Winded feeling in chest, heart pauses

[Keli]

I have recently been sent to a cardiologist after suffering some scary palpitations. To give a brief history, the palpitations started after a course of evening primrose oil (taken at the advice of a breast surgeon who was treating me for hormonal breast pain). I am 26, female and have had general anxiety including agoraphobia (almost cured now) for as long as I can remember.
At the cardiologists, I had an echo, ekg, stress ekg and a 48 hour holter monitor fitted. I haven't got the holter monitor results yet but the other test results were all fine.
Yesterday whilst at work, I experienced what I can only describe as a feeling like all of my oxygen was being sucked out of me, I felt winded and as though my heart had literally stopped. After a few seconds I was able to breathe again. I didn't feel this large THUD that some people speak of, mine was purely a winded feeling and like my heart was skipping beats. It was pertifying because all I wanted was to be able to catch my breath. It felt like it lasted a lifetime but was 2-3 seconds. Afterwards I felt absolutely terrified, light headed and dizzy until I calmed down. Since then I have been convinced that this episode will happen again but next time will kill me. I appreciate how silly I probably sound but when things happen to my body that feel this bad, I assume the worst and start to feel reclusive. I was crying myself to sleep last night terrified and cannot wait for my next cardiologist appointment (which naturally i am thinking I will die before I get to it and I'll be the shock case they talk about). I don't know what to do, I'm at work at the moment and feel close to breaking down. I just want to go home and lay down :(
I also had an episode last month where I woke up, walked to the kitchen and felt my heart racing. It eventually slowed down once I focussed on breathing but it's got me thinking I have a sinister arrhythmia.
I would really really appreciate any advice I can get, or any similar experiences from anyone else. Thank you so much in advance.

[Beckybecks]

Since the cardiologist didn't pick up anything I'd say your symptoms are due to anxiety. Look just on this forum alone how many people have fears about their hearts and suffer from palpitations.
I've had palpitations before and the episodes have continued for as long as I feared them
I take evening primrose but have never had this as a side effect, did you mention this to the doctor?
If you have another episode try to calm yourself down by doing some breathing exercises or go for a walk. Try to distract yourself. The more you focus on it the worse it will be. And the more you fear it and anticipate it the more chance it will happen again. Much the same as a panic attack.
Sometimes the doctors don't know what to do with us anxiety sufferers so they do tests just to ease our fears.
You can rest assured that your cardiologist would have pickef up on anything serious, that's what he's trained to do and he wouldn't have sent you home if you were in danger of having a heart attack.

[Keli]

Thank you for your response Becky. The breast consultant I was seeing who put me on the evening primrose referred me to the cardiologist. She said that evening primrose can cause palpitations but just to be sure that's the cause, she sent me for tests (which i'm so grateful for).
I definitely agree that the more I fear them the more I have them - sometimes though I can be completely calm and still get them. It's episodes like that that make them feel sinister because if I'm not panicky, why is my heart behaving this way? Maybe it's all just subconscious anxiety, I have no idea.

[Beckybecks]

I know what you mean. It's hard to understand why your heart would behave this way if you're not panicking. Here's a story that may help.
I have a friend who used to get extreme palpitations in the middle of the night. They woke her up! You'd think that's when you're most relaxed, but that's when she got them. Like you she saw a cardiologist and had all the tests and the holter monitor. Everything was clear. He gave her a mild anti anxiety drug to take at bedtime. Since then she's been fine.
So like you say, maybe its subconscious .

[Chronic911]

I know what you mean. It's hard to understand why your heart would behave this way if you're not panicking. Here's a story that may help.
I have a friend who used to get extreme palpitations in the middle of the night. They woke her up! You'd think that's when you're most relaxed, but that's when she got them. Like you she saw a cardiologist and had all the tests and the holter monitor. Everything was clear. He gave her a mild anti anxiety drug to take at bedtime. Since then she's been fine.
So like you say, maybe its subconscious .

Hi Becky,
I am having the same thing happen to me right now. When I start to drift off to sleep, that is when they jolt me awake. Like you said, you'd think these would not happen while you are asleep bc that is when your body is most relaxed....go figure!

[Mindprison]

Just thought i'd add something here since i've been getting this too recently.

My heart is constantly fast and I do feel it skipping every now and then. What I have noticed though is that I get a lot of twitches and muscle pain in my chest, more than likely because of the constant daily anxiety for the past year. I have the tendency to pulse check but i've noticed that when I think i'm having palpatations, my heart is beating away as normal and the feeling is actually coming from the muscles in my chest.

Just some food for thought, while you are likely having skipped beats, you might actually be having some muscle spasms in the chest area as well. I find its actually quite hard to tell the difference between palps and muscle twitches.