LeahGrey
26-12-15, 21:08
Hi, I've been getting some symptoms for quite some time now which have really started to worry and depress me because they don't feel like 'just anxiety'
I'm 16 years old, 158cm tall and about 48kg (healthy weight) and take propranolol 10mg 1-3 times a day depending on how I feel. ECG normal (apart from sinus tachy) echocardiogram normal, halter monitor normal (showed ectopic beats but was taking propranolol while wearing it) blood tests for anaemia and pulmonary embolism negative, and spirometer showed normal lung capacity.
I started suffering from the classic anxiety symptoms about two years ago. I'd rarely ever have panic attacks, just severe anxiety attacks in certain situations (no obvious hyperventilation) which I seemed to manage to get on top of after over a year. However, I seem to be left with some symptoms that have really started to debilitate me. HEART RATE: I got into a bit of an obsession of checking my heart rate, to find that at rest it is more often than not between 95bpm-115bpm, even when not stressed or anxious. Heart rate seems to increase with little exertion, I find it so much more difficult to exercise than I used to as my heart rate skies and seems to stay high for a few hours after and when I even stand up or walk up the stairs my heart pounds and I get dizzy. I went to the ER because I got so worried that something was wrong and when they put a monitor on me it showed that my HR was 210-220bpm (highest recorded for me!), but went down to 110 wish after about 10 minutes, and stayed that way for hours. Propranolol lowers it though, but whenever I don't take propranolol I get constant sinus tachycardia. BREATHING: I seem to have been short of breath on and off since I was very little, but for the past year or two and especially recently I would say it's chronic, as it seems to be with me every day, again even when I'm not anxious and I always feel like I can't get enough air in and have to take in deep breaths or yawn to relieve this, however I never find lasting relief. It also gets considerably worse with exertion, making me too worried to exercise again. This feeling of being unable to breath has started to frustrate me a lot, which obviously gets me worked up and makes it worse!
I do fear that there is something underlying causing these symptoms, however am aware of the unlikelihood of it being cardiovascular related as I am not overweight, old, a smoker (I used to occasionally) or have any family history, that I know of, of heart attacks. Can anyone relate to me? Or have any suggestions on what I should do next? I'm sick of feeling like whatever this is is going to kill me, I just need even more reassurance I think, because I really am finding it hard to believe that something psychological can be making me feel so poo constantly.
Thank you, sorry that the message is so long
---------- Post added at 21:08 ---------- Previous post was at 21:05 ----------
Also to add that when my HR was about 210bpm, I wasn't panicking or feeling any more anxious than you would if you were in the ER. When I do panic, if I panic, it's usually due to the worry that my symptoms that I am getting at that time are life-threatening.
I'm 16 years old, 158cm tall and about 48kg (healthy weight) and take propranolol 10mg 1-3 times a day depending on how I feel. ECG normal (apart from sinus tachy) echocardiogram normal, halter monitor normal (showed ectopic beats but was taking propranolol while wearing it) blood tests for anaemia and pulmonary embolism negative, and spirometer showed normal lung capacity.
I started suffering from the classic anxiety symptoms about two years ago. I'd rarely ever have panic attacks, just severe anxiety attacks in certain situations (no obvious hyperventilation) which I seemed to manage to get on top of after over a year. However, I seem to be left with some symptoms that have really started to debilitate me. HEART RATE: I got into a bit of an obsession of checking my heart rate, to find that at rest it is more often than not between 95bpm-115bpm, even when not stressed or anxious. Heart rate seems to increase with little exertion, I find it so much more difficult to exercise than I used to as my heart rate skies and seems to stay high for a few hours after and when I even stand up or walk up the stairs my heart pounds and I get dizzy. I went to the ER because I got so worried that something was wrong and when they put a monitor on me it showed that my HR was 210-220bpm (highest recorded for me!), but went down to 110 wish after about 10 minutes, and stayed that way for hours. Propranolol lowers it though, but whenever I don't take propranolol I get constant sinus tachycardia. BREATHING: I seem to have been short of breath on and off since I was very little, but for the past year or two and especially recently I would say it's chronic, as it seems to be with me every day, again even when I'm not anxious and I always feel like I can't get enough air in and have to take in deep breaths or yawn to relieve this, however I never find lasting relief. It also gets considerably worse with exertion, making me too worried to exercise again. This feeling of being unable to breath has started to frustrate me a lot, which obviously gets me worked up and makes it worse!
I do fear that there is something underlying causing these symptoms, however am aware of the unlikelihood of it being cardiovascular related as I am not overweight, old, a smoker (I used to occasionally) or have any family history, that I know of, of heart attacks. Can anyone relate to me? Or have any suggestions on what I should do next? I'm sick of feeling like whatever this is is going to kill me, I just need even more reassurance I think, because I really am finding it hard to believe that something psychological can be making me feel so poo constantly.
Thank you, sorry that the message is so long
---------- Post added at 21:08 ---------- Previous post was at 21:05 ----------
Also to add that when my HR was about 210bpm, I wasn't panicking or feeling any more anxious than you would if you were in the ER. When I do panic, if I panic, it's usually due to the worry that my symptoms that I am getting at that time are life-threatening.