Hello,
It is going on 2 wks now since I first noticed some pressure in my chest. They diagnosed me with GERD and a Urinary Tract Infection. I've been to the ER about 4 or 5 times now and at this point, they think I am just suffering from anxiety. My doctor seems to feel this way too. They way I am feeling is not from anxiety though.
The first day I had felt some discomfort in my chest so I went to my PCP. He took my blood pressure which was around 140 so he did an EKG that was normal, but high heart rate, so he sent me to get bloodwork done. On my way to the hospital, I began feeling as if I were going to have a heart attack. At one point, my chest got so tight I thought I having a heart attack then all the sudden, it went away and I felt very flushed and almost numb and weak at that point. I went to the ER immediately. They did an EKG and blood pressure, and said everything looked normal. I had GERD pressure at the base of my sternum at first. The very next day after being diagnosed with GERD, I didn't know what I could eat so I ate a lot of bread, cereals, and things like that. Not very balanced I know. The next day I felt as if I were going to pass out, so I went to the ER again. By that evening, I was feeling a lot of heaviness on my chest as if someone was hanging off the front of me, pulling me down. I also felt the need to breathe very deeply like was going to have a panic attack or something. Talking exhausted me, yet walking around made me feel somewhat better, but I got tired easy. They decided to admit me into the hospital and give me a stress test the next morning. They gave me aspirin and nitroglycerin patches. That night I couldn't sleep at all. I tried to, but everytime I would go to fall asleep, my body would jerk and I would wake up feeling as if I was going to stop breathing so that was why I woke up. I did the stress test and they said it was normal although I had the heaviness at the time of the test. Later that day, I ate something and took a little nap and began feeling a little better. They told me that my bloodwork was fine and that I was anemic and sent me home.
I took an anxiety pill on the way home, so I could sleep when I got there. I did.
The next days felt terrible. I was dealing with tremendous jitters inside and feelings of doom. I just felt very stuck in my own world thinking I was going to die because I was just waiting to have a heart attack because of the way I was feeling. My PCP gave me a prescription for Nitroglycerin the first day I saw him, so I've been carrying it around.
Ever since all of this happened, I just feel terrible. I am a little concerned that every time they take my blood, it is already hard for them to find a vein, so I have bruises and sticks everywhere, but when they do get a vein, the blood is so slow and they have a hard time getting blood out.
I feel very weak and woosy, tingling down my left arm up my neck an in the top of my head at times. I still feel jittery inside at times, but I am trying to get the anxiety meds out of my system cause I'm wondering if that's what's causing it. I still feel like I'm gonna stop breathing and just feel extra woozy when I'm sitting still. My chest pressure isn't nearly as bad as it was, but it's still there. It gets worse if I move around a lot, feel stressed at all, or even just moving my arms around. I still very inside myself, foggy mind. I may still be tired. I'm not sure. Yesterday, I felt severe pressure and jitteryness and not very woozy, then when I finally got the chest pressure to feel a LITTLE better by deep breathing then I felt very woozy to the point of not being able to function. I just haven't been able to function these past two wks.
I'm so concerned because I moved here in 2002/2003, after moving here my lifestyle changed dramatically. I became VERY UNhealthy. I began going out to eat a lot, no longer exercising, very stressed, no stress release, nothing. I recently found out that in 2004, my bad cholesterol was a little high. I didn't no this. In 2004, AFTER that was tested, my health and lifestyle got even WORSE. I got pregnant with my son and developed a very bad habit of snacking on junk food ALL THE TIME. I gained around 30 lbs, so now my BMI is in the obese range, my stress went up a LOT because I now had two children, and my son is a huge handful. I started feeling very sluggish all the time, no medical so I couldn't really take care of myself the way I should have. I started going back to school. We had several different life changes that affect you, my daughter started school and I started helping there. I started suffering from insomnia, and overall exhaustion. etc. etc. I began eating at McDonalds, BK, wendys, subway, and eating frozen convenience meals everyday all day. I am always feeling VERY stressed.
I'm so concerned that my arteries are full of plaque. I'm scheduled to have an Ecocardiogram tomorrow morning, but I am so scared not only of them finding something wrong, but that they won't find it if something is wrong?
I am almost 25. There is no history of heart disease in my family that I know of, but I don't really like to look only at those factors. I live a very different lifestyle that all of the rest of my family, one that I am terrified I have destroyed my life with. I have to two very young children and a wonderful husband who I love dearly. I do not want to leave this world anytime soon.
Can plaque be removed from the arteries? Is it dangerous?
Will an Eco show if I do have plaque in my arteries?
Do you always have High blood pressure when you have plaque in your arteries or just sometimes or most of the time. My blood pressure has been running between 125-135 this past wk or so.
How do you know for sure if your arteries are clean and safe?
I'm just concerned that simply due to my age, that these doctors aren't taking it as seriously as I would like. Should I ask to have an Angiogram? Would that show the true 100% view of the condition of my arteries through my whole body and guarantee me that either they are clogged or that they are completely fine?
Is this procedure dangerous?
Thank you for your time. Please give me your input, and based on my information or if you need more please ask, then would you be able to recommend any tests or express your thoughts of the matter.
Thank you again.
Saving 
