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Heart health anxiety again

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Posted 8/23/2014 10:02 PM (GMT 0)
I have tried not to post this issue again but have to tell someone before it makes me crazy. Brief background...my moms dad had a heart attack at a young age (also smoked at the time). He also had arteriosclerosis. All that said, he lived to be 90. At 55, my mom had chest pressure that kept radiating up to her jaws and told me 9 months after symptoms started. I told her to get to the dr ASAP. They did a stress test which she failed so they sent her in for an angiogram and ended up putting in a stent. Three years later, same thing happened, same spot so they put in a longer stent over the first one. She's been fine ever since and is almost 70. Now, I'm 51, and have always been high strung and the anxious type. Anxiety started in my early 20s and has flared up off and on over the years. My usual symptoms are skipped heart beats, random shortness of breath, extreme muscle tension, GERD, light headedness, and I clinch my teeth a lot which cause random twinges of face neck and jaw pain. I've been to dr and ER more times than I care to count. I've had 2 stress tests, one with contrast dye and imaging, lots of blood work, chest X-rays, EKGs, and holter monitors. All have been normal. All that said, I STILL just can't shake the fear that my random shortness of breath and random twinges in my jaw, face, and ears mean I have my mom's heart problems and am scared to death of dying soon. It makes me so sad angry and withdrawn to feel like I won't see my family again. It's consuming me and I can't handle it : (. Thanks for listening to me ramble and vent.
Posted 8/23/2014 10:04 PM (GMT 0)
My grandpa called me a hypochondriac once too. I guess he was right.
Posted 8/23/2014 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
MSP.,

Maybe setting up a place where you can see all of the irrefutable proof that you are healthy could help. Sometimes our nervous/anxious brains need constant reminders that we are okay.

Could you print out your test results and post them somewhere...like a 'No More Worry Wall' next to your computer, or other place where you can see it often?

I would also write out postive mantras for you to read everyday. Things such as

"I am not at risk for a cardiac episode. I don't drink/smoke (to excess?) and I take care of my body."

"I am healthy and my doctors and tests have confirmed this."

"I am okay...these are only anxiety symptoms"

...or whatever rings true for you...

We also have some good therapy worksheets that you can download. Doing these can battle the negative and fearful thoughts that you are having. Find them in our Resources.:)

Give these simple things a try. You can be suprised how effective they can be if practiced everyday. Our thought patterns are powerful...and any way that we can make them more postive is a huge blow to anxiety!

S.C.
Posted 8/23/2014 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks SC. Where are those therapy worksheets located ? There is a lot of info in resources and I don't know where they are located within the different sections.
Posted 8/23/2014 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
Here you go...I know what you mean...I can miss things while scrolling down the page and I know that they are there...the link just keeps hiding.;p


 

Therapy Work Sheets:

http://www.get.gg/freedownloads2.htm


S.C.

Posted 8/24/2014 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
I have heart health anxiety too, so I understand what you're going through. I have been through a lot of the same testing: 5 EKG's, 1 Echocardiogram, 1 Event Recorder (holter monitor with a longer wear time), and lots of blood work as well. A lot of the same symptoms too: Heart palpitations (skipped beats), extreme muscle tension, clenched teeth, but I have a few more that you haven't mentioned: Racing heart, numbness/tingling in arms and legs.

I've been to the ER 3 times in 7 months, been to the Cardio 3 times, and my primary physician 4 times. Sometimes I wish they would just find something wrong, so I could validate my anxiety, but they have yet to find anything wrong.

I'm not sure how to help you deal with your anxiety, or shake your fear, but I can let you know how I have been dealing with mine. There are a few major things I am doing:

1) Submitting my life into God's hands. I'm not sure if you have a faith or what that is, but I believe in Jesus as our savior, so for me I know that the time of my birth and the time of my death are in God's hands. This has not been easy for me to accept---as you can see with all of the anxiety I am having, but I have done everything I can (testing, etc...) at this point and all of the doctor's are saying that there's nothing they can find wrong to fix (other than anxiety).

2) Daily relaxation techniques: deep breathing 2-3 times daily to keep my body as relaxed as possible.

3) Not letting fear or the symptoms win: What I mean to say is that I am doing my darndest not to let the symptoms control my actioons throughout the day. I went to the pool yesterday with my family, even though my anxiety would have loved for me to sit home where I feel a lot more safe. I experienced heart palpitations at the pool, but stayed anyway and did deep breathing to calm myself down. It wasn't perfect, I didn't feel completely safe, but I did it anyway out of a desire to try and have my "normal life" back. And even while I was at the pool, I had the terrible thought that I was going to "drop dead" after the heart palpitations and what an event it was going to be.

I'm not sure if any of that will help you, but thought I'd share because we have similar symptoms and fears. Hope you feel better soon!!
Posted 8/24/2014 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, and I am not doing any of those above listed things perfectly. Actually I am failing quite often, but not giving up just yet. Lol. Anxiety is the pits! Super hard to get a grip on!
Posted 8/24/2014 10:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hey dear Panda, I am not going to tell you not to worry because we are in the same boat as in tems of anxiety :) But i am going to tell you that you are healthy, because you had all of these tests and all were clear.

Think this way, your mom failed the stress test because she had really something in the heart, you passed the same test because you are healthy :)

Take deep breaths, direct your attention to other things. It will calm you down. Hope you feel better soon
Posted 8/24/2014 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
I know exactly how it is. In the ER 7 times since April. EKG's everytme, all perfect. Echo, perfect. Treadmill stress echo, hit 85% of the goal and stopped because I got scared. Cardiologist took a couple minutes walked over and said " calm down, for 43 yr old pack and a half a day smoker, youre perfect. Looks as good as an 18 yr old athlete. "

I calmed somewhat, but never believed it could be anxiety, since I already have GERD/Gastritis. Then a high, but false, reading on my home monitor(161\126) sent me for my 7th ER visit. I explained, when i stand up from a laying position my heart pounds. When I climb a single flight or stairs, my heart pounds. When I take a shower, my heart races most times. When my stomach issues flare, my heart pounds.

I have since found the reason for the stomach heart issues, vagus nerve. All others, the docs all agreed, is completely normal. Ita how your heart is supposed to work. Then how come i never noticed it before? Anxiety/panic attacks!

Ya right, well ya they ARE right. But tell me brain that. Harder said than done.
Posted 8/26/2014 6:32 PM (GMT 0)
Woke up this morning and felt great. Layed down to take a nap, and the doorbell rang. So I walked down stairs and it was a deliveryman. I picked up my package and walked up the stairs. Then the heart started pounding. I hate this!

Then I started thinking all the bad stuff again and here I am, half a Xanax down, and thinking of taking the other half. Heart isnt pounding, and hasnt for an hour. But its racing, because im panicky. Grrrrr!
Posted 8/26/2014 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
Trader758, those experiences are the WORST! I totally know what it's like. It can be so frustrating and scary to live like this. :( Do you practice any daily relaxation techniques? The reason I ask is because after using relaxation twice daily, for 10 minutes each time, it seems like my pounding heart problem has not appeared as often as it used to. Deep breathing relaxation also helps to calm my heart after the events are taking place.

As for your racing heart in the shower, I have the same issue! I learned to not use hot water though and it helps. I now only use warm and my heart is a lot more suited to it. I certainly like hot water a whole lot better, but OH WELL!!

Hope you can relax!
Posted 8/26/2014 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
Im starting to relax. The deep breathing exercises dont seem to do anything for me. When my heart races, or pounds hard, the only thing that seems to help is walk it off like a runner would, hands above hips, sometimes a slight bend forward. My hole GERD issue has been going on since March/April. It has basically, except for 2 weeks back to work, kept me in the house most days. Then the Celexa hit me and made me extremely sleepy and lethargic. WHen the heart races, or pounds, it makes me think I am extremely out of shape, due to this going on so long and me not being as active. I am a smoker also(trying to quit, but isnt going so well).

I know I am in good shape, and ive had every heart test on the books, except and angiogram, which the docs said theres no way they will do it, because its not needed, im in perfect health.

The heart racing is 2 things. GERD causing irritation to the vagus nerve, which unfortunately speeds up my heart. And, self caused anxiety. The pounding, im positive is anxiety. And im pretty sure, though I didnt feel anxious, when the doorbell rang and woke me from a light sleep I probably got excited without realizing, and then within minutes carrying a package up a flight of stairs helped things along. I didnt take the 2nd half a Xanax....yet. Just about too. I am much calmer, heart rate down, no pounding. But still feel "off", not jittery, just waiting for it to happen again maybe. So im going to take the other half in an effort to halt that, just in case. Maybe im not thinking right, but thats how I see it at the moment. Thanks for the concern!!
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