A little worried. My heart feels like it's slowing down. :<

I feel very tired, now. I'm actually having trouble keeping my eyes open. Could it be my blood pressure? Could it be high? I'm scaring myself with these thoughts, I know but I need to exercise every route before I can sum it all up to anxiety. I don't know... D:

oh and also, does it feel as if after the big thump of a heart beat, your heart races a little?
i study med at uni and learnt the causes of this is anxiety does cause such things as being anxious and worrying will release adrenaline, excess adrenaline in your system causes such heart beats to occur as adrenaline deminshes your electrolytes.. so the best thing to do is to stay calm and to know you'll be fine :)
of course you should get it checked out for reassurance since i'm not a doctor and hearing that you're fine from a professional is a lot more reassuring!

Yes, after I get that horrible big "thump" my heart is racing, which made me think my heart was struggling to beat and thus made me panicky. I get that all the time after those thumps but thank you for evaluating! I need to see a doctor, and I plan on ringing up every morning and hopefully I'll soon be lucky enough to get one!

Thank you, again!

my laptop keeps screwing up, and just as I'm about to send over a huge essay, it freezes :'( so I'm going to try explain it all to you in a very simple manner!
anxiety causes pvc's, and noticing them will make you more anxious so you'll get caught up in a vicious cycle, a trap you can't get out of so stop worrying about them! harder said than done, but it's the only way for them to calm down.. it's how I've calmed down most of my runs of pvc's :)
your heart is not struggling, if so, the ecg's would have picked up on it, you heart can't just suddenly have phases of being weak, it would be a constant thing and you would have fainted from it!
pvc's can cause shortness of breath, my cardiologist told me this so i'll tell you that now! don't worry about the suddenly moments of being short on breath ;)
yes stimulants can cause pvc's but I actually think yours are caused by just from anxiety. pvc's can also be caused by many things including lack of sleep and stress.. and obviously having anxiety will cause your body to be stressed! even the most healthy person in the world has them.. I'm physically very fit, and I've cut out all stimulants from my diet and I still have them so the best thing to do is the relax and you will also notice that pvc's will not occur as often

J.,

Hello and welcome back! I am sorry to hear that the anxiety has ramped up for you however.:( I know how that feels...to be going along just fine...and then be de-railed by a symptom.

I am very sure that what you are dealing with are palpitations, as member ngy mentioned. They are common, and most often benign in nature.

Your EKG might not have picked one up in its reading, because they are transient...and you must not have had one during your test.

(...another likely explanation is that they are so common and harmless...your doctor simply did not discuss it with you, since it is not considered a 'heart condition'.)

Most people will have these in their lifetime...but only some feel them. The people who are sensitive to their bodies functions...such as those with anxiety...always notice them!

For peace of mind, keep trying to get in with your doctor. Explain what has been going on, and possibly request a holter monitor.

This is a device that you wear over a few days time, that will be able to measure what is going on. It is sort of like an extended EKG.

In the meantime, cut out caffeine, get plenty or rest, and use your coping skills to bring down overall anxiety levels.

You are going to be alright. Keep posting with us for encouragement and support! We care and undertstand.:)

S.C.

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry about this, I don't mean to "bump" an old(er) thread but I just wanted to say that I haven't been ignoring you all! I've had no internet access over the weekend.

I'm still struggling to get an appointment with the doctor's but I'm still trying! I'm going to therapy again on Thursday so I'll discuss all this with her, too! I'm feeling really ill, today. I feel like I'm one heart beat away from death and I'm finding it difficult to remain calm. I tried the breathing exercises but with all that focus on my chest my heart was pounding which made me feel worse. D: I'm such a doofus!

Thank you all for your comments. I will try and get to the doctors to get this checked and I'll try the breathing exercises again right now. I think it's the acid reflux/ trapped gas that's making me feel this way but the moment I start feeling breathless, or my chest hurts or my heart is beating rapidly I just, by default, start thinking it's my heart and I'm dying!

Good Morning, I know how you feel and people with health anxiety are frequently worried about their heart so you are in good company. While it is wise to be aware of how you are doing physically, it is actually not helpful to pay close attention to your body at all times.   This is because your body naturally fluctuates during the day and at night, and overtime.   Thus noticing every little change provides very little useful information. And worse - any change that is noticed is worried about , and as worry increases, physical changes and symptoms tend to get worse, and as this happens, checking and monitoring increases even more.   In other words, checking and monitoring your body feeds into the vicious cycle of health anxiety. People with Health Anxiety are likely to seek reassurance about their health from their Dr. and in many cases are told that nothing is wrong.   This quickly makes them feel better.   But...it doesn't take long until the anxiety returns. The reassurance doesn’t last. The reassurance doesn't last.   And the vicious cycle continues.   A question for you to think about :   How much reassurance would it take to make you stop worrying about your health forever?   It may be difficult to come up with a precise answer.   This is because seeking reassurance is a strategy that doesn't work well in the long term. No amount of reassurance is enough to convince you in any lasting way that nothing is wrong.   Remember the purpose of helping you to learn to cope with your health anxiety is not to make the symptoms disappear - it is to help you become less worried about your health. The next time you’re feeling anxious try these simple relaxation technique: Deep Breathing 1. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Your abdomen should expand, and your chest should rise very little. 2.Exhale slowly through your mouth. As you blow air out, purse your lips slightly, but keep your jaw relaxed. You may hear a soft “whooshing” sound as you exhale. 3.Repeat this breathing exercise for several minutes. You can perform this exercise as often as needed. It can be done standing up, sitting down or lying down. I hope this helps you and remember talking with others is a great way to reduce your anxiety so keep on talking with us as we care. Kindly, Kitt