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Anxiety & Panic Disorders
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Posted 1/29/2007 2:52 PM (GMT 0)
I have suffered from anxiety for almost five years now.  It all started after a very stressful time in my life and I haven't been able to shake it sense.  Although I have improved and don't have daily panic attacks anymore, I'm still stuck in a rut that I need help with.

All my fears center around my heart.  I have had tests done, but each time I feel a heart sensation, I feel like if I could have a doctor hook me up now (in the moment of a symptom), maybe I would be convinced this is really anxiety.  Of course, the odds of that happening are slim, so I must fine other alternatives.

I have had EKGs (one as recent as May 2006), echocardiogram done in summer 2005 and a 24 hour holter done in 2005.  In 2002 I also had a stress test done. 

I don't get the out of the blue sudden fast heart rate as often anymore.  But if I do feel anxious (for no reason) and I feel my heart rate start to accelerate (but not pounding super fast as in a full blown attack), I get very worked up over it.  I try not to, but I do.  If I feel a heart "skip" it will get me worked up though I admit not as much as it used it.

Sometimes I feel a sensation in my throat and I think it's my heart skipping a beat.  Maybe it's not, but that's what I think.

I haven't worked out in years cause I'm afraid to get my heart rate up.  I really could use some help on how to get over this.  I want to extinquish this monster.  :-)

The other thing I do that I hate and cannot seem to break is I monitor my heart rate thru the day.  I find myself putting my fingers on my wrist or my neck to find my heart rate and monitor to it.  I don't even have to think about it anymore, I just do it and then it's downhill from there.  Because either I think "oh oh, it's too fast" or "it's too slow".  I dont' base this on anything, it's just that if I am used to my resting heart rate being in the 80s and then I take it and it's in the 60s I start to get worried.

Also, sometimes I get a sensation that my heart stopped and I immediately have to find my pulse to make sure it's still beating.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me.  If I can get thru these major hurdles, I think I will be in better shape and the other minor symptoms I have will probalby go away too.

Posted 1/29/2007 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
I think I have found my twin tongue

You and I have the SAME symptoms - scary huh - the only difference is my resting HR is 60bpm, and if it gets over 75 and I'm just sitting there, I can go into a full blown panic attack at any time - IT SUCKS!! I tell myself everyday - "Today you are NOT going to feel for your pulse" but to no avail, I do - like at least every hour - just to see how I'm doing - I too have had all the tests run that you have had, the docs even found a PVC in my heartbeat - that freaked me out, until I did some research on the net about them - and my doc said about 90% of the pop has them but only us lucky 10% feel them - She said it prolly has to do with being so "in tune" with my body. I too do not exercise, although my doc says walking will help with the anxiety, and stress levels, and I can walk slow if I was afraid of getting my heartrate up - I just choose not to exercise just because I don't want to get my rate up at all..

Sometimes when I get felling like it's up, I try and remember when I had the stress test done, they got it up to 142 and guess what? It didn't kill me - but most of the time, that's hard to remember, like last week, I went to the hosp. because for no appearant reason out of the blue  I felt something funny happening, and like always, I reached for my pulse, and it was 122 - I went to the hosp., and of course they hooked me up, did blood work, wanted to give me nitro pills, that I didn't take, cuz I'm freaky about pills too.. and wanted me to stay until am to do a stress test - I finally calmed down, and told them that I thought it was just a plain old panic attack which wasn't plain at all - they are changing - anyway, after watching me for about 2 hours, they agreed and sent me home -

anyway, everyone's attacks are different, and I guess a little part of me is glad that we can share the same feelings..

Have a nice day - wish I had the answers for you, but maybe you can take comfort in knowing you're not alone with your feelings.. tongue

Dawn

Posted 1/29/2007 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
I am the same way! My heart is what always freaks me out! I hate exercising too! My hearts pounds, races, skips, and all that. It never fails to scare me! I have had all the testing done, but eveytime I get a skipped beat, I panic. I feel that if my heart behaved I would have no more issues with anxiety. I try my best not to take my heart rate all the time. I feel my pulse alot, but I try not to actually count it. That just makes it worse. But I am so tuned in to what my heart is doing all the time. Its maddness!!
Posted 1/29/2007 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
monitoring and checking and concern about the heart always makes things worse

our hearts dont need it, we all survive every night when asleep dont we nono

a beta blocker med will help but many younger docs dont think of these

often an older heart doc who is close to retirement can give the reassurance the patient needs but cant get elsewhere

Posted 1/30/2007 11:47 AM (GMT 0)
I was actually on a beta blocker, then my Blood preddure dropped drastically, so I'm off now -
What I started doing is, instead of counting the heartbeats, I would move my foot up for the first full beat, down for the second, then, I can "see" how fast my rate is, if I think it is too fast, I will count it, for a FULL minute, not 15 sec like the docs do, hell, anything can change in 45 sec right? :)
Anyway, now, I'm stuck on that, I can't feel my pulse without my foot moving, I've tried, and it just about drove me crazy, I dunno, I guess I'm just weird :)
Love to all
Dawn
Posted 1/30/2007 1:54 PM (GMT 0)
Well here's another with the SAME symptoms.  I too check my pulse constantly and it seems the minute I put my finger on my throat or wrist - it starts beating even faster.  And I have another phobia which is getting the best of me - I'm TERRIFIED to have my blood pressure taken!  The second I go near the cuff (which I now avoid like the plague) I start to feel my heart rate going up - you talk about "white coat syndrome" - I've pushed my blood pressure all the way up to 230/70 just from pure adrenalin.  My doc now has me on Toprol which definetely helps but I'm still scared to have my bp checked, as I know the fear factor will just hike it way up.  So instead I just go around feeling my pulse, convinced I'm just going to drop dead any second.  My worst time is in the morning when I wake up - I start getting anxious, the heart starts racing and it just keeps escalating from there.  I try hard to talk myself out of it but it doesn't always work.  What a burden.

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