Clear ECGS are ruining my chances

[kurtis1990]

Had yet another ECG at my doctors yesterday due to my chest and arm pain getting worse and yet again its clear other than a high heart rate which i have most of the day and they seem to be completly ignoring. due to the number of clear ecgs ive had they will probably not investigate this further....i just cant belive they are ignoring these symptoms...chest pain/dizzyness/palpatations/arm pain/upper back pain/ numbness in left hand...the whole thing screams cardiac...the chest pain isnt just minor either sometimes is so painfull i have to phone for a ambulance...having a previous record of HA on my medical files is going to kill me

[robin321]

It also screams anxiety. I think this makes the most sense based on your clear ECG, and even based on the fact that your are posting on an anxiety website. Anxiety produces real physical symptoms. Who do you assume you know more than multiple dr's?

[TooMuchToLiveFor]

Oh, Kurtis, the symptoms are getting worse and worse because your anxiety is getting worse and worse. Dear, friend, please get help for the actual illness you have. Otherwise, you will be years down the road, still suffering, still waiting for that heart attack to happen.

[kurtis1990]

im posting on here because i have previously suffered with HA. and this whole situation is bringing back the anxiety which isnt helping.. the pain is what is making me belive this is something else..its so severe it brings me to tears

[TooMuchToLiveFor]

Make the rational part of you really think about what you have said here today

"You have suffered with HA."
"This situation is bringing it back."
"The pain is MAKING ME BELIEVE this is something else."

What do these sentences tell you?

Kurtis, the pain is severe. It is real. It mimics cardiac issues...., but it is caused by more and more adrenaline being pumped into your system as your anxiety spirals out of control. Your chest wall muscles are most likely constricting and having spasms. Terribly painful, but NOT dangerous in the least.

I don't have any words that will help you as you don't believe what even multiple doctors are telling you, but my heart hurts for you. I hope you will be able to get treatment for your anxiety soon so that you can have some relief.

[kurtis1990]

Thank you. its nice just to talk to someone about this..part of me is trying to be rational...surely with the amount of ecgs ive had something would of showed..but the pain is making me think the tests missed something

[TooMuchToLiveFor]

Ooh, you are getting closer to calming-- that last post sounds better!

You are completely right when you say the rational thought of "surely with the amount of ecgs I've had something would have showed"--- and you are right, it would have.

The pain isn't "making you think" though-- you are choosing to think these fearful thoughts because you are having pain-- that is being brought on by telling your body you are in danger. Then your body is releasing more adrenaline to help you get ready to "fight or flee."

Grip on to those rational thoughts and claw back to a rational plateau. From there get a plan of how you are going to tackle this new round of HA that will help you long term.

We are rooting for you!

[saab]

As I understand it, an ecg can show if you have had a recent heart attack, so if the ecg was done within a few days of the pain, but was clear, it would suggest it wasn't cardiac. I hope you feel better soon.

[Annie0904]

The ECG would have shown any problems. The symptoms you are describing, as others have said are anxiety related.

[Fishmanpa]

"Clear ECGS are ruining my chances"

Of what? Being Ok? :) As the others are saying, it's a Catch 22 in that the doctors find nothing wrong yet your symptoms persist which makes your anxiety worse which makes the pains worsen etc.

Treating the real illness makes the most sense. There's a free CBT course here that's pretty good. Maybe take a look as a start.

Positive thoughts

[mbarger33]

I'm new here but I've been reading the forums for about 6 months now, I've also had serve chest pains. The first ttime it happened it hit like a ton of bricks. An hour after lunch my left a went numb. I went dizzy. Blurred vision. Chest pains. I drove my self to emergency because I was very close. My heart rate was 160/96 ECG said no heart attack but they kept me on a drip for 4 hours.

1. They did a chest xray. Heart and lungs looked fine.
2. Ran blood work for thyroid. Came back fine.
3. ECG results fine.

doctor came in gave me a shot of Ativan and my rate came down. You'd think having all those tests done would male me feel better.. but 2 days later my pains came back, when they start it's under left beast in the rib cage. . Then moves to my shoulde and then resonates to my back and my neck. These last almost all day usually. I got scared made an appointmentwith my GP she hooked me up the ECG and compared to my Last one and everything was fine. (Go figure) she diagnosed me with GAD sent me home witha bottle of 0.05mg of Ativan.. to be taken every 6 hours as needed..

This didn't help at all.. so I asked for a stress ECG she sent me and I got the test done iran for 14 minutes.. and had the same chest pains I've been having, nothing showed on the ECG the cardiologist came in reviewed my logs. And told me there was nothing wrong with my heart if there was I wouldn't run for 14 minutes on a treadmill and it something wouldhave shown up..

I recommend if you can to ask your GP to refer you to a stress test. After everything and all the tests I had done this was the last piece that helped me put this dreadful fear of having a heart attack for the last 5 months to rest. Speaking with a cardiologist put mind at ease and I recommend anyone with "heart issues" to ask for a stress test and speak to a cardiologist. .

best of luck to you. You aren't alone. I was there for the last 7 months and it sucks I know. But the sooner you speak with a cardiologist and get a stress test and required xray and blood work done the sooner you can stop worrying yourself sick.

best of luck..

[Yossino]

Thank you. its nice just to talk to someone about this..part of me is trying to be rational...surely with the amount of ecgs ive had something would of showed..but the pain is making me think the tests missed something

You have to treat it as anxiety first. That's the first priority. You can't trust your own body/brain. It may sound crazy, but in a messed up way you're addicted to this. You NEED something to be wrong with you. Did you ever want to be ill? I realized that's what was happening to me, and because I hated the anxiety so damn much it was like a moment of clarity. I recognized the illness. It wasn't a problem with my body or brain, it was a problem with me.

The next step is to force yourself to start feeling positively. Impossible? No heck no. The trick to this is anytime you feel fine, good, or even not 10/10 panic mode relish it. Pay attention to it, feel it. Pay attention to feeling nice. Focus on it. The more you do it the quicker you'll notice you can come out even the worst panic attacks. I take a step back and focus on the entirety of how I feel, not just how I feel based on my heart or any part of my body. I make a mental note of how my anxiety affects my body, and how it can go away quickly based on my thoughts. You get better at this over time.

You gotta hate the feeling of anxiety more than your desire to have something wrong with you. You gotta get mad at it, and freakin KNOW your enemy. It is your enemy, it will make you feel like s**t for years from now. Can you imagine feeling like this for the next few years? because you will. You'll hate it, your life will suck. Living is much more important than focusing on dieing.

I love online hugs, but sometimes a virtual slap in the face is really what you need mate. I wouldn't wish heart palp anxiety on my worst enemy.