Anxiety or heart problem?

[ginger515]

I'm a 21 year old female. A year back I went onto a strict diet regime to lose weight. I totally avoided junk and sweet things. Although I tried not to cut down on healthy food but sometimes I did eat less. I'm a vegetarian. A few months back I had a strong dizzy spell. Ever since then I'm having problems with digestion. Also I have had spells of anxiety attacks, if I may call them so. I feel really jittery, my heart beats heavy and I feel bloated. I have started to eat normal now, no cutting back on any specific foods except the too fatty ones. From the past few days I'm feeling the same again, jittery, heavy heart beat, bloated and a little nauseous. I did consult a doctor sometime back and he told me it was stress and anxiety. But that was a few months back. Is it normal for it to recur? Or could it be something else?
Ps. I did lose a lot of weight.

[Jerry_NJ]

As a guy working on getting down to 220 pounds (Yep, a bit over 5' 2" I a,. about 1' 3" over) I decided to read.

I believe you missed the point (or I couldn't/didn't) read it, it was suggested you have your blood sugar (maybe a complete blood test) done, not have your blood pressure tested.

I eat about everything and can still lose weight if I cut back on snacks and sweets... sugar and calories the big issues.  Still, we have to maintain a complex set of nutrients (?) in our blood to be healthy and strict diets are notorious (I have no data on this point) for cutting too much of one thing or another out of one's diet.

Congratulations on you weight, bet you look great, now feeling great is the next goal..good luck.

[MichelleP_3811]

Your fast weight loss may be part of the problem.  You are technically in the normal range for your height but you are at the bottom end of your normal so your body may to some degree feel like it is starving a bit.  Or your body may be having a reaction to something it is missing in your diet.  Even with a vegetarian diet please make sure it is well rounded.  Protein is very important and can be missed in some of the 'healthy' diets so like I said before maybe seek out a dietitian to make sure you are getting the proper nutrition in with your new lifestyle.  Maybe something as simple as adding some supplements will help.  And yes the heart burn and bloating can be contributing to your heart acting up as well.  

[ginger515]

*pounds

[ginger515]

I'm 5'2'' and weigh around 120 ponds and now I weigh 105 approx.
And I too think that weight loss might be the culprit here.

[gothic_beauty]

May I ask what your height and weight is at the moment? Does it fall into a healthy range? I ask because being underweight is extremely hard on the heart. I would argue that it is even more stressful on this vital organ than the opposite problem of obesity.

I know this from experience: my own considerable heart rhythm problems started immediately after I lost a lot of weight. I went from 115 pounds to 99 in a matter of weeks, and no sooner had I lost the weight than I started experiencing episodes of skipped heartbeats and rapid heart rates as high as 180 beats per minute. I was terrified and certain I was going to die. Recognising the correlation between my weight loss and my health problems, I gained ten pounds back, and my troubles soon subsided. I have since had all sorts of tests done on my heart, and they have all come back normal. My doctors have diagnosed me with extreme anxiety. However, I refuse to ignore the fact that my problems anxiety started at the same time as I lost weight. Furthermore, I have read in numerous places that anxiety can be triggered by physical causes, most notably low blood sugar or an imbalance in electrolytes, both of which are common side effects in weight loss. I may be suffering from anxiety, but it didn't come out of nowhere.

Weight loss is a good thing when it is needed for greater health and energy. However, as Confucius said, 'to go too far is the same as to not go far enough.' In other words, losing too much weight is doing your health as much harm as not losing any at all. The modern world encourages us women to be as thin as possible, with little regard for what this goal is doing to us psychologically and physically. It's so sad. Don't fall prey to any of it. I've finally realised that I'd rather be healthy than adhere to some fleeting ideal of female beauty, and I hope you feel the same. Please take care of yourself, and believe in your own unique beauty. If you do this, I promise that you will feel better.

Take care :)

[ginger515]

Thanks for the advice guys :) And I did get my blood pressure checked and it turned out to be normal. The doctor checked it too. He did not recommend any tests. Also I do get heartburn and bloatedness
alongside. Could it be the cause?

[MichelleP_3811]

I would be concerned that with a new healthy regimen if you are maybe having dips into low blood sugar.  If you haven't had your blood checked out I would go and get a full panel to see where all your levels are at.  Maybe consult a dietitian to make sure you are eating properly for your body type.  As well make sure you are drinking plenty of water and possibly check for stomach issues.  Things like acid reflux can cause the heart to act up.  I am sure once you find the source your symptoms will subside but keep up the healthy living.  Take care.

[mbclubph]

Anxiety can mimic whole lot of symptoms. Did your doctor check everything before diagnosing you of anxiety? Why dont you go to another doctor to answer all your concerns and check all possible cause. Hope you feel better soon. Symptoms you listed can be from serious to non serious problems like anxiety , heart problem , thyroid problem , Electrolytes imbalance hope you feel better