Wow, I need serious help, please read!

[leealee]

I need to sum up my story and see if someone can help me. I have always been healthy, never had a problem. It started on Thanksgiving Day, 4 months ago. I was sitting in a chair in my house and I got up quickly. I felt like my heart stopped beating and then I got nervous and had a panic attack.  After this event, I was weak, tired, and worried about my heart for 2 months. I'm no longer weak, but I'm still worried that something is wrong with my heart. I'm a 21 year old male who has seen tons of doctors. They said that I possibly had dehydration which raised my red blood cell count (which is still a little higher to this day).  This supposedly caused the tired and weakness. Since Thanksgiving, I haven't exercised cause I'm worried about my heart. I'm worried I'll collapse or something worse will happen. I've had around 5 physical exams, 10 blood tests, an oxygen tests, echocardiogram, EKG, holter monitor, chest x-ray, and breathing test. All came back negative! The EKG should sinus arrthymia which is normal according to many doctors I've asked. Also, the monitor showed palpitations but thats it. Everything else was fine. To this day, I cannot exercise cause I'm too worried and it feels that I still have somethign wrong with my heart. I get this weird feeling in my stomach/chest area and my heart beats real fast and I start taking my pulse. Its like an uncomfortable feeling, and heavy beating of my heart. My parents think its anxiety, but I"m worried about something worse and it has affected my lifestyle completley. I used to be such a fun-loving, athletic person, but now I'm nothing. I still think if I'm doing something liek walking that I"m going to pass out and something bad will happen. I just want to get back to the way I used to be, but its hard cause I still feel something is wrong with my heart. However, I've thought it was everything from my heart, to my brain, to my stomach etc etc etc. PLease please please please help me with any advice, or what you think is wrong. THank you so much and sorry that its so long!

[pbanders]

You have a serious anxiety problem - not a heart problem. You're not alone, there are many men in their early 20's who seem to have this issue, judging from the number of postings in this forum. Your cardiologists must see this frequently, listen to their advice and get some therapy, there's no reason for you have to feel this way - good luck.

[PghPanther]

I understand much of what you are going through........had similar issues when I was your age...............

Do you know what helped me and settled things down?

I took a serious look at what I ate and changed my dietary habits to a healthy heart style intake...........ditch the stimulants (alcohol, soft drinks, caffeine....and any chemicals like artifical sweetners) ditch the junk and fast foods..........

Eat healthy and give it 3 to 4 months........drink only water if possible and watch to see better results with how your body reacts to this.

Supplmentation can help some but eating the right foods is the most important thing....

Plenty of fish, chicken whole wheat whole grain pastas and lots of vegtable and whole fruits...

best thing for the heart?

A handful of shelled walnuts each day and 3 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil a day.

[fearfactor]

Hi, I see SOOOO much of myself in your story.  I have thought that a lot of times when I saw you post, but just didn't want to say anything because believe me I know how you're struggling and I didn't want to butt in.  I have also seen your posts on the Neuro forum.  I am like you, I was calmly sitting at the dinner table with my husband and child one night when my heart suddenly began flip-flopping, racing and doing other crazy things that took me into an immediate panic attack.  I immediately dialed 911, as I was convinced I was DYING, right then and there.  I am a life-long panic attack sufferer but this was somehow "different."  That started me down a road of terror that I was dying of an arrhythmia, loads of doctor's visits, ER visits, heart tests, becoming addicted to prescription anxiety meds (and withdrawing off them), etc.  I was in law school at the time and was skipping all my classes to spend 12 hours a day researching on the internet trying to find out what in the world was wrong with me and to get even a bit of reassurance I wasn't dying.  To make a long story short, it's a miracle I didn't fail out of school and finally got into an intensive health anxiety program which did help me.  I have good and bad days and my heart is still on my mind a lot of the time, but I am nothing like I was.  I can actually function now.  Believe me, I know where you are coming from - I am young but fear heart blockages and heart attack, have chest pain, have not significantly exercised since this all started, if I have a palp it ruins my day, puts me immediately on edge, etc.  I also have developed neuro fears - I'm scared I have an aneurysm or MS because I am dizzy, have headaches a lot and numbness and tingling.  I am going to be straight up with you, and I really hope this doesn't offend because I'm not saying to be a smart-ass but only because I have been there and am there now, but you are going through serious health related anxiety.  The fact that you're afraid about heart and neuro shows that.  I was really convinced it wasn't anxiety like all the shrinks, doctors, cardios, etc. have been telling me this whole time until I saw the obsession going to neuro stuff, too after I got over the heart thing a little bit.  I guess we have stress in our lives we can't deal with, so we "somatize" it to our bodies.  We have classic anxiety symptoms, but truly believe it is some dread disease that will leave us incapacitated and/or dead.  Please consider this.  If you haven't gotten help for anxiety, please do so.  I am one to talk, because I am too scared to take the meds!  :)  But, please just consider it isn't your heart, but it is your mind.  Please take care and know you are NOT alone.

[KLB32]

Don't take this wrong way but I think you would really benefit from seeing a therapist.  Look for someone who is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  They help "retrain" your negative thinking patterns into positive ones.  It can be extremely beneficial and help you to get back on track.  

In the meantime, focus on the positives.  You are young, the doctors (who are the experts) have told you your heart is fine and something surely would have happened already if it were going to happen.  By not exercising, your body is becoming deconditioned which will only increase the frequency of the PVCs.  Start slowly working yourself back into exercise.  Take slow walks, then increase the pace as you can tolerate it.  Good luck.

[hockeycrazy3033]

It definitely sounds like anxiety as I have been through the same thing.

You need to just calm down and stop worrying. Stop being so negative and control your mind. It's the way you think that is messing everything up and causing you to be so worried and thinking that something is wrong with your heart. I too have been to doctors and got several tests done. It all came out normal and I was never satisfied until one day I realized that it actually was enough and that I wouldn't let it ruin my life and that I can change. It's all bout changing your attitude. Get up, excercise..walk around a little, get some fresh air, hang with friends and don't let your mind wander to think of negativity and the second your mind even thinks of being negative get it out right away and say you are fine. Because..you actually are. :)

[CollegeGirl143]

it sounds like you logically understand there is nothing wrong with you, but are having issues with anxiety..

Nothing you've done so far along the lines of testing your heart has helped or clarified things correct?  Try a different approach, get treatment for the anxiety.. Actual treatment from a psychiatrist as your anxiety is severely effecting your reasoning and quality of life... Give it some time and see if this helps.

[dmil241]

It really sounds like panic attacks to me. The weird feeling in your stomach/chest area sounds like adrenalin surges caused by anxiety.  A holter or monitor would be a great idea to help ease your mind about any arrhythmia problems. However even if you did have a problem, not exercising is only going to make things worse! If you're perfectly healthy, you're just going to make yourself unfit and unhealthy by avoiding exercise. Doctors tell very few people overall to not exercise. So it would be better to get back to your routine-eat healthy, exercise and learn to relax/meditate a bit every day. :)

[blan3556]

You have had all the tests and then some.  You have a structurally normal heart, which means that it can handle most anything.  You probably are feeling PVC's, so jump aboard and realize that one:  it is normal and benign, and two you are in the same boat as a lot of people.  Don't let it ruin your life.  What is sitting around worrying going to do?  Just make you miserable.  But I understand how you feel, I have been there, and in fact are there now, but I am still living and so should you.   Trust your doctors!

[tanns]

Have you had a stress test?  I mean a treadmill stress, like a nuclear test or anything similar?  I would suggest one if you haven't had one.  Not because I think they are missing something, but because I know it brought me an immense amount of relief performing this test in the doctor's office under the care of professionals.  I was afraid to exercise as well and this helped me with that.

If you haven't had an event monitor, this might help you catch any arrythmias you feel you are having.  I thought for sure my event monitor would show something horrible based on how I felt every time I pushed the button.  The results showed nothing significant.  This might also help ease your fears.

Good luck to you.

[leealee]

I'm afraid that I have some type of arrhythmia that is dangerous. I know it didn't come up on my tests, but I always think the worst. Sinus arrhythmia came up on the EKG, and palpitations on the Holter. Also on the holter it said the underlying rhythm was normal sinus rhythm. I just don't want there to be a serious cardiac arrythmia. Are these tests enough?