Freaked out...sorry!

[Cathy V]

Sorry, i know ive caused trouble with this before, but i went into a thread tonight not knowing what would be in it...the title was just about ectopics, and because i have these also i thought i might be able to help.

But reading it has freaked me out again. This is the second time ive read that ectopics can lead to Atrial Fibrillation (AF) it could even be a third time since i didnt open a post earlier from someone who actually did say they had AF in the title, so dont know, and dont want to know if they also have suffered with ectopics.

AF is a problem with the heart and you need to go to hospital when you have an 'episode' of it. Ectopics are supposedly benign, but maybe the docs dont want to fuel our anxiety any more by telling us this is what happwns eventually if you also suffer with ectopics.

Once again, how are we supposed to help someone who suffers anxiety because of a real illness? I can only help someone who has anxiety about anxiety...if you can understand me. I'm not equipped mentally to comfort someone with a real heart problem, or cancer, or any kind of illness where they might actually die. And im not talking about swollen glands or IBS or any of the illnesses that i know are very uncomfortable, im talking about illnesses where you can die...problems with your heart mean you might die...this is your heart, not your knee or your tongue.

Dont know what to do now...feel like crap.

I

[Cathy V]

...actually the thread was entitled "Does anyone get this (pulse related)'" by Kimberleyjane1980, but its not kimberley herself who talks about AF, its in one of the replies.

[diane07]

Aww hun,

We can only help those we can, i have suffered panic attacks for 19 years and i'm still here, if people have heart probs it doesn't mean to say its because they suffer with anx, one of my best mates has just had a heart transplant and he doesn't suffer with anx at all, its just one of those things. The heart is amazingly strong, believe me, it can deal with anx and pa's.

best wishes

Di xx

[eeyorelover]

"Once again, how are we supposed to help someone who suffers anxiety because of a real illness? I can only help someone who has anxiety about anxiety...if you can understand me. I'm not equipped mentally to comfort someone with a real heart problem, or cancer, or any kind of illness where they might actually die. And im not talking about swollen glands or IBS or any of the illnesses that i know are very uncomfortable, im talking about illnesses where you can die...problems with your heart mean you might die...this is your heart, not your knee or your tongue".

If it bothers you then you probably shouldn't reply to it.
I know that I have a few things that still trigger my anxiety so if I start reading a post and there is anything that bothers me I hit the back button and move on.
Not because I don't care but because I have had to learn to put my health first over everything else.

That being said anxiety is anxiety.
Whether it be from some kind of illness or not the effects and symptoms are the same.
As far as the heart problem the only thing anyone can say is "hope things work out for you" and "thinking positive thoughts for you".
But the anxiety we can give lots of advice and support for.

[Krakers]

Hi Cathy - while I'm unlucky enough to suffer from GAD, I am lucky enough to only get a relatively few symptoms from it. While they can be debilitating at times I probably only suffer from about 5% of all the ones possible.

As a result I don't read cetain threads. Its a shame, but I don't want to give myself a symptom I'd never previously heard of. I have actually done this once from reading a thread. Whether the knowledge contributed to the "episode" or whether I'd have had it anyway I don't actually know.

So just like not watching scary movies for some as they bring on symptoms, its the same with posts. You have the option to read them or not.

As for helping someone with a potentially terminal problem, if you can't help then just send wish them well and give them your prayers that they will recover. Don't forget these poeple are under the care of GP's, and most come here for reassurance, comfort and to talk openly.

A hug or cuddle can go a long way to making someones day as not everyone is looking for answers.

Krakers.

[Cathy V]

Thank you for your replies. EEyorelover, yes I understand what you're saying but before i hit the back button ive read it, and its not about what i can say to comfort them, however small, it about how it makes me feel. Im sorry if that sounds selfish, but i do my fair share of comforting on here.

I have a heart phobia because of the ectopics. I dont want to particularly keep hearing that they can sometimes lead to a real problem. Every time i read about someone who suffers with ectopics also suffers with AF it makes me step back...its negative for me when im trying to feel positive about these erratic heartbeats being harmless.

So all of the advice ive given to others about this being nothing to worry about is cancelled? because hey...theres a good chance, apparently, that you might end up with this AF we keep reading about on here....and thats actually not harmless!

Di I hope your friend recovers well, thanks for trying to make me feel better.

[Cathy V]

Hi krakers, thanks for your reply, but im not sure people are understanding me really. What is your biggest fear? If you were convinced you were going to die from something physical what would it be? and how would you feel if, after so long with people telling you the symptoms connected to this fear where only anxiety. Imagine slowly starting to believe it and feeling better. Then imagine someone else, actually more than one person in a short space of time, coming along and telling you that actually with these ectopics, you can get into trouble and it means that you have to go into hosp to get it sorted out. Not a good feeling and a huge setback sorry.

Its ok, i just wanted you to know how i feel about it, but alot of you know this already and i dont mean to offend anyone really, but i just cant cope with it.

Thanks for the kind words though it means alot...xxxxx

[Hope 2]

Hi Cathy

I get where yr coming from here. Plz try to not let the anxiety undo the hard work u have put in to try and overcome yr phobia. I really wish I had some advice to offer but I don't, im sorry hun. I understand though, I have had similar stuff going on with the ocd.

Hope u find a way to sort this out asap
Hope xx

[Cathy V]

Thank you Hope xxxx

[marie1974]

hi cathy and poor u hun, i only just read this thread but please dont worry and i understand why and how u are feeling. i know u have an awful phobia and how things can set it off. ooeeer i not much help for this hun but wanna send u a big hug and hope by now u calmed down and u feeling better. u are an asset to this site and and give very honest from the heart advice , so keep it up mate.xxxxxxxxxxx

[precious78]

I have to agree, this is quite worrying. We come on here to seek reassurance from people who have similar symptoms to us. We get the 'you're going to be ok' and then something comes along to put a spanner in the works and this starts our panic all over again. We try not to google and come to a 'safe place' with like minded people who can tell us they're feeling the same when they've also been to the Dr and been told there's nothing wrong.

I do have to agree that if someone has an illness and it is making them anxious they should be able to talk about their anxiety. I think it's Trixie who has the tumour? She has always been fab and of all the posts I have read from her she has always been supportive and never given rise to anyone thinking they also have a tumour. In fact quite the opposite. She is quite entitled to come and talk about her anxiety about her cats as a result of her tumour.

But if there is anyone out there implying that us healthy anxiety suffers really do have cause to worry then that isn't on.

[Cathy V]

Thanks donna yes i feel a bit calmer today, but not much...! Thanks to all whove tried to understand it anyway. Thanks Precious for the support. I can read back my own posts and see how bad this phobia still is, and as eeyorelover pointed out in the other thread, sometimes you have to face your fears to get through them.

In the days before google, we had medical dictionaries...every home had one! I didnt have one but my friend did, and one night when i was babysitting for her i was reading up about the ectopics and flutters, and it gave AF as a possible reason for them.

Ive never met anyone who has this condition so ive been able to put it more or less out of my mind over the years, but the very nature of nmp is that people talk about illness so its murphys law that this would surface at some point, but ive heard about it more on here than anywhere in the years since i read about it. And when i read it, it freaks me out :blush:

Sorry, but to the people who keep on saying "dont read these posts" sometimes you can go into a post without realising what its about. And if this is my particular HA and i do read something by mistake, how is 'not replying to it' gonna help? if ive read it im still gonna feel like crap whether i reply to it or not.

But i know ive got to learn to get a grip on this :unsure:
Thanks again for your support
Cathy xxx

[kellie]

Hiya Cathy I understand where you are coming from ( i think), some times when you read a post before you realize that you shouldnt have, it has scared you, and then you start thinking OMG why did i read that, or OMG
why did they write that in, dont they realise how scary it can be to ppl who have a fear where their hearts are concerned. I have a fear of cancer THROAT OR MOUTH and if i had read a thread about a symptom i was getting and someone said that they had that symptom and it turned out to be either of them cancers it would put my anx into over drive and i would freak big time, but i also understand that we have to try to be stronger than this.Im sorry if im totaly wrong and id like to send you some hugs and i hope you feel better soon.
:hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

kellie.xxxxxx

[milly jones]

cathy

i dont have ha, i cant imagine what it feels like hun.

but i do as u know have sa and worry desperatley about upsetting others. i get feelings of humiliation and torture myself with what ifs....

uve helped me so much hun, and i cant help u other than to say im here and sending hugs

milly xxx

[precious78]

Cathy, I'm presuming over the years you have had ECGs and stuff to see if there was anything wrong as I think AF would have shown up if it was there.

I admit I worry about my heart when I get palpitations and it was probably the thing that started my obsession with my health. I had a ECG and also a heart monitor and neither showed up anything and eventually they went away. They came back recently and have started me worrying again. I now worry that my anxiety has started something new that wouldn't have been picked up before.

I don't know how to stop thinking like this and I wish I could but I think deep down I know and I think you probably do too (?), that there really isn't anything wrong but we don't know how to switch that thought off? It's the what if scenario.

[Hope 2]

Hi Cathy :flowers:

I am glad u feel a least a little more calm hun. I have been having a good old think (dangerous I know)......and have come up with the following as I would like to help if I can. From yr post earlier .......

They say ignorance is bliss. I might or might not develop heart disease but i dont want to be confronted with the evidence that it might happen to me. I joined this forum to say "phew, im so glad its only anxiety". I came here to be convinced that my heart wont let me down...now im not so sure and i dont feel safe here anymore.

This kinda sums it up I feel and I would hate to upset u.........but......I think the bottom line is that it's your phobia that makes you feel unsafe not nmp. I also think yr anger/upset and frustration is a direct result of your phobia also. How do I know......cos I have been there. Different illness /phobia but just reading the term HIV filled me with terror and made me wanna throw up.

So my point is that you CAN be 'in a place' where you can read or hear anything relating to AF and it not send you into a spin. You can break free from this phobia, as it is controlling you and not the other way round. I say this cos I know it can be done. I am not cured but I can live with my phobia as it has only a tiny place in my life now. The freedom is indescribable. I wish this for you xx.

This site can help you improve if yah let it, you can't and won't avoid your worst fears on here, but that is exactly how you can overcome 'em hun.

Tell me teh bog off if tha wants :winks:
Love and Care
Hope xx

[precious78]

Hope 2 I know what you mean. I had a phobia about HIV which I think I have put to one side now (to be replaced by something else). I couldn't watch anythign that had the mention of the word in it or read anything or hear anything. It made me also feel nausious and my heart would go mad and I'd go dizzy and feel faint. I'd even be reading something and the words would form on the page, I'd think I'd seen the word when really it wasn't even there, just something that looked abit like it. It can really take hold of you if you let it.

[Cathy V]

Thanks Kellie Milly and Precious, for your understanding and support.
I hope we all learn to live with our demons one day!

Speak soon
Cathy xxx

[Cathy V]

Hope, yes your post makes alot of sense and thank you for taking the time to write it. Looking at things from this perspective i can see exactly what you mean. It has helped to read it and i will think about he points you have made whenever i feel a panic coming on as im reading something that doesnt agree with me!

Youve all given me ways to think about getting on top of this...bless you :)

[Hope 2]

Hey again Cathy :D

You r a tough old stick and u can do this I know it's enough to make you wanna fill yer pants but the end result is so worth it. I sense that you are a very strong woman who prefers to not show her more personal side of her probs..... who would give you the clothes off her back and her last fiver in her purse. Thats why we all wanna help you cos we think yr a flippin star okay, try and let the guard down a bit and I will mine he he cos I get real twitchy every post I do :ohmy: bet yah didnt know that eh, esp if I show any lovey dovey kinda stuff.

I am here for you for real ok....as I bet u wud be for me xx

Toodle pip
Hope xx

[Hope 2]

Hi Precious,
Yeah it's horrid isn't it. The ocd I had/have is total hiv related. It ruled my life big time. It changed too, like yours did, but mine stayed on hiv, it just always found a way to come up with another OMG what about if.........bottom line I was convinced I would cause my child to die. I am shocked I admitted that just then, and you know wot I didnt feel a twinge either :yesyes: .

Hope your getting some support with yr issues hun from wherever u feel best.

Bye for now
Hope xx

[precious78]

Yeah it is difficult but I realised I was being irrational about it. It started from a comment someone made in passing, not even at me, and exploded. Now i look back and wonder what I was thinking. I knew all along I was being silly but I couldn't snap out of the fear of it. Now it's my heart and my head and one day I will probably snap out of that too!

Hugs to you both.

[Krakers]

Hi - I think I should post some info on AF here. I've got to add the caveat that I am neither medically trained or in any way qualified to give out medical advice. However the following post is aimed to put people suffering from Ectopics at their ease to some degree.

It seems AF as a potentially life threatening condition only affects a small percentage of people with AF. Most people actually do not suffer from AF rather LAF, which can be brought about by many things, isn't terminal and can be treated if neccessary. Changes to diet amongst others can have a posotive effect.

Also, from reading if you have AF or LAF and not just Ectopics you would more than likely know about it just from the symptoms and protracted period of episodes. While similar to Ectopics they are far more severe. It also affects mainly people who have an actual physical problem (70%+) with the heart, but this is not exclusive.

Men and people over 50 are more prone, but that also fits the demographic of people with physical symptoms. Here is a link that may help.

http://www.afibbers.org/faq.htm

For those who don't want to read the link - and I can understand why, here's something pertinant from it that I think all should take away from this thread :

Q: What is lone atrial fibrillation (LAF)?
A: Most cases of atrial fibrillation are caused by heart disease or an abnormality of the heart. However, between 12 and 30 per cent of all cases do not involve an underlying heart problem. These cases are classified as lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) or, by some cardiologists, as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. It should be kept in mind that the validity of the diagnosis is highly dependent on the quality and quantity of the tests done to rule out underlying heart problems. Just recently researchers at the Cleveland Clinic confirmed that inflammation, presumably of the heart lining, is frequently present in patients who have been diagnosed as having LAF.

Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) is characterized by the absence of heart abnormalities or heart disease. This means that LAF is not life-threatening and is less likely to precipitate a stroke than is atrial fibrillation involving heart problems.

Medical intervention in lone atrial fibrillation is aimed at preventing episodes, ameliorating the symptoms of episodes, converting the fibrillation to normal sinus rhythm (NSR), and reducing the risk of stroke. With the exception of surgery (the maze procedure) and catheterization (radio frequency and ultrasound ablation) medical intervention is not meant to eliminate (cure) the disorder, but rather to control (manage) it over the long term.


If you've been for a scan or ECG, then its most liekly you'll know if you have a physical problem or not. If you haven't got a physical heart condition, then do take notice that LAF is not life threatening.

Theres lots of other links off that main page above, but I don't want to post anymore as its up to you to read as much as little as you wish.

Krakers.

[Cathy V]

Krakers thanks so much for the information. I have to tell you that i was hyperventilating coz i really didnt want to read it, but i made myself read it and felt much better after i did. I wont be going into the link for obvious reasons :scared15: but as you say others might want to.

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this...everyone has been so great.
Love to you all.

Cathy xxx :)

[richieshealth]

It's a good point that you can't comfort anyone with genuine health problems, as they are real and not about a belief. But what about concerns with potential Health risks ?., thats my problem. I have a problem with potential illnesses that are terminal and alianating to people such as HIV, Bird Flue, Blue tounge, which are real and can effect everyone and anyone. I find this a problem because it's invisable and no one truely knows where its hiding. This surely can not be a belief or a state of mind - as the problems are evident and real, can a therepist really advise that this is health anxiety, believing you have a problem that does not exist - because it does? Why is this a concern to me and and troubles me effecting my everyday life. I know I can get tested for peace of mind - but the next time I'm exposed to risk it will be the same again, thats means, no children, no chicken dinners etc.. How do you find comfort when the health worries are not in your imagination. It's not like imaigining the worst from finding a lump - this is invisable, has no real visable or physical effects on a person for several years, I feel this anxiety is a very seperate form - from that of general health anx.
Opinions would be apprieciated. ( ps sorry for spellings/grammer)