The vein over my left temple is pulsating.  No pain, but slight pressure on the edge of my left ocular cavity.  I have a history of panic attacks, and this occurs during them, but at the moment, I am not having an attack.  Could this be something other than stress?
Hi, Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns. It is not a vein but an artery, more specifically, the superficial temporal artery which pulsates. It is a branch of the external carotid artery. Furthermore, it occurs in anxiety disorders. Pulses can be abnormally strong when the patient has an elevated pulse pressure.  This would result in a strong, bounding pulse that could also be asymmetric due to anatomic variation. Bounding pulse -commonly seen in hyperkinetic circulatory states where there is vasodilation and increased stroke output. The pulse volume is high (due to high pulse pressure) with increased blood flow. Hyperkinetic circulatory states may due to excitement/anxiety. Other causes of hyperkinetic circulatory states giving rise to bounding pulse are Hyperthyroidism, Severe anemia, Beri Berg (thiamine deficiency), Arterio-venous fistula (e.g. Pages disease or hepatic failure). The most rapidly rising bounding pulse is found in AR(aortic regurgitation), PDA(patent ducts arterioles), coaptation of aorta. Regards