Heart attack / blocked arteries reassurance

[zaedas99]

Hello fellow worriers!

I'm a 24 male who's barely overweight (a little bit, about 10-20 pounds). I'm 6'3" so it doesn't really show.

Everything was going great until the death of my mother, almost 2 years ago already... It caused a lot of stress in my life, and in the span of 3 months i went from a smiling and loving mom to no mom at all. Horrible feeling, and to top it off she died the worse possible way. But the past is the past, and it's no use to bring it up, especially since i can't change anything.

To make it short, i've always been someone who had anxiety. I'm a natural worrier.

But this time around, it is quite nefarious. 7 months ago i went to the ER 3 times in the span of 2 days for what seemed to me like heart attacks. I was waking up in the middle of the night, swelling, heavy breathing, heavy chest pain, Dizziness, it was horrible. I was barely able to walk. My third visit prompted the doctor to do every tests under the sun : EKG, radiography of the thorax / neck area, echography of the heart (to see if there's any water around it), full blood work, including sodium, sugar levels and cholesterol.

Everything turned out to be A-ok. The doctor looked at me and said that i had a perfect and healthy heart, and that at my age, it is nearly impossible to contract any kind of heart diseases, expressively since i do not have any antecedents that run in my family's blood.

He then suggested celexa 10mg (and 20mg afterwards) to control my anxiety and work on myself. I took them without complaining, as i was clearly unable to manage all that stress by myself.

it worked great for me the past 6 months, and i changed my life style a lot. I did daily cardio, 3 times a weak some muscle work, and changed my diet. I also started to drink a lot more water as i was clearly not drinking enough before.

In any case, i thought i had bested it all, until last week. Last week i started getting heart palpitations. While i know theses are normal and not harmful, for some reasons mine are bigger than before.

They last between 2-5 seconds, i cough a little, and right after my heart rate increases a bit (90-100 bpm, surely due to stress / anxiety) followed by hot flushes through the thorax area / tongue / head. It is really unpleasant and i keep thinking how my heart is going to stop. I can't remove from my head that it's possible that the doctors forgot to pass a test or that one of my artery is getting blocked for some reasons.

These events also leave me breathless sometimes, but usually pass on their own.

This caused my past few days to be very tense. For example, i used to do some cardio everyday but i'm scared something is wrong with my heart (again). Climbing the stairs seems like a daunting task (it wasn't before). Any muscle work involving the heart too much makes me feel weak etc etc.

Sometimes i even feel that my left arm is numb and that something is not normal. But again, very hard to know if it's my mind playing tricks on me or not.

That's about it... I do not faint, but it's so hard to know if its all "fake" or real...

Let me know what you guys think... It's kinda hard asking anyone around me because i feel they might think i'm crazy or something. But my symptoms are so real...

In any case, have a good day

zae

[Fishmanpa]

You know what I'm going to say right?

Positive thoughts

[pageste]

Zae

you've done the right thing and sought professional advice and they don't believe you have a problem. You can always ask for a second opinion but trust me when you focus your mind on something you can make any number of symptoms fit. I am a lot older than you and I have had a dreaded Heart Attack, when you have one you know you've had one ! In the meantime no matter how many times they told me I was OK I sought medical advice for pains , ectopics, breathing etc etc etc. Eventually a Consultant told me I had become Heart aware. Its a bit like walking if I try and think about walking I invariably trip up because my body knows how to bloomin walk without the help. What Im trying to say in a very ungainly way is yes this stuff is scary and if your are anxious you will feel every bump and then your blood pressure will rise and you will feel like you cant breath and etc etc etc. Its self perpetuating. I know your in a different country but don't be embarrassed to go back and see the Doctor if that's possible. You will find any number of us on here who are plagued by the sorts of things you describe and we know how awful they can be but nearly always they are your own mind causing the problem. Im not medical so this is more of transatlantic hug than a diagnosis but if there is anything that is causing a relapse in the anxiety get on top of it with relaxation or coping strategy's and hopefully the rest of it will disappear. Good Luck !

[zaedas99]

Zae

you've done the right thing and sought professional advice and they don't believe you have a problem. You can always ask for a second opinion but trust me when you focus your mind on something you can make any number of symptoms fit. I am a lot older than you and I have had a dreaded Heart Attack, when you have one you know you've had one ! In the meantime no matter how many times they told me I was OK I sought medical advice for pains , ectopics, breathing etc etc etc. Eventually a Consultant told me I had become Heart aware. Its a bit like walking if I try and think about walking I invariably trip up because my body knows how to bloomin walk without the help. What Im trying to say in a very ungainly way is yes this stuff is scary and if your are anxious you will feel every bump and then your blood pressure will rise and you will feel like you cant breath and etc etc etc. Its self perpetuating. I know your in a different country but don't be embarrassed to go back and see the Doctor if that's possible. You will find any number of us on here who are plagued by the sorts of things you describe and we know how awful they can be but nearly always they are your own mind causing the problem. Im not medical so this is more of transatlantic hug than a diagnosis but if there is anything that is causing a relapse in the anxiety get on top of it with relaxation or coping strategy's and hopefully the rest of it will disappear. Good Luck !

I entirely agree with you on that, pageste! The mind is a powerful one... Very hard to control. I'd compare mine to a Taurus running wild and i have to tame it.

I'll talk to my GP this week and i'll see what she thinks about it.

Also, i'm unsure if it's related, but i just changed of celexa "brand". I had the generic before and they changed it for another brand two weeks ago. Hot flushes are what i had when i began to take citalopram. Could it be that? I know generics are supposed to be identical on the formula level, but the filling is different, isn't it?

@Fishmanpa, i know what you're going to say .

---------- Post added 15-05-17 at 00:16 ---------- Previous post was 14-05-17 at 20:26 ----------

Hello!,

Right now i'm feeling quite unwell, feeling cold, nauseated with goosebumps / burps. I also have an elevated RHR.

I guess everything is related to anxiety and my unending fear of dying :P?

Sorry, i don't want to be annoying and feel like i'm repeating myself, it justs that those symptoms are so annoying, its crazy.

It's quite funny, actually. Mind if i share a story?

3 months ago i was in a major accident. I was hit on the passenger side at 80 km / h while the car was still. All my air bags deployed and the car was labeled as a "total loss".

To shorten a bit the story, upon the impact, my first reaction was not to be surprised or have an anxiety attack. No. I simply looked over my body to see if i had an injury (i didn't, i got lucky). Then, very calmy, i got out of my car and called 911 because the other person was clearly unable to (she was shaking, had signs of fainting, etc).

I am unable to understand the logic that my body go through. Why am i less panicking in a major accident but i'm still panicking over health issues that i may or may not have? It makes no sense.

Anyway, i feel kinda weird atm, i'll try to book a meeting with my GP this week and sort it out.

Thanks for the support guys btw, its really appreciated

[jdheart]

Anxiety can be a a real beast. I know. Regardless of your fears worries your heart is going to do what its suppose to do. I believe you should challenge yourself and your heart. There some people who believe that the less they move the less strain on your heart now how does that make sense. Your heart is always beating. Does it :-! et elevated to the danger zone maybe but doubt it. Good luck

[zaedas99]

Anxiety can be a a real beast. I know. Regardless of your fears worries your heart is going to do what its suppose to do. I believe you should challenge yourself and your heart. There some people who believe that the less they move the less strain on your heart now how does that make sense. Your heart is always beating. Does it :-! et elevated to the danger zone maybe but doubt it. Good luck

You are right, anxiety is so intense it is incredible.

This morning i woke up OK, then i started moving and as soon as i did that i got some hot flushes / elevated heart rate. Go figures. Perhaps something is wrong.

I'm also burping a lot for no reasons.

My appointment with the doc is tomorrow, hopefully i can clear this out and figure out what's going on.

What i fail to understand is that i was able to do exercise for the past 6 months with no trouble. Surely something related to the heart does not develop like that? Also my RHR is 60 bpm which i think is healthy.

[SLA]

Whats wrong with an elevated heart rate when you get up and start moving?

[zaedas99]

Whats wrong with an elevated heart rate when you get up and start moving?

Nothing i guess, the elevated heart rate isn't that high anyway and is probably boosted by anxiety itself. It's the hot flushes that are concerning. They also make me feel "weird" inside and as if someone's strangling me. Again, all of those are anxieties symptoms i suppose...

It's just that i do not understand why now when i started getting better the past 6 months. Nothing changed in my day to day live, no additional stress etc. Hell, i had a tattoo session last friday for 8 hours and although it did hurt a little bit, i didn't even care about the pain at all because i could see and understand what was causing it.

With anxiety, i'm always left to wonder what is causing it, and since it's inside and i can't see it, it's easy (at least, for me) to go into the "what if" territory.

---------- Post added at 15:53 ---------- Previous post was at 15:48 ----------

In any case, i just did some exercise outside, and i was walking fast / running every so often.

Surely my heart would've failed back then when i was doing "intense" excercise, wouldn't it? Not while typing on the computer*.

[Rosanna]

Hi zaedas99

Hope I've just spelt your name right, lol.

Your story sounds like mine a bit, although I've been given beta blockers rather than anti anxiety meds, but I was offered the latter, I just chose beta blockers.

I'm not a young male though, I'm 46 and female. I've always been fit, have done martial arts, etc, though....I haven't had an echo scan yet, just a chest xray and normal ecgs, but I hope that counts for something.

I'm getting flushing when the palps happen, but it's of course possible I have hormonal changes starting, BUT i mention it because my doctor is curious by it and doesn't think it's hormones yet.

Today I just walked VERY slowly home after having dinner at a friend's and then feeling the palpitations threatening (I kind of know when they're more likely). I'm aware of loads of activity in my guts, and I'm wondering if some kind of stomach sensitivity is triggering my vagus nerve and causing the palpitations at the same time.

Anyway, we are obviously different age and sex, but one thing that's helped me in the past week is to set myself some tiny goals and just work towards those.....and create 'wins.' I ran 50 steps today, nothing of course, but it was just a little 'stretch' to gradually start increasing my confidence again.

A Cardiologist told me that being aware of your heart at rest is usually a benign issue, especially if you can run about, etc.

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your Mum. I lost my Dad 8 years ago (very unexpectedly and I was there at the time) and really, your 2 years is nothing. It's no time at all. I think these things affect our nervous systems and make palpitations more likely. You are younger than me though and have more time to reset things. In yourself that is, of course you'll never forget your Mum. But these kinds of losses are a trauma and the body reacts physically as well as emotionally to it.....just my thoughts, only take what seems correct to you.

I wish you well.

---------- Post added at 19:33 ---------- Previous post was at 19:30 ----------

Surely my heart would've failed back then when i was doing "intense" excercise, wouldn't it? Not while typing on the computer*.

Yes. That is more of a 'stress test' than is sitting still.

[zaedas99]

Hi zaedas99

Hope I've just spelt your name right, lol.

Your story sounds like mine a bit, although I've been given beta blockers rather than anti anxiety meds, but I was offered the latter, I just chose beta blockers.

I'm not a young male though, I'm 46 and female. I've always been fit, have done martial arts, etc, though....I haven't had an echo scan yet, just a chest xray and normal ecgs, but I hope that counts for something.

I'm getting flushing when the palps happen, but it's of course possible I have hormonal changes starting, BUT i mention it because my doctor is curious by it and doesn't think it's hormones yet.

Today I just walked VERY slowly home after having dinner at a friend's and then feeling the palpitations threatening (I kind of know when they're more likely). I'm aware of loads of activity in my guts, and I'm wondering if some kind of stomach sensitivity is triggering my vagus nerve and causing the palpitations at the same time.

Anyway, we are obviously different age and sex, but one thing that's helped me in the past week is to set myself some tiny goals and just work towards those.....and create 'wins.' I ran 50 steps today, nothing of course, but it was just a little 'stretch' to gradually start increasing my confidence again.

A Cardiologist told me that being aware of your heart at rest is usually a benign issue, especially if you can run about, etc.

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your Mum. I lost my Dad 8 years ago (very unexpectedly and I was there at the time) and really, your 2 years is nothing. It's no time at all. I think these things affect our nervous systems and make palpitations more likely. You are younger than me though and have more time to reset things. In yourself that is, of course you'll never forget your Mum. But these kinds of losses are a trauma and the body reacts physically as well as emotionally to it.....just my thoughts, only take what seems correct to you.

I wish you well.

---------- Post added at 19:33 ---------- Previous post was at 19:30 ----------



Yes. That is more of a 'stress test' than is sitting still.

Thank you for the kind words Rosanna, it is really appreciated .

Aren't beta blockers for peeps with high blood pressure? I guess that since anxiety does increase blood pressure / heart rate it makes sense, but wouldn't it impact something else?

I read (online, of course) that beta blockers can handicap your ability to exercise and have sexual intercourse due to what it does with your heart. Is that correct or is this misinformation?

As for your dad, i am sorry as well. 8 years is nothing when we loved that person a lot :(.

As for the small wins, you are correct! I also did that in the past when i started taking the meds, and it worked quite well. But for some reason right now i can't get on top of it, as if something is really bothering my physical health this time around. I guess i'll know more tomorrow with my doc.

Have good day and thanks a lot for the message .

zae