I started a new job about 3 weeks ago and have never been so stressed out in my entire life. This week I started getting pains in the left/center of my chest. I don’t know if it’s stress related or if it’s something I should really worry about. I find myself taking deep breaths just to calm myself down.
I don’t know if I should go see a doctor right away or wait and see if it goes away over the weekend.
If it’s bothersome enough that you’re wondering, you should get it looked at pronto anyway – even if it is stress (and yes it can cause that effect) a full-blown Panic Attack is no picnic either.
Stress can cause all manor of symptoms including those of heart problems, high blood pressure, depression, sexual dysfunction, etc. See your doctor immediately, if for no other reason than peace of mind on your part.
While some dopers might be doctors, it’s not a really great idea to be posting a medical question about chest pains on a message board. Especially not one with a server that is held together with chewing gum.
Not a doctor either, and seconding the responses above. If it eases your mind any, yes stress CAN cause chest pain in a lot of ways, some of them dangerous and some not. I had burning chest pain eons ago that turned out to be spasms in the esophagus, and yes, it was related to stress. OTOH, my hubby had chest pains that came on with stress and it turned out to be a dangerously, almost completely blocked coronary artery. The kind that if he hadn’t had it dealt with would have caused him to drop dead one day real soon.