Dealing with shortness of breath, high blood pressure, and heart palpitations—any advice?

Hey everyone, popping back in after a two-year hiatus. I’m hoping there might be someone here who can help me make sense of things—is this just a classic anxiety disorder or am I looking at something else entirely? Here's the deal: I get this constant sensation that everything around me isn't quite real, like I'm living in a dream or something. On top of that, there's the shortness of breath, high blood pressure, that nagging lump in my throat, and this relentless need to burp constantly. My heart races too, though not all the time. If every single medical test comes back perfectly normal, could this really just be anxiety? And one more thing... what if these symptoms don't just pop up occasionally, but stay present from sunrise to sunset, year after year? Thanks.

Steven Cook56 said:Hey everyone, popping back in after a two-year hiatus. I’m hoping there might be someone here who can help me make sense of things—is this just a classic anxiety disorder or am I looking at something else entirely? Here's the deal: I get this constant sensation that everything around me isn't quite real, like I'm living in a dream or something. On top of that, there's the shortness of breath, high blood pressure, that nagging lump in my throat, and this relentless need to burp constantly. My heart races too, though not all the time. If every single medical test comes back perfectly normal, could this really just be anxiety? And one more thing... what if these symptoms don't just pop up occasionally, but stay present from sunrise to sunset, year after year? Thanks.

In what way does everything feel "unreal" to you?

All those symptoms you listed fall under psychosomatic issues, though they don't strictly have to be. If a doctor has already ruled out physical causes, then yes, they're likely psychosomatic. 👏 It's possible you're harboring some internal rage that you're suppressing; that mental energy eventually leaks out as heart palpitations, high blood pressure, or excess stomach acid. If you suspect it might be anxiety, try channeling that negative energy into sports—it’ll help stabilize your blood pressure and breathing—or just go talk to a therapist.

I'm speaking from experience here, and trust me, it works.

Best,

That sounds a lot like depersonalization. I actually went through something similar a few years back—it felt like solipsism syndrome, which is pretty much in the same ballpark...

So, honestly? I feel like absolute garbage. I’ve been through the ringer—hospital visits, endless tests... probably cleared over 50 different things at this point. Heart ultrasounds, thyroid panels, chest X-rays, spirometry, gastroscopies, hormone levels, you name it. Everything comes back "normal." The only outlier was testing positive for H. pylori; I finished a seven-day round of meds two years ago and the doctor told me I was good to go. Back then, my main issue was panic attacks and that tight feeling in my throat, but things have shifted. The panic attacks are rare now, but instead, I'm stuck with this shallow breathing. Like, I just can't get a full lungful of air. My spirometry from two years ago showed FEV1 and FVC values around 97%—so my lungs should be fine, right? Oxygen saturation sits at 99%. Yet, the symptoms are still brutal. For instance, if I get hungry, my throat constricts and feels like there's a lump in it, forcing me to gulp air just to burp it out. My blood pressure used to be a steady 120/80, but now it's up. Sometimes my heart skips beats or starts racing, and sleep? Forget about it. I don't drift off until I'm basically collapsing from exhaustion. I've tried all sorts of antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds, but nothing—zero progress. And lately, I’ve started having these jolts during sleep. I'll be drifting off and suddenly jerk awake, feeling like I can't breathe or like I've stopped breathing entirely. That never used to happen. Now I'm starting to wonder... could this be sleep apnea? Has anyone else dealt with something like this?

Steven Cook56 said:So, honestly? I feel like absolute garbage. I’ve been through the ringer—hospital visits, endless tests... probably cleared over 50 different things at this point. Heart ultrasounds, thyroid panels, chest X-rays, spirometry, gastroscopies, hormone levels, you name it. Everything comes back "normal." The only outlier was testing positive for H. pylori; I finished a seven-day round of meds two years ago and the doctor told me I was good to go. Back then, my main issue was panic attacks and that tight feeling in my throat, but things have shifted. The panic attacks are rare now, but instead, I'm stuck with this shallow breathing. Like, I just can't get a full lungful of air. My spirometry from two years ago showed FEV1 and FVC values around 97%—so my lungs should be fine, right? Oxygen saturation sits at 99%. Yet, the symptoms are still brutal. For instance, if I get hungry, my throat constricts and feels like there's a lump in it, forcing me to gulp air just to burp it out. My blood pressure used to be a steady 120/80, but now it's up. Sometimes my heart skips beats or starts racing, and sleep? Forget about it. I don't drift off until I'm basically collapsing from exhaustion. I've tried all sorts of antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds, but nothing—zero progress. And lately, I’ve started having these jolts during sleep. I'll be drifting off and suddenly jerk awake, feeling like I can't breathe or like I've stopped breathing entirely. That never used to happen. Now I'm starting to wonder... could this be sleep apnea? Has anyone else dealt with something like this?

I went through something very similar. I noticed that whenever I'm agitated or stressed, I can't take a full breath; it feels like the oxygen isn't actually reaching my bloodstream. It's this suffocating sensation that lasts for a day or two. It doesn't even require a major crisis—just enough restlessness from work or exams to spike my blood pressure and heart rate, all accompanied by that heavy chest feeling, like I'm bloated and every single breath requires manual effort. Even when I inhale, it never feels like enough.

This sounds like a standard physical manifestation of stress and anxiety. When you bottle up anger, it builds up this psychological energy. If you don't find a constructive outlet for it, it releases somatically: high blood pressure, palpitations, tremors, and so on.

You likely have a psychosomatic issue. I’d suggest picking up a high-intensity sport where you can vent that frustration and aggression. If you stick to it regularly, your blood pressure and breathing should stabilize within a month. If that doesn't work, go see a psychiatrist or a therapist, because then we're looking at a deeper underlying issue driving everything else.

A few more questions for you:

-Are you perhaps drinking more coffee or tea than average?

-Do you smoke?

-Could you be overdoing it on green vegetables?

-Have you ever taken a hard hit to the back of your head or sustained any other head injuries?

-Have you ever had a lung disease?

Thomas Gray8 said:I went through something very similar. I noticed that whenever I'm agitated or stressed, I can't take a full breath; it feels like the oxygen isn't actually reaching my bloodstream. It's this suffocating sensation that lasts for a day or two. It doesn't even require a major crisis—just enough restlessness from work or exams to spike my blood pressure and heart rate, all accompanied by that heavy chest feeling, like I'm bloated and every single breath requires manual effort. Even when I inhale, it never feels like enough.

This sounds like a standard physical manifestation of stress and anxiety. When you bottle up anger, it builds up this psychological energy. If you don't find a constructive outlet for it, it releases somatically: high blood pressure, palpitations, tremors, and so on.

You likely have a psychosomatic issue. I’d suggest picking up a high-intensity sport where you can vent that frustration and aggression. If you stick to it regularly, your blood pressure and breathing should stabilize within a month. If that doesn't work, go see a psychiatrist or a therapist, because then we're looking at a deeper underlying issue driving everything else.

A few more questions for you:

-Are you perhaps drinking more coffee or tea than average?

-Do you smoke?

-Could you be overdoing it on green vegetables?

-Have you ever taken a hard hit to the back of your head or sustained any other head injuries?

-Have you ever had a lung disease?

Used to drink tons of coffee, now it's just one cup a day. I smoke; didn't when this started, but I've been a smoker for about a year now. Don't eat green veggies. Yeah, I busted my head up when I was a kid—still got the scar today. A piece of iron fell on my head and left a huge gash. As for my lungs, never had any issues there... 🤦

Look, man, from what you're describing, you've got classic symptoms of GERD—gastroesophageal reflux disease. Do some digging online, or just check out the dedicated thread we have here on GERD. As for the H. pylori, you really need to go back for another breath test to see if that thing is still hanging around. That bacteria is incredibly stubborn; one round of antibiotics often isn't enough to kick it to the curb. You’ve got to be aggressive and persistent with both the reflux and the infection, because if you let them slide, they can cause esophageal damage that eventually turns into cancer over time.
To manage this right now, stop eating after 6 PM, stay away from chocolate, and skip the mint—that peppermint tea won't help you. Try sleeping with your head elevated, and make sure you're sitting up straight rather than slouching and putting all that pressure on your stomach. Definitely keep some Pepcid or Zantac on hand.

Angela Wright said:Look, man, from what you're describing, you've got classic symptoms of GERD—gastroesophageal reflux disease. Do some digging online, or just check out the dedicated thread we have here on GERD. As for the H. pylori, you really need to go back for another breath test to see if that thing is still hanging around. That bacteria is incredibly stubborn; one round of antibiotics often isn't enough to kick it to the curb. You’ve got to be aggressive and persistent with both the reflux and the infection, because if you let them slide, they can cause esophageal damage that eventually turns into cancer over time.
To manage this right now, stop eating after 6 PM, stay away from chocolate, and skip the mint—that peppermint tea won't help you. Try sleeping with your head elevated, and make sure you're sitting up straight rather than slouching and putting all that pressure on your stomach. Definitely keep some Pepcid or Zantac on hand.

Thanks for the input. To be honest, I went in for an endoscopy just two months after these issues started, and everything came back totally normal. The weirdest part is how easy it is to throw up—I don't even have to force it, you know? Like, I just strain a little and the food comes right back up. And once I've vomited, I actually feel a lot better...

Steven Cook56 said:Thanks for the input. To be honest, I went in for an endoscopy just two months after these issues started, and everything came back totally normal. The weirdest part is how easy it is to throw up—I don't even have to force it, you know? Like, I just strain a little and the food comes right back up. And once I've vomited, I actually feel a lot better...

Go get another gastroscopy, but this time, go see a different gastroenterologist. I’d bet anything that the results will look completely different this time around.
I've run into plenty of conflicting opinions on this, but some people claim that H. pylori weakens the sphincter, which triggers that reflux where stomach contents shoot back up into the esophagus. Since the esophagus doesn't have the acid-resistant lining that the stomach does, you end up with damage, which leads to that sensation of swallowing lumps. You get all this discomfort right behind your sternum that makes you think it's your heart, and then the panic sets in, making your heart race for real. My husband went through the exact same thing and was eventually diagnosed with GERD. Luckily, he didn't have H. pylori, but during those nighttime episodes, it looked like he was having a full-blown heart attack.

Angela Wright said:Go get another gastroscopy, but this time, go see a different gastroenterologist. I’d bet anything that the results will look completely different this time around.
I've run into plenty of conflicting opinions on this, but some people claim that H. pylori weakens the sphincter, which triggers that reflux where stomach contents shoot back up into the esophagus. Since the esophagus doesn't have the acid-resistant lining that the stomach does, you end up with damage, which leads to that sensation of swallowing lumps. You get all this discomfort right behind your sternum that makes you think it's your heart, and then the panic sets in, making your heart race for real. My husband went through the exact same thing and was eventually diagnosed with GERD. Luckily, he didn't have H. pylori, but during those nighttime episodes, it looked like he was having a full-blown heart attack.

I’m definitely doing it again. Now that I have a perspective I actually trust, I need answers. As far as my official diagnoses go... it’s been the usual runaround of somatic symptom disorder, anxiety, psychosomatic stuff, blah blah blah. A mountain of meds too—sedatives, anxiolytics, antidepressants, you name it. Nothing worked. It just kept getting worse. The lump in my throat happens occasionally now, but it’s mostly this shallow breathing that kills me, plus that nagging discomfort right at the base of my sternum where the stomach sits. Then there's the appetite issue. I’m hungry as hell, literally starving, but I can't eat a thing. My stomach is cramping, but the thought of food is just... no. So yeah, I'm redo-ing the tests and checking for H. pylori to figure out my next move. I’m pretty sure my blood pressure is spiking because of all this, too. Thanks, everyone. If anyone else has advice or thoughts, please drop them here. I'd really appreciate it.

So, I picked up some 150mg Ronald Reagan. I’m planning on taking one in the morning and one at night, about thirty minutes before eating, just to see if things actually start looking up. I’ve got to redo my blood work this Friday when I head back to see my doctor to grab a new referral. Wish me luck.