New here, feeling scared!

Hello guys!  I am new to the board.  I have been lurking for a few weeks, and decided today to join.  I am not sure what bored I need to be posting on, but I decided to start here!

 

A little bit about me first.  I am a 26 year old female.  I am slightly overweight.  I have been healthy all my life, other than the fact I was  a smoker until 2 months ago...I FINALLY quit.     Anyway, for the past 6 or 7 weeks, I haven't felt like myself.  I have  been struggling with some chest discomfort mainly on my left side, but also in the center of my chest, and sometimes to the right.  I often feel it in my ribs, and even my shoulders too.  It isn't a pain, so much as an annoyance.  It is there pretty regularly.   Nothing brings it on, I have noticed it comes on while I am laying around doing nothing.  And physical activity doesn't seem to make it any worse.  It generally stays the same.

 

Along with this, I have been dealing with panic attacks, so severe that I don't even want to leave my house, and I actually lost my job a month ago, due to my inability to leave the house.  When I get too far away, I feel scared, and I will instantly go into a full blown panic attack.  For the record, I had my first panic attack 8 years ago.  I never used meds for them, I just generally controlled them, and they were never too serious.

 

I do have some issues with my bowel movements.  Sometimes I notice that after I have a BM my chest is relieved some.  Not all the way, and not all the time.  It is just something I noticed recently.

 

Sadly, I do not have insurance.  I am calling around to doctors to see who will take me without having insurance, and I will just pay out of pocket.  I am trying to get that situation ASAP.  In the meantime, I wanted to know if anyone has an opinion on what could be going on here.  Does it sound like my heart?  What does it sound like?  I understand you all can only give opinions, I am NOT asking to be diagnosed over the computer.

 

Thank you all in advance to anyone who answers.  I appriciate it greatly!!!

HI TammyGrl,

I'm not a doctor or anything but I'll give you my opinion. However you still need to get to a doctor to find out for certain what is going on.

I wouldn't be too worried about the heart from your description especially the part about "it's there pretty regularly. Nothing brings it on, I've noticed it comes on while I'm laying around doing nothing. And physical activity doesn't seem to make it worse."

You might be dealing with a bit of GERDS or some IBS. Anxiety can make both worse.

At your age the biggest question for me would be: Do you have a strong family history of early on-set heart disease? If you do, you definately need a doctor to follow your health history and keep you checked out. Don't mess with a history like that!

Hope you find some answers soon! Good Luck!

Hi Tammy!Sorry that you are not feeling well.I am also sorry that I can not offer any opinions on the symptoms that you have been experiencing.I do agree however that you should see a doctor.Since you do have some concerns of cardio issues & crohns,is there a possibility of you aquiring health insurance?The reason I ask is if you go to a doctor & get diagnosed,you may have a hard time getting insurance in the future if you have a pre-existing disease(especially crohns).I have heart failure & crohns,& I can tell you that some of the tests alone cost in the thousands,not to mention the medications.I easily racked up over a million dollars in medical bills in just three short months & my meds cost about $700 a month.

I don't mean to sound like your situation will end up as extreme as mine,I just wanted to offer some helpful advice for your future.I was uninsured like yourself & that ended up being one of the biggest regrets in my life.If you can't get insured or can't afford to,you can always contact your local social services or health department to see if you may qualify for one of thier programs.

I hope that you get some answers soon & I hope that it turns out to be nothing too serious.Good luck & take care!

Hey Tammy, I'm not too sure I would wait just in-case it was heart related.  Any and all kinds of chest pain should be checked out ASAP.  I dont know what state you live in but many have low cost walk in clinics where you can get checked out by a GP.  If it does come down to waiting until july...then I would say if you start to have any kind of sharp pains or change in what you have been feeling then go straight to the ER. 

Keep posting and letting us know how your doing...take care