Heart Anxiety

[Sara88]

Hi,

I am looking for support with my heart/cardiac anxiety issues. I am 34 and 

this started a few years back, i started having sharp chest pains and heart palpitations. 

It started one night when i was falling asleep and this weird feeling woke me up and i was terrified and panicked that my heart felt weird, shrugged it off for a while and tried to ignore it and go back to sleep but this kept coming and going for weeks/months.. This led to feelings of numbness and tingling in my arms etc and chest pains and then anxiety wondering if it was my heart. I couldn't work out if it was my anxiety triggering the symptoms or the symptoms triggering my anxiety. i ended up going to hospital. they did bloods/ecg and i had an MRI and a heart monitor for 24hrs and went to a cardiac doctor.

They all basically said that it was nothing to do with my heart and everything came back normal. The cardiac doctor laughed and said there is no way it could be my heart at my age and to stop worrying about it (i also have no risk factors at all, no family history, normal weight, no diabetes, no smoking, barely drink) After this reassurance i convinced myself it was just anxiety and gradually it became non existant for a few years.

Well this last 6 months i've had it again out of nowhere... it comes and goes.. it started waking me at night when id start to fall asleep this weird feeling.. and id panic it was my heart again. Then the little chest pains would start up and the anxiety would follow and id start googling and everything says heart attack symptoms. So then every little symptom id start to worry again.

I have been back to the doctor a month ago who listened to my heart and did an ecg and came back normal again (but these ecgs are always done when im not experiening the pain or palpitations at that time)

So i dont know if its the anxiety creeping up again and just creating these symptoms. I try to keep calm and tell myself to stop worrying because if i start worrying the symptoms get worse. Does anyone have similar?

I do things to take my mind off it and it does work sometimes but other times it doesn't and i feel something is wrong and im going to die eventually from heart attack or something. 

Has anyone had these symptoms and it actually be heart related or is it just the anxiety creating the physical symptoms?

Any words of advice would be appreciated 🙂

[confirmed08]

Hi Sara88, 

Wow I can’t believe even one other person has the same symptoms as I do, let alone all these others! I too went to my GP after I have had great chest pains for numerous months now. Checked it out and did an ECG and nothing. He reckons it is something to do with my chest wall, which with the work I do could be correct. But it may also just be that I am constantly on edge, stressed and frustrated at work. I’ve been terrified of what these pains could be. 

Hope you are able to tame your symptoms soon, sounds like you are going through a lot of great steps to do so. Take care!!

[Monswa]

Ahha. I also suddenly got palpitations as a new problem now after a ct heart score scan checking for blockages for shortness of breath. 4 weeks on and they still going on. Sick of this constant symptoms and anxiety crap. Ahhdhfnfn. What do we do. 

[Sara88]

Hi Monswa,

Sorry to hear youve been having palpitations. They can be pretty scary. From what ive been told anxiety can bring these on and its like a cycle, the palpitations cause you anxiety and the anxiety can cause palpitations.

I can relate to being completely over the symptoms and anxiety about the symptoms. its very frustrating.

Mine tend to come and go and some days or weeks i'm fine and others are really bad. 

Since getting the all clear again from my doctor I have been trying my best not to get worked up and anxious when they happen, as soon as I give into the anxiety then its all downhill from there and all the symptoms amplify. Its not easy though sometimes.

I try to tell myself that my mind is more powerful than the anxiety and if i tell myself i'm going to be okay then i will be. Trying to remain calm and strong through these times and riding the wave of anxiety and acknowledging it rather than thinking you have something physically wrong with your health.

I still have a 24hr holter moniter booked for monday coming, but im guessing more than likely the results will show all normal like the bloods and ecg did. So if that's the case, then from my experience last time, it will be put down to anxiety and stress again. 

Really hoping things get better for you. Let us know how you get on and how your tests go.

[Sara88]

It seems a lot of people get these same symptoms Confirmed08. I didn't realise how common it was until seeing these forums and reaching out. I have found comfort in knowing that i'm not alone and I hope you do too.

Anytime you need a chat feel free to vent in here, we are all in the same boat and can relate to what you're going through.

[Bob_22]

Hi Sara88,

Thanks for continuing to update us and for helping others with your experience. It is fantastic and what this community is all about. Best of luck with your Holter monitor as well next week! 💙🙂

Bob

[therising]

Hi Sara

Wondering if what you're feeling are 'glitches' or 'charges' in your nervous system, connected to your heart. If this is the case, there can be a number of ways to go depending on what your cup of tea is. While one person may choose to see a neurologist, another may choose to see a seriously reputable acupuncturist or reiki master (aka 'energy masters') who deal with the kind of energy that runs through the nervous system - blocks, glitches, static (pins and needles) etc. All depends on what you're into. Could your nervous system be reacting to certain triggers? Of course an obvious trigger can involve thought based stressors. A not so obvious one can involve allergies. Is the nervous system reacting to a particular chemical it can't tolerate in some foods or is there something going on in the environment? As long as you've managed to eliminate all serious heart related issues (first and most important port of call), the rest all becomes about wondering what's going on and wondering what can serve you best.

I see many of the beautiful people who have come here to help you have wondered themselves, before finding what best serves them in a lot of cases. The quest for well being naturally comes with many questions. Hope you find the answers.