New and still scared

[pgw84]

First off I'd just like to say what a wonderful looking forum this is. I've looked around quite a bit and found much to relate to. So, hi. :)


I have anxiety and my current obsession for the last 8 months or so has been my heart. I have so much to write about the situation I'm in, that I'm just going to ask about this one symptom to start with.

I couldn't find this symptom elsewhere. Is it common for anxiety to cause sudden drops in heart rate? My heart beats slower and much harder and I can feel it in my chest. When I finish breathing out it feels it's about to stop, but it picks up when I breathe in again. It might last up to 20 seconds and with a, what feels like, big gap after breathing out. I find that I usually get it with excitement or when feeling a bit panicky. Sometimes when I get up or sit down, or run up the stairs. It's usually accompanied with a light feeling in the chest. I did mention it to the doctor, but he wasn't concerned about it. I'm finally getting to grips with the chest pain and fast heart rate, but this symptom is really bothering me, it feels as if there really is something wrong.

I can elaborate a bit more on some bits if need be, but I don't want to get too long winded. Thanks for any help you can give.

[Paddington]

Hello there ,nice to meet you!Your symptoms are so common to us on here ,you will at the very least be comforted by that,i thought my heart was goind so slowly the other day that i was actually dying:wacko: Welcomr to the site you willmake somany friends here:flowers: Love Paddie.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Cindy]

Hi welcome to the site
loads of hugs and kisses to you

[manmoor]

Hi There,

A big warm welcome to you. xx

[honeybee3939]

Hi

And welcome to NMP its lovely to see you here, im sure you will get some great advice while making new friends on the way.:)

Take a look at the common symptoms page you may find it of interest:)

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7784

Love
Andrea
xxxx

[DavidJ85]

Welcome aboard, I get this exactly the same as you too! Goes reeeally slow sometimes then the next day will be really fast...you're not alone!

[pgw84]

Thank you all for you kind and warm welcomes! :) I looked at the common symptoms page honeybee, but I can't seem to find others with sudden short attacks of slow hard irregular beating. Although I'm glad I'm not getting some of the others mentioned there. It's so scary.

I just want to get on with my life, but I'm really being held back by this. I don't see it as anxiety causing the problems, I see it as having a serious undiagnosed problem and the anxiety's a result of that.

Would hyperventilating also cause a sudden slow heart rate? My heart rate is always over 80 bpm, and have very rarely caught it under, unless I have one of these sudden slow irregular heart episodes which I'm getting more often.

I had an ECG and blood test a few months back and the doctor said they were both fine. But I was worried about the ECG missing something as my heart was racing from anxiety.

The doctor said I'm too young to have heart disease, but I'm not worried about that so much, more having an undiagnosed problem and dying suddenly. Someone I grew up with and kind of knew died suddenly last year from the same thing I'm scared of, he or no one else knew there was a problem and he suddenly died, only 21, the same age as me. I'd had chest pain before that, but never thought much of it, I've been terrified ever since. It's hard to accept anxiety causing this when it genuinely feels there is something wrong.