What is wrong with me?

[mummyanxious]

I have had a bad night again. All last night I was having skipped heartbeats. Sometimes it would be like beat pause beat pause and then other times it was just one pause. Other times it would be beat pause beat beat beat pause beat beat pause. Surely this can't be just anxiety? I barely slept last night and feel terrible again. Just making the kids breakfast and stood there they start up again. My chest keeps going tight all the time. Went to the dr not long back, had an ECG all normal. But this can't be normal.

---------- Post added at 09:43 ---------- Previous post was at 09:41 ----------

Oh and I constantly feel like I'm suffocating and getting out if breath easily. But don't know if that'd just me concentrating on breathing or not.

---------- Post added at 09:46 ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 ----------

I even feel like getting out of breath talking for goodness sake. Walking up the stairs is a nightmare, or carrying the children

[Darbysa]

I think the fact that your ECG was normal is a good sign that there's nothing wrong with your heart. The breathing problems do sound like they could be anxiety related. When we are anxious we tend to take shallow breaths which increases the other horrible symptoms. Try doing some slow deep breathing making sure your stomach rises as you fill your lungs. It's called belly breathing. In through your mouth and out through your nose. It's hard at first and it won't work instantly but keep trying. Hard I know when the kids are around.
Are you on any medication at all? Maybe you should go back to your doctor and tell him/her how you are feeling. One of the hardest things is accepting that your symptoms are caused by anxiety and if your doctor rules out anything other than anxiety and you start accepting that it does make it easier to move forward. I do know how bad you are feeling as I've been there myself and unfortunately there is no instant fix. That's something we are all looking for!
Take care
Sal x

[mummyanxious]

I've been here before years back. Finally accepted it and they went away. Currently under a massive amount if pressure and they have returned with avengeance. But as soon as you say you're dressed they just assume that's what's wrong and you're off on your way feeling crap still with it all getting worse.

[hheavenlyangel]

Mummyanxious, are you a smoker? Overweight? Do you have hay fever - allergies?

[mummyanxious]

No to all

[Caramel]

Bless you Mummyanxious xxx Just know that you are not alone. :bighug1: I used to get symptoms like that and like you, it really scared me. If your ECG is clear then that is really good news. It does sound like it is anxiety-related and the trouble is, that can be like a vicious circle.

Quite often, I have panic attacks and anxiety because my body notices that something feels 'odd' and then sends me into overdrive!

When you are anxious, panicky or stressed, a huge amount of adrenaline gets released, which can make your body do all sorts of weird things that can feel extremely scary. The good news is that none of this can actually hurt you (I know, try telling someone that at the time!)

We are all here for you if and when you need us and we won't ever fob you off or make you feel like it's nothing. Xxxx We all know what it's like. :bighug1:

[mummyanxious]

Thank you :)
Of course what worries me is that I wasn't having any symptoms when I finally got the ECG so of course my sinus rhythm was normal.
Since then I've started getting all these tightening and stuff in my chest. And the palpitations are so random. Like when I'm sat minding my own business.

[Caramel]

Yes, that happens to me a fair bit - it sounds like generalised anxiety, which basically means that you're getting anxious without any obvious stimulus. I can be just sat on the sofa watching TV and it can start.

The tightening of the chest is tension and changes in your breathing. You may not even notice that you're doing it sometimes. Stupid bodies!!!:shrug:

[joelhall]

Curious, but how do you know your heart is skipping beats?

[mummyanxious]

Get a stop huge pause and big beat thing

[joelhall]

No I mean are you feeling your pulse to notice this?

[andrea15]

I get ectopic beats. Had a 24hour monitor which showed them. Lying in bed I could hear beats in my ear and there would be a pause then several rapid beats. Was told it was fine. Some people just get them. The breathing issue is probably just because youre worried about irregular heartbeat. Ask your dr if they can do a 24 hour monitor for you peace of mind.

Take care
Andrea

[mummyanxious]

No I can feel it in my chest without having to check my pulse

---------- Post added at 15:04 ---------- Previous post was at 15:03 ----------

I had an event monitor a few years ago when you pressed it when you had one but as usual it came back normal as didn't have the blasted things when I had the monitor

---------- Post added at 15:05 ---------- Previous post was at 15:04 ----------

Have you had runs of them in batches Andrea?

---------- Post added at 15:09 ---------- Previous post was at 15:05 ----------

And here's something else. I've been getting them when I lift my kids out of the car, and if I stand holding them for too long. Putting pressure on my chest I suppose? No idea if that can happen.

[joelhall]

[QUOTE=mummyanxious;1174847]No I can feel it in my chest without having to check my pulse

I See a lot of people who say this, but do you realise that as you breath and the pressure in your chest changes it can give the sensation that the heart has stopped beating? Likewise when people hold their breath and the blood pressure changes. Often people are not really skipping beats at all, but certainly have the sensation they are.

[mummyanxious]

Oh yes I know that, that happens as well. I have felt the missed beats in my pulse as well, the pauses. And I get the bubble, heart in mouth feeling with them as well.

[joelhall]

That really sounds like intra-abdominal pressure changes. I would recommend you listen to your own heart, but trust me you don't want to get into doing that - it's addictive :D

[mummyanxious]

What the holding the children thing?
I have a very tight diagpragm (sp) if that makes a difference?

[joelhall]

It certainly can do. A very large number of people, myself included, get strong palpitations after eating as the stomach expanding increases the pressure in the chest. It's a horrible feeling, especially at night.

[mummyanxious]

I am currently under the chiropractor to try and relieve my diaphragm issues. I have some curvature of the spine as well due to poor posture. I always sit slumped and when I straighten up I get these skipped beats. Don't know if that's normal either?

[joelhall]

That's a reuction in thoracic pressure. When you sit slumped you place pressure on the chest, which means every time the heart beats it creates an opposing pressure as the heart moves and expends. When you sit up this pressure is relieved so it can feel like the heart has suddenly stopped. It's perfectly normal, and much more common than people may realise - affecting pretty much everyone at some point. Of course being anxious, we place a lot more importance on it than others!

I can't tell you how many times that's had me leaping out of a chair in panic!

[mummyanxious]

Ah right, thanks :)
The odd one or two I can handle, it's when I get them in batches that bothers me. :(

[hheavenlyangel]

Its just sometimes when I have hayfever and my allergies are really bad, I get shortness of breath, I also shallow breathe which causes my body to think Im anxious and in turn causes me to have a panic attack. Has your Dr noticed the skipped heartbeats?
Sorry I just re-read through the discussion. I hope you find the cause and they can do something :)