Hiya, the past few months I ve been having real problems with my breathing. It quite often feels like my lungs are being crushed and that my windpipe is being squeezed and it Is very uncomfortable. I also quite often get heart palpitations and can see my heart beat in my chest, often when I am lying down and wearing a loose top I can actually see my heart beats with the fabric and it is quite scary. What should I do??
Hello! Thank you for asking on Chat Doctor! I read carefully your question and understand your concern. It is important performing a comprehensive differential diagnosis of different causes that may lead to this symptomatology:- a cardiac arrhythmia could lead to similar symptoms- a respiratory disorder - anxiety could mimic this clinical scenario. I recommend consulting with your GP for a careful physical exam and some tests: - a resting ECG- a chest X-ray study and respiratory function tests-blood lab work (complete blood count, thyroid hormone levels, blood electrolytes). An ambulatory 24-48 hours ECG monitoring may be needed to examine your cardiac rhythm trends during the day and exclude possible cardiac arrhythmia. If all the above tests result normal, you should consider anxiety as the main cause of your troubles. Hope you will find this answer helpful! Wishing all the best, 