rob3231
23-06-07, 19:10
A few months back I started getting odd but isolated heartbeats when cycling. Everynow and again I'd feel a louder 'thump' in my chest, usually following what felt like my heart missing a beat.
They got worse last weekend (while out cycling) and this shook me up a bit. They have started happening when walking (not so frequently) and while resting, though they are very rare then. There may be one, or two and then nothing for a few hours. On Tuesday I went the whole day without one.
I have been winding myself up about this all week and finally saw a doctor yesterday. I had an ECG and it was fine, but the doctor just to be sure has referred me to a cardiologist to have a 'stress' ECG, as the symptoms are worse when exercising.
I (think I) have "white coat syndrome", a phobia about illness and especially hospitals. I can hardly read about medical stuff without feeling faint and shaking slightly. My blood pressure was higher in the surgery than normal, though the doctor wasn't concerned by it. I read the symptoms of anxiety in another part of this site and I ticked just about every one - excessive urinating, frequent "visits to the toilet", you name it. I have also lost my appetite, I'm worried that my weight has dropped between 4 and 5 lbs this week. Great, another reason to get anxious!
Having a phobia about illness, and having the effects of that phobia appear to make the illness exist or worsen it, is a horrible cycle of positive feedback. As we know though, phobias are impervious to reason. My age (youngish), fitness (good), weight (slightly over), non-smoker, light drinker and of course the ECG and doctor's examination all say that a heart attack isn't going to happen, but anxiety just brushes those aside.
I've rambled a bit there, and I have a specific question...
My question, and it sounds like a stupid one, is can an ECG miss heart problems? Or would it pick them up, even if they were not manifesting themselves at the time the ECG was taken?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Rob
They got worse last weekend (while out cycling) and this shook me up a bit. They have started happening when walking (not so frequently) and while resting, though they are very rare then. There may be one, or two and then nothing for a few hours. On Tuesday I went the whole day without one.
I have been winding myself up about this all week and finally saw a doctor yesterday. I had an ECG and it was fine, but the doctor just to be sure has referred me to a cardiologist to have a 'stress' ECG, as the symptoms are worse when exercising.
I (think I) have "white coat syndrome", a phobia about illness and especially hospitals. I can hardly read about medical stuff without feeling faint and shaking slightly. My blood pressure was higher in the surgery than normal, though the doctor wasn't concerned by it. I read the symptoms of anxiety in another part of this site and I ticked just about every one - excessive urinating, frequent "visits to the toilet", you name it. I have also lost my appetite, I'm worried that my weight has dropped between 4 and 5 lbs this week. Great, another reason to get anxious!
Having a phobia about illness, and having the effects of that phobia appear to make the illness exist or worsen it, is a horrible cycle of positive feedback. As we know though, phobias are impervious to reason. My age (youngish), fitness (good), weight (slightly over), non-smoker, light drinker and of course the ECG and doctor's examination all say that a heart attack isn't going to happen, but anxiety just brushes those aside.
I've rambled a bit there, and I have a specific question...
My question, and it sounds like a stupid one, is can an ECG miss heart problems? Or would it pick them up, even if they were not manifesting themselves at the time the ECG was taken?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Rob