Heart sounds

[Quintessence]

So, here goes with one of my two terrors. A few days before Christmas I started hearing my heartbeat. Not a whooshing sound in my ears, but a strange 'creaking' sound, not in either ear, but of indeterminate origin, could be head, throat or chest. My heart sometimes beats very fast (120 or so), especially when I stand up, but the noise seems to be related to how hard it's beating, not how fast. Sometimes, like the other day, I went for a long walk, mostly uphill, and although it was beating quite fast by the top of the hill there was no extraneous sound. Pinching my nose and swallowing makes the noise go away, but when I swallow again and my ears clear, it comes back. It's most noticeable in the mornings and sometimes late evening. Afternoons it seems to go away.

Went to the GP who told me my heart sounds are normal and so is my BP. Tomorrow I have to have routine blood tests and an ECG, which I'm not looking forward to, as I expect the tests to reveal all kinds of horrors.

I am in a situation of chronic and extreme stress in my personal life - maybe that has something to do with it. Also, being a nuclear-powered hypochondriac probably adds to the stress. I don't expect anyone to be able to diagnose me through a forum (and I would be, albeit grateful for the interest, sceptical if they did), but I do wonder if anyone else has comparable experiences, and particularly hypochondria leading to actual heart symptoms, and how people have dealt with it. That's mostly what I'm hoping for - a way of stopping myself locking myself into this hypochondriac vicious circle.

[kittykat]

I have etopic beats, well palpitations, have said to doc and he thinks its stressed related as ive just recently lost my mum. My blood pressure is fine as well, and doesn't think i need any further investigation .I suppose as ive suffered for years with them if it was serious dont think id be here or something would have happened before now. I just find them really weird. I do think stress does have a lot to do with them, and im sure all will be well .....take care xx

[Chrismascray]

Hi, well I am no doctor and I wouldnt try to diagnose you, if only I could because then I could also sort myself out, no I just wanted you to know you are not alone, I too have the feelings you have described, what I find frustrating is , well one of the things - there are many, is explaining the feelings and sounds and worry eyc etc, it isnt easy even to someone who has similar symptoms. BUT I can assure you I too have similar feelings worries etc as you have described, I live with them, I dont like them and wish them away but if only it were that easy, for what it is worth I am sure you are fine, as for heart beats at 120 in my experience, totally normal, what I do think having read a lot is this, we have comne a long way with technology, life is easier than the cave man, we dont have the stress of fighting or runnimng the sabre tooth tiger etc etc, BUT as we have evolved technology wise in the natural world our minds emotions and indeed bodies havent kept up, evolution takes time and so we still have the Adrenalin runni8ng around that we really do not need anymore, we did when we needed our hearts to beat good fast and strong filling our muscles with blood and energy so we could either stay and fight or run away from the Tiger, but now we dont have that danger, we do though still have the adrenalin and it still goes into our bodies and not always when we want it, if your heart beat at 120 when there was danger you would need it and be pleased, but as we do not have that danger it has nothing to do, except we feel it hear it and recognise it more, after all if we were running or fighting the last thing we would think about is heart rate, but as we arent it feels wrong, it isnt. I read your heart can beat over 200 for hours with no damage. So while I aint no Doctor please take heart - sorry bad word - and KNOW it is OK, You are fine, you have been fine and will continue to be fine, SMILE because the anxiety cant handle a smile.
Take care and think, " I went for that walk, and I am fine" you are will be and will continue to be.

[Quintessence]

Thank you both for your replies - it's really great to be listened to and it's helped me a lot today. Very interesting about the adrenalin - sitting working at a computer screen certainly feels debilitating in a way. I do feel that I've got lots of energy and it hasn't got anywhere to go, so it kind of sloshes around inside me. Actually, oddly enough reading your post, Chris, I found myself for a moment wishing "I really wish I had a tiger to run away from"! Sounds crazy, but something that direct, physical, real, I'm sure it's what's missing from my life. (OK, not necessarily that dangerous, but you know what I mean!) Being part of the world in a way this sedentary, computerized lifestyle doesn't acknowledge. Maybe it's time to do that sea-kayaking course I've been thinking about. (I would choose the day the sea has actually frozen over to think that thought!)

Thanks again.

[Utility]

Hi

It is very common for people in your situation to become sensitive to every sound and beat of your heart and start to think that something is not quite right. I went through a phase where I thought that my heart was beating too hard and fast. It wasn't, I was just overly sensitive to the sounds and making it beat faster through anxiety. Had all the checks, convinced they would find something wrong and of course they didn't. Once I accepted that I was fine then the loud and fast beats calmed down.

You will be fine.

[Quintessence]

So this morning I had blood tests (which I have to wait till Tuesday for) and an ECG, which was normal except a bit fast (106). I put that down to the general state of fright I'm in.

But the noise is still happening, not all the time, but when my heart is beating strongly. I think now that it's coming from my head or neck. It seems to go away when I tilt my head back and up. And it still goes away in the afternoons. Eustachian tubes? But then why both ears?

Of course, now I've had probable reassurance about my heart, I'm terrified it might be a brain tumour. It sounds like a pulse bouncing against something, like a swelling.

[andie73]

Hi

I can identify with your post. I think that when we suffer from health anxiety it is part and parcel of the anxiety that comes with it that we sense every change in our body and focus in on it until we can think of nothing else. My doctor once said to me that I should remenber our bodies are not machines and they do not run like clockwork but that doesn't mean there is something wrong with them.

My health anxiety seems to change sometimes daily, so it could be my heart one day, passing out the next etc etc. My heart is still beating as loudly but the noise of it is drowned out by the lighted headed feeling that has now taken over.

The thought you had about being to sedentary is right, physical exercise does dispel the pent up adrenaline. Maybe you could try something that will focus your energy. When you are tired you may relax a bit.

I hope you get some relief soon. By the way I used to put my hand on my chest 100x a day to see how fast it was going.....usually very fast. That was over a year ago and I'm still here up to now lol.

[Vicki08]

Hi ya,

I just wondered whether you have had any problems with your ears lately ie.congestion?

The reason why I ask is because I currently have a sinus infection and one of my ears is completely blocked in the inner ear bit (sorry I'm not very good with the medical names of things!! :) ) and I can hear my heartbeat in my head all the time. It is most annoying when I am trying to go to sleep. Is sounds almost like a 'clicking sound' which worries a bit! My doc thinks it is because I'm all congested (nice!) so maybe this could be a possibility with yourself?

Also I suffer with ectopic beats and palpitations and my heart rate can get very high even when I am doing nothing. The other night while I was reading in bed it was doing 102!! I do become very aware of my heartbeat butI think a lot of it is stress related with me but I do believe exercise is a good way to help as it certainly gets rid of my excess energy!

It appears from the tests you have had so far that you seem in pretty good shape so I wouldnt worry that it is anything serious.

Hope this helps in some way! :hugs:

Vicki x

[Quintessence]

Hi ya,

I just wondered whether you have had any problems with your ears lately ie.congestion?

Hi Vicki - thanks for your very reassuring (if I had any sense!) reply! :flowers: It is certainly possible, because I had a really bad cold in December, and it was particularly bad in my head - I couldn't move my head for a couple of days and one evening I just had to go to bed because of the pain and congestion in my head. This noise started as the cold went away. I suppose there might be some residual congestion or maybe damage to some sinus passage or other. Like you, this sound is NOT a direct heartbeat like palpitations. I'd describe it as a creaking sound in rhythm with my heart. But if it's my ears, I don't know why it's in both at once. And it seems to be a long time - it started on December 21 and it's not got any better. Those are the things that worry me and makes me (now) think it might be a problem in my neck (ok, I'm afraid it might be a brain tumour or an aneurysm). And of course, the fact that ear problems after a head cold probably affect one person in ten, while brain tumours and aneurysms affect one person in umpteen thousand, has no effect at all on my anxiety demon.

Strangely enough, the fast pulse doesn't bother me so much. I know it's fast because I'm anxious - I can sort of accept that. Also, I've just taken it now and it's 78, so I know there's nothing wrong. The noise is the symptom I've fixated on. I know it's there, but also I know I'm listening for it. I've not been listening for it as I write this - so I can't hear it. I can only hear it if I'm in a quiet room, so I actually find myself going to quiet rooms. I don't notice it so much when I'm distracted. The first time I really heard it, I was watching a Jamie Oliver programme - if it had been Nigella Lawson I might never have heard it!

I make jokes, but it's not a joke. It's really wearing me down. Life is to be lived, and I'm not doing it!