UPDATED!!! teenage heart problem!! SICK AND SCARED!!!

[Sarah_Riot]

Hey guys. Hope you can help me.

About a month ago, I started having these really weird heart palpitations that seemed to come overnight. I could feel my heart pounding so hard and heavy in my chest ALL the time. Even when I wasn't thinking about it. When I look at my chest, it looks and feels as if my heart is going to jump out any minute! I don't smoke, drink, do drugs, or drink or eat anything with alot of caffeine. I'm 5'2, 116 pounds, and was always pretty healthy and happy with no serious health problems. But after a few weeks, the symptoms didn't go away. So I asked my dad to take me over to the American clinic on the Army base where I go to school (I live in Germany in a little German village).

So they checked me out. My vitals were a bit high, so the doc prescribed Atenolol to help calm me down and slower my heart rate. I'm not sure whether it helped me or not. The told my Dad to take me to go a German heart doctor the next day, so he did. The heart doctor there was really nice, and he did an ultrasound of my heart and said it was ok. I also did a breathing test, which came out normal. So he said I have nothing to worry about and that everything looked fine and to come back in a few weeks for a stress test and 24 hour holtor monitor. And he said it was Ok for me to continue taking Atenolol. Also, before all this started, I didn't get my period for 2-3 months. Also got swollen throat glands and felt really weird. I also get WEIRD heartbeats that are skipped and feel like 'flip-flops'. I also get a fluttering. numbing weird feeling in my chest. Everyone keeps telling me it's anxiety, but I don't really think it is.

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But a couple days later, I woke up feeling REALLY sick one night, like I was going to throw up, then my heart started beating REALLY fast. So my dad drove me to the German hospital. My pulse was high for a while, but I calmed down after a few hours and they told me it was OK to go home. They wanted me to stay overnight for observation, and so did I, but my dad refused. So we went home. Later than night, after I woke up from a nap, I had the same racing heartbeat again! This time I just calmed down after drinking a big glass of water and taking ALOT of deep breaths.

The next few days, I started feeling REALLY sick. Sort of like the flu, except it felt like something was in my heart. My parents just told me it was anxiety, but I begged them to take me to the hospital. Eventually they did, and I stayed there for 3-4 days. They did 2 ultrasounds, a 24 hour EKG, blood tests, and they said everything was perfectly normal. I'm really worried that maybe they missed something, or that something is there that they just didn't see. But I'm pretty sure they knew what they were doing. But I'm still scared to death that something is wrong.

I've experienced many muscle aches and pains, dizziness and lightheadedness, and when I start to move around just a little bit, my heart starts beating too fast, and I have to sit down. I can't even go up the same old hill that I always go up on my way home from school without stopping a couple times! Hopefully I will get to see my heart doctor again soon.

I'm really scared that there's something wrong with my heart and/or there's something there that's causing it to act all weird that no one is catching. But all my doctors so far said I'm fine. But I REALLY don't think so. It's not anxiety. Something is really making me sick. I really want to go back to the hospital, but it's really expensive. I'm so scared.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jkfrench]

Hi Sarah~
Well there is good news and bad news.  (it sounds like to me anyway)
The good news is ...there is nothing wrong with your heart!
The bad news is that it really does sound like anxiety and that can be hard to get control of.  and yes, it can make you very sick and cause every symptom that you have described above.

I started having the same problems at 17.  Exactly the same thing.  My heart would race and skip for no reason, or even if I just raised my arms above my head.  I would wake up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding.  I could always see my heart beating if I looked at my shirt.  That means nothing except you are a thin person.
You are focused on every little thing your heart is doing and it is creating so much anxiety for you that you develop the symptoms you describe above, plus the mental and emotional problems that scare you silly into thinking that something is really really wrong with your heart.

The antenol worked wonders for me.  It slowed my heart down for the most part.  I still get the skips to this day.

Here is some more good news....I am 48 years old and still here.  I don't even remember the years between 17 and 24 because I was so consumed with my heart.  I didn't go anywhere with my friends and I was afraid to work.  Don't let this happen to you.
I know I have talked about these books before, but that it was really saved me from going crazy.  Go to Amazon and purchase these books by Dr. Claire Weeks
Hope and Help for your Nerves and Peace from Nervous Suffering.  Everything in that book mirrors what you wrote above.  Good luck and please don't worry.  If the doctor says you are fine and you have had the tests, then you need to get past this and LIVE!
Frenchie

[Sarah_Riot]

hey guys.

today is has been one crazy day. i FINALLY found what was causing my palpitations.

i have a bacteria/virus in my stomach and my heart is fine and healthy, but it was just reacting to that illness. i'm going to get antibiotics and i got to take them for a few weeks. it's just such a relief to know that if you're sick, the doctors know what it is. i didn't think this would happen. i hope that's all that's causing my palpitations, lol.

i just hope that the palpitations go away when the bacteria is gone. i don't think i could live with them forever! i'd go insane! at least know i know that i am NOT crazy and everyone else knows it now too! come to think of it, i was in amsterdamn with my parents a little before i started getting sick and i ate all this weird seafood at a chinese resteraunt. maybe that's what did it. i'm NEVER eating seafood again...well at least for a while, lol. i'm still going to be on this site too if you guys ever need me. i'm always here to help!

aaron, maybe you should get your stomach checked out too. it can't hurt. i hope you feel better. hopefully, i'm on the road to recovery. if not, you guys will be the first ones to know, lol!!!

thanks for all the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3

[Sarah_Riot]

Thanks all you guys for your help, Aaron, Frenchie, Rita, Jerry, dolfnlvr. you guys have given me SO much more advice and help than anyone even close to me! i'm feeling just a little bit better, but i'm going to see the doc of internal medicine at the end of this week (i wish it was sooner). but my palpitations are driving me crazy.

aaron, i'm going to request alot of hormone tests, and a special blood test called a celtic blood test that most doctors usually don't look to look for when someone has palpitations. i'm also going to get my stomach and glands checked out. i might get an endoscopy. my stomach has been bothering me lately and may or may not be related to my palpitations. you should mention it to your doc, too. also check for lyme disease. sometimes special tests need to be requested in helping to find a diagnosis. you guys have been so awsome!  i'm really happy i found this site! =]

i hope all you guys are ok! =] i hope you feel better, aaron. if i can get help, i will tell you what helped me and hopefully it'll help you. i want us both to feel better. i've been through SO much lately. i thought i was going to have a psychotic breakdown, lol. =]

thanks again for all the advice and support. you guys ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!! <3

[jkfrench]

You will get better I promise
Buy those books!  Nothing is hurting your heart.  If you were really going to keel over the doctors would NOT let you out of the hospital.
I'll buy the books for you if you don't have the $$.  Let me know
Frenchie

[Sarah_Riot]

I have a couple of appointments to look forward too. I'm just so scared that something is really hurting my heart. Maybe not something organic, but something bad enough to cause all my horrible symptoms. I'm going to see my heart doctor in a week (I wish it was sooner, lol). I'm also going to see an endocrinologist soon. My flu symptoms are not that bad as they used to be. But sometimes I feel like something is in my heart and is making it sick. I'm really scared. I just wish I could at least know what is causing all of this instead of wondering if I'm gonna keel over or not. Thanks for your help, you guys. I just want to get better. I'm really scared. Sometimes I feel like I can't breath. But my pulse is usually good and steady. But when I get the rapid heart beat attacks, they scare me to death. I don't think it's nerves that's triggering them.

[dolfnlvr]

I'm sure your doctor is checking for outside infections that may be causing the palpitations too.  The good news is your heart is fine, just jumpy right now.  While it may be anxiety, the flu like symptoms that you described make me wonder if you've been tested for Lyme disease or other such infections that can go unnoticed until weird symptoms appear.

Do you have follow-ups scheduled?  Have the flu like symptoms gone away?

[NixieKnox]

How about it's not your heart, but maybe something else affecting your heart. How about a thyroid test, or even the adrenal glands? Maybe a reaction to a certain food? How about cortisol levels? Also, try meditation or deep breathing or relaxation exercises. Sometimes when we get something going in the back of our mind it can just take over.

[cristel8]

i know it's been 8 years, but how are you now, sarah? my daughter has some of your symptoms too and i'm trying to find answers too. i have mixed emotions about whether it is truly just anxiety for her too since i think there is no reason to be anxious althought that's what the e.r. dr. said. please update us. after 8 years! thanks...

[ladybugtx]

We are interested too because a 15 year old friend has similar heart racing issues, then last week my 13 year old son started having heart racing when he sits on the ciuxh watching TV or lays down to sleep.

[2210485]

Should post about it so we can comment.

When it started, detailed list of triggers, results of prior assessments, lifestyle and fsmily history.

Additionally precise details about the episodes and associated symptoms, how long they last, whether they come and go suddenly and how fast they are, all good to know.

Early childhood behaviours are helpful too.. How well we kept up with other kids and any other observations for example, "when he was younger he never could run very far and when he played with other kids he always loved to sit down or squat in the middle of play and looked exhausted" would be an extreme example of what i mean here.

Diet and hydration matters here as well.

[empressofq13]

What MG of Clonazepam or Klonopin are you taking? I take 1/2 tab of 1MG twice a day and more if I am extremely anxious.  I take 1 1/2 tabs at nighttime if I can't sleep.  
All of the symptoms you say you have could be the anxiety.  And Jerry_NJ is right...it takes about a month on a depression med to see any change, but on the Clonazepam it worked on me right away.  If I take too much though I am really drugged.  I try to stay with 1/2 tab.  They may need to up yours.  Everyone is right about the H. Pylori.  Must take all meds and be rechecked when finished. My Dad had this and it caused him to have an ulcer (This is how he found out he had it) which was bleeding.  When he reached the hospital his hemoglobin was only 4!  Dr. didn't know how his heart was still pumping, he had lost sooo much blood.  Be careful and follow directions carefully.  He hasn't ever had any trouble since he had surgery to stop bleeding and took all antibiotics!  Keep us posted!
Cindy  

[Jerry_NJ]

Sarah,

I don't have any real help to offer, I just follow along looking and hopping to read some good news on your recovery, which I'm sure is coming.  The most important person in this recovery is you, you have to believe you are going to get better.  Keep following the doctors' advice too, of course.

I have family members who have been on and off of antidepressants, and best I can remember some of them take a bit of time to provide any help/relief.  I mean some take a week or more to build up sufficiently to help.  Again, just "helpful" thoughts, I really don't know, I have been spared anything more than the occasional feeling of depression.  

[Sarah_Riot]

thanks you guys so much for the help...i got all my medicine and i know exactly how much and when to take it. i hope this infection goes away and NEVER comes back!!!
i've been so traumatized by this whole thing. cause i was in the hospital for 2-3 days, thinking i was going to die! i hope i recover. maybe it's just a matter of time, medical and emotional support. that's why i'm so happy that i found this site!!

but i've been feeling weird symptoms lately, also.

my heart and stomach don't bother me all that much, but i've been getting soar throats and EXTREMELY bad headaches SEVERAL times a day and tinnitus. i also sometimes feel weak, dizzy, and confused. i sometimes feel like it's hard for me to breath, and that i'm not getting enough air. basically i just feel 'sickly'. and i also shake ALOT with. but i'm still undergoing medical care and hopefully i'll start feeling at least a little bit 'normal' soon. i just hope i don't have any serious diseases or cancer or anything like that. but i think if did have anything serious like that, they would have found them by now. maybe it's anxiety from all that i've been through or side-effects from  my medicine; cause i'm taking zoloft for depression/anxiety also, along with my stomach medicine. i'm going to request another blood test, just to see what's in there, lol. i really REALLY want to get better. i HATE feeling this way. i wonder alot if i'll ALWAYS feel like this. i hope not.

my symptoms are:

- heart palpitations (still)
- increased hunger
- constant painful headaches/migraines
- shakiness/trembling (not EXTREMELY bad shaking, just a little)
- 'smothering' feeling, shortness of breath
- increased sweating
- inability to do much physical activity
- anxiety/depression
- frequent soar throats

medicine that i am currently taking:

- 1 and a half zoloft tablet for depression/anxiety
- half tablet of clonzaepam for anxiety (i just recently started taking this) 2 times a day
- amoxicillin 3 times a day for my stomach infection
- esomeprazole 2 times a day also for my stomach infection
- ronidazole 2 times a day also for my stomach infection

that's an awful lot of medicine for a young girl my age to take, don't you think? but it's worth it and i only have to take my stomach meds temporarily and not for years (hopefully!). so i'm still pretty scared, cause even though i know i have an infection/bacteria in my stomach, i have all these other symptoms and my heart palpitations and migraines are driving me INSANE!!! i just hope it's nothing serious, then i could live with it. i guess it's really a good thing of doctors can't find anything wrong with you. if that's the case, it's probably nothing serious. that's what my doc today said. i did a stress test and he said everything was normal. he also did an ultrasound/echo on my stomach and kidneys, diaphram, etc. he said everything looked normal. i'm so happy to hear that, but i still feel like something's wrong. i just want to get better, and this "illness" is making what life i have left so difficult. i just want it all to go away.

[NixieKnox]

I know this is old here, but still I feel compelled to comment. Thank you for posting and for updating! You have likely saved the sanity of countless people who needed answers and were not getting at their own doctor. People may now have another idea to get their doctors thinking on. My father had H Pylori and it caused hum an ulcer which bled out when he took blood thinners after getting a blood clot after hip replacement. I hope you get well and stay well!

[upbeat633]

Because I want you to have the best possible outcome and be over this 100% for sure, please know the following:

After your course of antibiotic treatment, it is necessary, no I'd say "manditory", to perform another test to make sure that the bacteria has been eradicated from your body to prove that the antibiotic treatment worked.

If you were initially given a blood test to detect h.pylori (positive means you had developed antibodies to the presence of the bacteria), then you will need to do a different test, maybe a breath test--because the antibodies will still be in your body even after antibiotic treatment, and may be there for a year or more. Another blood test will probably show antibodies present, but won't answer the important question: is the bacteria gone?! Therefore, I suggest asking for a breath test after you complete your first round of antibiotics.

I want your treatment to be successful, but please know that more than one course of treatment may be necessary with different antibiotics because h.pylori can very quickly develop a resistance to antibiotics, this is why 3 different antibiotics are given as initial treatment--this bacteria is very adaptable!!!!!!!. So, if a second round of treatment is required, it should be with different antibiotics than what you are taking now.

I hope you feel better each and every day and that no further treatment is necessary, but it's good to know the facts.

[lagoya]

hi
sorry to ask so is h.pylori is the ending diagnosis then or another bacteria??
if u are on anti-biotics for a month be sure to take pre/pro-biotics as well or soon after it's important to keep the flora balanced ---
l-glutaime is a great product to protect the lining of the gut and will heal it and can be got in most health stores and is safe to take

[Sarah_Riot]

Ok, I feel a little better, thanks dolfnlvr!! you are sooooooo helpful and caring! thanks for all the help and advice!!!!!!!! i have to continue to take my medicine for a month, and i have NO problem with that. my doc said to take it even after i feel better, just like you said, so that ALL the bacteria is killed off and doesn't come back worse. i'm just happy that i KNOW i am physically sick and that everyone else knows it, too. before i found out i had the bacteria, i felt "ill", like i can't describe it, i just felt awful. my heart was the one thing that was bothering me the most, but i also felt like i had some sort of "illness", but physically, i think my heart is fine. thanks for the help, and take care yourself! =]

and aaron, i want for you to get better even more than you do. i know how it feels, many people on this site do, to know that you REALLY have something physically wrong with you and you wonder if you'll ever feel "normal" again. and then you go and get tests done, and they either can't find anything or don't know what it is so they pass it off as "anxiety" related symptoms. i'm sure you'll be ok, aaron.

my doctor was actually just a normal doctor. but he's really good and knows what he's doing. it is EXTREMELY important that you see an internal medicine doctors and get all the tests done that you and/your doctor feel are neccessary. this illness has seriously changed my life, and even if i recover, i'll always still feel kinda "weird", lol. i just HOPE that my damn heart palpitations go away. but at least my heart is young and healthy.
an i'm sure yours is too, aaron.

if ALL the tests on your heart come out fine, look for other "outside" reasons for your palpitations. maybe you have a virus or infection that you didn't even know you had (but i hope not, lol!). it's just a possibility. i had several blood tests until they FINALLY found the antibodies. seriously, i thought many times that maybe i had cancer or my heart was dying, lol. my advice, aaron: get blood tests done. get your thyroid checked, check for anemia, bacterial antibodies, celtic disease and lyme disease, wear a holtor monitor for maybe 24-48 hours. get an ultrasound and echocardiogram done on your heart. and do a stress test. this is REALLY gross, but sometimes pee and stool samples (sometimes H.PYLORI is only found then), are needed so that the doctors can check them for bacteria/infections that don't show up anywhere else. and saliva tests. you deserve each and every one of these tests in helping to find a diagnosis so you can get it treated and move on with your life. i'm still suffering, but at least am undergoing treatment. i hope we both get better. your'e young like me and we have our whole LIVES ahead of us, it's such a shame that these damn health problems are making it so difficult. i know it's tough, aaron. i'm still scared, too. i'm still scared that there may be other things wrong with me. i'm still scared for my heart. but i'm still getting headaches and soar throats. i might get an endoscopy. check that with your doc, too aaron. i hope soon we'll both recover from this hell, and this will just make us stronger. seriously, if i can get past this, i woulnd't let any thing else bother me, again.

best of luck, aaron. i hope we both recover soon!
i'm ALWAYS here for you! i wish i could hug you, too. haha! =]

[dolfnlvr]

H. pylori is the bacterium that causes most ulcers.  It is a crafty bugger and can hide pretty well.  Many times the infection is associated with heartburn and sudden reflux.  Usually there is no fever or "illness."  Now, I have had the "sudden reflux" and I concede that it is an "illness" but what I mean is that you don't often don't feel like you have the flu or anything, you just seem to relive your meals....

As for the infection causing palps, that's actually pretty common.  The increase in blood flow required to fight infections can increase blood pressure and heart rate which can lead to cells in the heart that get a bit "confused" and set off firing sequences out of sync.  This is pretty normal in serious infections, but I'm VERY glad that your doctor followed through and found the underlying cause!!!!

Hopefully the infection will be treated early enough that the rogue cells in your heart will be able to calm down and cause you no more anxiety.  Be assured, however, that if you do notice the infrequent skip or bump in your chest after this that your heart is in good shape :-)

Be sure to complete your ENTIRE antibiotic regimine EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU ARE FEELING BETTER.  This is EXTREMELY important with H. pylori (and all infections for that matter) because the bacteria can come back twice as strong and cause really big problems if you don't finish all your meds and follow-up with your dr.

Take care.  Congrats on finding the source!!!

[Aaron8903]

Wow, I checked just in time.

Anyway, no - we're NOT crazy. At least one of us is getting somewhere in terms of finding the cause, and ultimately a cure or treatment. I hope those pills work for you!

Thanks so much for the information. I didn't necessarily need to know his exact name, just what he is (i.e. ENT, cardiologist, etc.) so I can book some sort of appointment to see one (hehe, just going to copy you :P). If it was just a regular doctor, that's cool - guess I have to keep searching for a competent one here in Canada.

But what was the test? Like, a blood test? Just curious. But no joke - I'm going to walk into the room, and state "I need THIS test, and I want you too look for 'HELICOBACTER PYLORI' in my blood". Seriously, I've had this long enough - and it seems we're having very similar, if not exactly the same thing.

And yeah, my pulse is very strong in my stomach as well. It literally shakes (good thing I don't have a big belly, or it'll ripple my chub ... lol), and you can visually see it.

Interesting how you brought up the headaches. Just recently, I've been having really weird and bad headaches near the top of the head, sometimes also down the right side of the neck/head. Apparently, the virus is affecting that too (mentioned by a previous doctor).

Enjoy the pills, and hope everything works out for you. The day we're both well again - would be amazing! Again, thank you soo much for the information. I would travel to Germany and hug you if I could!

[Sarah_Riot]

hey, aaron.

i found out the name of my doc, he is GERMANY and is in BAMBERG, GERMANY and his name is DR. KRESSLER. but i'm not sure if that's exactly how his name is spelled. he's a good doctor, but he was always so busy. maybe you can see him one day. i'm sure he could help me, my internal medicine doctor is even BETTER!!!!!!!!!!

he knows EVERYTHING about the human body, especially the heart. that's why i can't wait to see him! i love him to death, he's totally awsome and REALLY cares about his patients (it seems like most doctors don't). his name is DR. GUESSMAN. i hope i spelled his name right, lol. and he's here in DOWNTOWN BAMBERG, GERMANY.
hope this helps. if your heart is fine, aaron, look for other things that could be causing your symptoms! it can't hurt. i've learned that lots of other things can cause heart problems without it actually being the heart ITSELF. but i hope we both get the answers we want and the treatment and tests that we need. don't give up, aaron. this is your LIFE that we're talking about. it just ***** that all these health problems are ruining our lives. i just hope we both get better soon. i'm sick of feeling this way.

good luck, aaron!! =]

[Sarah_Riot]

i saw a doctor here in bamberg, germany at the german health clinic. i forgot his name, but i'll ask my dad and then tell you, ok?

they found antibodies of a bacteria called "HELICOBACTER PYLORI" in my blood, and it's a spiral shaped bacterium that lives in the stomach and the section of intestine below the stomach. apparently, i have an infection in my stomach and i'm going to get more tests done. i have to take three different pills three times a day for a month! that's how serious the infection is. i guess that's what's been making me so sick.

but i'm still worried about my heart. the doc says it CAN'T spread to my heart or harm it in any way, and that when you have a virus or infection, it can cause heart palpitations because your heart just reacts to that. but so far my doc's say my heart is healthy. i'm feeling a little better, but i still have those constant, hard heavy heartbeats, and when i do just little things, i have to sit down because my heart beats too fast. i also see my oulse in my stomach, which i never noticed before. but my stomach and/or heart is always pounding so hard, that i shake a little, and everyone can see it through my t-shirts. i hope that when the bacteria in my stomach is gone, my heart palpitations will go away, too. if not, i don't know WHAT i'm going to do.

i still get to see my internal medicine doctor on friday, maybe he'll know more about what's going on with me. but he is NOT the doc who diagnosed me with the h.pylori. i've also been getting bad headaches and i CANNOT stand my ******* pounding heart. it drives me crazy and makes me feel nauseous. those damn doctors better know what they're doing. at least now everyone knows i'm NOT crazy.

[Aaron8903]

OMG, Sarah, I'm sooooooo happy for you. I need you to do me a favour - tell me EXACTLY what doctor you saw, what test was performed, and the exact name of the virus/bacteria that they supposedly found. That'd help me a lot, since it takes a very, very long time to see someone.

Hopefully the fact I've had this virus for 8+ months, it doesn't mean that (a) it spread/got worse, or (b) has actually caused harm to my heart. I can't tell you how difficult University's been with this thing in me...

OMG, wow - I'm still shocked. I NEED to see that doctor soon. Was it the doctor of internal medicine? Or, someone else? Please, tell me. I'm begging.

:-D   So happy for you.  

[upbeat633]

Thanks RNRita, good advice no matter how often said.

Sarah Riot and Aaron8903, I hope nothing comes of all of the tests you have had or will have, except this: piece of mind.

That is something that is very valuable, no matter the cost of all the tests or if you think you are driving the doctor nuts with all your symptoms or requests for more tests, just do it.

But, this I know, having experienced a very similar situation to what you are both living through now (and yes, when I was 18 and first going through all this, I lived in Canada, so Aaron I know exactly how you feel about the length of wait).... I know that the doctors aren't "missing" something. I also know, they don't know everything so it's good to get as complete a history and diagnostic testing as you possibly can.

But if all tests are exhausted and still nothing is found, you have to trust that maybe you are ok. I didn't want to admit that anxiety could affect me the way that it does, and at the times that it did. I always thought no one could FEEL THIS BAD, and not have something wrong. But it caused me on several occassions to be on the way out the door to the E.R., sick and convinced I was going to die, and then I'd stop and rethink the whole E.R. thing (because here in the U.S.A that could be very costly). So I've never been, but I've had all the tests that I think are appropriate.

RnRita is correct, stress/anxiety can make your body and mind perform circus acts you never though possible. It's a cruel thing, but if it's the cause of how you feel now, treating it can open a new world to you both.

Get what you think is needed, I had to muddle through it when I was only 18 and it took several years before I figured it out--it was indeed panic attacks, and whether the pvcs caused the attacks, or the other way around, I had to accept that it was anxiety as a large factor in how I felt day to day, not my heart and not anything else. Hang in there, I was never really comfortable until I could talk with other people who had "been there, done that", like the people on this forum.

[RNRita]

Well, it might be moot, but here it is:

HI there.  Please try to stay as calm as possible.  Also, read the posts here.  You are in the right place.  The symptoms you have, we all have had at one time or another.  I have lived with these symptoms for 31 years and have felt like I was dying many times.  I didn't.  The more afraid you are, the more you work yourself up and the more these things will happen.  If you think that when they wake you up from sleep, they can't be from anxiety, think again.  Stress and anxiety can cause a multitude of horrible symptoms.  Your body LOVES to react to the chemicals released by fear.  Before you get upset at what I'm saying listen to this:  I don't think anxiety STARTED your symptoms.  The heart
just does things to some people.  However, once it does something to scare you, your body will react and make everything worse.  Trust me on this one.  If they've done all these tests and are going to do more, listen to them.  If you feel bad, come here and talk to us.  Read these posts.  They will help you cope.  I don't think they will find anything seriously wrong with you, but if they would, they may be able to treat it.  Try to relax as much as you can until then.  Oh...and water never hurt anyone!  *hugs*

[Aaron8903]

Oh, please -- that would be awesome if you could tell what your Doctors said. It's amazing how fast you can see doctors over there. I live in Canada, and it takes about 2 months just to get an appointment with a specialist. Sure, it may be free (covered through taxes), but I've gotten literally no where in over 8 months. Now I'm just waiting to see the internist.

I love this site, too.    :-D

[Aaron8903]

I'm literally begging for answers myself. From the last time we've communicated, everything's pretty much the same. Plus, it seems my family doctor is almost sick of referring me to specialists, considering he believes it's "all in my head." I can guarantee you, and anyone else reading this post, it is NOT 100% in my head. Whatever Sarah and I isn't just gained overnight, and lasts months on end with a multitude of treatments and tests -- it cannot be so.

I'd love to know the outcome of your results seeing the endocrinologist, as I have yet to see one. I've done a few hormone tests, but nothing this deep. As it came up, my stress hormone level in INCREDIBLY high -- most likely from the months of constant worry, pain, and frustration.

At least if one of us gets answers, it'll help.  :)  

PS: To Jerry_NJ, welcome to MedHelp.

[Jerry_NJ]

All,
Sorry, my post was in fact directed to Sarah, picked up the other poster's name by mistake.  
Rita,
I'm new here, but I would be interested in seeing your post on another thread, perhaps you'll copy and paste on this thread.

Thanks,
Jerry