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MedHelp Member's Question

Ignoring palpitations/extra beats???

by be still my beating heart 13, Jun 04, 2007 12:00AM
I know many of you experience the pounding heart, racing heart beat, and extra beats.  What do you say to yourself when trying to ignore them, or what activities do you find helps you ignore them the best.  I wake up with the pounding, racing heart everyday, and although deep down I know it's anxiety, I can't help but feel nervous about it. This inturn causes me to experience the extra beats, and then THEY worry me!  It's a viscious cycle!  It's even on my mind when I go to bed, "will my heart pound in the morning??  will I be dizzy??"  It's crazy, I know, but any advice would help.

Thank you all so much for listening!  I can't find the words to express how much you guys have already helped me.  I hope you all had an "up" day today!

Member Comments (10)

by MOTAH, Jun 04, 2007 12:00AM
Did you do any heart test before?

I got over being scared of heart palpitation when I done a full heart test & found nothing.

if you still get scared of them AFTER you do the heart test then you need to ask yourself the question of why you think they're dangerous? since your heart is ok.

Also, usually if you're an anxious person, you'll have some quick anxious thoughts before the heart palpitations start, try to avoid or get yourself busy doing something straight away once these thoughts arrive.

intrupt the thought by thinking or doing anything & try to put your focus on that thing.

You can research relaxation breathing techniques on google & there are plenty but for me they decreased in pattern when firstly I done my heart exam & stopped worrying about having any heart condition or heart attack & they disappeared when I succeeded to intrupt my anxious thoughts when I first get up the morning.

My pattern was around 4-5 times/day, then once a day when I wake up & now its gone.

I'm not a dr & pls make sure you check first that you don't have any medical issue before thinking that its only anxiety.

cheers

by be still my beating heart 13, Jun 05, 2007 12:00AM
To: MOTAH
Thanks for your reply!!!  The reason I worry about my heart is my father died unexpectedly from a silent arrhythmia at 50 years old.  He'd passed a physical with flying colors just six months before!!  The coroner called me and told me to have everyone in his family checked, it was an electrical disturbance in his heart, and a pill could have saved his life.  He meant well, but the worry it caused combined with my grief caused the to develop my anxiety disorder in the months following his passing.  The rapid heart pounding that accompanied it scared the s**t out of me, causing my anxiety to spiral out of control.  That was 7 years ago, and after several trips to the ER, and one week in the hospital from starvation and dehydration, I finally accepted their diagnosis of anxiety.  I became housebound because I refuse to take meds and didn't try therapy (couldn't afford it, or so I thought)  I had a full work up with my cardio about two years ago when the extra beats first appeared.  Echo, stress test, ECG, and event recorder all fine.  He said the few extra beats they captured were "nothing to worry about", and I tried to take his advice.  I did the Midwest Center program, and it gave me my life back.  But over this last year the extra beats have become much more frequent, averaging around 20 per day with as many as 100 in one day.  That day I went to the ER convinced that I was dying from an arrhythmia, but as soon as I was in the ambulance they stopped!!  I didn't have an extra beat during the 3 hours I was at the hospital either.  I know now that it's because I felt safe knowing they could save me, and i calmed right down.  My chest x-ray and CTscan showed no blockages, and my heart is not enlarged, so I'm not in any danger of a heart attack or heart failure.  It's the heart disease (arrhythmia) that terrifies me, but the ECG's showed no disturbance in the hearts rhythm......because I was calm when they did it!!  But when I'm home and my three year old stresses me out, or I get stressed by something they appear, and I begin to worry.  I've only had three or four random extra beats today, but during the short time it's taken me to type this I have had 6!!!  I have a pretty good reason to worry about my heart, and leaving my little ones to grow up without a mom (which is inevidably where my troubled thoughts end up), and I need to figure out how to stop the thoughts from spiraling out of control.

Sorry my response is so long, and that I almost sound defensive.  I just wanted you guys to know that I was normal before my father passed.  I've been trying to patch myself back together for the passed seven years, but some of the seams just aren't coming together.  Thanks again for the advice!!!

by mikej1736, Jun 05, 2007 12:00AM
Are they actually extra beats or is your heart pounding faster from the anxiety?  When I had problems with the palpations, I think I could feel them and was scared because my heart was going faster and faster.  At the time I thought it would cause a heart attack.  But then I read an article on exercise.  It said something like "theres no need to worry about anxiety causing your heart to go a little faster, think about exercising and how your heart beats faster and for even longer periods of time and its fine."  The article had it much better written than how I just said it, but thats the main idea.  Then, I used to feel it during exercising, wondering if my heart was beating too fast.  I easily solved this by researching what its suppose to be at, and using an exercise machine that monitors heart rates, I never even got close to the "danger" zones.  I dunno if any of this helps, but I thought it was semi relevant.  

by wunabnorm, Jun 05, 2007 12:00AM
To: bestillmybeating heart
Hello,

First off, I just wanted to ask, have you been diagnosed with pvc's or if not, if you have been diagnosed with anything? PVC's which are extra beats feel like the feeling like when you get scared . Example:(like almost getting into a car accident) and your heart jumps, and you can feel it in your heart, stomach up to your throat, or kind of like when you are high on  a rollercoaster, and finally make the fall. That's what it feels like, and that's the only way I know how to describe it. Just to reassure you... I have thousands of pvc's a day...EVERYDAY. The doctors will tell you they are harmless if otherwise you have a healthy heart. However, if you have in the 10's of thousands a day...it can cause you to develop cardiomyapathy, which I actually just learned about myself. Cardiomyapathy is weakening of your heart, and can cause congestive heart failure, and other problems. My doc never told me this after 2 years of having these things, and being SOOO uncomfortable. I guess because when you only have them sporadically, it IS harmless, but when you have them like almost every other beat like I do, then that can be dangerous after a period of time. I am still experimenting with the different meds the docs have been prescribing, but....I have read many forums from people that take all kinds of meds, and STILL have them! My advice to you, is to just relax, and try and not worry about them, especially if the dr has told you not to. I KNOW it is much easier said than done, believe me... I went through the same thing, and I used to get really bad panic attacks because I thought I was going to die, and it only makes the problem worse! Take a walk, or a warm bubble bath, or even try listening to some mellow music. Good Luck, and keep in touch!  

by be still my beating heart 13, Jun 05, 2007 12:00AM
To: mikej1736 & wunabnorm
Thanks to you both for your reply!!  

I do experience rapid pounding heart beat in responce to stressful and anxious situations, however I am plagued by these extra beats daily.  I am sorry I wasn't more clear about what I experience.  The first 5 years of my anxiety disorder I had grown accustomed to the pounding and sometimes racing heartbeat, and tried to tell myself it was a symptom of anxiety, but when I started getting the extra beats my anxiety escalated to a whole new level.  The pounding heart captured by the event recorder was of no concern to my cardio, "normal rhythm, with a few isolated extra beats, nothing to worry about".  That was 2 years ago and I accepted his diagnosis.  I told myself just what you said, that the pounding was making my heart stronger, but I have never gotten over the extra beats.  I can feel these extra beats.  At first it felt like my heart did a flip-flop in my chest, then they evolved into the feeling of my heart stopping or skipping a beat, and now they are almost a painful, pressure-filled beat.  Sometimes my heart tingles, and sometimes I can feel my heart beating against my back.  I guess I'm just hypersensitive to my heart, and notice every little thing.  I stuggle daily not to worry about it, and have made great strides in the passed few days.  I only noticed 4 or 5 yesterday, and they annoyed and angered me much more than they worried me.  I will just have to learn how to accept them as part of my life, and this forum is helping me to do that!!  Thanks again for your concern and support!!

by be still my beating heart 13, Jun 05, 2007 12:00AM
To: wunabnorm
I'm sorry I forgot, but I intended to tell you that I'm sorry to hear of your situation.  I would probably lose my mind if I were you!  You probably think I'm being a weenie, not that you would ever say so :-)  !!   Thank you for the reality check!  I now understand how much worse it could be, and I'm almost embarassed to have complained in the first place.  I feel for you and I hope you find some relief from your symptoms soon!  Please keep us updated of your situation, and thanks again!!

by wunabnorm, Jun 05, 2007 12:00AM
To: bestillmybeatingheart
Its ok. I started out with the mild symptoms like you, but for the past 6 months its been really bad. Even just a few is enough to scare you, and I know how u feel. Because it was just the FEW that gave me the really bad panic attacks, and anxiety