To ask if this was a mild panic attack?

[MyOhMyOi]

I don’t have any history of anxiety or depression .

Lately, I have a lot going on in my personal life .

I live in a high stress household.

I’m shouted and screamed at daily (by SN children not DH).

I have a job too .

For the past few weeks , I’ve been getting pains in my stomach and I’ve felt on edge for no reason at all . I’ve felt a few heart flutters too .

The pain in my stomach is distracting.

I’m usually quite good at dealing with stress.

After dropping DC off at my mums today (which was a huge feat and I was bitten by one of my children ).

I was flustered but ok .

I was driving along when I felt my chest was tight . I could breathe but it felt harder than normal .

It passed after a few big deep breathes .

I then started crying .

I’m due to pick up DC at 8am tomorrow and I have pains in my tummy again but I can’t think of a particular reason why .

I think I might be very stressed but I don’t feel it

It could be and probably is stress related but also stomach pains can be related to the heart maybe you should go for check up just to be safe and reassure yourself 🙂

It could be. Sounds like my first panic attack. My first one came out of the blue after a week of stomach problems. I can always tell now when I am getting stressed/anxious because I get a dodgy belly. My body can tell before my mind!

Not trying to be horrible really but MN is not the answer here.

Could it be a PA? Yes but it could also be a number of other things.

Chest pain, tightness and shortness of breath along with epigastric pain could all be related to a cardiac event. Just go to whatever healthcare providers are available at the weekend where you live and let a professional answer your question. At the very least you should probably have an ecg but blood test is better to check for muscle damage (your heart being a muscle)

I’m sorry things are tough for you and hope you can get some extra help but for now your health needs addressing.

Sorry if I’ve come across rude.

Have you any tips for stress related stomach pain?

Thisisthelaststraw you don’t come across as rude

I know nobody here can diagnose and I’m going to make an appointment with my GP, but I’m 99% sure it’s stress related.

Hi OP, sorry to hear you have been feeling this way
I get these, they aren't really severe enough to be a real panic attack but you feel horrendous for a few minutes. Definitely worth speaking to your GP and checking in case its something else though!
In regards to the stomach pains, i find the better my diet is the less stress impacts on me physically, i still get pains but they are less severe. Just the obvious stuff, watch your caffeine intake, avoid sugary food/drink. And then i try and have a stash of mint tea as that always helps settle my stomach. When im feeling really awful i try and hide away for 5 minutes and finish a hot drink just to 'recharge'. Obviously this might not be possible for you - but even just 5 minutes completely alone to 'go to the toilet' (ie. sit on the bathroom floor and ignore the chaos for a minute) might give you time to just catch your breath.
You sound like you've got a lot going on, hope things get better for you soon.

Your life sounds quite tough, and it seems as though you are perhaps carrying a lot of your stress and emotions in your stomach, so to speak.

I agree with others recommending a gp appt, and can I also suggest making an appointment with a therapist, if you are in a position to do so.

As you had such a strong reaction to taking a few deep breaths, some guided breathing exercises might also be helpful if you can make the time. Good luck

Glad you didn’t think I was rude. I felt awful writing my post but as a hcp is really bothers me to see advice dished out by people (who ultimately mean well) who don’t have sufficient training to do so.

I saw a post the other day that advised a treatment for a particular set of symptoms that could actually kill a person if those symptoms where what the advisor was thinking. It baffles me.

Anyway, glad to hear you’ll go to the gp.

Incidentally, I also suffer horrible anxiety and panic attacks though I’ve learned through therapy how to control most of them. They present in different ways. Quite scary ways even. Heart palpitations are certainly one and tummy upset is definitely another. Tingling down one side (which is bloody awful because I’ve had a stroke and it instantly puts me into “I’m about to die” panic), paralysis around my mouth and tongue and other terrifying things. The difference is I’m used to these things happening and I’m good at stopping them over a short time but when something is a new onset, something I’ve never experienced before I get it checked out.

Hope all goes well

Hey OP, sorry you're having stressful time of it. I have regular panic attacks and the chest tightness and crying at the end sound familiar.

However, I'm not a HCP but would echo PP in getting checked over ASAP for 2 reasons, a) because it is always wise to be cautious with anything that could be cardiac related and b) once I got the all clear on these, I found it helped reduce the severity of my panic attacks as I knew rationally it was unlikely to be a fatal heart problem (always my fear during a PA) as I had been checked over.