How do i convince myself my heart is fine.

[ella32]

As a health anxiety sufferer my anxiety is surrounding the heart especially since I get chest pains every day. I've had tests done in 2013 and they all came back normal. Had ecg done last week aswell but it doesn't seem to make a difference to this fear of heart problems or heart attack fears I have. So please if anyone has any advice on how to convince myself that physically my heart is fine than I would be really grateful cause this is a constant fear and thought that is ruining my life. Xx I don't suffer from high blood pressure I suffer sometimes with low blood pressure . The doctor said it better to have low blood pressure than high apparently. When I talk to doctor about the chest pain he brushes me off and says anxiety even when I'm not anxious. He says because stress test and echo were all normal in 2013 he not concerned in any way. If he can be so optimistic about it why can't I. How do I break the cycle of thought that surrounds the heart. It makes no sense to me how I can have chest pain all the time and nobody will help me. I'm tired of being terrified every day.xx

[Gary A]

Well first off, the chest contains a lot more than just the heart. There's a whole host of muscles, tendons, joints and nerves. All of these can cause pain, and I'd be willing to bet that the pain you feel is the same sort of general achey nothing pains we all get from day to day, but because you're so intensely focused on the chest area, you're noticing it so much more. You really can make a pain feel a lot worse by focusing all of your attention on it.

[ella32]

I understand that. The mind is a powerful tool. It's just a constant thing with me. It's from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. I'm constantly battling with myself. It's draining me and destroying me. I just want to b happy and normal and not worry every second of the day.xxx I want this negative fixation on the heart to stop. It's the only thing holding me back.x

[Gary A]

You've had all the testing done that you need, so clearly your heart is fine, it's just trying to knock down a mental block that's the problem. Do you excersise in any way at all?

[ella32]

I don't because the fear has gotten that bad that I rarely go out at all. I walk sometimes but I get palpitations when I do. My life is not my own anymore . Xx

[Gary A]

What you call palpitations is probably just your heart rate increasing as it normally does when active, but again, because you're paying so close attention, you're noticing every beat and sensation.

Try light jogging. The sooner you can convince yourself that your heart is a muscle that requires excersise, and not a fragile entity made of glass, the better.

[ella32]

I was diagnosed as having pvcs after 24 hour holter monitor . I'm just at a point were I'm not coping very well at all. I was told by psychiatrist that I have a somatic disorder with obsessive thoughts but believing that is a hard one for me. I just want the doctor to listen to me because this is controlling me and its a real pain in chest. I want to be like the doctor and be optimistic about the tests being normal and not worry about the pains all the time. Xxx

[Fishmanpa]

Unfortunately, your GP can't really help you here other than prescribe a chill pill. You're physically Ok and tests confirm it. Approaching it from a mental health standpoint would give you the coping skills to deal with normal aches and pains.

Positive thoughts

[ella32]

I am meant to be starting cbt in a few weeks so I'm hoping that might help me. It's just dealing with this pain everyday it's crazy. I even get buggering pain in left arm and in fingers which sends my thoughts spiralling. I refuse to Google though because I know it will terrify me and I'm bad enough without that. I've been told countless times it's anxiety related but I wake up with chest pain . I want peace in my head . I do what I have to do everyday but on the inside I'm falling to pieces.xx I've started having panic attacks again and on top of everything else they dragging me down. I ended up in a&e a month ago with chest pain and difficulty breathing and once again tests came back fine. X I'm sitting here terrified again over stupid pain .x

[Fishmanpa]

CBT can be quite effective. I used a free downloadable course I got here (which I don't see anymore) along with some conventional one on one therapy to help with some depression and GAD after my cancer. It was quite good actually but it requires a concerted effort and it's not something you just do and be done with once you start feeling better. The techniques have to be practiced regularly. It's like working out... once you stop, you lose what you've gained. I found many of the techniques useful not just for anxiety and depression but also in everyday life situations like work and personal relationships.

It's like anything else in life. If you want it bad enough you can get it but you have to work for it. The rewards far outweigh the work involved I assure you.

Positive thoughts

[ella32]

Thanks. Xx I think that for myself the hardest part is accepting that my heart is fine. It's hard to reassure myself when in pain. Pain is meant to be an indication that something is wrong so being told that this kind of pains isn't a sign of anything bad is hard to accept and I think that is my major problem.xxx I've gotten to the point where I'm afraid to sleep sometimes in case I don't wake up. Half the time I fall asleep out of pure exhaustion. I hate being this way . X

[Fishmanpa]

Look.... we all have aches and pains to various degrees. Everyone! From infants to the elderly. It's a part of life. Yes, pain can be an indicator of a serious problem but more times than not, it isn't.

With heart/chest issues, one should get things checked out. You did. You're fine. I can tell you that something like a serious problem (heart attack, angina) are unmistakable. Chest pain can be muscular or caused by reflux and stress. Been there done that and it was reflux.

I have pain every day. On a scale of 1-10, it's always a 2-5...always. My neck always hurts. I have neuropathy in my feet and get stabbing pains. I'm a freakin' mess BUT... There's nothing seriously wrong. I could push for scans and tests till the cows come home but I know they'll be clear. My heart is Ok and I'm NED (no evidence of disease) concerning my cancer. I get acupuncture and it helps but still, there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not popping some ibuprofen or a prescription pain pill to make it tolerable.

What you're dealing with is mental. You know deep down it's not serious. Tests have proven that. It's about breaking the cycle of thought so that it doesn't consume you. I've been there at various times in my life. Not just for health issues but for life in general. It sucks when it's all consuming. You're doing the right thing in getting help and tools to learn how to break out of those thought patterns.

You know what's worse than actually having a serious physical problem? It's thinking you do when you don't! That's more consuming than actually dealing with the reality of it IMO. Honestly, for me, when I got in those spirals in my life, I finally got to the point that I was pissed off at it. I got so fed up with dealing with it that I did what I needed to do to break out of it. I may not be able to control certain things in my life but damn if I can't control how I think about them. The same will become evident to you as you work on yourself. You'll eventually get to the point of telling your anxiety to F'off and it'll listen to you ;)

Good luck and positive thoughts

[ella32]

Thanks fishmanpa I appreciate your advice.xx