srinux27
12-10-17, 12:28
Hi everyone - I have been having a real rough time these past couple of months and wanted some reassurance.
It all started 4 months back when I started waking up with a funny feeling in my upper chest more towards the left hand side. It cant be described as pain but was more like a "quesy" feeling you get just before a presentation (Not sure that is describing it correctly). I also noticed a slight and very brief burning sensation in my upper left back side near the shoulder blade. In any case I tried to ignore it for a while, but after 2 weeks decided to go get checked just to be safe. Did a self referral private ECG at a small diagnostic clinic and it came back with PVC (Premature Ventricular Complex) - it also said that you have probable anteroseptal infarction(old heart attack) - I immediately googled what that was and lost it!!! :scared15: Thankfully my wife was with me and decided to take me to the ER at a much bigger hospital where they immediately ran a bunch of tests - ECG (this time only PVC in bigeminy - claimed the old one was incorrectly done with a lead placed farther away that can cause an aberrant reading), 2D Echocardiogram and Trop T blood tests. Everything was normal save for the PVC and was told to come back the next day for a tread mill stress test. That was normal as well and my cardiologist sent me home with no medications declaring this as possible anxiety.
I was OK with this for the next month and could feel the palpitations (PVCs) increase slowly. Also - I became hyper sensitive to the area of the chest that started this whole fiasco and now was convinced that i was having chest pains/discomfort. Not sure if you can do this in your head - just convince yourself that you have pain!!! :unsure: In any case went back to the same cardiologist and was put on a 24hr HOLTER test that came back with 12000 PVC over 24 hrs and a repeat 2D Echo that was also normal. Again - was sent home with no medication and the claim that this was just anxiety.
Now - I was clutching at straws.. I then met an endocrinologist to see if my earlier diagnosis of sub-clinical hypothyroidism (TSH - 6 stable over 4 years and no medications) could do this? He said no ways and said this was probably anxiety and referred me to a GP to look at possible GI issues.
Now - The GP looked at my charts and just referred me to a Psychiatrist. The psychiatrist listened to the complete story and confirmed that this was health anxiety and put me on a short term anti-depressant and benzodiazapene course.
Additionally - I started having weird symptoms after the PVC diagnosis. I started telling my wife that I had shortness of breath and that I couldn't take deep breath. I am not sure whether I really have shortness of breath or if it is something that I made up since I am now being told that I have anxiety. I am now scared to exercise in case I end up being breathless and messing my heart up due to the PVC's.
QUESTIONS here is - i have never had any symptoms of anxiety before all this. I only had mild/moderate social anxiety that resulted in avoidance behaviors but I managed it well. I also had a white coat phobia where i get severely anxious in a hospital. A simple blood pressure reading can send me spiraling out of control. But other than this - I consider myself a very relaxed and calm individual with no other signs of anxiety. I am
surprised that so many people are telling me that I have developed severe anxiety overnight - the kind that can give you 12000 + PVC's. And can anxiety make you imagine and make up stuff that you do not really have. And it wasn't anxiety that caused me to go to the doctor in the first place!!
Sorry for this long rambling post. Just having a really tough time recently and hard to digest that all these symptoms can be "JUST ANXIETY":shrug:.
It all started 4 months back when I started waking up with a funny feeling in my upper chest more towards the left hand side. It cant be described as pain but was more like a "quesy" feeling you get just before a presentation (Not sure that is describing it correctly). I also noticed a slight and very brief burning sensation in my upper left back side near the shoulder blade. In any case I tried to ignore it for a while, but after 2 weeks decided to go get checked just to be safe. Did a self referral private ECG at a small diagnostic clinic and it came back with PVC (Premature Ventricular Complex) - it also said that you have probable anteroseptal infarction(old heart attack) - I immediately googled what that was and lost it!!! :scared15: Thankfully my wife was with me and decided to take me to the ER at a much bigger hospital where they immediately ran a bunch of tests - ECG (this time only PVC in bigeminy - claimed the old one was incorrectly done with a lead placed farther away that can cause an aberrant reading), 2D Echocardiogram and Trop T blood tests. Everything was normal save for the PVC and was told to come back the next day for a tread mill stress test. That was normal as well and my cardiologist sent me home with no medications declaring this as possible anxiety.
I was OK with this for the next month and could feel the palpitations (PVCs) increase slowly. Also - I became hyper sensitive to the area of the chest that started this whole fiasco and now was convinced that i was having chest pains/discomfort. Not sure if you can do this in your head - just convince yourself that you have pain!!! :unsure: In any case went back to the same cardiologist and was put on a 24hr HOLTER test that came back with 12000 PVC over 24 hrs and a repeat 2D Echo that was also normal. Again - was sent home with no medication and the claim that this was just anxiety.
Now - I was clutching at straws.. I then met an endocrinologist to see if my earlier diagnosis of sub-clinical hypothyroidism (TSH - 6 stable over 4 years and no medications) could do this? He said no ways and said this was probably anxiety and referred me to a GP to look at possible GI issues.
Now - The GP looked at my charts and just referred me to a Psychiatrist. The psychiatrist listened to the complete story and confirmed that this was health anxiety and put me on a short term anti-depressant and benzodiazapene course.
Additionally - I started having weird symptoms after the PVC diagnosis. I started telling my wife that I had shortness of breath and that I couldn't take deep breath. I am not sure whether I really have shortness of breath or if it is something that I made up since I am now being told that I have anxiety. I am now scared to exercise in case I end up being breathless and messing my heart up due to the PVC's.
QUESTIONS here is - i have never had any symptoms of anxiety before all this. I only had mild/moderate social anxiety that resulted in avoidance behaviors but I managed it well. I also had a white coat phobia where i get severely anxious in a hospital. A simple blood pressure reading can send me spiraling out of control. But other than this - I consider myself a very relaxed and calm individual with no other signs of anxiety. I am
surprised that so many people are telling me that I have developed severe anxiety overnight - the kind that can give you 12000 + PVC's. And can anxiety make you imagine and make up stuff that you do not really have. And it wasn't anxiety that caused me to go to the doctor in the first place!!
Sorry for this long rambling post. Just having a really tough time recently and hard to digest that all these symptoms can be "JUST ANXIETY":shrug:.