Anxious AND paranoid

[cankat]

Hi everyone,
I only joined a couple of days ago and left a message under Health Anxiety, hoping for some words of reassurance or advice.
Unfortunately, mine is now the only message with no replies at all (see Pounding Heart, at 02.21 on 12/3/08) and am starting to:
a) worry that no-one else has these symptoms and I really am seriously ill or going mad,
b) I've done or said something to put people off.
Help, what have I done wrong?!:unsure:

[pink daisy]

Hi Cancat

Welcome to nmp hun xx
wen i first had anxiety i was worried about pounding heart too,

Thats just a symptom of anxiety so dont worry, if u want to go and see your gp, im sure he will make your mind at rest also..


Hope to chat soon

Kate

[xBettyBoopx]

Hi cankat

I am sorry I didn't see your post, I certainly would have answered, maybe I was in bed.

First, welcome to NMP, this is a great site.

Pounding heart is something I think every anxiety sufferer gets, it's the adrenalin running around in your body that makes all these symptoms especially pounding heart. Then when you start to worry and get more anxious, your heart will pound even more, til you think it's going to pound out of your chest or have heart attack. The good news is that it will never beat that fast that it will cause any damage at all. If you can get a copy of Dr Claire Weekes book 'Self help for your nerves' or any book for anxiety, you will find this is probably the worst symptom for anxious people.
I wouldn't be here today if it was going to damage your heart, as I've had anxiety for 32 years. The times I thought I was having heart attack of surely my heart was gonna pound right outta my chest are too many to mention.

Please don't be paranoid, there are a few people on here early hours on the morning, but I think most are in bed, lol. I am on here quite late usually, so if I'm here and you want to pm me, please feel free to do so, I will try and be of help to you.

I hope you enjoy the site as much as I have. Have you tried the games? Sometimes playing them (and there are loads) can take your mind off of anxiety and before you know it you've calmed down:) :)

Take Care

Elspeth

[groovygranny]

Hello cankat,

Please don't worry - sometimes it takes a little while for people to read through the forums and respond to posts.

But, you have a reply from pink-daisy:yesyes: !

And I'm sure others who suffer similarly will respond in due course:hugs:

:flowers:

[PUGLETMUM]

:) hi cankat, sometimes things do go a bit quiet round here, and then other times its really busy, but we all care its just that were all pretty proccupied with ourselves too - or we wouldnt be here!:winks: you havent said or done anything wrong - try to just be yourself and then you dont have to worry - the heart thing is rubbish isnt it - ive had it since i first experienced panic and prolonged anxiety some 21 years ago now (my how those years are stacking up!) and ive never had a prob with my heart and nor do i suppose i ever will - you know that the way you feel your heart beating is a symptom of anxiety - it may not be beating much faster than is normal but you can have the awareness thing, so you are just aware of it beating all the time? it isnt a sign ther eis anything wrong with your heart, its just too much adrenaline - in an emergency you need the heart to pump the blood around your body - especially to your legs so you can run faster:yesyes: i know it makes you feel horrible but you dont need to worry about it. if anything you can use it as a cue to relax because obviously when you are stressed youve got excess adrenaline and cortisol flowing around your body and they arent good for you, so try to relax to stop it by doing deep breathing, use it to motivate you to relax - you will be protecting your heart in the long term. keep posting, emma:hugs:

[cankat]

Hi Elspeth, thanks so much for your reply.
I discovered this site as you noticed, in the middle of the night, when I couldn't sleep (I find it's better to get up and do something than lie there fretting). It's a brilliant site and has given me a lot of comfort already (I think I should tell me GP to recommend it to her anxiety patients).

I read someone else's post saying that surely this fast/pounding heart must be doing some damage - it certainly feels like it is. It feels like I am carrying a heavy weight the whole time, a sort of straining feeling in my chest. I know all the tests say everything is fine, but...
The problem is that the pounding never goes away, even when I am apparently relaxed or distracted.
Still, it's only been a few weeks, so compared to you I'm a novice! But it's a bit daunting to think that this might go on for years:scared15:
Do you think it's worth going back to the doctor, or is that just a waste of time? I keep wondering (as I'm sure we all do), what if it's something really rare and that nobody's thought of it? Just because it's rare doesn't mean it can't happen (as Sherlock Holmes would say - don't confuse the impossible with the improbable (sorry, that's my husband's influence!)).

By the way, your avatar is particularly handsome.:winks:
And also by the way, 'Cankat' is a conflation of my two first names, so Cankat or Candi works for me.
Thanks!

[cankat]

Hi - thanks to everyone else who has replied as well!
Sorry, those replies appeared while I was busy typing (I'm rather slow).
Yes, the heart thing is very frustrating and disturbing. I keep getting my husband to feel my chest to see if he can feel it thumping away. He says he can't but seems to enjoy it nonetheless...:winks:
(The smilies are great!)
It's lovely to hear from people who feel like I do and very comforting to know I can bother you lot instead of poor old hubby all the time (although I won't necessarily be inviting any of you to feel my chest until I've got to know you a bit better!).
I suppose by definition we are all a bit pre-occupied with our own problems. I will try and do my bit to post positive comments for other people as well.
Thanks all!
Can x

[nomorepanic]

Hi Can

:welcome: aboard and lovely to see you here.

Remember that some things like caffeine can make your heart beat faster as well as anxiety.

I get it a lot as well but know that all is ok as I have had an ECG.

[cankat]

Hi Nicola,
I do avoid caffeine (I've not had any since I was first pregnant 9 years ago), I've more or less given up alcohol (although I read recently that the occasional glass of wine is good for the heart) and I've never smoked. I do find it gets worse after eating though.
I think this is one of the reasons I'm finding this so hard to take - until my symptoms started in January I'd always been very fit and healthy.

I have had a 24-hour ECG, an echocardiogram, a chest x-ray and a raft of blood tests. Needless to say they all came back normal :rolleyes:

I'm not helped by my mum, bless her (she lives nearby and we talk regularly), who claims that I have "no stress" in my life and simply doesn't understand that anxiety can continue long after the triggering event (if there was one). Fortunately my husband is a lot more sympathetic. He has suggested I try CBT which is probably a good idea, although I must say that finding NMP has done me more good than anything else I've tried so far:yesyes:

As for 'no stress', well I have 2 autistic sons one of whom also has gender dysphoria and my darling husband runs his own business which is pretty stresful. Also, his mum is suffering from dementia so he's having a really hard time too.

Anyway, I think NMP is brilliant and I'm just really happy I found it!
Candi x

[manmoor]

Hi Candi,

A big warm welcome to you hun. xx

[Lindalou64]

Hello And And Welcome Candi ...........i Wish Ya Well.........linda

[heidi]

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd152/heidi51/HelloRoses.gif

Welcome to NMP, you will get loads of advice and support here and make many friends along the way....Don't forget to visit the chatroom !! :hugs:

[dframpton]

Can totally relate to that. I even rang up NHS direct as I was convinced I was about to have a heart attack. I get it all the time but as yet haven't found a way to control it as when I try and slow my breathing down I end up panting instead which actually make me feels worse. Breathing does help though, what I usuallly end up doing is lying down and reading a book so I can focus my attention on something else then it just goes away.

Debs

[cankat]

Hi Debs,
I really wish lying down and reading made it go away. I haven't found anything yet that makes it go away - my heart is pounding from the minute I wake up to the moment I eventually go to sleep and then during the night it wakes me up as well. It's not necessarily fast (although it is sometimes), but thumping all the time as if I've been running. I can feel it mostly in my back and neck, as well as my chest. Even at my most relaxed, which is reading in bed (but sitting up - lying down makes it worse) with my pulse at a reasonable 76 or so, it's still pounding away as though someone is punching me with every beat. It's driving me mad! It's one of the reasons I doubt the 'anxiety' diagnosis. Although I'm sure anxiety is now part of it, surely if it were purely anxiety there would be times when it would ease up a bit or go away altogether, like you describe. But maybe I'm wrong about that?:unsure:
Cx

[trac67]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum, you will get a lot of good advice here and make some new friends

Take care

Trac xxx