Ectopic heartbeats!

[Blot]

It is me AGAIN, everyone - needing reassurance that having "skipped" heartbeats,ectopic heartbeats,palpitations is part & parcel of anxiety disorder. I am so anxious about having a heart attack, I have been like this for years. SO every odd feeling I get in my chest, a run of rapid heart beats sends me into a spin. I have had my heart checked out several times over the last 10 years & I have been reassured that my heart is fine. It does not change the fact that I feel frightened & vulnerable when I have this rush of ectopic beats which strike me when I least expect it. I was just sitting at the laptop sending emails when I felt it at lunchtime. I have had a good cry, but it does not take away the stress & emotional pain of living with anxiety disorder. I keep worrying that this time it could really be my heart instead of the usual cause of anxiety. Please,please help me. I try so hard to overcome this condition. I am also really concerned as I am starting parttime work on Friday for the first time since I have relapsed with anxiety. I SO do not want to jeopardise my chances to be working & doing something meaningful becasue I cannot cope with the anxiety. Any advice on how to tackle the new job? I am also quite nervous about driving to & from work even though it is only 15 minutes away from home.

Thank you again for this website which proves its worth time & time again.
:weep:

[House fan]

Hi Blot

Ectopic heart beats are absolutely no threat to life or health. They do not mean you have heart disease now or will get heart disease in the future.

Ectopic heart beats are completely normal in the sense that half of us get them at some part of our life, and I can guarantee you they will not harm you in any way!

Please do not get yourself worked up too much about Ectopic beats, they are not important, and no-one has ever died because of 'missed heartbeats'.
They are annoying, but that is all. They are also normal cardiac function. You are now paying them too much attention, and giving them way too much respect.

Think of them as the heart sneezing, they are no more significant than that, and I can guarantee you that you have a better chance hurting yourself by sticking a toothbrush up your nose!

Learn to live with them until your nerves are less sensitized. Don't 'run away' from them, accept them for what they truly are, which is harmless sensations brought on by a normal heart which is simply sensitized at this moment in time.

House.

[Blot]

Oh House, I love the analogy of the toothbrush up my nose! Such fun, you got me to laugh! I KNOW that I am SO sensitized to my heartrate,whether it is a tachycardia,ectopic,a pain in my jaw or my neck., my aorta visibly thumping ( the GP I saw was concerned that I might have an aneurysm - was I freaked out by that? - he organised an abdominal sonar whcih reveraled a very normal healthy aorta!)

HOW do I get my mind to STOP,STOP STOP this cycle of anxiety - Panic - fear - anxiety -------?

I have read Claire Weekes books - she is wonderful & I have learnt alot but I find that I take 1 step forward & 2 back. It is so depressing.

Thank you so so much for your reassurance, it helps as I am sure you know!
:hugs: