Oh my God! just had the worst thing happen! Help!

[Jon10]

Hi all

Sorry to be so dramatic but i just had the worst thing i have experienced with my heart. I have flutters occasionally but i just had the worst one ever! I was standing in a shop waiting to get my item when my heart stopped i felt a filling sensation in my chest, i quickly felt my pulse and nothing was there (this all happened in about one and a half seconds. And then BANG my heart started beating again. This just seemed to be a more violent version of what i get. Ive had a week long monitering of my heart which was normal! I had lots of acohol last night and am very anxious. Should i go to the hospital? Can my heart stop for good?

[Itsmejay]

Hey Rachelrowe333.  Just reading this in 2015 and have similar story.. Was wondering if u still check this and how are things?

[suzi-q]

Best of luck to you Jon...I truly wish you the best!  And, believe it or not, we meant no harm and are hear to help.

[Barbarella]

The fact that you think you are not an alcoholic, but started the detox anyway shows that you want to help yourself.  Good luck to you!

[Jon10]

Its a wrap, barbarella is spot on, i was only mentioning te alcohol because I was trying to find out if they can cause/aggrivate heart flutter. Im glad I have managed to clear up that i`m not an alcoholic. Infact, i started my detox today which invloves no alcohol. The only reason this all started is because that tosser toostressed decided to cut and paste my entire history on here for everyone to see, something which i think is an outrage. Im ok with everyone on here, i dont hate "americans". There is no such thing as an "american" you guys are only 200 odd years old for gods sake, USA is younger than the football team i support! Anyway thats besides the point.

I`ll just look on here from now on, cant be arsed with posting, if its going to cause a scene.

Take care, be lucky

C`mon visit london, best city in the world! and its over 1400 years old! A bit of history will do you guys some good.

[threesacharm]

GEEZ...this question/answer page is nuts!!!  anyone have a panic attack yet????   i have no comments because i think everyone has probably covered everything that can be covered, except.....if jon hates what us "AMERICANS" say....maybe he should go on an anxiety forum for BRITS only....also Jon it is this simple...if you can't handle what people have to say or advice they give you, don't go on the forum!!!!

[April2]

I get PVC's too. I started getting them about 6 months ago. I thought at first it was because I had an extemely stressful year this last year, but things have gotten much better. They went away for a month or two and just came back this week out of the blue. I can't understand why. I don't know what I could have done differently. Someone told me if your electrolytes are messed up that can trigger them. I do think I don't drink enough water, so I might be a bit dehydrated, especially where I live. It's a very dry, arid place.
I know what you mean about the ice cream! :D I have a weakness for it too. However, it tends to give me a stomachache the next day so I think I might be lactose intolerant. It doesn't stop me from craving it, though! I've finally gotten to the point where I told my kids I'm not going to buy it anymore because no one lets it last. It's gone in a couple of days! I realized my teenage daughter was eating it every day and that kind of woke me up. I don't want to teach her bad eating habits. She used to be real active in sports but hasn't been this last year because of her grades and I have noticed she's gained about 10 pounds. I haven't said anything to her because I don't want her to feel self-conscious but it made me think if I was passing on unhealthy habits. I never used to have a problem with snacking until I stopped smoking 12 years ago. I think I replaced one bad habit for another! Only the weight seems harder to get off than quiting smoking! I'm getting ready to start another diet. 'Sigh' , so wish me luck! I would like to lose about 30 pounds. It seems a lot harder in my 40's than it was in my 20's! I also had a baby 3 years ago and didn't seem to lose the weight as easily this time! Oh well, I got a beautiful baby boy out of it! Just feeling my age, I guess! :)

[Barbarella]

April,

Good post, and good advise!  I know about anything can be addictive :) I was so strong over the weekend, but I just came back from the grocery store where I got weak and bought another gallon of ice cream, Bryers my favorite brand :)

I think the reason Jon kept on mentioning the alcohol is because he was trying to find out what his triggers are for these PVC's, but we long time PVC sufferers know there don't need to be a cause at all, but some things can bring them on quicker.  I don't drink and I have them frequently again lately, and then I can go for weeks with no PVC's whatsoever.  Its a mystery Cardiologists cannot even explain.

[April2]

Jon, I don't understand. Several times in your previous posts you mentioned your drinking habits. Why would you keep bringing it up if you didn't feel like it could be part of your problems? You could have just left all of that out and only posted about your PVC's and nobody would have known how much or often you drink. We only know because you kept writing about it. You also talked about doing a detox. Why would you mention that if you didn't feel like your drinking was a problem for you?
I'm not attacking you at all. I'm just confused. I hope you can help me understand. I don't know you and I don't know whether you are an alcoholic or not. I've just seen the damage alcohol can do in my own family so maybe I'm extra sensitive to it.
Social drinking is fine. I drink occasionally. But if I ever start to feel like I HAVE to have a drink, then I'll know I'm in trouble. I've just learned how much is ok for me. When I was your age, I used to go out with my friends on the weekends to discos and bars and drink too much. Then I'd feel sick or hung over the next day. It took years, but finally I got tired of that. I figured out how much I could drink without getting drunk (in my case it's usually no more than three drinks) and still feel good in the morning! I also try to make sure that I drink plenty of water if I've had a few drinks because alcohol really dehydrates you. That's really why we tend to feel hung over the next day with a headache. It's because we're dehydrated. As long as you can drink responsibly and not feel like you HAVE to have it then go ahead and drink once in awhile. Anything can be addictive if we feel like we have to have it or can't stop, even overeating. Just don't let anything control you and you'll be okay. Best wishes.

[Barbarella]

Aside frim Jon whether what he is or is not doing to himself being not American can mean the person was raised in a different country, culture and different attitude about what is or is not drinking to much, and being an alcoholic in the country he/she lives/comes from means heavily boozing every day and night.  

I lived my first 21 yrs in Germany, and when I was I think 19 yrs old I had a bladder infection.  The doctor told me "to drink as much beer as I can without getting drunk this would put my kidneys in overdrive so I can pee a lot" I did get meds too.  Of course by then I already knew that even one glass of any kind of alcohol gives me a headache out of this world.  I told him that and he then said "then get the alcohol free beer".  He did not say that at first.  You don't have to be 21 to drink alcohol, but 18.

My father left when I was 6 yrs old, parents divorced, but since about the age of 5 and till he left I had to go to the store and get bottles of beer for him, about three I could carry and bring it to him.  In Germany kids no matter how young can buy beer for their parents.  I used to accompany my friends many times after that when they had to go shop for beer for their fathers.  I never remembered ever a kid wanting to know how beer tastes, and wanting to open a bottle to get a "sip"  This was a drink for grown ups, and that was the end of that.  

I go about twice a week on a German healthboard located in Germany where doctors answer your questions, its not a chat room with others only Q&A with doctors.  One doctor after closing out his response to a poster said "and now I'm going home, but I will first stop to get me a couple of beers, as you know beer has hops, and vitamins, and is healthy for you".  He was not advertising for a certain brand of beer, there are tons of them, but just in general.

Now imagine over here kids going to the store and buying beer for their parents.  Hell, over here a cashier under 21 can't even ring people up who buy beer like the cashier would open a can and drink right there in front of customers.  It ticks us off everytime when the cashier has to leave her stand and get somebody "of age" to ring up the beer while people are standing in line having to wait while the cashier is strolling off in slow motion taking her sweet time.

Imagine a doctor over here telling somebody to "drink as much beer as he/she can without getting drunk because its good for his/her kidneys".  Imagine a doctor on a healthboard saying "I will get me a couple of beers now after all its very healthy for you" and pointing out why.

If somebody is raised in a country where you are labeled an alcoholic only if you drink constantly and excessively, and this person just started to post here or just came to the U.S. not thinking he/she is an alcoholic and then finding out how soon you are classified an alcoholic over here, I can understand that this person is surprised by some of the responses.

[nevermindu]

I didn't know you weren't "american".I read your posts and all I got from those was that you lived in Britain.You could be a freakin monkey for all I know but I reached out to you because I have a 23 year old son and if he were having these problems I'd want him to get help too.Since his Dad is an alcoholic and his Dads dad is an alcoholic I pounded it in his head from the time he was a kid that his chances of being an alcoholic were great.Thank goodness he's not a drinker.He saw what the alcohol did to our family he saw what it did to his Dads family.It destroyed his Dads family horribly.I could fill pages with how but I won't.If you are really concerned about what you are experiencing,go get a complete physical and be 100% honest with the doctor.Print out your posts and take them with you if you aren't afraid to be honest.You know, I really hope you get help no matter what.You are so young and I imagine that you could be my son and I feel deeply for you even if I don't know you.And I repeat,you being British has no bearing on the whole matter.My ex-husband is Filipino.I have no predjudices against anyones race,country,or religion.We are just all humans trying to get by in life and the more friends we can have the better even if they are faceless on a forum somewhere.Good luck to you.If my  post sounds meloncholy I apologize.It's very early here and I've had 3 very emotionally bad days due to work problems and I just feel sad right now.I truly apologize if you've felt ganged up on.Have a good day Jon.

[bip]

Hey, We are just trying to help you we all suffer from anxiety its a horrible feeling.  Dont get all down and out cause we were giving you a adivse. Try to relax and enjoy life.  I think you have a drink cause you have severe anxiety everybody copes with anxiety different ways. Me I dont eat I lose my appetite and get very moody. Nobody is against you here just remember when you post we all try to support you much as we can.  

Habg in there Jon....

[Happy2girls]

Sorry you feel ganged up on.  I really do think everyone here is just trying to help you.  At the very least I hope you can see that alcohol is most likely the trigger for your severe anxiety.  Why not try to abstain for a bit and see if things calm down?      

[Raine9]

Okay, you are NOT an alcoholic.  Nonetheless, alcohol in any amount can cause a person who is suffering from an anxiety disorder to become anxious.  I drink on occasion and I do notice a heightened level of anxiety after the "buzzed" feeling wears off.

If you are suffering from anxiety, you need to take care of yourself in many ways, physical, mental etc.  You exercise, which is very good.  Now you just need to focus on your diet.  Diet plays a huge role in anxiety.  As for your heart, go see a cardiologist and get a full work up to rule out anything physical.  Many A/P sufferers worry about their heart, though.  

Anyway, since you're from the UK,  CHEERS!

[suzi-q]

With all due respect, we are just trying to help.  We see that you are always so sick after drinking and we cannot understand why you are drinking!  You are right, there is nothing wrong with a social drink....but you say that you binge drink and then suffer horrible hangovers.  We are not ganging up on you because you are not "american"...you are a person suffering from anxiety just as we all are.  And we do want to support you as well as anyone on this site.  Believe me, alcohol is everywhere.  I grew up on the outskirts of NYC and believe me, the bars are hopping here all the time also by college age kids.  I was one of them, too.  It just seems that alcohol is causing some of your problems and even your doctor told you to stop.  Of course it is your choice...I am not ignorant, I just see you as a high speed train heading for a wall....just trying to slow you down before you crash.

[Jon10]

All you lot are ganging up on me because i`m not an "american". Fot the last time im not an alcoholic i am someone who enjoys their social life and has a drink when they go out. Much like the majority of people in britain. I hate the thought of having a drink at home, sometimes I can go several weekends without drinking, infact, i would say that out of my group of friends I probably drink the least. The only problem I have is my irrational thoughts on symptoms like palpitations much like all of you. Like for example if i have a drink i will get a slight headache the next day, as would everyone, but i would interpret this headache as something like a stroke or haemorrhage, again thats the irrational hypochondria. If alcohol is causing my symptoms then exercise is equally to balem for me because i get worried after exercise when my heart is beating fast. Its the same thing. If i am an alcoholic then 75% of young adults in the UK are alcoholics. Alcohol is not to blame for my anxiety its a genitic thing as my dad was a raving hypochondriac for years without even touching a drop of alcohol. Anyone who thinks im a alcoholic please dont respond to anything i ever say on here again because frankly you are ignorant and not worth listening to. I have always been nice to people on here, but now im angry because most of you are missing the point here. Those who are can think what they like but dont, whatever you do, talk to me again. I mean it.

[April2]

About 10 years ago my husband realized that he had a drinking problem. At first he was in total denial. Really for the first 10 years of our marraige he was in denial. He too only drank on the weekends but he did drink too much and acted stupid or would pass out. I finally had enough and told him I was taking the kids and leaving him if he didn't stop drinking. He knew I was serious. Then his dad died unexpectadly. After the funeral, he came back changed. He stopped drinking and started going to AA and a program through his work. He did have a couple of slip ups but when I again threatened to leave, he'd call a friend to come over and pray with us. He hasn't had a drop since. He used to say that I was the one with the problem. He used all the excuses that an alcoholic in denial will use.
I hope that it doesn't take you losing everything to wake up. My husband was smart enough to see that. I hope that you will see that we are all here to help you. We care. We don't want to see you destroy yourself. My sister is an alcoholic in total denial. It breaks my heart because she's destroying her life and there's nothing I can do about it. I had to watch my uncle die a horrible death realted to alcohol abuse. He destroyed his liver and he was only in his 50's, too young to die. Like I said, please just see that we care and want to help. A lot of us are speaking from personal experience. Don't be so prideful that you won't be willing to take an honest look at yourself and see if there's anything to what we've all said and have seen. Sometimes it takes an outsider looking in to see what we don't see. I wish you the best. Take care of yourself. We're only given one life, and it's precious.

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

wow , your a very anger young person, you need help , when you first started coming on here we was all here for you , we tired to help you out and felt sorry for you as we all have anxiety problems, but after 4-5 post about anxiety and your drinking hangovers , i saw you was not helping yourself and only making it worse, i got titred of reading your post about your problems anf it always had drinking in it , so i knw there was no way we could help you on here you needed to go see a real person face to face , maybe they could tell you to stop drinking thats your problem, you dont have to be nasty with people that were only trying to help you out , wanting you to see what your problem is , read up look at all your post , join aaa and get the help you need .dont come on here if you cant be nice , we are only trying to help you .

[bip]

You all dont have to explain to him he is just going to learn the hard way. He has no respect exspecily  calling ladies names and F Off its rude...  Im very upset with him....

[nevermindu]

That you are actually TRYING to defend your drinking says so much about you.As I said before,my ex-husband was and is an alcoholic and he DID NOT drink every day.When he drank on weekends he drank himself into oblivion.On one particular New Years Eve he drank an entire 5th of rum and had to be carried to my car and and then driven home and then unloaded into my house and put to bed.The rest of my friends and myself stayed out and did not feel the need to get drunk even tho it was NYE.You have an excuse for every time you drink.We are strangers.Why do you feel the need to explain anything to us?If you're not an alcoholic go on your merry way and be done with us.For some reason you feel compelled to keep coming back.And just so you know my "friend" an alcoholic is an alcoholic no matter what country,county,city,town,or blip on the map you may live on.And you can tell me to "F" off all day long.I lived with the drunk who told me that on a regular basis.Big "effen" deal dude.I agree with Spade22,quit complaining and embrace what isn't the problem.

[Mark TX]

I'm not going to get into semantics about what is or is not 'alcoholism'.  But here's something I KNOW FOR A FACT.  If you come on a public board explaining about alcohol binges leading to emergency room visits, then it only makes sense to STOP drinking alcohol.  It doesn't matter whether you're living in Britain, or France or Manhattan.  The UK doesn't have a monopoly on heavy partying, believe me.  I learned as much about heavy partying in Texas and Washington DC as I could have in any London pub. You got to give up that party and drinking binge lifestyle, mate!  I know, cause I've been there.  And I don't consider myself an alcoholic.  Some people might.  But that's neither here nor there.  I do know that the alcohol wasn't good for me.  And I didn't need to end up in the emergency room to figure that out.  Though I did go through some rough 'hangovers.'  That's putting it mildly.  =)

I watched my uncle drink himself to death.  And I'm watching my sister eat herself into oblivian.  And neither of them could or would admit or talk about their problems.  If you're having this serious of a problem at the ripe young age of 23 or whatever... you really need to address it now.  Because if your in the hospital due to your drinking at 23, you'll be in the grave due to your drinking by 30.  Or somewhere very miserable.  There's no doubt about that.

I've got friends who are 50 or 60 and still drink up a storm almost every night of the week.  They never get sick, never go to the hospital, never complain.  Their livers are probably shot... but that's another story.  Good for them.  I can't do that.  You can't do that.  I suspect just about everybody on this forum can't do that... because if you're dealing with anxiety or panic or other medical issues... the alcohol just isn't tolerable the way other people can tolerate it.  So explaining about what all your friends do doesn't mean anything.  Because unlike you, your friends aren't running to the emergency room and pleading for help on a message board, are they?

I gave up beer and was able to continue socializing quite ably for many years on club sodas with a twist of lime.  Most people in the bars assumed I was drinking vodka.  You'll be surprised at how little drunks pay attention.  No social stigma whatsoever.  And it felt great to wake up without hangovers.

You need to think about where you want to be two, five or ten years from now.  And you also need to think about what you want from this message board.  Because the best thing you'll find here is experience.  People who've been exactly where you are.  And perhaps you don't want to hear what they have to say.  Well, that's fine.  But expect to hear it anyway.

Good luck.

mark

[spade22]

Alcoholism:

"The DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence represents one approach to the definition of alcoholism. In part this is to assist in the development of research protocols in which findings can be compared with one another. According to the DSM-IV, an alcohol dependence diagnosis is:

...maladaptive alcohol use with clinically significant impairment as manifested by at least three of the following within any one-year period: tolerance; withdrawal; taken in greater amounts or over longer time course than intended; desire or unsuccessful attempts to cut down or control use; great deal of time spent obtaining, using, or recovering from use; social, occupational, or recreational activities given up or reduced; continued use despite knowledge of physical or psychological sequelae."


"Spade22, listen to yourself, you are a first class muppet! You dont know anything about me so stop trying to analyse my drinking you ignorant fool. "

LMAO - All I know about you is what YOU post.  I reposted YOUR posts and you took MAJOR offense - where was the "analyzing" in that?????  If drinking is not a problem for you, why do you keep bringing it up in YOUR posts???

"The fact is im actually a light weight, I`ll drink four beers and feel rough the next day. Thats what i mean when i say my hangovers make me feel more anxious, because i get them easily."

If you feel "rough" after drinking only four beers but you elect to drink 15 beers over the course of a weekend it is no wonder you feel so anxious.  It is ironic that you then COMPLAIN about how you are feeling.

"....you have no idea about the culture of drinking in Britain. Something us Brits are proud of..."

Negative health effects come with the territory of drinking.  Since you are PROUD of your drinking culture and want to be a part of that, in spite of the health consequences it has resulted in and advice of your doctor, then you need to embrace it and NOT complain about how it is making you feel.  

[suzi-q]

Call it what you want and you can call us whatever you want.  We do not know you so we are seeing you objectively.  Whether or not you see yourself as having a "drinking problem" is not our concern.  You have told us that when you drink, you get terrible anxiety the next day.  The logical thing to do is to stop drinking...however, you choose not to.....whether or not you see that as a problem is up to you.  Obviously, alcohol is ruining your health...you decide if you want to continue putting nails in your coffin.

FYI- an ALCOHOLIC is person in which alcohol has control over the person...the person does not have control over the alcohol.  It is NOT a person who drinks everyday....that is the later stages of alcoholism...when the alcohol totally ruins the person's life.   Whether you drink once a week or even once a month...if you drink to excess and always need "one more" it is a sign of an alcoholic.  A saying from alcoholics is "one is too many and two is not enough"..do you see yourself in this statement?  The fact that you choose to ruin your health for the sake of alcohol is the writing on the wall.  You take if trom there.  

[bip]

WATCH YUR MOUTH.  

[Jon10]

you lot are hillarious! Unbelievable! An alcoholic? In britian, someone who is an alcoholic is someone who is dependant on alcohol. Someone who has to drink large amounts of a specific alcoholic beverage EVERY SINGE DAY! I drink on Fridays and Sturdays and thats it, occasionally on weekdays if the football is on. When i drank 40units of alcohol over a period it was because i was on holiday and had several weddings back to back. Forty units a week is only 15 beers in a week in our measurements and thats 3 units a beer, so are you telling me that 15 beers in a week is an alcoholic? Spade22, listen to yourself, you are a first class muppet! You dont know anything about me so stop trying to analyse my drinking you ignorant fool. The fact is im actually a light weight, I`ll drink four beers and feel rough the next day. Thats what i mean when i say my hangovers make me feel more anxious, because i get them easily. Cut this alcoholic sh*t out coz its serious and people who are alcoholics would`nt appreciate you labbling someone who has 15 beers a week one! Some of you guys are so ignorant its unbelieveable. Now, hopefully i have cleared it up that im not an alcoholic, and one or two of you can make an apology.

I was crying of laughter when i read spades last post!!! Failed medical student im sure! Just coz you yanks are not allowed to drink till your 21 and can shoot someone when your 16 you have no idea about the culture of drinking in Britain. Something us Brits are proud of. Its not my fault your country is messed up and you dont get the chance to experience things in the correct order.

Barberella knows what im talking about.

If someone calls me an alcoholic one more time i`ll say more than F**k off!

15 BEERS A WEEK IS NOT AN ALCOHOLIC YOU TWATS!!!!!