Heart problem?

[txQC]

Hi,
    I have some questions about possible heart disease that I can have.

First of all, I have a cardiophobia, panic disorder and i'm anxious all the time. I'm on 8 mg of Klonopin daily for my anxiety and 1 to 3 mg of Xanax, but both meds don't work to prevent the panic or decrease my anxiety.

I'm 6 foot tail and my weight is 187 pounds right now. I don't exercise and I smoke around 15-20 cigarettes a day.

My blood pressure is not stable, I know it can vary a lot during a day, but what I mean is that mine tend to stay high for a weeks (135/90 and more)... and after it tend to decrease to the low side (110/60 and less)...

Of course, I have a Cardiologist and I had some heart tests done last year cause my pulse rate was always low (50-55). I had in march 2010 a stress test with the treadmill and an ecography of my heart who show now problem at all. I also wear a holter monitor for 24 hours to record my heart and my Cardiologist see nothing srong with my heartbeat, just lower than normal peoples...

Since last june, I deal with more anxiety and I start having more and more problems with my heart. So I take an appointment with a new Cardiologist and saw him last October 2010. At first, I explain to him that I faint 3 times in the shower and while I had a panic attack. I alsao explain to him that I had chest pain very often at rest, that I had heart palpitation all the time and that I wasn't able to exercise at all. He just took my blood pressure, say it was perfect and told me to add more salt to my diet, since he think with the gastric by-pass I had to loose weight 10 years ago may be the problem and he say that my body don't absorb very well the salt who create the fainting episode, the lower blood pressure I had at the time and also the palpitation. He say no test for now and call my 6 months later to see what happen with the more salt diet.

I had to call him in the begining if January 2011 cause my heart start going crazy again. VEry lower blood pressure to the point that I almost faint, slow pulse rate, more chest pain, numbness of my left arm and hand, neck pain, pulsating veins on my head localised on the left temple, eyes pain... Anyways I call him and he return my phone call only 2 weeks after and say that I had already a lot of heart tests done last year and that he didn't want that I had other tests for my heart, he say that it was all anxiety related and just say that he will RX a 24 hours monitoring of my blood pressure and see if it's ok.

In the begining of February, my blood pressure start being higher than usual, especially the diastolic number, sometimes reach the 100-110... I had the 24 h monitoring blood pressure machine and it show that my blood pressure was in the normal average (135/85)... with no luck in the 24 hours I wear the blood pressurte machine it didn't catch up anything wrong with my blood pressure, with the execption of one elevated diaslotic pressure of 110 when I had a panic attack in the car...

At the same time, I start having what they call superventricular tachycardia... I start having that just after the blood pressure monitoring and was rush to the emergency because of that. Each morning I wake up with a very fast heart beat who last 5-6 hours in a row. My pulse rate vary from 130 to 240... When I was at the emergency, my pulse rate was around 241 and they done a ECG for my heart and they see nothing wrong with my heart with the exception of the superventricular tachycardia... they also took X-ray of my lungs and nothing wring with them and also done some blood work who was perfect... So they return me home with a RX for one test, another holter monitor for 24 hours, I done it last week BUT I don't know why but the day I wear the holter monitor, I didn't had tachycardia of chest pain ..  I was a lot frustrated cause the day after the tachycardia was back, worse than ever!!!!!

The main problem is since that happen, I wake up every morning with the fast pulse rate, all the time higher than 130 BPM... who trigger panic attack... the pulse rate tend to decrease to 90-100 around noon and if I do a nap at daytime, when I will wake up again the fast pulse rate start again... Of course my Family Doc RX to me a beta-blocker med BUT with the low blood pressure that I have now, I Can't tolerate it at all... it's not effective to reduce the tachycardia anyway, even at normal dose... and I feel quite anxious on those med (Atenolol and I try also the Inderal, Bisoprolol, lopressor, and the Acebutolol...)...

Another problem that I have since 1 week now is the pain in my chest, cage ribs, left arm and left hand... it's all the time numb and tingling, like someone take a needle and put it everywhere in my arm and chest... the chest pain is weird also, always appear at rest OR when I live an emotional stress... The pain and numbness last sometimes 24 hours... I also all the time now feel and hear my heart pounding in my chest!!! Who make it hard for me to sleep at night... I also always have stomach pain, gas and bloating ( had some meds to take care of those problems - PAntaloc for my stomach, Cotazym ESC 20 for the gas and bloating... but they do nothing to relieve the pain)... the pulsating veins on my head on the left side are very painfull (it's like a migraine who never ending), I sweat a lot from my hands and feet and I always think that I will have a heart attack now... that's crazy... I Can't take my shower anymore and can't walk for a long time... I never lack of breath like in the  usual syptom for a heart attack...

I try to call again my Cardiologist again this week but he was out of his office, so I leave a message and he never call me back...

So my questions is, if it will be a heart attack or any other heart disease, do you think that after several months in that state, I already had a heart attack or any other kind of problem??? Is it possible that all of this is linked to my anxiety, that's what my Docs think...

I'm very anxious right now... can't sleep at night and can't stop thinking about my heart cause I always feel it in my chest and always feel the pain and the numbness... also the tachycardia and the pounding heart beat is really annoying... I can't ignore those symptoms....I wonder also if I have angina or not?

I see again my Family doc in 2 weeks and will maybe ask to see another Cardiologist...

Well , thanks for any kind of answer or support who can give to me!!!


The main problem is that since the begining of

[curmudgen]

Might I suggest several things. One is to relax.  You have said yourself that anxiety is getting to be a problem.  I know it is easier said than done.  Secondly I would suggest getting an event monitor that allows you to record the ECG when you are having palpitations.  That will allow you cardiologist to see exactly what is happening and provide a more accurate diagnosis.  At the moment your trips to doctor and ER have revealed no underlying heart disease, so like most of us with palpitations, they are not going to kill us even though we feel as if they will.  Lastly I would review the RX prescribed and OTC that you re taking for your stomach pain.  Get that diagnosed properly.  In the end you will probably receive all the information you need to be reassured that you are okay.  Good luck.

[Ida22]

I hope somebody will give a answer to you.
Its not fun to feel you heart pounding. I think that most people gets anxious if they feel every heartbeat. But anxity can also make you heart beat very fast. I was on beta blocker and had an anxity attack, suddenly I got some  tackycardia that made my heart beat 170. It lastet for 10 minuts.
Maybe you should try to write to:  is_something_wrong, he knows a lot about the heart and anxity.

Good luck to you! I hope you'll get some help and answers.

- Ida