EKG-Says I've had a heart attack maybe? Panic attacks? Worried and confused..

[JulzAmor]

Hello all,

Thanks for taking the time to read my question, I apologize in advance but this may be a bit long.
Here goes! I have been suffering with anxiety for many many years on and off never anything to severe. This past October(2015) I stumbled on some hard times and had to move in with family that i really do not care for just to make it short they emotionally and mentally upset me on a daily bases and i already deal with a lot of issues so this just added to the pot until in late December i suffered my first panic attack at 27 years old. I made an appointment with my DR they put me on celexa. Early march I started to feel my heart beat like never before it was all the way in my neck and i was rushed to the hospital my Potassium levels were very low and causing palpitations they gave me a bag of Potassium and some supplements to take home. The next day my heart felt weird again this time i was rushed to the ER again this time i was told i have an elongated QT i think is what its called this doctor said he thought that this was due to the CELEXA so i quit taking it because he said so. After a month i noticed my panic attacks coming on 2-3 times a day and my anxiety was out of control i couldn't leave the house. It seems like i was always going to the ER with my heart beating up to 180 SINUS Tachycardia which was explained to me is common with Panic attacks and that it was a good rhythm just fast.  I sufferd for months going to the ER feeling like my heart was going to explode but always told my heart was fine just fast i must have had 10 EKG since march and its now July. Well I finally got a new doctor since i moved and i saw her for a ear infection i told her i was a bit dizzy and that i also suffer from vertigo for about a year. She checked my ears and heart and then said she wanted to do another EKG ( keep in mind i had just had 2 at the hospital a week or two before because i had another Panic attack it was fine just SINUS tach again which is normal for me) So when the nurse came to give me my EKG i could feel myself fighting a panic attack i do not like doctors,nurse,hospitals i just have a weird phobia. I could feel my heart pounding and i let her know i was having one. After the nurse was done the Doctor rushed in and showed me my EKG it said ABNORMAL with me building up into a panic attack i just was freaking out, she explained that it showed i had an elevated heart rate(SINUS tach) well duh i was panicking i thought to myself and its not uncommon for that to happen to me when i get worked up, BUT then it also said INFERIOR or ANTERIOR INFARCT. I asked what that meant and she said lack of oxygen to the heart. She the showed me the graph (i guess thats what it is) of my heart and she said the graph did not indicate that i had an infarct. She said we would do another on my next visit. I just dont get it i would know if i had a heart attack or something im sure every EKG i have had was normal just fast. This has go me scared to death why would it flag me when my EKG was normal just fast because of my anxiety. Can the EKG say one thing and the test show another when the DR reads it? Sorry this is so long guys i just wanted you to know the whole story so i could get a good answer thanks for reading.

[MichelleP_3811]

The EKG devices tend to give a lot of false positives.  If the doctor said they did not believe it was a true heart attack I would go by their word.  The fact that your heart was beating fast fooled the machine into thinking your heart was being deprived of oxygen.  it may have been somewhat deprived when your heart is beating at 180, there is a dip in the amount of oxygen we get when our hearts beat fast but it isn't a true oxygen deprivation that happens after a heart attack.   I think it important that you take steps to work on the anxiety you are experiencing.  Maybe try meditation or yoga to learn to walk through the emotions that your family is bringing up in you.  I have anxiety myself, not as badly as you but I know it can be hard to control but the more you take a leading role in dealing with it the less it will take over your life and well being.  I might consider trying a different anxiety med and see if that helps without giving you Long QT.  Take care.