View Full Version : I am so tired of panic and anxiety
Today i had a dentist appointment for a general cleaning. I have been worried about having an attack of palpitations in the dentist office for a few days now. I kept thinking about it and how scared and embarrassed i would be if they had to call an ambulance. So, i ended up taking a xanax before hand. It didn't help much. I think i was already so worked up and i had a cup of coffee this morning.
So what happens?? Yup, i walk in and my heart starts pounding and skipping (or what feels like skipping). I decided NOT to check my pulse, instead i laughed! I remember thinking--- i brought this on by being so scared. I kept laughing to myself and started to count backwards from 100 while taking a few slow breaths. It then stopped, no more palpitations.
I guess this is proof that i brought them on by being afraid, and i stopped them by not fearing them?
I am scheduled to get a 24 hour holtor monitor and Echo of my heart tomorrow. I'm very nervous of having that done AND the thought of stepping foot into the hospital makes me anxious. Can i expect to have palpitations then since i'm fearing it? Any tips on how to go about my day tomorrow with ease, or do i just need to accept this is going to happen and know this is just how i react? thank you for listening.
Just go in like you normally would. I have often brought on palpitations for myself by thinking about them. I think "I can feel a palpitation coming". It doesn't really work that way, but sure enough I may feel one or two - sometimes more.
Don't worry if you have palpitations during the echo or Holter monitor. If they catch them, that will give them a clearer picture of what you're going through and they can determine what needs to be done - probably nothing except reducing your stress/anxiety levels. Hell, if you can, think up a few palpitations while wearing the monitor. Even the echo. LoL. They'll have a lot more info that way. That's what I'd do. :-P
I don't have much advice for not being anxious going in. Remember when I went to the hospital last Aug, and I subsequently had an echo and stress test? When I went for those tests, I wasn't supposed to take my beta blocker that morning. I was extremely nervous because I knew I had to get my heart rate up to ~170 BPM WITHOUT the beta blocker.
And what do you know, that morning I went in, didn't take the beta blocker, and had no issues. I was more calm than normal days when I DO take the beta blocker. Go figure. LoL. HR, BP and everything was normal the whole time - before, during and after the tests - and that was going about three hours past the time I normally take the med.
You'll be fine, and the docs will take good care of you. Let me know how things turn out, either posting or PM me.
Well, I went in for my echo and am wearing a holtor monitor! It's a 24 hour one, so I plan on using this as an opportunity to get my heart rate monitored while it's really up!
For some reason, I just cannot get past this fear. I even feel that being excited or happy brings on palpitations! How is that??? Am I just tuned into every since heartbeat that I am noticing things that are totally normal?
Overwhelming emotions, both good and bad, bring them on for me as well. Really excited, really nervous - both cause what I describe as palpitations. Not unusual.
Catherine S
14-02-17, 20:06
Your nervous system doesn't know the difference between good stress or bad stress, it reacts the same with both. Ever read in romantic novels how a heroine's heart 'skips a beat' when she sees her hero? Excitement, fear, stress, joy, euphoria. Pick one...they all produce adrenaline, therefore they all produce palpitations.
As you know, ive had these palps and flutters since my 20s but there was a particularly bad time in the early 2000s when I felt like you with this, and I wore a holter monitor so many times it was like a flippin shoulder bag! It was during some really stressful times in my personal life and also during the run up to the menopause...I had my last ever period at 48, so probably hormones played a part too.
I was never given any prescribed meds over the years to help with them though, so would buy the natural remedies like Kalms or Valerian which just took the edge off. I discovered that beta blockers helps them by chance in 2007, when I was prescribed propranolol for raised bp and migraines. By then I was in my mid 50s and have taken beta blockers ever since, although now I take one called Bisoprolol which suits me better. It was also discovered in 2010 that I have an underactive thyroid which by the way, can also cause these palpitations, and for this I take levothyroxine.
I still get missed beats every day, but not so many and hardly ever get the long scary runs of them now...mostly just the odd pause between beats and I no longer fear them.
ISB ☺ x
I hope I can get to the point where I can get over the fear, as you have. I'm worried about the echo I had this morning. I hope I get my results soon. I am also going to talk to my psychiatrist about meds for panic disorder. I'm just terrified of trying different meds after my last reaction with Zoloft. IT made the palps 100X worse!
Hi! You could try google a youtube video called how to stop a panic attack anywhere. Barry McDonagh is the author of DARE. It teaches you to accept the panic/anxiety and not to fear it. It is your response to it that keeps it going. The book is very beneficial, but you can try google Barry McDonogh and panic and it should come up with some youtube videos that may be helpful. It does work. It doesn't stop straight away, but the more you use it the less impact the panic has on you. Hope this helps.
http://dareresponse.com/how-to-stop-a-panic-attack-anywhere/
Thank you Mermaid. I will give it a try.
I don't think you have anything to worry about. Let us know how it turns out.
My echo results were normal. I turn in my holtor monitor today. It's only a 24 hour one. I'll probably get those results in a few days. I think I only felt one flutter . I should be wearing this for weeks to catch an episode . I guess if it keeps happening I can go back and talk to my doctor. Fixated on my heart, that's probably why it won't go away!?
I wore a monitor for a week in 2015. Go figure, I didn't have any symptoms during that week. But I did! Doc saw plenty of them and said they were benign palpitations. If you're concerned about the monitor not catching the events, ask your doc what the appropriate next steps would be.
Yes, i'll wait for my results and then if the palps continue i'll bring it up again. THanks!
I just don't know how to stop analyzing every heart beat. I am so in tuned with my body and I hate it. I'm not a doctor, so I don't know what's normal and what's not. I literally think about my heart 24/7, waiting for the next skipped beat or set of palpitations. I want to get my mind OFF of this. I just don't know how. I'm scared to try another anxiety med, since I had such a bad reaction with the Zoloft. I don't want to rely on Xanax and am worrying about addiction. It's like i'm several steps ahead of my self, thinking the worst possible thing.
It's your body - recognize what is normal for YOU. Docs only go on the "average" mechanics. For example, some people may have a lower or higher BP than 120/80, but that's normal and they could live a very long, healthy life that way. I believe that's one reason they take your vitals regularly, to build a baseline for you specifically. Palpitations may be normal for YOU - they seem to be for me. Lmao.
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