worried about my anxiety

[st tropez]

hello everybody, i started really with my anxiety as a child because i can remember being scared of dying and always thinking i couldnt breath, then when i was 18yrs old i had a panic attack and then when i was going through a bad relationship when i was 28yrs old i started with anxiety because i wasnt well i had a kidney infection, my anxiety focused on my heart going fast all the time, it was a vicious circle, when it went fast i panicked, i joined no panic and they was brilliant, i overcome the anxiety for a bit but it is still there in the background, i have had heart scan ecg and 24hr tape everything fine but i still feel my heart beating all the time and if i get palpitations i get palpitations, i need some kind of help because i feel like i have got a phobia about my heart beating, sounds stupid i know.

[MrGreen]

It's not stupid. It is normal if you look around this forum. You focus too much on your heart. Inner focus. Paying it too much attention. Thus making you more aware of the beating. By been more aware of the beating you get frightened at times that all is not right with your heart and this quickens the pace up. Normal anxiety. But how do you manage to change things? That is what you need to focus on. Is there anything at all you can do different to make a change in your life? Take you attention away from your beating heart. It might be worth keeping track of what thoughts you have when you imagine something might be wrong. What symptoms it brings on. How you react to these symptoms. Sit down and study, maybe a weeks worth or writing, and then ask yourself could you have thought in a different way. Reacted in a different way. Giving yourself more than one choice. It doesn't always have to be ' no, my heart, I must be dying '. Could you have thought anything else at all? Maybe ' I have just walked some, that is why my heart is beating like that '. It's about finding a way to take your mind off your heart. And it can be done by changing the thoughts and reactions. Just one suggestion. I am sure you will get many more. Just hope you find an answer.

[nora006]

I only want to sign what MrGreen already told you. His reflections are very useful, also to me:) I know what it is like being caught up in that loop you're describing. I have noticed if I'm able to talk to myself and tell myself that the symptoms are not dangerous(that they cannot hurt me) then they subside. I'm not afraid of dying but the smallest detection of symptoms(thinking about them) will keep the cycle running and fuel the background anxiety which is unpleasant anyway.

Another thing that might be useful to you is to know that it is not dangerous to have a rapid heart rate as long as you're not very old or have a known heart condition. My doctor told me that a healthy heart can beat 130 bpm for several years and it will not be damaged. But of course you get exhausted by the rapid pulse, feels like you're jogging all the time.
Some times a Beta-blocker can be useful to get the heart rate down. For instance Inderal(propranolol). And if the pulse goes down your conscious mind will not be preoccupied with the heart all the time but think of more interesting things:)

Best wishes,
Nora

[st tropez]

thankyou so much for your kind words, i work in a hospital and it makes me worse, the other day a student had palpitations and i took her bp and it was high and her pulse was 103bpm, the doctor wanted an ecg done on her because he said her pulse was to high it shouldnt be that high so i started thinking well what if you have anxiety it goes fast does that damage your heart, and my uncles friends last year got broken into and he had a heart attack and was pronounced dead in hospital then she had a heart attack with the shock, i would just like to know the difference because anxiety is like shock your heart goes faster and the blood has to pump harder, oh i am making myself go mad, my doctor prob wont even give me a refferal to see a cardiologist because i have seen 2 already, any suggestions?

[nora006]

St. Tropez,

Well. Of course it isn't exactly healthy when the heart beats 100+ bpm ALL day long. It can be treated/helped with drugs though. But think about the athletes who run for hours and hours each day or the people who works physically hard every day.

Rapid heart rate cannot in itself, as far as I know (please correct me anyone if I'm wrong), induce a heart attack though serious arrythmia and known heart failure can be cofactors. A heart attack is frequently associated with a blockage(bloodclot) in the coronary artery. When the flow of blood that carries oxygen to the heart is blocked partly or fully by this thrombus the part of the heartmuscle which is not getting enough oxygen can be damaged. Many people DO NOT die from this because the damage is not always fatal. But a heart attack, when it happens, is serious and fast medical treatment is important to reduce the damage on the heart.

A shock experience can in some cases induce a heart attack. That is correct. But a lot of factors(known and unknown) can come together in one instant and cause an attack under some special sircumstance. There are many factors which could contribute. High bloodpressure, diabetes, weakened heart(minor failure) etc.

If you've already seen 2 cardiologists and they have not found any heart failure your heart is very likely to be healthy:) Then you won't need to check it again.

Best wishes
Nora