scared please help

[neelam30]

Please help!
in the last 2 weeks I have had random short spells on racing heart, breathlessness,trembling, but each has lasted only 10-30minutes. Yesterday after breakfast I felt a bit lightheaded and that started me getting anxious, so I tried to distract myself by household chores etc. but everytime I stopped and started thinking about my anxiety I had breathlessness and my heart felt like it was dipping. I started to get very upset crying and stuff and when my husband got home, I went to casualty. This is because I have had a history of heart murmur in past, but it was investigated fully in the past and found not to have significance.
I thought I would be better in hospital but my heart went really fast and I thought I would pass out- normally I have no problem being in hospital, as I work in one, but the condition was worse than ever once I got in there. They did an ecg which looked a bit abnormal (st levels looked abnormal) and I had a temperature,. Thenthey took some bloods and a chest x ray to exclude a clot. On redoing ecg it was fine. They said my breathing was fine (I could speak full sentences and my oxygen levels etc were fine) heart was fine and bloods were fine it looked like anxiety they said.i was ok once I got home, though still feeling scared.
Now I am at work and I am petrified. I know it sounds like anxiety but can that feeling really last all day, how can the body cope with constant racing heart, breathlessness etc? I am so scared its gonna happen again. The hospital said I may need to chase up with gp but I think they may have meant the anxiety side of things.
Does it sound like anxiety?i am so scared please help

[jbond1978]

Hi Neelam,

to me it sounds like anxiety... actually it sound alot like what I went through in the beginning. I also rushed to the ER, but ten minutes later I was ok again, and what my doc told me right there has stuck: It is NOT harmfull, the heart is designed to do what it does. Nobody has ever been hurt by it, and it ALWAYS passes again.

Also the anxiety is THE best reminder that something in our lifes may need reconsideration. Doing the same as you have always done, will give you more of the same.

And by the way you're right: doing other things than thinking about it, does exactly that - it diverts your mind, and your anxiety decreases. This trick, as well as nose breathing has put me on the track towards limiting my anxiety.

Good luck,
Jens

[neelam30]

Hi
Thanks for the reply, I checked out the link to your website and it was totally helpful. The only thing the doc did say was my pulse was very fast and she was unsure why. Could this be anxiety too?
Sorry to be a pain.

[jbond1978]

Hi

You're not a pain - I don't believe anybody else than you thinks so :flowers:

Great to hear that it can be helpful, although it is not yet finished :)

I often have fast pulse, but my personal doc says no worries, after listening to it and doing ecg. I do however believe it is beneficial to do relaxation exercises and exercise in general to lower the heart rate.

I have also tried REALLY fast pulse like 180 for half an hour... THAT scared me, as there was no stopping it, and it drained all my energy. Again my doc said not to worry - the heart is designed to take that kind of work. He also said, that there were some kind of pill for it if it should happen again - to know that is very calming. Also to know the tips for it is good: like holding your nose while blowing, taking long nose-breaths (longer out-breaths than in-breaths), rubbing eyelids gently to trigger yawning reflex, splashing water in your head, singing, coughing, etc...

All the best

[neelam30]

last post honest!
Ugh, last night I was feeling so much better, and vowed to beat the anxiety. This morning I am thinking;

why was my initial ecg abnormal?
why was the doc concerned about mu pulse?
why did they say to come back if it happens again or see my gpnote that I exaggerated a lot and mentioned my possible murmur, hence commen sense is telling me they were trying to cover all possible opportunities and also as I told them I have never had anxiety before!

[Miss Dobbie]

When I first started having pa's it was terrible you feel like your actually dying and that that you will die. so no wonder your concerned, the doctor just wants to keep an eye on you as he would with all his paients. You also become over obsevant worry over your heart beating fast than normal for me I just pace slowly and take deep slow breaths and think to my self no one has ever died from this, I will be ok...Just let the anxiety do it's thing and ride the emotions