I’m not sure what to do and Need some advice. My daughter has been having issues with her chest hurting. I took her to urgent care once (March), the ER twice (August), and her PCP once (August). The second time we went to the ER she said she was having a hard time breathing (she got herself worked up about the chest pain, I think). Each time I took her to get checked out they found nothing wrong. They suggested a pediatric cardiologist if the problem persists, which it has. I have her scheduled with one on October 4th. The problem is she is still having episodes that last 45 to 60 minutes where she says she is struggling to breathe. It sounds like she is having trouble, but there are no other signs that she is having trouble. No discoloration of the face, eyes, or lips. She says when she has these episodes that she is dizzy and cant feel her body but when I have her move (like walk or pick stuff up) she functions just fine. But during these episodes she is crying, and practically begging to go to the doctors. I know there is nothing they can really do at this point as they have stated the four or five times i have seen someone about it. My mom’s solution is to just try to get her to relax but I dont want her to feel like I dont believe her or don’t care. I get frustrated because she is obviously believing that she has something wrong and it puts her in distress and I have no idea how to help her.Should I try other ER’s or urgent cares for a second opinion? Should I just try to help her wait it out until October to see the cardiologist? I am at a loss.
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From experience with myself and my kids this sounds like Panic/Anxiety Attacks. They feel very much like a heart attack. Slow deep breaths and a calming place to go to will help her. They come on sudden and can last for an hour or so. Definitely recommend her or you keeping a journal of these episodes, and what she is thinking prior to these attacks. This better helps them.
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Sounds like anxiety attack/panic attack. Try to help her calm down some and slow her breathing down. It always helped me to put my head in a freezer for a short period of time.
Sounds like anxiety. It used to happen to me a lot.
Have her gallbladder checked. I had several test done on my heart just to find out my gallbladder had stopped working. Some of the worst chest pain I’ve ever had.
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Sounds like anxiety or panic attack. Have her do counting drills or focus on something that calms her to see if it will help.
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Id agree with most that it’s probably anxiety or panic attack related.
Panic attacks, try to get her to calm down. I have went through this numerous times! I also had pleurisy - it does not feel good at all either. Prayers momma.
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Anxiety attacks will do this!
Military breathing helps a lot. It is probably a panic attack with them pains. It’s possible anxiety caused the pain, but it’s highly possible she is having chest pain and then panics. I’d have her wear a watch that monitors heart rate and BP between now and the cardiologist… if it’s not within normal range take her back. She could also pulled or strained a muscle in her chest, lots of possibilities.
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My daughter has extreme anxiety and sometimes has these symptoms. I would talk to the Dr about evaluated her for anxiety.
Sounds like an anxiety attack… push to see cardiology sooner.
Could it be anxiety or a panic attack?
Could definitely be gallbladder, but could also just be crippling anxiety
Panic attacks !!! Anxiety!!!
Definitely have her heart checked out but also things you wouldn’t think of like gallbladder and Gerd. Gerd can make you feel like you’re having a heart attack. Chewing a Tum or two helps me with my Gerd. Like everyone else, panic/anxiety attacks popped into my head.
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Sounds like anxiety/ panic attacks however, to side on the air if caution ask the dr to have her wear a halter monitor to rule out any kind of heart issues.
It sounds like anxiety. Try get her to sit down put her head between her legs and take 4 breaths in and out for a min but also count them out as she does it. IE: In 2 3 4 out 2 3 4. I just had to do this with my neighbour just the other day. She said it helped. It’s not for everyone but it’s worth a try.
Sounds like anxiety. My daughter went through this after covid. She would have chest pains alot. I took her to the ER and they did a cardiac test, hooked her up to a heart monitor to make sure her heart was ok. The test came back good, so the Dr talked to us about anxiety, since this is one of the signs. Anytime she came to me about her chest hurting, I would give her Tylenol and we would sit and talk till the pain subsided. She hasn’t had an episode in over a year. Praying you get some answers. Just be there for her
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Sounds like panic / anxiety attacks. Just have her do breathing exercises and find what keeps her calm . Figure out what triggers them to .
I had the same thing and found out that I had a large kidney stone.
Panic/anxiety attacks, I’ve dealt with this personally myself since I was pregnant but over the years learn how to control things or avoid triggers
Sounds like anxiety or panic attack. Been there. It’s truly awful and scary I’m so sorry. Unfortunately not much they can do.
From my personal experience this sounds like a panic attack. That’s exactly how mine are. Try having her touch 5 things,see 5 things and hear 5 things. That helps me. And take slow deep breathes. You can also hold up five fingers and have her “blow them down” while she’s taking deep breathes. By the time I’m done doing that technique I’m usually getting over the attack.
But I would have them check every possible option (I.e. gallbladder,acid reflux,heart issues!).
Kinda really sounds like some hardcore anxiety. Like she’s gets a little anxious and starts feeling weird in her chest and then all out panics bc she doesn’t understand what is happening or why it’s happening
Coldness helps me. I’ll sit in my car with the AC cranked running my hands over the vents. Cold cold water or even icecubes on my wrist, back of neck, face. It gives my body something else to focus on instead of the panic. But there’s so many ways to cope, you just gotta try a lot and find what works for her
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I agree with some of the others that it sounds like panic attacks. Having had them myself and know it’s not a simple diagnosis.
Don’t discount asthma if she’s saying she can’t breathe
Kind of sounds like a panic or anxiety attack.
Have her try breathing exercises. Like What You might do for having a baby. Meditation might help also
Your moms solution sounds best when she gets like that bring her over for a snuggle and do some deep breathing together
I had this issue turned out to be severe gas pains
Panick attacks!
Breathing exercises.
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Panic or Anxiety attacks perhaps?
Have they done an ekg on her anytime you have gone in?
Also I suffer from bad anxiety and depression and when I get very stressed out I start having anxiety attacks which causes chest pain and causes me to have an extremely hard time to breathe.
Feels like someone is putting a whole bunch of weight on my chest/ strangling me.
It’s the worst feeling ever
Low Ferritin/Anemia can cause breathless and dizziness and some vitamin deficiencies…
I’ve had Anemia 3 times and i get very breathless and dizzy…Maybe just to rule things out, ask gp to do bloods and check Iron levels and vitamin levels and do a full blood count…
It sounds so scary for your Daughter and imagine you and your family…Hope you get to the bottom of it and your Daughter is ok x
I agree sounds like ANXIETY an Panic attacks!! Cold cloth on her face an forehead, deep breath in an slow out should help too. Good Luck. Anxiety is no joke!!
A friend of my grandson had chest pains this weekend. He has a virus that attacked his heart and his heart is working at 30%. A heart specialist can check that out. Prayers for her.
Definitely anxiety I suffer with it and I feel the same exact way
Have her keep a journal of what she is doing before an episode, what it feels like, what she eats, how long it lasts and rate it 1-5.
This helped when my daughter went to the cardiologist.
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Aniexty my daughter had the same
It’s Panic Attack/anxiety! I have it and I’m 51 years old
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Sounds like panic attacks
This is how we found out I have anxiety and panic attacks
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Many years ago when my Husband was killed in an accident, I had them too and my Dr. said fo get a small paper bag, (lunch sack) and re- breath into it several times. wait a few minutes and do it again. And believe me it really worked and I realized it was just panic and I was soooo relieved as I had 4 little ones to help with this grief too. THEY counted on ME!!!
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Sounds exactly like my daughter’s panic attacks. They stopped after she started anti anxiety meds.
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Anxiety? Try having her see 5 things, touch 5 things, hear 5 things and see if that helps!
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Definitely Panic attacks. I found that during one if concentrated one thing and kept describing different things about it helped get out of it. Then if you’re still upset, do another. It was on a list of things to do if you’re experiencing panic attacks. I hope you all get the answers you need soon. Hugs to her.
Sounds like anxiety to me.
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Definitely keep the cardiology appointment. I would journal when the attacks happen. It could be anxiety. Keeping track of when they happen, what she did, ate, went that day can be useful. Good luck!
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As a teen I had panic/anxiety attacks to where I would pass out. I would still see the cardiologist to be sure but definitely investigate the psychological angle.
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Did she have the shot??!!! If so it could be a whole other ball game… if so there are treatments to help.
When I’m really stressed my chest hurts even to breathe. It started in highschool. I still get it…I used to go to the ER…it would scare my mom. But, I have learned relaxation techniques
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Ems here: Sounds like acid reflux. I suffer from this. It can cause severe gas through out chest. In return it causes you to feel short of breath and anxiety starts kicking in. If this starts, take a drink of pickle juice. A good gulp! It will help the pain to subside.
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Sounds like anxiety which in turn causes many forms of stomach upset which can in turn hurt your chest . Keep an eye on her diet and try giving her tums to see if that eases the chest pain.
Any chance she is iron deficent? I know that sounds crazy but both my twins were low on iron with different symptoms; one with chest pain because they need iron to move blood and the other constantly sick to her stomach all the time
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Is it possible it’s a panic attack? It can definitely mimic all these symptoms
There is a simple blood test they could do in the ER so they clearly think it’s panic attacks. It could also be asthma. I’d be asking for an echocardiogram while you wait for cardiology because they’ll need to do one anyway.
Sounds more like anxiety than anything else. Look into grounding techniques for anxiety. She may need to be put on medications for it
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Sounds like she has anxiety.
I’ve struggled with the same thing and there was a point I was calling 911 often because I felt like I couldn’t breathe and couldn’t feel my body. I was put a Holter monitor for 24 hours to monitor my heart , had EKGs done and nothing. It is definitely panic attacks she’s having and they are awful. I don’t know how old your daughter is but I take Ativan and it makes a world of a difference.
I had a similar issue as a teen and found out I have a small leaky heart valve. My heart has to work harder to pump blood because of the leak which causes pain in my chest and my heart to race. Just trying to give a different idea from anxiety which is very likely and common.
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Did they rule out blood clot? That can cause chest pain and breathing issues. Before jumping to anxiety, I would push to rule everything out first
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Maybe a panic attack it may help to do the following I have used it myself and is easy to remember.
Could very well be anxiety induced asthma. My daughter got dx with that two years ago and she was having the same thing your daughter is having
It sounds crazy but it sounds like panic attacks or anxiety. When I was 16 all the symptoms you’ve talked about I was experiencing and kept going to the emergency until finally a nurse suggested this. As soon as I got put on medicine for anxiety it rarely happened again. Once I knew what it was it was also alot less scary for me. I would keep in mind that these incidents feel extremely real to her so I wouldn’t act dismissive about them. Just calmly talk to her and put something she enjoys on the TV or if she likes to read her read a book. That helped me the most through panic attacks.
Check for gallstones. If it’s intense pain that comes and goes suddenly, lasting from a couple minutes to hours, might b that.
Possible asthma or allergic to something. Keep mental note as to when this happens. My grand slept with his cat every night until he was diagnosed cat allergies. Good luck.
When I have episodes like this I try to use tactile and sensory grounding. Things you can touch smell taste and hear and see
Hyperventilating? I had this as a child as well. The doctor had me breathe (inhale and exhale) into a paper bag.
It’s based from anxiety.
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If you are worried, id take her for 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc opinions…Mums know their own kids and when something isn’t right…Trust your gut instincts…Hope you get to the bottom of it and your Daughter’s ok x
Sounds like a panic attack or anxiety I’d still have her seen
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I would recommend taking her to a chiropractor as well. I suffer from extreme anxiety. But when my back is out it creates a lot of chest pain and back pain. I’d also have her scoped for ulcers and maybe give her something for indigestion. When you have anxiety you always go to the worst case scenario so any little chest pain will have her snowball into the worst case. Remind her how strong she is and how incredible our brains are. Sometimes when we think about it as empowerment it helps. That our brains are so powerful they can create physical changes in our body. Have her do chest opening stretches in a doorway. I would also have her do something like taekwondo or kickboxing to help her feel empowered and in control of her body. Horse riding lessons are great for building confidence. Anything of that type.
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Sounds like she having a panic attack.
I had chest pain and trouble breathing every time I had a gallbladder attack, but I’m guessing that’s probably not what she’s having. Could be a panic attack
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For my 14 year old niece, it was anxiety but we did go to pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist. Now with psychiatrist and she is on meds and doing so much better and no chest pain
I’m not a Dr but when I pulled my chest muscle it felts similar. I was in agony and thought I was having a heart attack at first and so did the hospital until one smart Dr came in and figured it out
Anxiety!!? I use ti get that and I was told I have bad anxiety attacks
Gallbladder attack? Many people feel the pain radiate in their chest and think it is heart pain.
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This sounds like anxiety or panic attack! I had my first panic/anxiety attack in my 20s and it was awful. But I have had horrible anxiety my whole life just didn’t know what it was until I was much older. There are a lot of things you can do to help her calm down like fidget things or something she can focus on to help her stay calm. 🩷 don’t give up you’ll figure this out!
Could be anxiety/depression.
I get like that with Anxiety/Panic Attacks.
I also have a child with complex Heart Defects so if one of my heart Healthy kids was doing that I would go to the cardiologist to rule heart issues out.
It sounds as though it could be pre-cordial catch syndrome?
I have this and basically sometimes when I breath I’ll have a stabbing pain in my chest (usually the left lower side). It hurts to take deep breaths so I take small breaths until it passes. It usually lasts a few minutes but I did have one last a while. Usually ibuprofen helps as it’s apparently with inflammation.
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Sounds like she may be having panic or anxiety attacks maybe a mild sedative could help calm her
See the cardiologist ASAP. But in the mean time, I’m thinking she may be having some anxiety attacks. But I’m not a doctor, so my opinion is not an educated one.
Rule out any physical issues first. But there are techniques to help a person calm down if it is anxiety.
She could be making herself have anxiety attacks without knowing it.
It sounds like anxiety. My daughter has that issue so bad. Stress etc induces it. Try to think of a list of questions to ask her during if possible and RIGHT after. What hurts. What are you thinking before this happens and during. Etc.
I would see cards just to do further testing and rule out other things. I’d also ask for a referral for psychiatrist, sounds like could be more psychological.
My son used to get a lot of anxiety and had a few panic attacks when he was younger.
I agree with Autumn anxiety
When I have anxiety it feels like my chest is being crushed. I can’t breathe, my muscles get stiff, I feel nauseous, etc. Anxiety can make you feel really, really sick and unlike most ppl, my anxiety isnt caused by anything. It’s just there.
I put myself in the ER for it too Thought I was having a heart attack. For me, it’s worse in the morning.
I would still take her to a cardiologist just to make sure, but if that comes back fine there are things that can treat anxiety.
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Sounds like a panic attack/ anxiety!
This sounds like an anxiety attack. I would absolutely keep the cardiologist appointment to rule out any other issues but this is classic anxiety symptoms . Try to get her to use breathing techniques, or other calming methods.
Panic/anxiety attacks can often feel like a heart attack, especially if you’re unaware of whats going on. If her tests come back normal when she goes to the cardiologist see about getting her put on anxiety meds. Thats how they diagnosed me with my panic attacks.
Like everyone else is saying here, this sounds more like panic/anxiety attacks. Help her find something that calms her, like ocean sounds, white noise, taking slow deep breaths and reminding her she’s safe. Figuring out the triggers will also help so she can start to learn that this triggers an attack or remind herself that she’s ok.
Truly sounds like anxiety based (panic attacks).
I was diagnosed with anxiety with the exact same thing! They put me on medication and I’ve had no episodes Since
I would say panic attacks. I get them from time to time with my PTSD. I would have chest pains, heart racing, light headed, dizzy, I would start shivering like I’m freezing but I’m not cold and ect. I would go to the er and they would tell me nothing is wrong with my heart or chest. I decided to go seek mental health help for my ptsd and my Dr put me on some meds for it. I haven’t had an episode in months. Trust me it’s scary going through the episodes.