Pigeon
30-10-13, 10:44
I haven't posted on here since earlier this year when I was suffering from more generalised anxiety. I've had a really stressful year with lots of worries. If I'm stressed it usually comes out as HA and my usual obsession is cancer, but I've been ok with this for a while.
About 8 or 9 months ago I started worrying about my heart after I began to get 'heart thuds'. That's how I describe them anyway - not fluttery palpitations but just a single thud in my chest or throat that is sometimes quite gentle, sometimes more powerful. Sometimes I get a few in quick succession. I've never had these before in my life and although it scared me and I began thinking about them a lot, I didn't worry too much at first as I didn't have any symptoms such as chest pain etc.
After a whle, I noticed that i got them more after eating, if I had indigestion, if I laughed a lot (!?) or with even just mild exertion like walking up a hill. So I now avoid eating too much, laughing too much or any kind of physical exertion - not good!
Recently I have started to check my pulse a lot and have always found it to be within normal ranges - usually between 65 and 80 bpm. My heart doesn't race but sometimes feels as though it's pounding and I can often feel it in my neck.
I'm 56 but reasonably healthy i suppose. I don't smoke but do enjoy a regular glass of wine. My worse problem is that I have a very sedantary job, get little excercise and enjoy cake! So because I was starting to worry, as a precaution during a routine visit to the nurse at my GP practice a couple of months ago, I asked her to check me out for diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure as I have a family history of all three plus my father and his parents all had strokes. Everything was normal and she did a calculation which assessed my risk of a heart attack in the next few years as low - 3%. I didn't mention the heart huds.
Recently (past week or so) I have started to feel a bit light headed and my chest feels quite tight. I also have vague aches and pains in my neck and chest area (which is quite common for me as I have a neck problem which affects my chest somtimes)
Now I have started to get really obsessive, checking my pulse constantly and googling. My worry is will drop dead of a heart attack or stroke or have some kind of chronic, incurable heart problem.
I have been putting off going to my GP as I am embarrassed about my health anxiety. Most things I see him about end up being anxiety related and I worry he will dread me walking in his surgery again. Having said that, I haven't been to the surgery since February so perhaps that's not too bad?
Because it has got to the stage where my family have noticed my anxiety/low mood, I have made an appointment for this afternoon and am absolutely dreading it. I don't know what I fear the most - him telling me I'm ok or sending me for further tests.
Really would appreciate some reassurance/advice/kind words from someone in a similar position. :unsure:
About 8 or 9 months ago I started worrying about my heart after I began to get 'heart thuds'. That's how I describe them anyway - not fluttery palpitations but just a single thud in my chest or throat that is sometimes quite gentle, sometimes more powerful. Sometimes I get a few in quick succession. I've never had these before in my life and although it scared me and I began thinking about them a lot, I didn't worry too much at first as I didn't have any symptoms such as chest pain etc.
After a whle, I noticed that i got them more after eating, if I had indigestion, if I laughed a lot (!?) or with even just mild exertion like walking up a hill. So I now avoid eating too much, laughing too much or any kind of physical exertion - not good!
Recently I have started to check my pulse a lot and have always found it to be within normal ranges - usually between 65 and 80 bpm. My heart doesn't race but sometimes feels as though it's pounding and I can often feel it in my neck.
I'm 56 but reasonably healthy i suppose. I don't smoke but do enjoy a regular glass of wine. My worse problem is that I have a very sedantary job, get little excercise and enjoy cake! So because I was starting to worry, as a precaution during a routine visit to the nurse at my GP practice a couple of months ago, I asked her to check me out for diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure as I have a family history of all three plus my father and his parents all had strokes. Everything was normal and she did a calculation which assessed my risk of a heart attack in the next few years as low - 3%. I didn't mention the heart huds.
Recently (past week or so) I have started to feel a bit light headed and my chest feels quite tight. I also have vague aches and pains in my neck and chest area (which is quite common for me as I have a neck problem which affects my chest somtimes)
Now I have started to get really obsessive, checking my pulse constantly and googling. My worry is will drop dead of a heart attack or stroke or have some kind of chronic, incurable heart problem.
I have been putting off going to my GP as I am embarrassed about my health anxiety. Most things I see him about end up being anxiety related and I worry he will dread me walking in his surgery again. Having said that, I haven't been to the surgery since February so perhaps that's not too bad?
Because it has got to the stage where my family have noticed my anxiety/low mood, I have made an appointment for this afternoon and am absolutely dreading it. I don't know what I fear the most - him telling me I'm ok or sending me for further tests.
Really would appreciate some reassurance/advice/kind words from someone in a similar position. :unsure: