Aa
Why can't I follow my own advice?
UGH what a night. As some of you may know my latest bout with anxiety stems from a health scare back in August/September. Since then I have had a myriad of symptoms but mainly deal with PVC's and PACs not that my heart races or anything... I just feel those extra beats.I had holter and echo done in november as well as a couple of extra trips to the cardiologist who assures me everything is fine. Last night as I was getting ready to go to sleep they started... sometimes I'll feel a little flutter... sometimes just a teeny bit breathless. I have been managing them better but for some reason I let the whole thing get away from me last night. I got up and took half of a 2 mg of valium ( I have a realllllly low tolerance to many meds) as sometimes it helps me just settle down.
BUT last night I fought it and was either taking my pulse or listening with a stethoscope. Then of course I get anxious when I hear 4 or 5 pauses in a minute which in turn increases my level of anxiety which in turn increases the PVC/PACs. I wish there was a switch I could hit and just turn them off but nothing I tried last night worked. My doc doesn't want to start me on beta blockers because according to him the episodes are so infrequent that he would prefer not starting medication. Besides I have low BP and a slow resting pulse to begin with.
So here I sit tired and cranky mainly because I am frustrated with myself for letting the night get away from me. HELP :-)
BUT last night I fought it and was either taking my pulse or listening with a stethoscope. Then of course I get anxious when I hear 4 or 5 pauses in a minute which in turn increases my level of anxiety which in turn increases the PVC/PACs. I wish there was a switch I could hit and just turn them off but nothing I tried last night worked. My doc doesn't want to start me on beta blockers because according to him the episodes are so infrequent that he would prefer not starting medication. Besides I have low BP and a slow resting pulse to begin with.
So here I sit tired and cranky mainly because I am frustrated with myself for letting the night get away from me. HELP :-)
Wow...this forum is amazing because we are all going through this together and all share the same problems. I too am trying to follow my own advice with my heartbeats and the cardiologists from a couple of years ago. I will be having a great day, then I will have 'chest pain' and it will throw me for a loop for the rest of the day. I know the way I think, but still cannot fully control the fact that I am okay physically. Had a flutter yesterday, and was really concerned for the next 24 hours (I still am). I begin to scan for what is wrong with me.
I know you are Very strong, caring, and give great advice to everyone here on this forum. It is important to remember we all have setbacks from time to time, but we get through them!:)
I know you are Very strong, caring, and give great advice to everyone here on this forum. It is important to remember we all have setbacks from time to time, but we get through them!:)
Greenlydia, I've decided you are the best medicine for anxiety!!! Was glad to receive your friendship request ...and yours too, Jerzee!! Feel free to write me anytime. I don't have 24/7 access to my computer...THANK GOD...or I would have already pronounced myself "dead". My point is, it may take me several hours to reply back, but I will definitely be in touch. For others suffering from anxiety issues, I hope you are getting the same benefit as I am from this forum. You "old croanies" have a great week ahead!!!
K
K
LOL you are so funny, You lightened this up.
Thank's, from one old croan to another.....
Thank's, from one old croan to another.....
Have I survived menopause..........ROFLMAO! (Sorry!) I suppose you COULD say that I am a survivor, but even 8 years after the fact, I am STILL dealing with the odd symptoms of this Disneyesque ride we call "The Change."
Many of your symptoms could be attributed to hormones, plenty of mine were. But since I don't have a medical degree hanging on my fridge, I would strongly urge you to set up a visit with your OB/GYN. When I first started perimenopause, my regular doc disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a shopping bag (literally) stuffed full of HRT **** and then, without so much as a "by your leave," he was out the door. I assume he felt he had done his job. Did he really think I was gonna go home and just start popping all this junk? Idiot!
My OB/GYN is actually an ARNP who specializes in Women's Med and especially menopause. I took this bag of horse pee to her and she was dumbfounded. It ALL went in the garbage! I have "managed" all my S/S (signs and symptoms) of menopause with absolutely no HRT of any kind.
I'm getting off track here.
I'll repeat what I said above. See your GYN or better yet, find one who specializes in menopause (there are many out there, now that menopause is out of the closet) and have a good long chin-wag about all your symptoms. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and greatly relieved.
Please let me know what you find out! Us croans must hang together! lol
Peace
Greenlydia
(Did you ever hear the one about the two hunters who got to talking about women? One turns to the other and says, "You just can't trust anything that can bleed for 5 days and not die!) Once again you will find me ROFLMAO...............
Many of your symptoms could be attributed to hormones, plenty of mine were. But since I don't have a medical degree hanging on my fridge, I would strongly urge you to set up a visit with your OB/GYN. When I first started perimenopause, my regular doc disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a shopping bag (literally) stuffed full of HRT **** and then, without so much as a "by your leave," he was out the door. I assume he felt he had done his job. Did he really think I was gonna go home and just start popping all this junk? Idiot!
My OB/GYN is actually an ARNP who specializes in Women's Med and especially menopause. I took this bag of horse pee to her and she was dumbfounded. It ALL went in the garbage! I have "managed" all my S/S (signs and symptoms) of menopause with absolutely no HRT of any kind.
I'm getting off track here.
I'll repeat what I said above. See your GYN or better yet, find one who specializes in menopause (there are many out there, now that menopause is out of the closet) and have a good long chin-wag about all your symptoms. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and greatly relieved.
Please let me know what you find out! Us croans must hang together! lol
Peace
Greenlydia
(Did you ever hear the one about the two hunters who got to talking about women? One turns to the other and says, "You just can't trust anything that can bleed for 5 days and not die!) Once again you will find me ROFLMAO...............
Thanks so much for all your thoughts and words of wisdom. I have these come and go for years but this last "bout" with them is lasting a long time and I just wish they would move on.
I have cut out caffiene and alcohol for years and don't smoke due to collapsed lung about 12 years ago. ( Chest tubes are not fun) I believe my stress is internal and have heard that some of the symptoms can be linked not only to menopause but to mitral valve prolapse as well. At 56 I "think" I can say I still in the throes of menopause but with me who knows.. I had a hysterctomy when I was 35 but they left my ovaries so it's anyones guess where I am as far as that's concerned.
It is comforting to know that you all are there and have been experiencing the same things I have. What I need to remember to do is not lie there with my finger on my pulse. I got caught in the "what if" trap last night and will work really hard to keep the trap door closed.
I am doing better this afternoon and am ready to carry on.
Jerz
I have cut out caffiene and alcohol for years and don't smoke due to collapsed lung about 12 years ago. ( Chest tubes are not fun) I believe my stress is internal and have heard that some of the symptoms can be linked not only to menopause but to mitral valve prolapse as well. At 56 I "think" I can say I still in the throes of menopause but with me who knows.. I had a hysterctomy when I was 35 but they left my ovaries so it's anyones guess where I am as far as that's concerned.
It is comforting to know that you all are there and have been experiencing the same things I have. What I need to remember to do is not lie there with my finger on my pulse. I got caught in the "what if" trap last night and will work really hard to keep the trap door closed.
I am doing better this afternoon and am ready to carry on.
Jerz
excellent advice Greenlydia!!! I blame hormones and age for all my discomforts. Some of you girls are too young for that, however. The ONE dr. I have not seen is an Endocrinologist. My symptoms feel as though they could be adrenaline related...not sure why my family doctor has not referred me there. He's too busy trying to get me into counseling. I the he's covering his *** so he cannot be held responsible for prescribing anxiety meds. I have news for him...I don't want narcotics. I'm not looking for a high (I get that each time I feel like I'm falling off a cliff) I just want to feel normal. I'm 53 and never expected this so early in life. Have any of you survived menopause and, if so, do you think these symptoms could be linked? I am a year into it and that is about when my symptoms began. Jerzeegal, I hope that you are feeling better today. Keep in touch
PVC's/ PAC's can be brought on by many things besides anxiety. Being overly tired. Doing something strenous. Overwork. Sleep deprevation. Stress. The use of certain drugs. Endocrine disorders, such as thyroid and adrenal gland disorders. Fluid and electrolyte imbalances, especually too little OR too much potassium. Caffeine, in any of it's many forms. Alcohol. Many OTC cough and cold remedies.
So, there you have a partial list of some things that can induce PVC's.
BUT..........each and everyone of you has done the correct thing and seen your doc/cardio and each and everyone of you has been told that your hearts are fine. PVC's are quite "normal" and nearly everyone in the entire universe experiences them from time to time. It is, unfortunately, those of us with anxiety issues who zero in on our hearts and their shennanigans. We become hyper-vigilant to each and every beat. Some even pull out their stethascopes! Others lay with finger on pulse point, usually holding their breath or breath very shallow to "hear" better. This then creates hyperventalation which WILL cause the heart to dance a jig and so, the circle is connected.
PVC's are much like panic attacks. They come at us out of the blue and scare the you know what out of us.
What can you do? First you can begin to trust your doctors. If you don't trust them, then get a second opinion. But do stop at a third! They are all going to tell you the same thing, which, I repeat, is that all of your hearts are FINE! Having been down the road you're all on, I have subjected myself to numerous tests, some of which were not only incredibly invasive and expensive, but dangerous. I've been told, more than once, there is NOTHING wrong with my heart except for the pesky PVC thing. I finally got myself to accept them as just an annoying joke my heart plays on me. I still don't like them. They still scare me. I still feel a brief moment of panic. But I have found that getting up and distracting myself often helps. If I'm at work, which is highly stressful, I make the time to do some deep breathing and wait them out. If you're driving or sitting reading a book and your heart starts its acrobatics, don't focus on it, don't pull out the stethascopes or place finger to pulse. Get up, move around, put some music on loud and dance or sing along.
My cardiologist once told me the next time I had a "PVC event," I should do just the opposite of everything I've been telling you guys to do. He told me to totally focus on it. To really feel what they felt like. To realize there is no pain, to accept that my heart is just readjusting itself, that it actually doesn't last as long as I think it does. The first time I did this, I was terrified. Every instinct in my body said get 911 here since you're about to die. But ya know what? I ignored those thoughts and instead did just what he had recommended. I became very still and quiet. I forced myself to breath normally. I really focused on the odd skips and jumps and flutters.........I kept telling myself there was nothing wrong with my heart, I even began to talk to it, I think I said something like "OK, I know you're there and you're really starting to **** me off so you can just quit this any time now!" I actually found myself laughing and then they stopped.
But I know they will be back. When or where I have no idea. But each time it happens now, I take control immediately of my thoughts, I don't allow myself to focus on them and I just get on with the business at hand. They always stop. I've had them nearly my entire life and I'm 56 now. They haven't done me in yet, and they never will. I don't know how old any of you are, but I can pretty much guarantee that when you're all old and saggy and baggy like me, you will STILL be hauling around a heart that once in awhile has the need to flop around like a fish out of water. Get out your club and put the damn thing out of its misery, then go buy that box of Depends for the next time you sneeze and leak!
Listen to your doctors, ladies and "Get back into life!"
Peace
Greenlydia
So, there you have a partial list of some things that can induce PVC's.
BUT..........each and everyone of you has done the correct thing and seen your doc/cardio and each and everyone of you has been told that your hearts are fine. PVC's are quite "normal" and nearly everyone in the entire universe experiences them from time to time. It is, unfortunately, those of us with anxiety issues who zero in on our hearts and their shennanigans. We become hyper-vigilant to each and every beat. Some even pull out their stethascopes! Others lay with finger on pulse point, usually holding their breath or breath very shallow to "hear" better. This then creates hyperventalation which WILL cause the heart to dance a jig and so, the circle is connected.
PVC's are much like panic attacks. They come at us out of the blue and scare the you know what out of us.
What can you do? First you can begin to trust your doctors. If you don't trust them, then get a second opinion. But do stop at a third! They are all going to tell you the same thing, which, I repeat, is that all of your hearts are FINE! Having been down the road you're all on, I have subjected myself to numerous tests, some of which were not only incredibly invasive and expensive, but dangerous. I've been told, more than once, there is NOTHING wrong with my heart except for the pesky PVC thing. I finally got myself to accept them as just an annoying joke my heart plays on me. I still don't like them. They still scare me. I still feel a brief moment of panic. But I have found that getting up and distracting myself often helps. If I'm at work, which is highly stressful, I make the time to do some deep breathing and wait them out. If you're driving or sitting reading a book and your heart starts its acrobatics, don't focus on it, don't pull out the stethascopes or place finger to pulse. Get up, move around, put some music on loud and dance or sing along.
My cardiologist once told me the next time I had a "PVC event," I should do just the opposite of everything I've been telling you guys to do. He told me to totally focus on it. To really feel what they felt like. To realize there is no pain, to accept that my heart is just readjusting itself, that it actually doesn't last as long as I think it does. The first time I did this, I was terrified. Every instinct in my body said get 911 here since you're about to die. But ya know what? I ignored those thoughts and instead did just what he had recommended. I became very still and quiet. I forced myself to breath normally. I really focused on the odd skips and jumps and flutters.........I kept telling myself there was nothing wrong with my heart, I even began to talk to it, I think I said something like "OK, I know you're there and you're really starting to **** me off so you can just quit this any time now!" I actually found myself laughing and then they stopped.
But I know they will be back. When or where I have no idea. But each time it happens now, I take control immediately of my thoughts, I don't allow myself to focus on them and I just get on with the business at hand. They always stop. I've had them nearly my entire life and I'm 56 now. They haven't done me in yet, and they never will. I don't know how old any of you are, but I can pretty much guarantee that when you're all old and saggy and baggy like me, you will STILL be hauling around a heart that once in awhile has the need to flop around like a fish out of water. Get out your club and put the damn thing out of its misery, then go buy that box of Depends for the next time you sneeze and leak!
Listen to your doctors, ladies and "Get back into life!"
Peace
Greenlydia
Hi there...I am new to this particular forum and I tried to post a minute ago without signing in. Hope you don't get this twice! Anyway, I am especially interested in your posts because I experience similar symptoms. My BP is low (90/50 resting, 110/70 otherwise) but I have a very rapid heart rate. This does not allow for beta blockers, so I suffer the sinking feelings. I feel this more in my resting mode. Sometimes I think that is when my subconscious is allowed to take over and my fears and concerns take over. I have feelings of flutters in my heart and head. I also have feelings of dropping off a roller coaster hill. It is so disturbing and usually leaves me with severe fatigue. All tests are normal (blood, EKG, brain MRI and cardio vascular screening) I also feel a pressure or tightness in my head when these things come upon me. I hope you find relief soon and I will definitely continue to watch your posts. I will let you know if I happen upon any miracle cure.
I'm another one just like you and heartflutter, I have had these for over 30 years. They come and go, I do know that stress brings them on. And they are just as scarry as the first time. I have been told the same thing by my cardio. But, it seems it's in our nature to alway's second guess. (like we know more than the dr. Right..) But we do know our body's and know that something isn't right and we dont like that feeling. So we do what we do best for ourselfs, and that is back to the dr. we go just to here them say " Your fine" and get on with your life. I hadn't had them in a long time and the other night when we had the eclipse they just went crazy on me, the next morning they were fine. Go figure!!! I am on a betablocker and have been for many years. Sometimes they help and sometimes they dont. If you can get through them without one, GREAT.
Take care..
Take care..
lol, dont worry your not the first to let it get out hand, ive been there so many times.i have the pac, but strange as mine are i get them like 10 weeks in a row non-stop than they just go away. i have a few here and there but when they come they come , so i go after two weeks and get a holter wear it for a month by than i know its just pac and i go on with life, but if i didnt wear the montor i would stress to. and sad thing is i know what they are and i know ive had them for 23 years but i still let them get to me. dont be so hard on yourself, next time just tell yourself its the same old thing and they will go away. good luck.
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