Heart attack worries

[Dazza]

Hi,

I'm a 38 year old male, I worry every day about having a heart attack.

My father had one when he was 43, he survived but has had a double bypass and a stent put in. he's 66 now.

3 years ago I had my first 'panic attack.. I thought it was a heart attack, and I've been traumatised by it ever since and have been so hospital so many times over the past three years, terrified that i'm about to die because i've got pain in my chest / problems breathing... i've had endless tests, and my chest pains always turn out to be gastric in origin.

I'm really worried that anxiety will give me the heart attack that i'm so scared of, even though I have normal cholesterol, HLD/LDL and triglyceride levels.... my weight it normal for my height (78kg for 1m80). My blood pressure is usually normal when tested.....

but i worry that my anxiety will stress me so much that I will get a heart attack... anyone else have this / had this / how did you get over it?

thanks.

[Thistle]

I get this, and haven't, unfortunately, got over it yet. I've had four operations and each time, on coming round from the general anaesthetic, my heart has gone into overdrive, at one stage hitting 260 beats a minute. I was put in intensive care but they couldn't find any cause for it. Now I dread ever needing another op.
And even though I've had an ECG, which was normal, every day I believe that they missed something that will cause a heart attack and I'm petrified by it.
Having an unsympathetic doctor doesn't help, so I get no help for it and just drag myself through each day with accompanying panic attacks and constant anxiety.
I'm with you there on the "Will I actually cause one?" thought, because I know all this stress isn't good for me.
Wish I could offer some answers for you, and hope maybe others can. :)

[Dazza]

Thanks for the reply. I'm lucky in that I have a very sympathetic doctor.

He always explains stuff to me in depth and clearly, and always takes time to do so.

The past day, i've been getting chest discomfort with numbness in left arm and lips and palpitations. It's freaking me out....I used to get this a couple of years back, but I managed to get rid of it over time, now it's back... .logically it should not freak me out, because i had it before...but it's freaking me out today, which is making it worse.

Sometimes I wish I could switch off my brain.

[Jamesk]

Sometimes I wish I could switch off my brain.

Amen to that - I had one of those days yesterday.

Had a lovely day at a nature reserve - should have been relaxed and chilled out, but had a really funny turn walking back to the car - convinced my heart was going to fail and I was going to keel over. As you say just being able to flip a switch and turn the brain off for an hour would be great.

[Dazza]

Amen to that - I had one of those days yesterday.

Had a lovely day at a nature reserve - should have been relaxed and chilled out, but had a really funny turn walking back to the car - convinced my heart was going to fail and I was going to keel over. As you say just being able to flip a switch and turn the brain off for an hour would be great.

Yes, that's the annoying thing. I was doing ok until yesterday, when I started to get the symptoms... then this morning I got chest pains when walking up the stairs... logically, I don't have heart disease / angina... but my mind has been fixated on it today... I tried to take a nap this afternoon, used one of my hypnosis MP3s, but even when I awoke from that I had the symptoms come back. if often happens, like you say, a funny turn where you body suddenly throws all sorts of bizarre and scary symptoms at you, and suddenly it's panic mode again for a few days..

[Em84]

I have this bad today.....my chest is hurting and I'm shaky ears ringing etc....I was fine yesterday....
My babys Ill so it's obv that which has triggered something...
Nightmare.....

[Dazza]

I have this bad today.....my chest is hurting and I'm shaky ears ringing etc....I was fine yesterday....
My babys Ill so it's obv that which has triggered something...
Nightmare.....

Yes, the chest pains are such a worry... i'm always waiting for that big FINAL pain when it happens.... thankfully it's never come.

I also get ringing in my ears when I get the chest pain / arm numbness.