Worried about heart disease/heart problems, please help!

[BrightPhoenix 78]

Hi all.  This site's been a huge help back when I had my scare which turned out to be essential tremor.  It's an annoying condition but I can manage it.

I have diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder, and I'm taking extended release propranolol and 25 mg Zoloft to manage it and my essential tremor.  The propranolol is also to manage my blood pressure.  I'm in my mid 30's, male, and yes I'm morbidly obese (290 lbs).  I spend most of my time either on the computer or at work sitting down.  My doctor's trying to break me out of this and I've seen psychiatrists trying to get myself out of this rut to exercise more, eat less crap foods (McDonalds) and eat more healthy.  I will be seeing a weight management clinic next week.

* Until then I've been having some scares about my heart.  See the past year or so, I've been having these bouts on and off where I would get kinda weak everywhere and break out into cold sweats.  They're very random and seem to happen way more often if I don't eat anything.  I used to be able to skip a meal or two if I have to but maybe the past week or so I can't without feeling weak - it's like my body is heavily dependent on me having something in my stomach.  But sometimes I do get these random bouts of weakness with the accompanying cold sweat - lasts about 5-20 minutes then goes away.  I usually drink water to ride it out but I'm sure this is not a normal thing.

* I've also had a slight shortness of breath ever since November of last year - this started after I caught some sort of cold and it's been off and on.  I get hyper-aware of it if I think about it but I don't find myself gasping for air, only when I actually focus on my breath.

Thread on it here:

http://www.anxiety-central.com/topic/8431-issues-with-breathing-dont-know-what-other-problems-i-might-have/?tab=comments#comment-55014

* Also about the same time in November now when I yawn I start feeling lightheaded.  Again, this wasn't a problem before then.

* I noticed this past week I've been dealing a lot more with acid reflux/indigestion.  I don't know if it's related to what I'm eating or if it's related to any of the symptoms I have.

This morning at work I felt a brief palpatation/flutter/skipping a beat and I again got that weak sensation, then a sudden feeling of anxiety/panic.  I had some pain in my left arm - no pain in the my chest whatsoever but I again felt that shortness of breath and that panic lead to more pain in that arm area.  The pain isn't "traveling", seems to be localized to the lower half of the arm (the area between where your arm bends and where the wrist is).  My anxiety has me pushing on areas of my chest and that's causing pain, but the initial weak feeling/feeling of panic had no pain whatsoever.

I'm going to get myself to see a cardiologist because I want to assess my risk factors at this point.  I'm tired of worrying - I'm definitely going to that weight management program next week.  My question is did I suffer some sort of mini heart attack?  Should I go to the emergency room/ER to check?  It's been about 3 hours since the incident.  I was in a panic Googling symptoms because I wanted to differentiate between a panic attack and a heart attack and the descriptions were incredibly vague.  There was a website saying that possible indigestion was a sign too but I have no idea.   I'm worried if I lie down and sleep I'm going to have another one or if that was just a panic attack.

Sorry for the long post, I'm just scared.  I don't have many sick days at my job and I don't want to be absent unless I have to.  I need the money from it to pay for my expenses - kind of a paycheck to paycheck sorta person.  I *will* see a cardiologist but before I do I want to be vigilant that if it is an actual heart attack I need to get it treated, but otherwise the constant worries I have between it being a panic attack vs a heart attack is why I come here.  Does anyone have experience with this?

[anthonycain 15]

Hey I have very similar issues... It's quite scary to hear you list all your troubles because they sound so close to mine... I have the arm pains... The chest discomfort and tender or painful areas when I'm pushing on my chest... I get the shortness of breath more than anything... Even when it's not shortness of breath, my breathing just feels inadequate. My upper back also aches.. I stress about my heart all the time... I am overweight as well I get slight dizzy spells. I'm scared of sleeping because I always feel I'm going to have a heartattack, a stroke, or some other sinister thing... I made a appointment with the cardiologist as well... As for indigestion.. that is definitely a factor... I have acid reflux on a regular basis, but it kinda goes hand in hand with anxiety, and poor diet... So that's not a surprise... That part of it is understandable for me... I get shortness of breath when it's bad... I feel like my chest is super tight and my throat can't swallow properly .. but it goes away after a lil apple cider vinegar and about 20 min of relaxing... The whole ordeal is disturbing... I also get weakness in my limbs and numbness in my arms..... If you ask me, I think it's something fatal going on... But many signs point towards anxiety.... fortunately!

[BrightPhoenix 78]

Yeah, being middle aged + overweight + anxiety makes it that much harder to deal with.  You can tell people who are in their early 20s it's not a big deal since they're young but we don't have the luxury of youth anymore.  We're still younger than usual but it's still essential for us to take care of themselves.  I have exactly the same issues as you do, that "inadequate" feeling with my breath.  Yet if I don't THINK about it I'm fine (i.e. when I don't try to do "manual breathing").

Definitely going to see a cardiologist and a pulmonologist myself.   What did your visit tell you?