help

[dizzy68]

i am eighteen and have been experiencing rapid heartrate and shortness of breath, and sometime sharp pain in my heart. I just dont know what to do i went to my doc and he sent me to the hospital the consultant said it was def anxiety and didnt run any tests. I feel as though anxiety masked my actual symtoms because i was very anxious at the time and was getting all sorts of panic symtoms. However i went bacxk and saw my gp he ran a 24hr ecg which showed tachycardia which he says is anxiety and he ran a D- Dimer blood test which came back at 0.10 which i think is negative and quite low. Mty oxogen levels are also 100 percent however, i just feel as though there is something wrong being as my shortness of breath wont go especially with exercise. My fear is that i have a undiagnosed Pe and because the consultant at the hospital said it was anxiety i feel my Gp was influenced by this. I cannot go to the hosp or my doc coz they have both ruled it out i am so worried and cant get it out of my head i live in the uk and my doc wont give me further test because he said it will just be for reassurance. I am sorry if this is wasting anyones time  but i am soo scared. x

[National Jewish Health]

We can appreciate your desperation.  Be this anxiety or panic, it can still be very scary.  First, at age 18, you could have an abnormal heart rhythm but you are much too young to have a heart attack. There is quite good evidence that with a normal D-Dimer combined with a standardized clinical decision rule that indicates a low or intermediate clinical probability of PE, such as the Revised Geneva Score, it is safe to exclude PE.  You should ask your doctor if that is the method he used to rule out PE; (that is the combination of questions to determine risk plus the D-dimer result).  If he/she did, the diagnosis of PE has safely been excluded.  If, however, he/she ruled out this diagnosis, only on the basis of the D-dimer value, a further determination of risk must be made.  


Sometimes it is hard to tell, which comes first, the anxiety or the rapid heart beat. It would be useful if you would take your own pulse when experiencing the symptoms. You could judge the regularity of your pulse and the rate.  If regular and 120 beats/minute or less, this is not an abnormal rhythm.

The above doesn't explain your shortness of breath, especially with exercise.  The most likely cause of this, at your age, is asthma and deconditioning.

Any or all of the above could indeed be anxiety with panic and you might want to discuss a trial of an anti-anxiety medication.

[dizzy68]

Thanku very much that was really helpful, i am still breathing rapidly constantly and it is very uncomfortable however i feel as though i should think this is anxiety now. My breathing is really fustrating but i feel i have become obssessed with monitering it that might me aggrivating the situation, my doc did ask me questions assesing my risk rate,and i am active ect i think he did the D-dimer to make sure. However, i am still dazzled to how anxiety (if that is what it is) can make me breath like this all the time.Is a D-dimer accurate?