Checking Your Pulse & Consequences

[LongingForSunrise]

Hi!

I wonder if anyone else check their pulse? I can do it like 50 times in an hour, I get really obsessed. And so I know that the heart beat changes A LOT during the day and activity. It's amazing how many different things it does depending on what you do.

I am extremely scared of heart conditions. Just before I got my first panic attack, my girlfriends father died of a heart attack. And the day before that I had been to the dentist, taking care of teeth while under narcosis. This freaked my out before I got some diazepam. I was scared I wouldn't wake up and that's probably my first panic attack (which I didn't understand as much more than fear).

I had bit of three teeth in a week and was extremely scared of having an infection, but I couldn't let them do their thing in my roots. No way. I didn't get any infection, but I had begun a routine of checking my pulse. And I started to think about the fact that it was my life. Like, the heart beats represented something that keeps my alive. And I think that scared me a lot.

Anyhow, I'm afraid of a lot of heart conditions. Most of them are rare heart conditions and I do feel some weird sensations sometimes, I try to not think about it. But that's very hard to achieve.

I've had 5 different doctors telling me the same thing: You're absolutely fine. But I wanna do every TEST known to men, to make sure - ALL is ok. And I even mountain bike, HARD. I go all in and it's the only time I don't feel scared, but once I've done it I'm trembling inside. I train despite my fear, it's hard. But this safety behaviour I have, checking my pulse, is making me stay in this cycle of shit.

I have the very BAD LUCK of also having a problem with my left shoulder and slightly to the left part of the spinal cord. The muscles around it sometimes contract, which of course doesn't make me feel any safer. Very unfortunate, because it may hurt my chest bone as well as my left arm. And we all know what that is a sign of, however, in my case it's not a sign of a heart condition. Bad luck indeed, to have that and health anxiety focused on heart conditions. It's :roflmao:

Anyone have the same thing? Checking pulse, being EXTREMELY aware of the pulse and so forth? I can feel my pulse everywhere.

[nomorepanic]

You don't say what your pulse is but checking it every minute of the day is not really a healthy thing to do.

It is almost an OCD thing to do.

Are you getting any help for the anxiety and this obsession?

[LongingForSunrise]

I usually have a resting pulse between 42-55 bpm, depending on what time of the day it is.

I know it's not healthy, but thanks for pointing that out. Yes, it's kind of OCD - but it's not. I did post this in the "Health Anxiety"-part, right? I'm well aware of the fact that it's not healthy and I'm well aware of the fact that it's obsessive.

Sure. I've been talking to a psychologist as well as using medication.

[unsure_about_this]

oh yes I have tend to check my pulse reguarly in the past, have not done it for while as it will give me something else to worry about. My blood pressure is fine normal.

[CharlieM]

I did this for months after my first panic attack. Despite all my heart test being ok, I couldn't shake my concern.

Gradually, I have come to accept my heart is not the problem. As a result, I now hardly check my pulse. Maybe two or 3 times a week when I can actually feel it beating.

You need to make a conscious effort not to check at the beginning. Every time you think about checking, just do something else with your hands.

Also, like you, my physical symptoms remain. Pain in neck, left armpit, shoulder, left side of chest and tingling in left arm. My GP has explained that this is muscular with maybe a trapped nerve in my shoulder or armpit. This is caused by 6 months of bad posture due to worrying about my next panic attack. I am trying stretching exercises which do provide instant relief.

HA is a weird one. The mind is scarily powerful - just concentrate on NOT checking your pulse and remind yourself that the doctors have said you are fine.

Hope you feeling better today.

Charlie

[amyg82]

Yes i check my pulse all the time, as soon as i feel some anxiety i check my pulse. It's become a habit now, i am scared of heart problems too.

Amy

[LongingForSunrise]

Thanks everyone for the response! I hope you will find peace someday, because it's all I'm hoping for these days.

CharlieM: I'm glad you're doing better! It must feel like a part of a victory, although you're still probably struggling with some issues regarding these elements.

I do try to consciously not check my pulse. Because I've become an expert in feeling my pulse wherever I think about it. I had a relapse this saturday, but I made three days without purposely checking my pulse. So that was a big step for me, my psychologist told me about a lot of things. I finally asked the right question, and he explained this type of learning and how it all works like a cycle. He explained it by using descriptions of my actions/feelings/thoughs in an equation-like manner. He explained a lot about respondent learning. Because I asked how come I feel fatigue when I check my pulse when I feel out of air, and how could it be possible to create this physiological sensation with my mind. It didn't make any sense, but the brain is the key to everything in our bodies. IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE, once you get how it works. :)

He also gives me homework, to switch this behaviour to another behaviour, specifically mindfulness training. To feel and accept sensations without giving them value or controlling them.

The mind is super-powerful. All these neurons explodes with information and it all happens extremely fast. It's very hard to learn one's normal behaviour, but it takes a lot of effort in seeing how it is triggered and begin where the problem itself begin.

[LongingForSunrise]

Yes i check my pulse all the time, as soon as i feel some anxiety i check my pulse. It's become a habit now, i am scared of heart problems too.

Amy

So, Amy, how are you feeling about it?

[amyg82]

I still really struggle with my thoughts that my heart is going to stop even though i have had lots of tests. I get a racing heart and ectopic heart beats which do not help! It feels like i will always have this fear though i just can't get over it. I have tried CBT, medication and am now seeing a mental health nurse. Hope you are ok.

Amy