Hi there,
I have been receiving treatment for various mental health issues consistently for about 8 years. I have seen improvement in many areas of my life, particularly significant improvement in daily functioning and impulse control. I am 22 years old, and have a history of borderline personality disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and a complicated history of chronic depression. I have had more than my fair share of inpatient hospitalizations, in addition to outpatient individual therapy (DBT, CBT, and general), group therapy, day programs, outpatient ECT this past winter, and residential programs. I have not been inpatient in over a year. I have tried many medications, and currently take Lamictal, Vyvanse, and a low dose of Valium.
I have great providers and am thankful for the treatment I have received. Yet, my worst symptom is a mystery to my doctors. I experience intermittent sharp, stabbing chest pains, accompanied by deep sadness. I have searched the internet, asked my doctors, talked to some people I've met in treatment and have no met anyone who has experienced this quite like I do. It is very unlikely that it is a panic attack because the pain is not "tightness" or accompanied by any changes in heart rate or breathing. It keeps me awake many nights, and I have found nothing to relieve the pain. I've learned to suffer through it, but the pain can be very intense and its a miserable experience. Without the sharp chest pain accompanied by extreme distress, it would appear I have dysthymia complicated by seasonal affective disorder in the fall and winter months. But the sharp chest pain is a mystery. I have had EKG's in the past, see a neurologist, and still said to be overall a physically healthy 22 year old.
So my question...has anyone else experienced recurrent sharp chest pains without anxiety present at the time? I am often very hopeless about life because even if I achieve my goals or do things I like, I can't escape this pain for very long. The pain is excruciating and as of now the most realistic option is to stay alive for the sake of my family and people who care about me, help other people in whatever way I can, and just endure the pain until the end of my life. Unfortunately, since I'm in my 20s, I may need to endure this pain for decades.