Was it afib? pvcs? panic attack? help please

[sweetlover88]

Hi all,

Ive visited a cardiologist recently after i had, 7 months ago an scary episode. I was walking outside in the sun (i live in Thailand so a lot of humidity and really hot) and i suddenly started to have very fast heartbeat along with irregular heartbeats (lot of extra beats, its hard to tell as i was getting more and more anxious and i couldn't sit down since i was walking outside) but i had no pain, no dizziness, no fatigue (even though i just finished 12 hours work shift and drank quite few coffees.)

Then i had my tests in which all came back normal (x-ray, blood test, echo, EKG, stress test.) Ive never experimented this episode again beside some heart skip feeling sometimes but I'm used to it since Ive been suffering from anxiety for 10 years now.

Now i am worrying that i may have fib that haven't been diagnostized when i had my tests since i never had an episode like this again. The cardiologist did see a abnormal q wave on one of my EKG but after 2 tests (stress test, echo) he told me to worry about nothing that everything was normal and even told me to not take betablockants as i don't need it.

So yes, I'm still quite scared i may have afib and he didn't see it since i didn't have nothing during the test. All these tests were actually suppose to help me calm down inside but I'm still scared even though the cardiologist didn't seems bothered at all.

Can someone help me understand better please.

P.S: Im 26, 5f11 for 190 lbs, no heart disease in my family, healthy in general beside a beer belly.

[James1983]

sounds like you have fallen into the trap that i did 4 years ago and have fell into today, which is not being able to accept that we have anxiety and that other than that we are alright. I struggle with anxiety especially about my heart and it is so hard to accept even when the Doctors tell you that you are ok, it does not seem to sink in and we carry on worrying. positive thoughts are needed with me and you. you are ok try not to worry.

[sweetlover88]

Hi James,

Thanks for the reply!

To be honest with you, its not that i don't accept that I'm suffering from anxiety as I'm used to it and its been a while. I guess the thing that my conscience may not accept is the fact that I'm cardiophobia (which i guess is the same thing anyway...)

I was used to the fast heartbeat, pounding sensation. The thing that really got me scared was when i was walking outside after a day of work and it started to beat not only fast but absolutely irregulary. It really scared the shit out of me...

Do you think the cardiologist would of known if I'm suffering from afib after all the tests that I've done?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just worrying. I mean, as I'm typing now, my heartbeat is in the 50-60 range as always and its normal but since that one episode, I'm really scared that it comes back randomly and because of that i keep thinking about it.

Sorry again, and thanks again! lol

Matt

[Aaahhfreakout]

Occasional a-fib in a young and healthy person is not unknown.

Was the underlying rhythm up and down, changing all the time?

Or was it consistently fast and with random skips and bumps?

[sweetlover88]

it was consistent but irregular. As soon as i arrived to the ER, it started to go down (they took a EKG that was normal there but i felt like it disappeared as soon as we walk in)

[Aaahhfreakout]

There are regular irregularities and irregular irregularities. :)

A-fib is an irregular irregularity. The heart-rate is going up and down randomly all the time. There's no consistency and it can start and stop randomly but often likes to keep going.

A-fib is when many parts of the atria are starting ectopic beats, the usual PACs are when it's just one.

You may have had some groups of PACs give you a high heart rate, trigger your anxiety and the anxiety gave you more PACs.

[sweetlover88]

Thanks once again for your answer!

So you think that, maybe, in my case it could of been a rapid heartbeat due to whatever (drank alot of cofee + no sleep + humidity + hot weather could have triggered that) mixed with bunch of pvc?

Cause all the time i feel fine. My heart beat normal, im always in the low 50-60 and beside few palps from time to time, i feel fine. I just thought it was afib since i instantly associated rapid heartbeat + irregular beat to it.

[Aaahhfreakout]

I've actually had an episode of vagally-mediated atrial fibrillation so I've read up a lot about it and a-fib is not that bad, really.

It's impossible to say what you actually had. That you have been to the doctors and all seems fine is very good. That you also felt okay during the episode is also good, as fainting would be more concerning.

I notice you have a low resting heart rate, do you exercise a lot?

Heat increases heart-rate and caffeine and lack of sleep can increase ectopic beats. Also, make sure you have a good diet as many think low levels of vitamins and minerals can increase ectopics. As can anxiety, as we all know only too well.

It's possible to think your heart is suddenly fast when in fact it's built up to that over a few seconds. I thought this myself a few months ago but a heart monitor record showed I was wrong and it wasn't sudden, it was gradual build over 5 to 10 seconds but just felt sudden to me. This was just anxiety getting me in a new way.

But as I say, it's impossible to say what it really was, unless it happens again and doctors see it on a monitor. Maybe it was your heart, maybe it was anxiety, maybe it was both.

It's even possible to have a-fib once and it never happen again, as it happened to me once 19 years ago and never since. :)