I am at my wit's end. I have Barrett's Esophagus, had a Nissen (1999) that came undone with pregnancy and chronic gastritis. I am on 40 mg nexium, 40 pepcid daily. I had a complete thyroidectomy in 1999, so my levels fluctuate and my med levels need constant tinkering for me to be at the right TSH level. I am 39 y.o. female, about 75 lbs overweight.
I recently had an echo done which showed my left artrium was slightly enlarged (4.4 vs. 4.1 rght side), but ekg's consistently show no problem. My total cholesterol is 221; I have just started taking red yeast rice and co q 10 supplements. I have frequent palpitations, racing pulse and feel like I can't get enough breath, though when I get tested I have an oxygen saturation level of 99%.
I am constantly concerned that I am imminently going to have a heart attack, even though I am constantly told that it's GERD related, but I just can't completely believe it. There is a constant worry in the back of my mind that I have heart disease and it's just being pushed aside due to my GI stuff. Do GERD issues have any correlation to anxiety? I've been having mini panic attacks for lack of a better term, but then I do some research and find that some heart conditions can mimic panic attacks, which do nothing to comfort me...
Basically, I'm sick of feeling scared and sick all the time.It seems like everyday there's always something healthwise that's going on with me that scares me half to death. Is the enlarged atrium combined with my cholesterol level and my b.p. (lately 146/93)something more dangerous than I being told by my doctors? If this truly is "just" GERD, how do I train my mind to not focus on dropping dead of a heart attack on a daily basis? This definitely effects the quality of my life.
Another concern that I have is I have just started exercising again after a long period of being sedentary. Acording to the trainer I'm working with, my target heart rate is 118-158. I was getting up to 172 in spots, then trying to slow myself down. After exercising, it felt like it took forever for my heart to beat at a semi-normal rate; at least 1/2 hour or longer. Then I made the mistake of reading a study online that said slow recovery rate after exercising was a huge predictor of sudden death from a heart attack. My hope is that because i am so out of shape, that it is normal for me to take forever to get back to normal heart rate and as I get more conditioned, the recovery rate will be faster and more efficient. It takes virtually no effort on my part for me to be short of breath and
have a fast heart rate. Is this to be expected, or again, should I be concerned about my heart and modify my movement? I really want to get some exercise in my life because i can't see getting any better without it.
If i could just get some straight answers, it would be a huge help to point me in the right direction. Thanks