heart

[fruity]

when I walk or run upstairs or just go out to work [I walk to work] or school run.my heart pounds but takes ages to slow down well ages to me 5 mins. I'm scared. I have to take breaths or cough to help. and when I'm sitting down its like I got pulsating in my back. its daily.

[netminder1976]

5 minutes isn't very long for it to return to resting rate. Going up stairs is very strenuous. It's good that it starts beating faster with activity, if it didn't rise that would concern me way more. Let me ask you this.... The whole time you're going up the stairs are you sitting there thinking about is your heart gonna start pounding? I got into this trend of anticipating that my heart would start racing and the anxiety alone starts it and you become very self aware.

[fruity]

yes I'm totally thinking the worst bout my heat

[Dreamweaver]

yes I'm totally thinking the worst bout my heat

Heart worries? Hearts are a lot tougher than you might think. I've had heart rhythm problems since 1979, which was a while ago now. It has done almost everything imaginable, and I've been scoffing Inderal and Atenolol (not at the same time!) since then.

Was at Cardiologist (here in Germany) yesterday for annual checkup, and had fancy ECG, stress ECG (on the dreaded exercise bicycle), ultrasound/echocardiograph etc, which allows the doctor to see your heart working (you can see it too if you like) and all the rest of it.

To cut a long story short, I eventually had to give up about 4 minutes into the exercise bike thing, as it's programmed to get harder and harder. Wasn't my heart that complained; it was my thigh muscles. I asked the doctor afterwards when the test finishes, and he says 'it never finishes. It just gets harder and harder until the patient evetually gives up. You did a very good job on it and there's absolutely nothing wrong.'

He repeated what other Cardiologists have told me before - that in the absence of any structural or other problems with the heart (please note that), the particular arrhythmia that I have (and many others) are totally benign and have no teeth to hurt you.

Take courage - go and get checked. Then try and accept the reassurance you are given, even if you are a cynic and want a second opinion. When you learn to ignore it, like anything else that demands attention, your fear will go away.

The best to you.

[Lifelonganxiety!]

5 minutes to return to resting heart rate seems about right for an average person of average physical fitness after strenuous exercise (even in short bursts).

The fact you're concentrating on it isn't helping at all. Try not to time and measure every beat. If something is truly wrong, you'll definitely know about it, when you focus on it, you'll think something normal is bad - it isn't. Things like heartbeat are supposed to be autonomous.