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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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23 Year Old With Shortness Of Breath, Chest Heaviness And Vertigo Attacks. Heart Disease?

hi, i m 23 year old female suffering from shortness of breath since feb 2013. my left side of the body feels heavy. in the beginning the suffocation was so bad that i wasn t able to eat properly. now, it seems that i ve to make an effort to breathe deeply. the left side of my chest gets heavy at times including left leg. i m also suffering from vertigo attacks, on vertin 24 mg currently. i got ecg and echo done, doctors said they are normal and that i could be having panic attacks. how true is that. i m not convinced. i m scared it might be CAD or heart disease . SOB is so bad at times that i feel so dizzy about to pass out. the left side of my body including head, neck , face, jaw, inside mouth, left thoracic region, arm feels tight and somewhat burning with shortness of breath. should i be worried? is it anything serious? i feel my heart has grown weak sometimes it beats too hard, sometimes too slow, scares me to death, been to multiple number of doctors, no help .. sometimes the left side of my abdomen feels tight and pains badly. i have pulsations all over my body and feel like losing my breath at times. i even had near death experience recently. please help, what should be my next step? i m constantly thinking about my heart... is my heart alright?
Wed, 20 Mar 2013
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hello Sophia,
Thanks for coming to HCM. Sorry to hear about your problems. You are probably having anxiety attacks. How stressed are you? Are there emotional events happening in your life since some time?
If you will hyperventilate (breath fast) in anxiety, you can feel dizzy or pass out with tingling or cold feeling in fingers/skin. Also, heart beating rate goes fast (just like during exercise) and you might feel pounding heart etc. Anxiety or panic attack can be a dreadful feeling but can be controlled. You should try to keep relaxed as far as possible, do meditation and/or yoga, listen to relaxing music, talk to friends/family members, express your concerns, exercise regularly & eat a healthy balanced diet. Avoid medicines just to make your self feel better.
You can get lipid profile done, it is unlikely that you are having coronary artery disease. You can follow routine health-check plan as advised by your doctor.
If you still don't feel better in 2-3 weeks, contact a psychiatrist or counselor.
Hope you feel better soon!
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23 Year Old With Shortness Of Breath, Chest Heaviness And Vertigo Attacks. Heart Disease?

Hello Sophia, Thanks for coming to HCM. Sorry to hear about your problems. You are probably having anxiety attacks. How stressed are you? Are there emotional events happening in your life since some time? If you will hyperventilate (breath fast) in anxiety, you can feel dizzy or pass out with tingling or cold feeling in fingers/skin. Also, heart beating rate goes fast (just like during exercise) and you might feel pounding heart etc. Anxiety or panic attack can be a dreadful feeling but can be controlled. You should try to keep relaxed as far as possible, do meditation and/or yoga, listen to relaxing music, talk to friends/family members, express your concerns, exercise regularly & eat a healthy balanced diet. Avoid medicines just to make your self feel better. You can get lipid profile done, it is unlikely that you are having coronary artery disease. You can follow routine health-check plan as advised by your doctor. If you still don t feel better in 2-3 weeks, contact a psychiatrist or counselor. Hope you feel better soon!