Heart yet again and some thoughts

[mummyanxious]

Well I finally got my heart monitor results back today. Picked up the 'skipped beats' and I am told to be reassured they are completely normal extra ventricular contractions. One recording showed 'multifocal ventricular contractions' which apparently sounds worse than what it is and is normal. 3 ectopics.

Anyway I've been trying to think less about them lately and been doing more or less well with the 'skipping' as I have been told they're fine and they usually come with a stressful event.

However my body just cannot differentiate between threat and excitement now and I'm finding myself panicking at things I should be enjoying like days out etc. seeing somebody I like causes my heart to be very inappropriate and cause a surge in adrenalin (which I know is a normal response) but my body interprets it now as bad and causes me to panic. How do I stop this for nice things????

The other thing is my slow heart rate. It's really concerning me. The dr said I shouldn't be worried. That its very healthy to have a heart rate down in the late 50s/60s. But I just keep wanting to scream but its not normal for me!!! I'm not an athlete, I am used to having a heart in the 70/80s. I just came back to my car and made a dash to get in as it was raining, my heart increased as you would expect. But as soon as I sat down it went slow again.

A thought that occurred to me was us it possible that from all the adrenalin used up has conditioned my heart in some way like an athlete doing expertise? Is that a mad thought??? I'm trying desperately to believe there's nothing wrong but I feel so damn tired and sluggish all the time. And the constantly worry over how slow my heart is beating really scares me. Even when I'm feeling a bit in edge I find my heart isn't racing like it should be of you were panicking?

[Fishmanpa]

From the anxiety symptoms link....

Heart palpitations, chest pain, irregular beats, flutters, skipped beats

What you feel:

One of the most worrying symptoms is chest pains or a tight feeling in your chest. The immediate thought is "heart attack" or "stroke" and this only worries you more. You may also notice that your heartbeat is incredibly fast or irregular at times having palpitations and again this leads to the worry that you will have a heart attack.

Often the chest muscles may feel very tight, and sometimes they can become painful if they are tight enough to spasm. Because the individual may become concerned that they may be having a heart attack, their fear will add to the stress biology which can not only worsen the pain, but can produce other symptoms similar to a heart attack such as profuse sweating, light-headedness and numbness in the arms, feet or face.

These increased symptoms can also cause more fear which then can turn into a panic attack. Your heart feels like it skips a beat or flops in your chest. It sometimes may feel like a tickle in your chest that makes you cough. If you take your pulse, you'll notice that sometimes the beats are unevenly spaced.
You may experience a tightness or pressure in the chest. Sometimes you may feel shooting pains, or muscle twitches, or just an uneasiness or fullness in the chest area which causes you concern. There is no evidence that panic and anxiety has any adverse effect on the heart and the pains are easily explained.

What causes this:

Stress biology causes the heart rate to increase. It does this so that the body is ready to take action. It's like in drag racing, drivers get their RPM's up prior to the green light so that they can hit the light with maximum torque. Since the stimulant hormone adrenaline, the body's super fuel, is produced when danger is perceived, the heart rate is naturally increased.
Once the stimulant is used and eliminated from the body, the heart rate will return to its normal range. Moderate regular exercise helps to regulate this symptom. When you start panicking the whole of your body becomes tense and this includes your muscles.

The chest pains you experience are due to the constricting of the chest wall muscles and the muscles between your ribs and not due to any actual muscles in your heart and the best cure is to start stretching these muscles gently to relieve the pain. Although you may not feel like doing any exercise whilst getting these pains, try stretching your arms above and behind your head, out to the sides and bending over gently to relieve the pain.
Naturally most people are dreadfully worried about their hearts but if your G.P. has given you the all clear cardiac wise - then do not be alarmed if the chest pains and palpitations come back and last for more than a day. If it is related to panic, although it is painful and worrying, the pains will subside if you try gentle exercise and ignore them.

Regular exercise and deep relaxation help to minimize this symptom. Also, staying away from artificial stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate, high doses of raw sugar (such as pastries, sweets, cookies, etc.) and smoking help to keep this symptom in check.

[mummyanxious]

Hi yep read all this a few times now :)
The skipping is something that bothers me less these days, its more the other unexplained stuff like my heart slowing right down. It's crazy this stress stuff.

[panickyme]

Awww, I do know how you feel. It is not fun. I get those, and every time I do I think it is the big one, and it is just going to stop. Then the panic sets in, then we get past it until the next time. My heart rate is the opposite of yours though mine is really high all the time, even at rest, 80's. So even if your heart rate was higher you would probably be concerned, it just comes with worrying about the heart. :hugs: I am glad everything came back really well for you. We are just really in tune, with our bodies. We notice everything, my Doc says everyone gets them, they are totally normal, but not everyone feels them. (lucky us) Feel better. :)