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I have been suffering with random chest pains for about a year. All EKGs have been normal but my aunt and grandmother died suddenly from heart related issues so I am so scared.

I also suffer from (undiagnosed) anxiety, sleep apnea and have shoulder pain from a car accident. Every time I have chest pains it is chalked up to one of those reasons but I am scared to death that its so etching with my heart, which of course increases my anxiety.

In short, I could have written your post so I can sympathize. I have an appt with a mental health professional to try and get my anxiety under control, an appt with a physical therapist for my shoulder pain, and a new sleep study for my apnea.
Once I get those issues under control, I will re-evaluate the chest pains.

I sympathize with you but don't have anything constructive to say except you are not alone, and if you are feeling anxious, perhaps try to treat that and go from there.

@Sugar.Biscuit: If your body is telling you something is wrong---listen!!! Advocate for yourself.

I had terrible chest pains last year. They came out of nowhere, were terrible, made it hurt when I breathed (which made me take shallow breaths, which made me panic because I couldn't breathe). This is somewhat of an embarassing story...

I honestly thought I was dying, and I'm not exaggerating. I was on a road trip with my now-husband, and I made him pull over at a gas station, then it got MUCH worse, I thought I was having a heart attack, and he called 911. An AMBULANCE came to get me. I remember holding his hand thinking, "well, this is it". I didn't even care that everyone in the gas station was staring.

I was rushed to a tiny, rural hospital in the middle of nowhere. They did an EKG--results were fine. They did a CT scan of my lungs to see if I had a collapsed lung or a blot clot in the lungs--it was fine. They gave me morphine and it made me nauseous but my chest still hurt. They kept me overnight, and then sent me home. He mentioned it might be a panic attack, but I was ASLEEP IN THE CAR when the pain woke me up, so I knew that wasn't it.

We stopped our trip and went home---I went to my doctor the next day, who basically did nothing. The pain continued---right between my breasts, where my bra hits my chest. I couldn't go to work. I was in misery all day long. I couldn't eat, couldn't drink--the pain was constant, and not come-and-go.

Two nights later, I went to the ER in my city in the middle of the night (it had just been getting worse and worse the past two days). I KNEW *something* was wrong, and I told them I wasn't leaving until I knew what. They did it all again---EKG, CT scan....

heart was fine, lungs were fine....but this time they did the CT scan of my entire upper body. And the doctor came in and told me that a CT scan wasn't the right instrument to know what was going on, but that my entire stomach (the outside of the whole organ) was inflamed. He said it might be a bacterial infection, a stomach ulcer, or something else in my stomach.

I really started freaking out at this point, because my family has Lynch syndrome (a genetic abnormality which means you have a VERY high chance of getting certain types of cancers). My GP referred me to a gastroenterologist, who told me I would have to wait 6 weeks for an appointment. I cried and begged on the phone, and they fit me in for the next week.

I had a lovely upper GI and a colonoscopy and found that I had an esophageal stricture--basically, my entire esophagus was so inflamed it was swollen almost shut. And these types of attacks can mimic heart attacks. http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/health-support/esophageal-spasms-feel-like-heart-attack

The doctor fixed the stricture (he used a balloon to re-open my esophagus), I started medication for GERD, and I went on a very bland diet for 4 months.

My very long story is to tell you....it took me 2 ER visits in two different cities, several doctor visits, 1 GI visit, a endoscopy and a colonoscopy, and something like $8,000 out of pocket (that's with my insurance!) to find out what my pain was from.

But it was SO worth it to have the pain go away. My GP tried to just send me home telling me it was a panic attack. I knew the level of pain I was experiencing was not in my head....so I didn't give up, and I kept going until I found someone who could figure it out.

You should do the same!

I get this - from anxiety. It took me a long time to figure out what my triggers were, and now I can feel it coming on, even if overall I feel good and not stressed.

I don't have much advice, but just wanted to say that I hope you feel better! And I second PPs-advocate for yourself! I had my gallbladder out too, and I know that there can be symptoms that mimic an attack if the surgery wasn't done/healed correctly. I really hope that you find some relief soon!

@Sugar.Biscuit: I should tell you that you do not necessarily have blockages or restrictions but it's always a possibility and that the pains could definitely related to something other than that. I wish nothing but the best.