Fear Of Heart Attack

[Shelly]

Hi, I'm 40 Years Old And Have Atrial Fibrillation Which Luckily Occurs Infrequently. I Have Severe Anxiety About It And Worry About It Happening Everyday. Afraid To Do Things, Go Places, Always On Guard Waiting For It To Happen. I'm Very Fearful Of Having A Heart Attack. Have Had Ekg's, Echo's, Stress Echo, All About 3 Years Ago, All Normal. Still Scared Out Of Mind And So Much Anxiety All The Time. Think I'm Just Going To Fall Over And Die. I Have 3 Small Kids And I Need To Be Okay. I'm Trying To Deal With Anxiety But Not With Much Luck. Now I Need To Take Lipitor For High Cholesterol. Can You Give Any Advice. Thank You For Your Time.

[PaperHankie]

Hi Shelley,

I know the fears. I've grown up with a Mum who has suffered from AFib. She has been hospitalised so many times. Each time, everything comes out clear. I've seen her having to lie down at functions with the palpitations, I've seen her in the Coronary Care Unit, etc.

Her mother used to suffer from something similar - but lived until she was 98, so I guess it ain't that easy a killer ;) .

So, I tend to be hyper sensitive to anything my heart does. Ectopic = heart attack. etc. I've been rushed to the Emergency Room on occasion. I have also suffered from PA's since I was 15. On and off. I'm a bit of an anxious bunny.

So, since the 17th January, I've been in an acute phase of the pesky things because of stress at work. Its like somebody is playing computer games with my heart. The anxiety is always in the background. I can directly relate the PAs and the Palpitations to this stress. I know some of the stressors are already gone, the last of them will be gone in May. But I still get the palps. I now get palps thinking about the palps. I get eratic (regretfully not erotic!!) beats just walking into work, then the speedy ones start. Sometimes, I get over them quickly..... sometimes not. I've had to get hubby to collect me a couple of times. NOT good, when you teach.

BUT - I'm determined NOT to let the things get the better of me. I'd prefer to live a short happy life than a long unhappy one. I also want the kids to remember the happy me, not the sad, stressed me.

Things came to a crunch recently, when my 10 year old woke up crying her eyes out. She said "Mum, I don't want you to die, I had a dream you were in a car crash and you died". We talked about it, and what had happened was she was going over a panic attack I had in the car when she was with me recently. I thought I was going to die - she obviously thought so too. She was also with me last year when I got a bad one (that one was anaemia related) and had to get my Mum to collect me and take me to a doc. (When I had the anaemia, I was checked out by the cardiologist and all is OK)

So, what am I saying?? The stress will cause the AFib, and the AFib is causing the stress. AA have a saying "One day at a time". Why not just take it one day at a time, or even one hour at a time. So, if you don't have AFib now, relax and enjoy the moment. Just one little step. The great wall of China wasn't built in one day, it took a lot of very small bricks to get there.

Hang in there girl - 3 kids is a difficult job in itself. But allow yourself smile, and enjoy the good days.

[russ]

Hi Shelley,

This maybe won't make you feel instantly better, but NONE of us can take the risk from life. None of us can predict the future. What makes human life so special is the very unpredictable nature of it. Yes sometimes bad things happen, but in the balance of odds we are much more likely to have good things happen.

Now the issues comes down to this, you are so anxious about life, are you actually living it? I know, I've done the same, but I thought in recent weeks, I'm so fearful I'm not living, so what is the point of life in that circumstance? I'm here and not in serious ill health like many, yet my life is so limited by fear, that isn't right.

I'm not talking about taking risks, or not trying to improve your health, I'm talking about trying to live through anxiety and accept yes there are risks in all acitivites in life, but we still need to live.

Your tests are so far clear, you are likely to walk past people in the street who are ill and have not had tests, have no idea they are ill.

Yes anxiety and illness isn't nice, but try and make the most of your life, you are lucky to have children and live in a country with good medical facilities and a good standard of living. Enjoy everyday and try all the advice listed on the site to reduce anxiety.

take care,

love Russ xxxx

[RLR]

Okay, first let's discuss AF for a moment. If you were formally diagnosed with AF, is it further classified as paroxysmal AF or Lone Atrial Fibrillation (LAF) ?

Tell me about the frequency please.

To belay your fears, it's rather important to realize that the variant of AF is critically important to measuring relative risk.

Paroxysmal AF usually terminates on its own, typically within 24 hours, but can be as much as 5 to 7 days. Lone Atrial Fibrillation(LAF) is the presence of AF in the diagnostic absence of an underlying cause such as heart disease.

A third variant not discussed is chronic AF and as it's named, tends to be persistent and requires cardioversion in most cases to restore normal sinus rhythm, although spontaneous recovery does occur at times.

My opinion, based upon your posting, is that this is LAF and the prognosis for cases originating in all patients under 65 is actually quite good indeed. Medications are available that reduce and regulate heart rate and rhythm and as discussed, the absence of an underlying pathology is cause for relief from fears that it will somehow terminate your life early. Not the case here. Since your diagnostic tests reveal no underlying disease, then you can take a breath and relax.

The regimen of Lipitor is a good decision if the results of your Lipid profile warrant treatment. Remember that diet and exercise influence your cholesterol ratios, as well as your BMI. These are all part of lifestyle adjustments that will keep you healthy, so don't look upon the situation as a liability, but rather as a benefit from the ability to significantly reduce risk factors that 25 years ago, weren't possible. Genetics plays the most significant role here and with advances in technology and pharmacology, patients are beating the odds with a great deal of success.

So the response here is to embrace treatment that reduces risk factors, take great diligence in your diet and exercise habits and you can relax regarding the sudden onset of a cardiovascular event. Your AF, by diagnostic evaluation, is non-invasive and limited. So break out a smile and work on those risk factors to ensure a long and healthy life to share with those children of yours.

You'll be just fine.

[Shelly]

Thank you! It is LAF with no underlying heart disease. I take Fleacanide and Lopressor but at a low dose. Cardiologist is always telling me not to worry about it however easier said than done. Thanks for taking the time to write.

[Loulou123456789]

Hi I'm a 15 year old male and I'm always in fear of having a heart attack. Every time it doesn't beat as fast or as slow or when I get the slightest discomfort in my chest suck as cold or hot feeling or even a little pressure I was wondering if anybody could help me out by telling me if I'm at risk for anything. There are no heart problems in my family and I just worry about it so much

[Fishmanpa]

Loulou,

I'm old enough to be your Dad (54) and I've had two heart attacks in the last 6 years.

I can absolutely assure you at 15 years of age that you have no reason to fear a heart attack. If you want to make sure you don't ever find yourself having one in the future, don't smoke, refrain from drinking, eat healthy and exercise.

Good Luck!

[bonnybon]

I have the same issue.. my father died suddenly of a heart attack when he was 47 and I was 17. I am now almost 32... he kept himself fit and healthy, rarely drank, didn't smoke, cycled everywhere and hiked. His father also died at 50 of the same thing.

When I was 29, I had a physical at the physiotherapist for a new job I was undertaking at the and was told that my blood pressure was a little bit high. I had to get it checked again and an ECG test and blood tests done - the ECG was apparently fine, my cholesterol was on the high side of normal but my blood pressure was still a bit high. When I mentioned my family history to the physiotherapist and the doctor they both seemed quite dismissive of it, probably because I'm still younger and female.

Last year I started to suffer from panic attacks although I didn't realise what they were until I had an enormous one where I actually thought I was having a heart attack and was waiting to die in the middle of having a conversation with someone about her heart surgery and it finally twigged - I was panicking! The pain I felt in my chest was very sudden and very scary and painful and it has left me terrified that maybe the doctor made a mistake or maybe one day I'll have a real heart attack and I will think it's a panic attack.

I too check my pulse constantly throughout the day and I will be hyper aware of any feelings I have in my chest that don't seem "normal". I can't stand this, and I know it's a double edged sword and it sets off my anxiety. I saw a psychologist for some time last year and he really helped a lot but I still can't shake the feeling some days that I might suddenly just drop dead.

I don't talk about this with anyone else, I know they'll just say I'm being ridiculous but I am awake now at midnight as I've been lying in bed for the past 2 hours waiting to die as I had a bad day and ended up with a pain in the chest. This isn't normal and I don't know how to shake the horrible feeling of impending doom.