View Full Version : Is an ECG enough?
Hope you're all well. I just have a quick question. Is an ECG enough to tell if there's a problem with your heart or not. I get a strange pressure in my chest, uncomfortable feelings in chest, some ectopics (I hope that's what they are), irregular heart beats which feel different to ectopics etc.. I know these are all mentioned symptoms of anxiety, but I often get these with the absense of anxiety, especially the irregular heart beat which I can usually bring on by choice.
I had a couple of blood tests and an ECG, 2 doctors both said I was fine, but I couldn't feel any more to the contrary. I wasn't getting symptoms when I had the ECG.
Thanks for any help or advice in advance. :)
miss motown
25-09-07, 12:47
hi i just want to say i no how you feel for years ive had this problem with heart flutters chest pain pressure on the chest etc etc i was rushed to a&e not so long back with an expected heart attack the experiance of that has totally knocked me in to such a state im so frightened to take up any sort of exersise which will make my heart race ill never forget that as long as i live i had ecg after ecg i was kept in hospital over night as my first ecg showed some eregular heart beats i was kept on this right thru the night and was told in the morning i was fine and it was just anxiety i think we can get areselves in such a state and no matter wot were told we can not except it im sorry to go on but ive had so many ecg,s and they say its fine so the answer to your question is yes an ecg can tell u everthink and if they say its fine then it will be take care xx
6 weeks ago when I had my full blown panic attack - palpitations, sweats, dizziness, heart racing etc (and taken from work by ambulance to A&E) I had an ECG - it was clear, they like to make sure there is no underlying problem so it is a method used to see you are in generally good health (your heart anyway)
The bloke at A&E that done mone said "your heart is racing a bit and your pulse is racing but I would expect that from a panic attack - the ECG shows no imbalance and you are fine. Your oxygen levels are also 98% so that is very good"
We just work ourselves up something is wrong. Nothing is wrong, believe me. The doctor made me laugh when he said "If I felt you were in danger I would be moving a lot faster than I am now"
Hi,
All my anxiety is related to my chest/heart. I get the lightheadedness too but the heart is my focus.
I get all those symptoms that you mention. I have been for the last 4 months. A constant pressure in the left side of my chest is the main one. Also a heightened awareness of my heartbeat particularly in my abdomen.
I too have been afraid to do any vigorous exercise until recently.
I have had 2 ECG's, blood tests and a chest x-ray and everything came back as fine. I still couldn't except this was just anxiety even though the symptoms are classic anxiety symptoms.
I suffered with this about 3 or 4 years ago too and then I decided to go private to a cardiologist who done an echocardiogram and a stress test which came back fine. I decided to pay to see him again two weeks ago expecting him to send me for those same tests. I told him the tests I had already had. He gave me a good examination and siad no need for further test everything ok. Thinks the pressure is muscular/skeletal. Suspected I may be suffering with something called SVT occasionally which is when your heart starts beating quick when resting.
Since then I have thought to myself every doctor I have seen has said I am ok and it's anxiety related. Why do I question their diagnosis when they are qualified and see people with heart conditions I'd imagine quite frequently and can spot the tell tale signs.
I still get the symptoms and am fearful but I have decided to try my best to get on with exercising and doing what I used to enjoy like play football, jogging etc.
This is easy for me to say I know because I have the same doubts and worries as you.
You're ECG and blood test being good is reasuring that you have no damage to your heart. If two doctors have said you're experiencing anxiety and you have told them your symptoms then that is even more reasurance because it would be negligent of them to not send you for further tests if they where in any doubt.
Just out of curiosity have you read Claire Weekes Self Help For Your Nerves? It's a great little book. Written in the 60's I believe but probably the best anxiety self help book I have read when it comes to explaining a lot of the symtoms of anxiety. All the symptoms you have are explained in it.
Sorry for the ramble but I just wanted to let you know that I know exactly where you're coming from.
Hope you feel better soon,
Neil
neon_skyline
27-09-07, 00:46
i go through phases when i'm terrified there's something wrong with my heart (pressure, chest pain, weird heartbeats) but have had 2 ecgs having gone to a&e and have both come back fine.
you say you're worried because it seems to happen even when you're not anxious, but we don't realise that when we suffer with anxiety it can be there all the time, even sub-consciously. when i'm busy i'm absolutely fine, then when suddenly i have nothing to do i become aware of my heart. i might not feel anxious, but by suddenly becoming unoccupied i always become more aware of everything.
to me it sounds like classic anxiety. the doctor would have noticed if something was wrong with your heart. your symptoms are probably worse because you're anxiety is getting worse. find a way to occupy yourself and learn to relax and switch off and i bet the symptoms will improve.
take care x
Hi, I am going through the same as you at the moment. I have been to A & E 5 times now, had numerous ECG & Bloods, saw a cardiologist who did treadmill test all of which were absolutely normal. I get 2 kinds of chest pain, one which is central and excruciating, the other across the top part of my chest which is sometimes a dull ache and others feels like a tight band, also get pain in my back between shoulder blades and down arms. All the Docs have told me it isn't heart and I asked how they knew. The ECG shows how the chambers of the heart are working ie that they are getting enough blood. If you had a heart problem that decreased the amount of blood to the heart muscle the ECG will detect it even if it happened years ago. That is how the doc explained it to me and it makes a lot of sense. I do know how you feel though because when the pain is bad we can't help doubting them. I am now being investigated for any stomach problems which might be causing the chest pain, am off for an endoscopy (camera down throat to stomach) next week, I am in a right old state absolutely terrified cos they don't knock you out for the procedure! Anyway I hope this has helped you understand ECG a bit better. Good luck and stay well x
Hi I was admitted into hospital with same symptoms, I could not believe it was anxiety and was sure i was having serious heart problems, I had an ecg and due to very fast heart, then had a 24 hour ecg a few weeks later.
This all showed up rapid heart and was due to anxiety as it was beating regularly etc
The 24hour tape convinced me things were OK more than the ecg, although I have had to consult doctor since with same problem. I have accepted it is oK and I will live!!!
Thank you all for your replies. I just wanted to add that I get chest pain too. It really is confusing about what to do, people tell you one thing and you tell yourself another, even that's not black and white.
I have read Claire's Weekes Self Help For Your Nerves book Neil. It's a great book! I try to put to practice what I read in their on and off. I don't have complete confidence it's all anxiety though, which sends me to extremes.
I'm planning to go to the doctors again in the near future, after I've gone on the last anxiety course, so it does actually look like I'm trying (which I am). I can't help feeling I'm going to be another young one to drop dead, so I just want to get it sorted, but it feels impossible.
:flowers:
HI, I know exactly what you mean. I am new to this forum but just wanted to let you know I suffer the exact same way. I have the funny heartbeats etc and sometimes at night they start and just seem to get worse. I've had ECG's and 24 hour monitors and been told that everything is fine but still the fear is there. I started with them years ago and i'm still here so presumably we should try and believe what our doctors say, hard i know though.
I have read the Claire Weekes books and found them to be very very good.
Take care, you're not alone
I went for an ECG yesterday. I ws diagnosed with an underactive thyroid last Monday and my GP booked me in at the Cardiorspiratory Unit (I have been suffering from high blood pressure for about 18 months now). I now have to wait 5 days for a report to be sent to my GP which apparently is an assessment for coronary heart disease. I have had ECG's in the past related to PA's but all came back fine, so fingers crossed with this one as well.
Les
Thanks for the comment Tracy!
Best wishes Les! I should imagine that it's causing extra stress at the moment. Let us know how you get on.
You're welcome hun!
Take Care
Tracy
louwilliams
08-10-07, 09:27
ive had panic attacks for about 5 years. at first i got the chest pain but took it as one of the symptoms of the attack so i dealt with them. over the last 6 months however, i have started to have central and left chest pain, for no apparent reason-sitting reading or watching tv for example. when i get these pains, which are usually quite painful and completely terrifying, i go into panic mode. i have been for 2 ECG's, chest xrays and blood tests...all of which came back fine. in answer to your question...i don't have one. no matter how many time the doctors tell me that the chest pains are stress related, i still need assurance and have started to not believe them. i'm even seriously considering changing doctors as i don't want to know what it ISNT, i want to know what it IS. i'm sorry i can't re-assure you anymore...just wanted to let you know your not on your own and i know how awful being like this is
Hi lwilliams! It's really scary and frustrating isn't it. You hear all kinds of horror stories and you know deep down that it's just as likely to happen to you as anyone else. You just want to know what is causing these horrible symptoms and sensations and no one can give you answers either way with any certainty, it makes you want to scream.
Keep us updated with how you do.
:)
So an ECG is enough, right?
Goonergirl
09-06-09, 19:53
I had 2 ECGs, one in A&E and the other at the docs at my insistance. The docs one showed up one dip, I wasnt on it long enough for the others to show ! When that happens I feel it in my throat and lose a breath, I also get a tired feeling come over me, and ive had twinges in the middle and the top of my chest, as well as upper back dull slight pain which comes and goes.
All of the above symptoms dont happen at the same time BTW.
Doc said after listening to my heart and looking at the ECG that its fine, an xray was fine as was four differing blood tests.
Im so worried, this has gone on for 8 weeks now & previous to that I haddnt gone to docs for 2 years !
nickeatworld
10-06-09, 00:17
I had an ECG quite soon after I started developing symptoms and while at first I felt better, the pain didn't magically go away and I worried again. I began to question what it had shown; it had only last about 5 minutes, and I wasn't feeling particularly anxious at the time, my heart wasn't racing and the chest pain wasn't there.
After that I was convinced I would need another one, maybe a stress test or a 24 hour test. I got pains at night when I was in bed and everytime I was convinced something terrible was happening. But guess what, I would sleep eventually and I woke up the next morning. I wasn't fine but I wasn't dead, I hadn't had a heart attack and I was breathing normally.
I still get pain, but if I distract myself, or don't sit and constantly think about all the "what if" scenarios it goes away. This more than anything has convinced me it is the anxiety making me think this way.
Don't be afraid to ask for another test, but remember if the ECG has said you are fine but you think you are not, really think about your chest pain, and try, as rationally as possible, to decide what action needs to be taken.
Hi
I've been having those strange beats that make your breath catch in your throat on and off since the age of 14. I'm now 44 - so - although no one could have convinced me in the early days that they weren't going to kill me - now I'm able to say to myself 'well you've had 'em for 30 years - if they haven't killed you by now I guess your pretty safe'.
I still don't like them though - they feel horrible & freaky!
Regards
Di x
stressedmelissa
16-07-09, 15:59
Hello Di
I have had these horrible Eptopic beats for almost 3 years! so scary when they are bad im convinced im going to die! Its good to see that you are able to feel positive about them! I have registered here to talk to people who have them as it feels like im the only one that does!
Melissa :)
Hello Di
I have had these horrible Eptopic beats for almost 3 years! so scary when they are bad im convinced im going to die! Its good to see that you are able to feel positive about them! I have registered here to talk to people who have them as it feels like im the only one that does!
Melissa :)
Hi Melissa nice to meet you :hugs:
Hope knowing that I've had them for such a long time can give you a little reasurace that you're not going to die from them. It may take a little while to feel convinced but it will come. They'll happen - and instead of panick you'll just go "oh stop it - behave yourself". :)
Wishing you well
Di x
Thunderbird 4
19-07-09, 09:08
Just some reasurance to all those reading this post.
Some 10 years back, I was feeling a bit off, with flutters in my stomach and chest, but kept on working and doing the normal things.
However, one day the futters (palpitations) were so bad I decided to pop into the local A&E, where they imediately rushed me into resuscitation room with a resting heart rate of 185 bpm..!! After administering various drugs the HR did not come down much, so as all on here was told it was sheer high anxiety. Numerous tests, and visit to cardiologist returned the same verdict.
Now and ECG will pick up a variety of problems, from those of a genetic nature...to those that have developed over years. So if all come back OK then you must rest assured and move ahead with the thought that your ticker is fine. I, as others still suffer from slight anxiety when I raise my HR, as I think it will never slow down again...but it does..!! Eptopic beats are very common, but the learch in your chest is quite alarming...however millions of people have these, some feel them....some are unaware.
With anxiety we tend to get tuned into what our body is doing, where a person not suffering from anxiety may suffer the same but just ignore it. I am affraid we have to live with the fact that we feel this way...but it will not kill you..!!
Think of sport people....motocross riders will have a HR of around, 180 - 200 bpm for the whole duration of a 45 minuite race. Rowing, and marathon running similar.
If your ECG was fine, try and relax and put this to the back of your mind (easier said than done).
Take care
NeverRelaxed
16-12-09, 21:15
I had Two in one day...one at the local surgery and then later, as the symptoms were so bad, in the A&E dept. BOTH were COMPLETELY NORMAL!!!!and my heart was not making any strange noises(murmurs, snaps etc) as baffling as it seems to you and as convinced as you are tht you have a serious heart problem..Try your best to accept the opinion of qualified medical doctors..Besides..Even if they had the SLIGHTEST hint tht something sinister was going on they wouldn't let you go until they got to the bottom of it...Im just going to let time tell me tht this is nothing...like always.
NeverRelaxed
16-12-09, 21:16
id like to add also tht a LOT can be gathered from an ECG if its looked at by the right sort of ppl..so yes, i think its enough...An echo would be the next step following a dodgy ECG.
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