Sudden Death Syndrome

[LeighT]

Whilst I've had many fear over the last year, this is one that I cannot shake off.

It first started when I began having palpitations back in January which scared me half to death. I had a regular ECG followed by a 24 hour ECG and the results for both were completely normal.

I read somewhere on here that a ECG can detect this and that its really rare, but despite this I'm still scared that I'm just going to suddenly die.

This fear has gotten increasingly worse lately due to Christmas being only a few days away and I'm terrified its going to happen soon.

I really need some help or advice as I don't want this to impact on my son's Christmas.

Thank you.

[Nathan92]

Firstly. Welcome to No More Panic. :welcome:

Secondly, Welcome to Anxiety, where your everyday normal symptoms become life ending, world imploding realities. (or so your mind would have you think)

Palpitations don't kill. The are effectively the feeling of your heart beat, completely normal (everyone will have one/some at one stage in their life) for me its when I cough really hard, have an infection (viral/bacterial) or when I get stressed.

Yours. Evidently when you get stressed. Now I'd be surprised if in the past few days / weeks or in the coming days you don't have any. Stress for a lot of people is the trigger. You need to calm down.... (literally, think happy thoughts / or re-read what I'm saying, once it sinks in.. you'll feel better)

regarding the feeling of death in the coming days... A lot of people get that feeling especially around the holidays... for you it's anxiety... the feeling of sudden impending doom or when you wake up in the morning the world will be a totally different place that you can't imagine living in... or that its constantly dark.. even when you feel happy.,.. this dark cloud is just there...

You should see your GP about it, some are understanding.. some not so.. just think happy thoughts... do something which makes you happy, think about good points in your life, not the bad ones.. and you'll feel better (:

[LeighT]

Thanks for the reply and the warm welcome.:)

I have seen my GP a lot over the last year regarding the numerous symptoms I've experienced and I've had different tests and scans to dismiss my fears. But its this particular fear that really scares me beyond belief.

Deep down I know its my anxiety, and yes youre right I have been having more palpitations than normal over the last couple of weeks. This fear mostly arises around certain milestones like birthdays and holidays.

I just can't seem to shake it no matter how much i reassure myself. :(

[debs71]

Hi,

Sorry if this sounds a bit blunt and to the point, but this is a pointless worry to have.

By the nature of sudden death syndrome, what could you do about it if you were one of the very unfortunate, very, very tiny few who suffer this?? Nothing at all, so spoiling your life now worrying about and dwelling on it is a waste of precious energy and time.

Thinking rationally (which I know is very hard when you are anxious) there is NOTHING that you could do to prevent this, and many people who this has afflicted didn't have a clue it would happen, and you have already had your heart rhythm checked very extensively.

You should be encouraged by the fact that all was normal. If there was any issue with your heart rhythm, it would show on the ECG.

As Nathan said, this is purely anxiety talking. It makes us worry about every symptom, every little thing that is out of the ordinary. Palpitations are classic anxiety symptom, and almost everything you see or read says that the vast majority are not dangerous. They are massively linked to stress, anxiety, too much caffeine......generally nothing more. They are created by excess adrenaline surging through us due to high anxiety.

I have had palps many times. I have even gone so far as to pass out whilst having an irregular heart rate. I twice have had just an ECG at my GP. Both times it was normal. Every time I get them I am up to my eyes in stress and anxiety.

The key is distraction....keeping busy and filling your mind with other, preferably nicer things to think about. I know how hard this is when anxiety is nagging at you, but it can be done, I assure you. The fear you have will melt away once your anxiety levels are calmed down a bit.

You are fine. Try to trust that! :hugs:

[LeighT]

Thanks for the reply.

I know its only the anxiety and I know that the ECG and holter would have picked it up. I suppose its just another little perk of anxiety.:mad:

Your reply has made me feel better about it as I'm a lot calmer this morning than I was yesterday. Ill keep fighting and smiling. :)

Thank you for the advice guys

[Serenity1990]

I'm not sure how useful this will be but it's something my therapist said and it has a truth to it.

Life is risky. There's no escaping this fact: any one of us could be run over by a bus tomorrow, a plane could come crashing out of the skies into our living room, an escaped lion could take a dislike to you walking down the street, etc. All of these things are very unlikely but they're theoretically possible and there's nothing we can do about that. Yes, sensible people mitigate risk, and yes we all have some degree of responsibility to minimise risk to others (e.g. the plane company does regular safety checks, etc.). However there's always going to be some element of risk in life, and this is something we all just need to accept. Worrying about incredibly inprobable things only serves to decrease the quality of life we have whilst we're here.

[Ronan23]

Hey, just thought I'd let you know that you're not alone in this fear. It's the number one thing I get anxiety over. It even prevents me from exercising as a lot of the stories I hear of sudden death happen to people during or after sports. I think its the lack of control that scares me. The fact I could die suddenly any second for seemingly no reason. I've had loads of ecgs but still this fear persists. Its horrible

[spellplague]

Coffee can also give people a sensation of impending doom, if they are prone to, at risk from or suffer from anxiety.

[saab]

I suffer from palpitations and at times they have been 30 a minute and required a trip to A and E. Mine are pvc's. Even at 30 a minute the cardiologist said they were harmless and said I could go home.

However, it's very hard to get it through your head that they are harmless when they are so unpleasant.

I reckon I have pretty much read everything there is to read on the net about PVCs and NOTHING I have read suggests they are dangerous in a normal heart. If you have had ecgs and tests it would have come to light if anything was wrong with your heart.

There was a study done of people with frequent PVCs - average of 500 an hour (yes 500!). After 10 years, the study group had the same mortality rate as the general US population. The conclusion was that palpitations do not pose a risk to health, even very frequent ones.

On the All Experts Cardiology forum, Dr David Richardson Prof of Cardiology often says that PVCs and pacs are no risk to health in a normal heart, no matter how frequent.

Please don't spend years worrying about something that is never going to happen. Try to find if there is a trigger for them, like stress, caffeine, certain foods. Mine can be triggered by all those, especially a gassy stomach.

I used to think I was about to die in the night but it hasn't happened yet.

---------- Post added at 01:17 ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 ----------

One thing that bugs me a little is that when I was first diagnosed and was having thousands a day, no one ever explained PVCs to me. I was just told I was fine and to live with it.

It's important to understand that a PVC or PAC is in fact a heartbeat that comes fractionally earlier than it should, and from a different part of the heart than the normal heartbeat. At no point does your heart stop or pause. The regular heartbeat generating cells carry on producing a heartbeat - they don't change, it's just that a cell from elsewhere in the heart gets irritated and sneaks an extra beat in. I really wish I had had this explained to me instead of thinking I had a pause in my pulse, which isn't the case at all.

[LeighT]

Thanks for the replies guys these have really helped me.

Ronan, that is exactly how I feel about it. I think its the lack of control that also scares me. Unlike other illnesses ive been afraid of, you have no chance of getting better or healing with SADS and thats what i find unnerving.

I have cut down on caffeine and certain foods but stress is the ultimate trogger for me.

Thank you saab for explaining these. I too werent explained fully on what these are or how they work. Ive been too scared to google anything about palpitations so thank you for this.

[Fishmanpa]

Let me ask you. Do you drive? Do you cross the street? Do you climb a flight of stairs? etc. etc. Same difference.

Positive thoughts

[LeighT]

I hadnt really thought of it like that. I have found myself feeling better after all the replies so thank you guys.

[danevanscoy968]

Coffee can also give people a sensation of impending doom, if they are prone to, at risk from or suffer from anxiety.

Really? I am confused.