Feel fearful of my heart again

[Sar89]

Hi guys. So had a bit of a crap time. Caught covid just over 2 weeks ago, to be fair it wasn’t even bad couple of days of feeling rough felt completely better after 1 week. Went back to work for 1 week then started feeling horrendous…. The walk in centre nurse said she thought it was gastroenteritis… it was a really unpleasant bug. Diarrhoea was something else. Yesterday I considered going to a&e as it was so bad and I felt so wretched, today seems to have improved quite a bit so I’m hoping I’m on the mend now. Howeverrrr! I feel weird today like all spacey, feel like my heart is beating funny I have deleted that stupid app on my phone that I got abit obsessed with that picks up ectopics (before anyone says anything the app is actually considered very accurate even the cardiologist I seen said he had reccomended it before to his AFib patients as it’s very good for picking up and recording AFib episodes. Anyway Iv deleted it because obviously it’s not good for the old health anxiety. Anyway I digress, I just feel quite weak, strange sensations in my chest, I keep getting shooting pains in side of my neck like where arteries are which is freaking me out slightly. Slight chest pains. Worried these basically 2 weeks of illnesses have caused some kind of problem. I seen a doctor about a week ago because since early September I have had 5 cold sores, quite a few little bugs, a blister that wouldn’t heal and got infected and just a few other things she’s referred me for blood tests to see if there is any root cause to it all and also to a psychiatrist as I disclosed how I feel to her. Just sick of feeling so wretched. Sick of being so depressed and lost. What is wrong with me! Why can’t I just feel healthy and normal ?

[anxious_thoughts]

Hello Sar,

I had COVID in January and noticed my heart rate felt fast after doing small activities. It was really difficult for me to get over. Instead of living in the constant fear I asked my doctor to send me for a bunch of heart tests finally. So in April I went and got an ultrasound, ECG, and I wore a holter for 3 days. Turns out my heart is perfectly fine. I had a panic attack one of the days with the holter, and had terrible palpitations a couple times. So they were able to see it all.

My cardiologist said that it’s normal for your heart rate to go up a bit after COVID, it’s a common long COVID symptom. Now it’s November and it’s gone. Maybe if you can try to get some tests done. It will give you peace of mind. Good luck!

[ankietyjoe]

I also had Covid a few weeks back and my heart rate skyrocketed the entire time. It was so bad in the first week that I did actually end up in A&E, although to be fair it was over 140bpm for several hours so it wasn't just 'a blip'.

However, all tests showed my heart was fine (bloods, several ECG's and even x-ray), but my heart rate still isn't stable almost a month later.

It is to be expected with Covid though, it's a very common after effect.

As for all your other symptoms, they're also very familiar to anybody that's been through the anxiety mill. You need to focus on your physical health. Eat right, don't drink, don't smoke, get exercise, get as much sleep as you can (this is always one of the hardest) and focus more on your mental outlook. Look into things like deep breathing, meditation, yoga....whatever works for you.

Our systems are basically feedback loops, if you feel bad mentally, you WILL feel bad physically and vice versa. It's often easier to deal with the physical side in the short term, which is why rest, nutrition, exercise and focused relaxation are so important in recovery. It's also a long term project. Certain actions can make you feel calmer in the short term, but it's the long term practice that will ultimately get you into full recovery.