I'm a bit post post-op (about 20 months after a VSG) and things have been pretty unremarkable since the initial loss. But recently I've had two episodes out of the blue, unlike anything I've experienced before. The first time, I thought I was having a heart attack. A vague nauseous feeling turned into a chest tightness. It was like the wind was knocked out of me and I couldn't breathe beyond tiny gasps for about 20 minutes. Long story short, it wasn't a heart attack and all cardiac tests showed my heart to be working perfectly. Needless to say, it was scary as hell, and the anxiety that I might be having a heart attack was enough to give me one!
But then it happened again, a few weeks later. This time I really tried to focus on what was causing me distress. I think that it was a muscle spasm, focused in my upper abs and/or mid back. Maybe the diaphragm but it really felt more like a tight band wrapping around my lower ribs, forcing me to exhale; the diaphragm would force an inhale. Stretching and massaging helped a little, but was really hard to do in the moment.
I'm really worried now about it happening while I'm at work or out in public. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I'm wondering if my GI tract triggered a spasm for some reason.