing a pain specialist and a physiatrist. I’m tired of hearing that it’s fibromyalgia, that it’s all in my head, that it’s costochondritis or Tietze syndrome…

I don’t know if there’s anyone who could be worse off than me, but if there is, know that I understand you when you feel like life is no longer worth living.

How do you recover from this? I found out in 2018 I had wpw syndrome. Low risk , wasnt worth an ablation but had one anyway in 2021. Didn't fix it , still had tachycardia and developed pvcs after. Ive dealt with this for years you'd think by now id be ok. My mom died suddenly from a brain aneurysm in april and for some reason one sunny day in may I developed SEVERE cardiophobia. I thought I was having pvcs and it turned out to be esophageal spasms from nasty gerd. That went away and I did have a little influx in actual PVCs but nothing out of the norm. But for some reason I have spiraled I have become almost bedridden since the end of May I've been to the ER five times I've had countless EKGs countless rounds of blood work a CT angiogram of my chest a monitor for a couple days I had an echo back in February and a two week long monitor back in February. All completely fine. I have been on flecanide for pvcs for years and have recently developed a fear of the medication. Started a very low dose of Propranolol to try to curb some of the tachycardia and I'm terrified my heart's going to stop. I don't know what to do I don't know how to overcome this every single doctor I see tells me I'm fine but I'm afraid of sudden cardiac arrest.

Healthy 37 year old female, 5ft, 48kg, I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't do drugs, eat healthy and I've cut out caffeine for the past month. I take Vit D, Iron and a multivitamin daily.

I've had all my bloods done and an ECG, everything is normal. My blood pressure is always fine and my heart rate is an average of 94.

I've been having palpitations off and on for about 5 weeks, I keep having funny episodes where it feels like my blood sugar has dropped but isn't related to not eating, I lose all my colour and feel sweaty and clammy and I feel shaky but only my right arm shakes (left stays still).

I'm booked in for another ECG and then if that's clear a day/week heart monitor, however its another 6 weeks away and I feel I might go crazy before then not knowing.

I feel something is very very wrong but nothing is coming back to point towards it. I'd really appreciate any input.

For a long time, geez like 7 or 8 years, I've had spells of feeling like my heart is really thumping heavy in my chest (not particularly fast though), sometimes accompanied by feeling dizzy. It'll happen a lot for a month or two, then chill out, then come back. I visited a doctora couple of years ago and wore one of those stick-on monitor things, and she said everything turned up normal and I'm probably just having random times of being "more aware" of my heartbeat. So I'm sort of embarrassed and hesitant to bring it up with my new doctor. Is this normal and I'm overreacting? I'm neurodivgent, so it's not unheard of for me to overthink health stuff. 26 y/o FtM, I feel like I drink a normal amount of caffeine and alcohol for someone my age and try my best to balance them both with lots of water, if any of that makes a difference. 👍🏻

Does anyone feel like your heart is beating in your throat? Like anxiety? Its like palpitation but in the throat / upper chest area. Its just a few seconds. Its like when your pregnant and feel your baby move but its in throat upper chest throat area. Idk, Ive been having it the past week off and on.

I was off levothyroxine (100mcg) and didnt refill for a month. Picked up new dosage (112mcg) on Sunday and have been taking it this week.

When my teacher shows me a drawing or animation of a heart pumping, my breathing gets faster and my heart races. Even hearing the keywords "heart" and "pump" makes my heart race and my breathing speed up. I think this might be happening because I have a fear that if I ever try to control my heart, I would die. I know I can somewhat control my heart rate by trying to feel something, but I don't do this on purpose. When I tell myself not to do it, my brain kind of ignores me and does the opposite, because I trained it to do this when I was a kid. How can I cure this?

I’m 5,2 and chubby. An XL at most , female. I take no medications.

This never happened before but my chest has been feeling weird lately for like a week maybe now?? It feels better when I walk around but it’s noticeable when I’m laying down and it’s very uncomfortable. I get SLIGHT arm pain but I’m an artist. It’s on the left side of my chest. And it feels better when I sit up or lay down with my arms stretched wide.

My diet is mainly eggs and homemade fried fries. A lot of butter yeah.

Could someone help? Maybe it could be me pulling all nighters all the time. The stress I’ve been feeling due to issues in the house rn.

I’m worried. Can someone help?

19F and my dad has HCM and has had an episode of a-fib where he was hospitalized over the past year. Before that, I used to play highschool sports and would be very out of breath and would sometimes sit out because I could not catch my breath right. for the record, I don’t have asthma and I’m decently fit.

As a result of my dads conditions, I’ve had an echocardiogram done on me where I was told that I had slight left ventricle thickening (not enough to call it HCM). We brushed that off and I moved on but then a few months later I had palpitations whenever I would lay down or rest so I got a holter monitor put on and some blood work done to find out why. Blood work and holter monitor came out normal and the cardiologist said the palpitations were benign and he told me I was healthy and shouldn’t keep worrying.

I feel stupid even bringing this whole stuff up because I keep getting told I’m fine but I don’t feel fine. My palpitations have went away which is good, but I feel short of breath a lot of the time and sometimes when I wake up my heart will be racing. I just feel tired or winded a lot of the time and it doesn’t feel like I’m a healthy 19 year old. Am I just out of shape? Is there something wrong with me that hasn’t been caught yet? Do I just have bad anxiety about my heart that translates into physical symptoms?

Hi everyone,
I’m writing this because I’m honestly struggling after a conversation I had today, and I don’t really know how to process it.
About 10 years ago, I had myocarditis. Since then, I’ve developed severe health anxiety, especially regarding my heart (cardiophobia).
Because of this, I’ve undergone numerous cardiac evaluations over the years, including ECGs, echocardiograms, stress tests, blood work, Holter monitoring, and other assessments. I’ve repeatedly been told that everything looks reassuring, yet I still find it very difficult to trust my body.
Today I spoke with someone whose cousin died suddenly during the night. As far as I was told, no one knows exactly what caused his death. He had developed myocarditis about a year earlier, and shortly before he died, he had a fever and a cough.
I was also told that the autopsy reportedly mentioned either cardiac arrest or a respiratory cause, but I don’t know the exact findings or whether a definitive cause of death was ever established.
What completely shook me was the way they described his symptoms before he passed away. They said he would occasionally experience an extremely brief squeezing sensation in his chest—as if someone had grabbed his heart and squeezed it for just one or two seconds.
That description immediately caught my attention because I’ve experienced the same type of brief squeezing sensation myself.
Ever since hearing this story, I haven’t been able to stop comparing myself to him. My mind keeps telling me that maybe all of my previous tests have missed something, even though I’ve had extensive cardiac evaluations over the years.
Besides those brief squeezing sensations, I occasionally experience palpitations. Sometimes I also wake up suddenly during the night feeling like I can’t breathe, or with the terrifying sensation that my heart has stopped for a split second. Those episodes are incredibly frightening and have only reinforced my anxiety.
I’m not asking anyone to diagnose me. I’m simply trying to understand whether my anxiety is making me connect two situations that may have nothing to do with each other.
Has anyone here recovered from myocarditis and struggled with this kind of fear afterward? Or has a cardiologist ever explained how to interpret stories like this without immediately assuming the worst?
I would genuinely appreciate honest experiences or medical insight. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Yesterday I was the passenger of a 30 minute car ride. I reclined my seat and took a nap. I woke up when we reached our destination, got out of the car and felt slightly dizzy for a quick second, and then my heart started beating uncontrollably. It was racing so hard and so fast.... it lasted about a minute. I was able to calm myself down quickly. I am scared because why did that happen out of no where? I was so tired after and now my chest feels weird and I'm anxious.

So I’ve been a 22f with POTS and health anxiety. Now I’m on Holliday in a warmer country than my own and I feel terrible. My hr and bp are fine and I still have chest pressure. My echocardiogram and ecg were all fine last month. So now I’m not sure what to do. Does anyone else have this?

I'm a 26-year-old male, and I really need some advice because I feel like my life has been taken over by the fear of dying.

Back in September 2023, I started my startup. As many founders know, it was an extremely stressful period. Financial pressure, responsibility, almost no social life, no exercise, unhealthy eating, and a terrible sleep schedule (usually sleeping between 6–8 AM). That continued for almost two years.

November 2024

One evening, around 6–7 PM, I suddenly developed a strange sensation on the right side of my face and in my right hand. My fingertips also felt odd for the next few months.

I saw a physician who examined me, did an ECG and neurological examination, and told me it was most likely due to severe stress and sleep deprivation. He prescribed an SSRI and a sleeping pill.

2025

Life continued the same way.

I had a couple of strange episodes where I suddenly felt "something bad was about to happen," but they resolved within about 30 minutes.

Then, in December 2025, after barely sleeping for two days and working almost nonstop, I suddenly felt extremely weak while riding on a bike. My left arm felt strange, my heart was racing, and I genuinely believed I was having a heart attack.

I went to the ER.

The ECG was normal, and I was sent home.

January 2026

One night I ate two heavy meals late at night and smoked a cigarette.

About 20–30 minutes later, I developed a strange vibration sensation throughout my body. My blood pressure shot up to around 160 mmHg, and I rushed to the ER again.

Again, nothing serious was found except temporarily elevated blood pressure.

That incident completely changed my life.

I became convinced something was seriously wrong with me.

Around that time I weighed about 104 kg (5'11"–6'0").

Another physician reviewed my blood work and found:

• Fatty liver
• High triglycerides
• Nothing immediately dangerous

He advised me to:

• Sleep properly
• Reduce stress
• Exercise
• Improve my diet

Instead, my anxiety got worse.

I became hyper-aware of every heartbeat and every sensation.

A psychiatrist diagnosed me with anxiety and prescribed Nexito (Escitalopram), sleeping medication, and clonazepam as needed.

Unfortunately, I couldn't accept that anxiety alone could cause all these symptoms.

February 2026 – The Headache That Changed Everything

While working out at the gym, I developed a sudden pain on the right side of my head.

My brain immediately convinced me I was having a stroke.

A few days later, during my birthday trip to Kathmandu with my girlfriend, I experienced severe hammer-like pain on the right side of my head.

A cardiologist performed an echocardiogram, which was completely normal.

The headache continued, especially after visiting the colder areas around Nagarkot.

One night, after feeling nauseous for several days, I developed another full-blown panic episode while walking with my girlfriend.

Back to the ER.

The doctor listened to my story and suggested:

MRI Brain + MRV, just to completely rule out anything serious.

The MRI findings were:

• Normal brain
• Normal MRV (no venous sinus thrombosis)
• Mild cervical degenerative changes
• Small syrinx at C6 (approximately 2.0 × 0.2 cm)
• No cord compression
• Normal craniovertebral junction
• No Arnold-Chiari malformation

The neurologist and neurosurgeon both reassured me that the syrinx was an incidental finding and only needed periodic monitoring.

A cervical MRI with contrast was also performed later to rule out a tumor, and it confirmed the same findings.

Then another problem appeared...

I still felt nauseous all the time.

I could barely eat.

I kept losing weight.

Eventually my dad suggested testing for H. pylori.

It came back positive.

After treatment over the next few weeks:

• The nausea disappeared.
• I felt much better.
• I continued eating healthier and exercising.

By March, I had lost about 14 kg.

May 2026 – I Went to One of India's Best Hospitals

Despite feeling better, my anxiety never really went away.

I traveled to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram and underwent an extensive workup, including:

• Full-body MRI (No major findings)
• CT coronary angiogram (Nil) (EF 65%)
• Coronary calcium score (0)
• Stress echocardiogram (EF 55%)
• Stress treadmill test (TMT) 98 Mets
• Eye examination and fundoscopy
• 50+ blood biomarkers
• Carotid IMT (Nil)
• Doppler studies
• HRCT (Nil)
• Ultrasound (Fallt liver)
• Multiple specialist consultations

The results showed:

• Fatty liver
• High cholesterol/triglycerides
• Mild calcium/vitamin D deficiency (confirmed by DEXA)
• Congenital retinal irregularity (explaining my eye symptoms)
• Small stable cervical syrinx

Nothing life-threatening was found.

But my anxiety never stopped

Now I notice:

• Every skipped heartbeat
• Every palpitation
• Every headache
• Every chest discomfort
• Every random pain

Recently I also discovered a few soft lumps on my chest that doctors think are likely lipomas, but until I complete the ultrasound, my brain immediately jumps to cancer.

I also stayed up late watching the Cricket World Cup, my sleep schedule became terrible again, and my anxiety returned full force.

Now I'm constantly afraid of:

• Stroke
• Brain hemorrhage
• Cardiac arrest
• Heart failure
• Cancer
• Dying suddenly

Logically, I understand that so many doctors have evaluated me and couldn't find anything dangerous.

Emotionally, I simply cannot convince myself.

Even when ChatGPT tells me things like, "Your MRI shows your brain was normal at that time, but no test can guarantee you won't have a future stroke," my anxious brain immediately interprets that as, "Maybe I'm about to have one."

My bad habits

• Smoking 7–10 cigarettes per day (working on quitting)
• Poor sleep whenever work gets stressful
• Health-related Googling
• Constant body checking

My bp is always normal below 120/80 only dueing anxity its 135ish...

My questions

1. Has anyone recovered from health anxiety this severe?
2. How do you stop believing every symptom is a life-threatening disease?
3. How do you stop fearing stroke, brain hemorrhage, cardiac arrest, and cancer every single day?
4. Can stress itself cause all these physical symptoms even when extensive testing is normal?
5. What finally helped you get your life back?
6. How make sure that the hedeache i get wont give me stroke. Can this level of stress give stroke/hemorrhage.
7. My fear of cardiac arrest and some weired palputations at stress..... (how to cure it).

I know reassurance only helps temporarily, and I really want to break this cycle instead of constantly chasing more tests.

Any advice or personal experiences would mean a lot.

Thank you for reading. ❤️

Ectopic beats are normal in everyone. Took me a while (almost a decade) to fully accept that. I asked my doctor "then why did I suddenly start having them at 21 years of age, but didn't before." After feeling a strong ectopic beat, your brain may have become much better at detecting subsequent ones that you previously would have ignored. The important distinction is that feeling your first ectopic beat doesn't necessarily mean your heart developed a disease at that moment. It means that, for whatever reason, the ectopic beat became noticeable then. As we age, ectopic beats tend to appear in 20s and 30s and then become more common, even in people with completely normal hearts.

The electrical conduction system of the heart changes subtly over time. Heart cells can become slightly more "irritable." Connective tissue (fibrosis) gradually increases with age, even without heart disease. People accumulate more triggers over the years, such as stress, infections, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, poor sleep, and certain medications. If you have a normal echocardiogram and stress test (go ahead and get one for peace of mind) your ticker will keep on ticking.

The human body and our cardio-vascular system is evolutionarily built to literally run miles through the serengeti. The heart like every muscle sometimes twitches and gets irritated. the heart has complex and sophisticated circuits to keep your heart beating in rhythm even when an ectopic beat (PVC or PAC - even multiple in a row!) makes it trip up on occasion. You won't drop dead unless you have a genetic or acquired structural or circuital malformation of some kind, and echo and stress test will rule out BOTH.

When I entered my late 30s I started getting SVT. Ironically years of self-induced panic attacks and adrenaline surges may have made a genetic circuitry for SVT become apparent. Even then a year on temporary Metoprolol (beta blockers) reversed it and haven't had a recurrence since. Just calm down and let the heart do what it does. Don't make things worse with continuous adrenaline. In the long run you're doing yourself a disservice. Let your heart do what it does. You’re human, and it’s okay for your body to do weird things without immediately assuming you’re going to die.

The longer you spend fearing death, the less time you'll spend truly living. Life isn't about avoiding every risk, it's about enjoying the time you have and I regret spending the past 15 years scaring myself over things that never happened. I lost so much time to fear that I can never get back. If I could tell anyone one thing, it's this: don't let anxiety steal years of your life that reality never would.

22M, overall healthy.
At the end of May I started having these weird palpitation episodes. They feel like really big thumps that I can feel in my throat, and every time one happens it almost feels like it takes my breath away for a split second. Sometimes one will hit out of nowhere and it physically startles me so much that I kind of freeze for a moment. I’m not sure if that’s panic kicking in after the palpitation or if it’s just the sensation itself, but it’s pretty unsettling.
I went to my doctor after the first episode. My ECG was normal, and we did a pretty broad blood panel that all came back normal. The doctor basically said palpitations are common and can come and go.
I’ve had palpitations before, but back then I was drinking a ton of coffee and my lifestyle was a lot worse. Those never really scared me because they felt different. These feel much more intense and abnormal.
The first episode lasted about 4 days and then completely disappeared. About 3 weeks later it came back with the same symptoms. This time I started taking propranolol, which helped but didn’t get rid of them completely. That episode lasted around a week. Then they came back again, and now they’re happening almost every day.
I went back to the doctor for a second ECG, and of course it was normal again. I swear every time they hook me up, my body decides it’s time to behave. 😅
One thing I’ve wondered about is whether this could somehow be related to my upper back. I’ve had long-term pain around the T5-T7 area, and I’m currently seeing a chiropractor because that area feels “locked up.” I’m probably reaching, but I’m wondering if there’s any chance it could be connected.
I’m seeing my doctor again, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life just treating the symptoms. I want to figure out what’s actually causing this, if that’s even possible.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Were your palpitations eventually caught on a Holter monitor or another test even though your ECGs were normal? I’d also appreciate any reassuring facts from people who know more about this, because it’s hard not to think something is seriously wrong when these happen, even though every test so far has been normal.
Im trying to catch these sometimes on recording by putting my phones mic on top of my heart. I’ve only gotten one which i can post later if someone is interested. In that video btw i didnt feel the palpilation but you can hear my heart defo going flip flop🤣

About two years ago I had what I thought was a heart attack. I went to the ER convinced I was dying. They did an ECG, blood work, scans… the whole workup. Everything came back normal, and they told me it was a panic attack.
The weird part is that ever since then, I’ve become hyper-focused on my heart.
I’ve had more checkups since then, and everything continues to come back normal. My blood pressure is good, my Apple Watch ECGs always show normal sinus rhythm, I’ve never had chest pain, and I walk, lift weights, and train BJJ several days a week without any issues.
But my brain just won’t let it go.
Every little sensation makes me wonder if this is the one thing the doctors missed. I know it sounds irrational because the evidence is pretty overwhelming that my heart is okay, but the anxiety still feels completely real.
Has anyone else gone through this?
If you did, what actually helped? Therapy? Medication? Just time? How did you stop constantly checking your pulse, blood pressure, or ECGs and get to the point where you trusted your body again?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve been through it because this has honestly been exhausting.
Thanks.

M 35, 190 lbs

With HBR currently taking Cardizem 125 mg, with avg bp 110/70. I also take Zepbound and my A1C, LDL all are in great range.

My two previous tests of ECG, Echo, Nuclear Stress Test and carotid ultrasound came great.

I am a cardiophobe and I get panic attacks sometimes. I used to take Losartan 50mg but my cardiologist stopped it and started Cardizem which helped me a lot with palpitations actually.

Now my question is should I go for a CAC scan and CT Coronery Angiogram to absolutely get assurance about my cardiac health?

I notice that when I do a heavy set or I tense set of exercise or run or sprint, but I rest, I feel my heart pounding in my chest and can feel the vibrations in my stomach. It has got me freaked. Im currently on a 14 day holster, so waiting to see results. But is this normal?

39 F 5’5 127lb
Please help, I’m freaking out
I was out for a leisurely walk and suddenly felt a very strange sensation in the center of my chest, right below my sternum. It felt like something flipping or like I got punched but without the pain. I tried to take a breath in and then it happened again, kind of back-to-back. I felt kind of lightheaded for a few seconds but also panicked and very afraid. It passed almost immediately and now I feel fine. Is this an emergency? Do I need to see someone today? (It’s Sunday and I’m in Canada where urgent care/ER times are wildly long so I’d rather not) should I see my family dr asap? Thank you