Constantly aware of heart!

I have also still been getting a bit of chest pain and headaches, my sternum is tender and under my armpit.

Thank you! Yea I went to my doctor on Tuesday and he said I'm to young to have anything seriously wrong and it's just me panicking. I have this sharp shooting pain beside my sternum upper left chest it's localized so I know it's just anxiety. I keep panicking an panicking I just feel lost. I am makin myself sick and it's just so stressful and scary I have a constant upset stomach and now I feel nauseated it is just a really crappy time for me. I focus on it, it gets worse, I keep feeling my stupid pulse and worrying about the next thing that's going to happen. I don't know how I am going to reassure myself after I've already been assured. I know I am to young tro have a heart attack so why do I keep thinking I am going to have one. Blahhh :(

Okay, that is good to know that everything physical checked out fine:) Now you need to concentrate on treating the anxiety. Did you and your dr. discuss therapy? The medication is certainly helpful, but to get at the core of your health anxiety, you need to learn how to battle the negative and fearful thoughts that feed it.

I really urge you to look into it if you haven't already. You are young and this is still in its early stages, and your long-term outcome could be so good with a little guidance and treatment through CBT!

Remember, you have an anxiety disorder that is treatable...you may feel out of control right now, but you can get back to the place that you want to be, and feel good again:)

Let us know how you are doing soon,
S.C.

Hi Hibee! My days have been going well :)
Actually they want to check my thyroid! They think thats the culprit, I am 18 and have a very irregular period, I am overweight, and my family doctor thinks it is my thyroid, which I can deffinately agree with. The heart rate was not at resting at 170, I was walking around and kind of panicking. My pulse when standing is always 120 and if I focus it can be 140. I have almost no symptoms beside a small amount of chest pain (when thought about), and if I focus I can feel my heart pouding when I sit, other than that I have been doing pretty good the last few days. I stayed at my camp all by mysel for a week! I walked alot and panicked a bit, but I feel better knowing that nothing happened even when I was alone. The pain under my armpit is a swollen lymph node, which was from me pressing on it, and the pain on my breastbone was also from me pressing on it, I was making pain happen. I did this I think so I knew it was just pain from pressing on it, I feel stupid but that was almost like a breather for me. I feel so good when my mind is off of it, its like nothing, but when I think about it I panic, so I know its anxiety, this heart rate thing for sure I believe is my thyroid, I have to get a blood test so hopefully thats what it is! Thank you everyone again and I will keep posting and updating on how I feel :)! Just a question to, for heart rate, what is the walking normal rate?

also, different antidepressants have diff. side effects with people - maybe the prozac is making your heart race. ask your doctor if it is possible or your pharmacist. sometimes i have read they make your symptoms worse.

I have walked this path for several years now. I will do my best to tell you what has worked for me. I have seen many different types of doctor regarding my Anxiety/Panic disorder. None of them were very helpful. Apparently, I am allergic to all forms of antidepressants. I had to take the natural route to curing my unspecified anxiety disorder. It turns out that I had to take a multi-disciplined approach.

Ultimately, I had to use Diet and Nutrition, Exercise, and Meditation to overcome it.

Diet and Nutrition: Eat foods with high density nutrition content. Especially high in Magnesium and Potassium, and B-Vitamins.

Exercise. This part was difficult for me, as every time I got my heart rate up, it increased my anxiety levels due to my irregular heart beat. My irregular heart beat was more obvious the faster and harder my heartbeat during physical exercise.

Meditation: Any form of Meditation is helpful. I particularly find Mindfulness and Transcendental Meditation (TM) very helpful. You have to pay a high price to learn TM. So, for most people, I suggest they look into Mindfulness. There is plenty of material online that will help you learn and practice Mindfulness.

Meditation is particularly helpful in that it helps you "retrain your brain" in how to think. It is often our Monkey Mind that controls our thoughts and creates dangers/threats where non exist. Your brain is a tool designed for solving problems, not to generate problems where none exists. It is because we have forgotten that the Brain/Mind is simply a tool that has been misused for most of humanities existence.

When you accept the present moment as it is, and understand that all things are temporary, including Anxiety and Heart Palpitations, you will be on the path to recovery.

In addition, I have found that Paradoxical Intention is particularly helpful. Instead of resisting the "ISness" of the situation, and not accepting what IS. Compel yourself to move fully into the heart palpitations, even to the point of commanding your mind to cause the heart palpitations to occur. You may be surprised at the result of this exercise. I personally have been able to slow my heart beat down after using my mind to command my heart rate to increase when feeling anxious. It is a terrifying thought, I know. Try it as a Scientific experiment and see what happens.

All good sound advice above...
xx sending you strength xx

To the original post,

I just signed up on this site, I read you're post, and I think I may be able to help (not just you but others as well!). Let me give you and everyone a brief history...Always been a worry wart, started when I was oh about 5 years old lol. I remember always asking my parents things like: Hey is it normal for this bone to feel like this, is it supposed to hurt when I do this, etc. etc. lol. I had my first real anxiety attack when I was about 22 (39 right now) I was working 2 jobs, one as a manager for GNC (hence the screenname supplements) and worked as a bouncer at night. I was over worked, over stressed, and definately at my max breakdown for my body. Well one night closing up my store I noticed some shaking in my right arm, dismissed it as fatigue from doing a lot of stock that day. On my way home I remember I had an itch on my chest, went to scratch it, and I couldn't feel my skin! I stopped right there on the expressway and called 911. At the ER they did tests, ekg, blood panel, etc. and all came back normal...diagnosis anxiety attack. Well I remember the next 3 days was awful...I would be constantly aware of my heart, any minor twitch, and any "weird" feelings in my body. Went to my dr. and he said it's just anxiety, and put me on a low dose anxiety pill lorazepem .5 mg. I felt a ton better after about a week! Fast forward to recently: 6 years ago I lost both my parents within a year of each other (health related), my ex left me shortly after, and I was almost homeless (no place to stay). Stayed with my buddy, got back on my feet, and started a new job. 2 years ago I was diagnosed with non hodgkins lymphoma (cancer) stage 2. Just started a new job, no insurance, and no family to help me! I worked full time through all 6 rounds of chemo and it was hell! During 2nd round of chemo I woke up my heart being in Afib, I could feel it beat erratically! I went to the ER and had to be cardio converted back into normal sinus rhythm! Fast forward to today: I am cancer free going on 2 years, no heart issues (besides pvcs and pacs), and living with my girlfriend. Sorry this was so long but my point is this...DON'T WORRY about WHAT YOU CAN'T CONTROL, WHAT WILL BE WILL BE! If you spend all you're time worrying, you will make yourself sick, and you will stress you're body out! Some words of wisdom that help me out when I panic: Panicking and having anxiety is like rocking yourself in a chair...sure it gives you something to do but it won't get you anywhere! And if you are religious or even if you are not here is a passage: "I ask you this, by worrying, will it add any more seconds to you're life?" If you have had heart tests done, blood work done, and have been given a clean bill of health than leave it at that. The chances of something going very wrong overnight are very very slim. The heart and other organs in you're body are stupid strong, they can take a beating, and are designed to handle a ton! With today's medicine and technology, lets say something was wrong with you're heart, thyroid, etc. there is a great chance it is fixable! So I know it's easier said than done but try to learn to enjoy life, enjoy the things you do every day, and remember (if you're religious) God's got you, he won't ever leave you...I am proof of this! Be well and God bless