My heart thumps hard when my anxiety kicks in

[SubXV]

Hi all

I've already posted on the anxiety forum, but I wanted to post here to see if anyone who knows more about the heart could shed some light.  I apologise in advance as I know there are more pressing questions on here than mine, but I appreciate the time you've taken to read it... Thank you.

I've always suffered with health anxiety issues, they've mainly been limited to just worrying about a health condition without any external symptoms of anxiety. After a while, I've always been able to dismiss the worrying thoughts and get on with life.

However recently, I've started to experience more overt symptoms of anxiety.

I've had alot going on lately and I believe this may have triggered some of my symptoms: adrenaline, feeling wired, racing heart beat, thumping heart, chest pains. It's gotten to the point where just thinking about the anxiety triggered it.  I would measure my BP when this happened and unsurprisingly, it would be slightly elevated above an average reading.

I've managed to develop a coping strategy, focusing on my breaths which really helps, however I have a new worry.

When my heart would race, there would be occasions when it felt like it would just 'catch' and stop momentarily.  When it pumped again, the commencing beat would be a very hard beat.
It felt like the heart would stop and contract so that it could pump harder.  It would feel like a great deal of pressure was being generated.  I've had a few of these episodes and I'm now a little worried that these hard beats/pumps and the perceived increase in blood pressure, could have caused damage to my heart or more specifically my aorta.  I'm worried that the pressure generated from the hard beat could have in fact damaged the aorta causing an aneurysm to develop.

Can anyone tell me what these momentary catches are and if in fact it could cause damage to the heart or cause an aneurysm?

Many thanks

[SubXV]

Thanks for your comments of reasurance guys. It's scary when it happens, but sometimes it helps to know that others have felt the same anxieties and gotten through this :)
The human body is an amazing machine, but it scares me silly sometimes!

[Stjopa]

Yes, and the mind is sooo powerfull, I used to be an athlete, very active, lots of cardio, i also used to laugh at people who had anxiety and/or panic disorders, until it hit me. I went from Ironman to someone that is afraid to walk around the block.

[yilak1]

Your not alone
I have the same exact feeling of yours for 4 years!!
I've had anxiety and a lot of stress when my relative passed away and after i had these weird forceful beats like a butterfly inside feeling it's a weird feeling that you can't describe it to know cause they haven't feeled it and I get you bro I had this and had anxiety a lot first when I had this I felt very scared but ignored it but I knew little that something was wrong with my heart
But let's come to the queation absolutely it will not damage your heart I've posted the same exact post and no if you have a structurally normal heart it's not dangerous its fine but for sure its Pvc!
Get back to me straight :)

[Matto24]

Just pvcs you just fell them just like me it sucks and no one is answering my post which is giving me anxiety.

[Stjopa]

What do you wanna know?

[Stjopa]

And when it comes to blood pressure, it can go up when you're nervous without palpitations or it can be normal and you can sense them. Mine was pretty normal when I had the last episode, and I thought it was 250/110, it was 135/85 actually, so just slightly up.  

[Stjopa]

Hi, anxiety always comes with physical symptoms, that's what makes it so hard to cope with. Racing heart or palpitations with some beats that are skipped is one of the scariest symptoms and sensations. Luckily most of these should be benigne, they're just symptoms, try to look at them that way. Underlying problem is in your head, in your mind. Mind is so powerful that it can convince the body that something fatal will happen. Body prepares for flight or fight then, but you already know about it if you are fighting anxiety for a long time. If your heart is structurally normal then no worries. Do some tests to reasure you and to calm you down. If there is a heart problem there are great medicaments to keep it under control and there is ablation as the last resort, google that one up. I ended up at ER the other day my friend died, my heart was mad, skipping beats, thumping, and the dr.said: You won't die, I guarantee you. As soon as he said that my heart rate went from 100 to 90 and soon after to 80. So just relax, and know that you are not alone.