Anxiety

[Mackker]

Hello,

I am a 21 year old male, in alright shape, weigh in at 200 lbs.  Since i was about 18 years of age, i have been experiencing problems with my heart. I can hear my heart beat all the time, and iam very aware of  my heart beating. My heart feels like it shivers, like when you are cold, it dowsn't feel good.  My heart feels like it is not attached to anything, what i mean is when i jump up and down, it feels like its just moving around in my chest, when i lay down on my back, it feels like it is touching my ribs in the back, when i am on my stomach, it feels like it is resting against my skin. My heart beats regulary 99% of the time, but occasionally feels like it is filling up with too much blood, then it has to pump it out in one shot.I am not very active and when i am active, like playing hockey, it feels like my heart is dropping into my stomach, and beats weird, fast and hard, and i feel weird, not to the point where i would pass out, but my body feels very drained, and shaky, weak, and i always have to catch my breath.  After my activities i still feel weird, for hours after, to the point where i should go to the hospital, and it makes it very diffucult to fall asleep, but then one second later, it stops, or when i have a bowel movement, but i don't feel quite normal.  My doctor said i should take my puffer before activities, but i don't, should i?? do you think it is my lungs??, even the smallest activities make me feel weird, like jumping on a trampoline for 5 minutes.  After i eat, my heart feels weird, like its full,and going to stop beating, and i feel shaky, and sweaty, then i take a deep breath and it slows it down temporarily, to i take my mind off of it.  If i don't pay attention to my chest, then i feel fine.

I have had all the tests, and nothing showed up except for my heart beating one time at 180, but i was playing baseball. my doctor diagnosed me as i  have anxiety, and prescibed me with ativan. it works, because it calms me down, i was also prescribed paxil, but i have never taken it.

Everything else is normal (blood pressure etc..)  I admit i have poor habit, i smoke (less than half a pack a day), drink (ten beers a week), and don't drink caffeine, or drink pop, because my doctor told me to stop.  I have poor eating habits, fast food,and i eat once a day.

Should i be very worried??, or start working out, and excersise regularly.

I have had to go to the emergency room,  beacuse my heart was pounding out of my chest, my heart rate was fast like 140bpm, they hooked me up to a few heart monitors in the ER, with leads all over my body, and they said all they could find was my heart beating fast, but i wasn't having palpatations, my oxygen level was 98% but i felt like i couldn't catch my breath, they gave me six ativan to slow me down, and it worked eventually.  I haven't returned to the ER lately, like two years.

Thank You Very Much

Bryan McEachern
Georgetown, ON
Canada

[Anjakarena]

Hi Brian,

I am really sorry to hear about how you feel. I know it can be very distressing to feel like something is wrong, but the doctor tell you that you are just fine. Sounds like your symptoms are from anxiety. I have dealt with anxiety for a long time ( I am 34 years old) and over time it has gotten better and then sometimes it gets worse during stressful times in life.

What I can recommend is a book that I bought recently. It is called "Hope and Help for your nerves" by Claire Weekes.
You can buy it at amazon.com for $ 6.99
The author decribes all kinds of symptoms people get from anxiety and gives excellent advice on how to deal with the anxiety. It won't go away overnight, but time will heal.

For all of you out there with PVC's, this book might be for you too. The book talked a lot about not paying so much attention to our bodies etc., I really think this book is a winner.

Also I am from Germany and there is actually a medication given for Heartarrythmias which contains high levels of Magnesium and Potassium (Galacordin forte). My mother send me some and I will try it next time when I get too many PVCs. In Germany doctors don't usually offer you a betablocker right away when you have PVCs. There is a lot more emphasis on Homeopathic Medicine.
So now I have given my 10 cents worth. I hope it helps.
Anja

[pat57]

You wrote:My doctor said i should take my puffer before activities, but i don't, should i??

You are a silly goose, you been given various treatment instructions and don't follow through. Kept that up and you can only have more of the same. Nothing changes- if nothing changes.

good luck, some things are easier said then done.

[kennyd]

Sounds like anxiety to me...I had brutal chest pains and strange feelings and was convinced for months that I was going to have a heart attack.  Ended up in the emergency room a few times.  Therapy helped me get out of the cycle that makes it happen.  Like you said, when you don't think about it, you're OK.  But if you are like I was, you think about it ALOT.  My anxiety was not connected to any particular life situation...it was just there, and I had to learn to live with it and manage it so it didn't take over my life.

Go to your doctor and get referred to a clinical psychologist.

And start treating your body better!  Good nutrition and exercise is one of the best medicines your can give yourself.  The half a pack of smokes and 10 beers probably doesn't make things worse, but you should definitely try to eat 3 square healthy meals a day and get some exercise.