Totally new - appreciate all experiences/advice

[Beeny]

Hello, I suffer from anxiety, which I believe started after having my daughter. A friend of mine feels I suffered from post-natal depression and things (she had it with her second child and can now recognise things I was doing, which at the time she thought a bit odd or didn't understand). Anyway, for a while I was fine and then about three years ago my heart started racing for no apparent reason (but I put it down to the fact I was flying to New York) and I went to the doctor who prescribed a beta blocker. However the palpatations never went away and to cut a long story short I suffer with an anxiety which now in the main feeds off of a fear of my own heart rate/health. I hate to hear my heart, I don't like to do anything that will make it go faster in case it gives me a palpitation and anything that monitors a heart beat makes me anxious.

However, January 1st I gave up smoking (not heavy smoker 10-12 a day), a week or so ago, joined a gym.

But today I went to a health forum and had my blood pressure tested, it was 142/104 - VERY HIGH, so now I am panicking. I would have thought my blood pressure would be lower due to not smoking and doing some exercise - I do think I suffer with 'white coat syndrome' so that could explain why it was raised a little.

I will be seeing my doctor tomorrow morning - so I suppose that means I will have to go onto medication. I have heard that GC10 (or something like that is very good) I think I will look into that too.

Any replies to this mail would be so greatly appreciated.

Beeny:(

[seh1980]

hello Beeny,

Welcome to the site!! I'm sure you will receive loads of support here.

I also hate hearing my heart and often get scared of doing anything that will make it beat faster. However, as this rules out exercise, I try to forget about it and not let the paranoia rule my life.

Although your blood pressure is a little high, there could be a perfectly good explanation for it so please don't panic. I'm glad that you are seeing the doctor - I hope everything works out ok!! Let us know how it goes, ok?

Sarah :D

[jude]

Hi Beeny,
I think your high blood pressure may have been caused by you getting yourself all worked up before you went in. Did you work yourself up into a panic?
Welcome to the site. I hope you will find lots of help here.
Take care
Jude

[tt]

I can tell you stories of how obsessed I was with the heart rate thing. I used to walk around checking my heart and pulse. I would also stop at drug stores to check on the machine. Every time my rate would be high and so would my pressure and this worried me to pieces. I then decided to sit at the machine and take it over and over and breath and breath. By the time I left I had started to get in under control. Anxiety can control your blood pressure. The doctors office would have me wait there and check it again before I left, I had white coat syndrome.
I am also the type of person that suffers palputations and afraid of something I love - Exercise. I do it, but not to the full potential as i am still not sure of how high I want to get my heart to pump and I hate being out of breathe.
After the test the most important thing is to accept what the doctors say.
If all is well then think forward and not backwards. It is an awful thing to us when we are afraid of our bodies and symptoms. It is what we think that will happen that we are afraid of. We need to switch direction and think the health benefits of our heart pumping.

Hope this passes for you soon!
TT:)

[jill]

Hi Beeny

Welcome to the site.

There are lots of nice people here who will help and
support you.

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILLXXX


When you fear something,
learn as much about it as you can.
Knowledge conqurers fear.

[mico]

Hi Beeny

Welcome to the site

mico

[malificent]

Hi Beeny,

Welcome to this site and forum. I think it's great that you've recognised that you can get help. There will be many people here ready to help you out and to get through it.

Lucy
xxx

[FAN]

hi and welcome im sure you will find the site very useful

fan x

[Karen]

Hi Beeny

Welcome to the forum. You'll get some good help and support here.



Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

[nomorepanic]

Hi Beeny

Welcome to the forum.

The doctor will not put you on blood pressure medication for a one-off high reading. I know cos I am on it.

They take many readings and I do mine at home and take them in too.

Mine is always high at the doctors cos I think I worry about it being high!!

Hope it went well today.

Nicola

[Beeny]

Thanks everyone for your kind words of support.

I did something today that I haven't done for the last 3 years, I actually poured my heart out to a doctor. You see a number of years ago I was rushed into hospital and my appendix was wipped out. The consultant came to see me after the op and said I was very lucky as my appendix was about to burst. All the pain I had been in (not to mention vomiting) for two days and my doctor wouldn't even come and see me, he told me I had colic!!! I therefore do not hold a lot of faith in doctors, but today I put it behind me and just told her everything. She said that what I was describing and what I was feeling was a panic disorder. She said the palpatations are perfectly normal, its just that most people don't feel them, but what she proposes to do in order to put my mind at rest is to arrange for me to have my heart taped for 24 hours. After that she said we can then deal with the symptoms, although they may well diminish once I am truly satisfied there is nothing actually wrong with my heart. So heres hoping - I think I am now just so fed up with this thing ruling my life that I have got beyond the fear of hearing bad news so just want whatever is going on sorted.

Thanks again for listening, will keep you posted.

Beeny

[nomorepanic]

Beeny

Good news. It helps when the doctor reassures you about symptoms.

I take it the blood pressure was ok as well?

Now you need to work at getting your anxiety under control and hopefully getting back to a happy life again.

Let us know how it goes.

Nicola

[Meg]

HI Beeny,

great news that you got it all out and explained it to someone who listened.
A 24 hour tape can be very reassuring. Try to do a variety of activities the time you have it on for so you can recognise that you had a variety of heart rates that day.

As for your blood pressure , the one you gave us was too high. Was it any better this time round ?
The non smoking and exercise will help it but its abit too soon to have taken any effect yet . Keep at it .



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

You cannot conquer fear until you have learned what it is you're afraid of. The enemy is ignorance. Vivian Vance