That's pretty much exactly where I'm left after this episode, because I had immediate chest pain, tightness and pressure. The exact symptoms of a heart attack, or at minimum, an Angina attack, and that's going to give anyone a good scare, I don't care who you are. So I did calm myself down and the pain eased some. I was stubborn and put up with it, to a degree, for the better part of three days, but I started to think that I could just be making it worse by not seeing a doctor, well, then the mind starts kicking in, you get even more worried, and that starts to kick off some panic attacks, and you're alone, and throw in worrying about who the hell is going to come over to feed your animal if you're in the hospital for 2 weeks, and there ya go, a perfect storm that's now feeding on itself, and you're completely freaked out, and I was.
So I went in and no heart issues, lungs are fine... suspected problem: CHEST WALL MUSCLE SPASMS, causing the tightness and pressure feeling, and the pain, more than likely due to pinching a nerve. But, that precisely mimicked a heart attack. So I'm with you @
Gunny. If I ever do have a REAL heart attack now, I might not even know it. I'll think it's this crap happening again and blow it off. I mean, I tried to reason with myself... how does a guy that hits the treadmill once and awhile, hits his gym regularly, eats pretty good, isn't fat, family has no history of heart disease, doesn't have high blood pressure and is pretty happy with his life... how does a guy like that have a heart attack? Well, when you're having all the symptoms, it's hard to just ignore it and calm down. It's like someone piling their car into your's, and then you trying to pretend it isn't real...
OH, and I'm not sure I need "meditation" either. I remember some of our breathing control techniques from when I was into Martial Arts, and the mind over body control as well. I'd much rather revisit that than meditate. Hell I'd like to take Martial Arts again period, and there is a dojo near me, but I'm not going to take classes with a bunch of kiddies. No adult or seniors class, forget it.