View Full Version : New here with really bad anxiety and obsessed with heart.
Hey everyone. My name is Mark.
First off let me start off by saying that I'm a very anxious perosn. I have a panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, GAD and health anxiety. I'M Like so miserable with my lfe right now.
I had this for three years but recently it has gotten worse and I wound up in the hospital. I'm completely obsessed with my heart and I'm constantly checking my pulse and I just feel like Im going to just drop.
I was checked out by a team of cardios who said that my heart is fine. Ive had an echo 3 ecgs blood tests and a chest xray about 3 weeks ago. I was put on xanax to help with the anxiety.
But ever since ive been home im always checking my pulse and im completely obsessed with my heart. I just had a panic attack because i felt like my heart was stopping and when i felt my pulse i felt the irregular heart beat and it caused a panic attack.
Im so scared that i have a heart problem even though ive been thouroghly checked. My heart skips, flutters, thumps, races, pounds, and it really scares me.
Does anyone else feel like this?? I'd really appreciate your responses.
looking4answers
09-02-10, 21:12
Hi Mark,
Im sorry you have been suffering so much.. Anxiety can really be annoying sometimes.. It sounds like you have had better attention to your heart than most of us here and there is really nothing to worry about but .. yes I know easier said than done.
Im 55 and have been struggling with the issue of worry about the heart for many years off and on.. I suppose it depends on what is going on in my life..It seems when im either bored or really have nothing else to worry about it goes back to my heart...although I have been checked so many times for heart issues..
The symptoms you describe I have experienced since I was a child but in my childhood I never told anyone because I thought everybody felt that way and then I was hospitalized in my 20's and then found that I had real bad anxiety but was tested just as you were by specialist for anything and everything.. Just hang in there and try not to worry so much..Try to focus on something else ,,anything ,everything , just try as hard as you can everyday to not think about it.. Good luck to you and we are here for you. We all feel the way you do .. so at least you have someone to talk to about it..Hope this helps.. Michael
thankyou for responding.
The thing that scares me is that im terrified of having an arrythmia. and i feel like my heart rhythm is never normal...even though if i ask my mom to feel my pulse..she says that its fine.
Just now i actually felt my heart stopped and i started to feel like i was blacking out. This completely made me terrified and it drove me into a panic mode.
now im sitting here scared to even move cuz im terrified that i have a weak heart.
Hey Mark, I too used to be a bit like you when I encountered my first real bad panic attack and bout of anxiety, my pulse used to be like a vibration in my wrist because I was so hyped up in my panic. I know its hard, but if the docs have checked you out and there was anything wrong with your heart they would have found it. The reason yr heart is jumping, thumping etc is that it is overstimulated due to adrenalin in yr system caused by being over anxious. I just read a really good book called Self Help for your nerves by Clare Weekes that I think would be of benefit to you. It made a lot of sense to me. I have suffered from anxiety, panic, racing mind etc for 19 years. Let me know how you get on, if you dont manage to find a copy, let me know and I will post it to you.
thank you for responding. i would really appreciate it if you posted it to me. ive heard about it but cant locate a copy...
NeverRelaxed
09-02-10, 22:06
Mark, Ive been the same lately...for the past two months rly....Ive been obessed abt ever facet of my body at some point, And everytime It turns out to be absolutely nothing..Ive had brain scan...numerous EKG's...Countless doctor visits etc..And its all been for nothing..Its just your mind playing horrible games...i can say relax and try to take it easy but i know how hard that is..So all Ill say is, It WILL pass.
Hello Mark,
Firstly can I say that you are not alone. There are many people here who have symptoms EXACTLY like yours. Don't despair. The very fact that the doctors have said your tests are clear is great. It shows that your heart is healthy and that there's nothing to worry about. Palpitations are suffered by many of us. I've just had an awful time with them when I was at my worst. But they are completely harmless. And the more you worry about them the more they are inclined to just happen - I've been there so many times. Try to accept that you are having symptoms of anxiety that can do you no harm and try and accept these feelings in the meantime. When you lose your fear of them they will happen less. You will turn a corner so please don't despair.
Myra:hugs:
hi
i too feel exactly the same as you obsessed with my heart check my pulse every 5 mins or so and often feel like im gonna pass out i too have been told its anxiety but i find this very hard to accept.
hopefully it will pass soon
Hey everyone. My name is Mark.
First off let me start off by saying that I'm a very anxious perosn. I have a panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, GAD and health anxiety. I'M Like so miserable with my lfe right now.
I had this for three years but recently it has gotten worse and I wound up in the hospital. I'm completely obsessed with my heart and I'm constantly checking my pulse and I just feel like Im going to just drop.
I was checked out by a team of cardios who said that my heart is fine. Ive had an echo 3 ecgs blood tests and a chest xray about 3 weeks ago. I was put on xanax to help with the anxiety.
But ever since ive been home im always checking my pulse and im completely obsessed with my heart. I just had a panic attack because i felt like my heart was stopping and when i felt my pulse i felt the irregular heart beat and it caused a panic attack.
Im so scared that i have a heart problem even though ive been thouroghly checked. My heart skips, flutters, thumps, races, pounds, and it really scares me.
Does anyone else feel like this?? I'd really appreciate your responses.
hi mark, im suffering with health anxiety an in therapy for it, with constant worry bout everything an my heart always got my fingers on my pulse, i put a cushion over me an when my partner mves it ive got my fingers on my pulse, anxiety is a cruel cruel thing an very scary but hun you are not alone with this :)
Hi Mark. I myself have been an anxciety sufferer for many years and this you have posted is no stranger with me. I myself used to check my pulse all the time and i noticed every beat even more so when i was lay in bed at night. I had 2 ecgs done and was checked over by my doctor about 15 times and this is no exageration. I completley convinced myself that i was having a heart attck or that something was seriously wrong with my heart but the horrible thing about was that the pain was there in my chest too. But the more i thought about it the worse it become. I had the rapid breathing , palpatations, heart missing beats and sometimes id be lay there and all of a sudden its as if id missed a beat or forgotten to breath and id jump up and take a deep breath then that was it, rapid heart again. Alls i can really say to you Mark is that noticing it and concentrating on it or even thinking about it when its not happening is the worst thing you can do. I found distracting myself helped or completley blocking my mind from thinking about anything. But also Mark its learing yourself and your mind that you are not dying, and you do not have a heart condition and you will not let this take over your life because i did for so long. Its no laughing matter but i can actually sit here and think to myself " God ha i cant believe i was so obcessed with my heart".... But it is all about realising Mark that this is in your head hun and you jsut keep telling yourself that and you will begin to notice it going. I really do hope this helps you. I got through it and so can you xxx
hi mark im the same as you mate ur not alone here
Hi Mark, welcome to the forum
I'm the same as you and most of the people who have commented here in being obsessed with my heart. I too am constantly checking my pulse and even though I know what the feelings are, my ectopics send me into a massive downward spiral of panic that I can't get myself out of. I am starting CBT tomorrow morning for my panic attacks and general anxiety and I am hoping this will help me in the long run - maybe it is worth looking into for you too? I have heard good things about it.
Does anybody else when they get ectopics or their skipped beats get this intense feeling in their head, almost like the blood pressure has suddenly surged? Kind of like the sensation when you stand up too quickly and get a head rush. I get that sensation up through my neck into my head when I'm having my ectopics and sometimes that frightens me more than my heart - I guess I'm worried I'm going to get a ruptured vessel in my brain or something.
I think this is a really common focus for anxiety sufferers. The heart must have a lot of symbolism.
I don't usually worry about my heart unless there's been something in the news. My anxiety had a field day after the deaths of Stephen Gately and Brittany Murphy and I had massive issues with thinking I had a heart problem. I couldn't bear to feel it beat before I went to sleep, as if my notice of it would make it stop. Silly stuff.
However when I am panicking about it I do get all sorts of symptoms. When I'm not panicking they disappear.
Does anybody else when they get ectopics or their skipped beats get this intense feeling in their head, almost like the blood pressure has suddenly surged? Kind of like the sensation when you stand up too quickly and get a head rush. I get that sensation up through my neck into my head when I'm having my ectopics and sometimes that frightens me more than my heart - I guess I'm worried I'm going to get a ruptured vessel in my brain or something.
Yes I do get this - it seems to travel from my pulse neck and up into my head and it feels odd and then I feel almost spacey.
Mark sometimes when I get the fluttery beats and the long pause, I feel as though I am about to black out. I panic when that happens and then stay in panic mode which makes everything worse
white rose
20-02-10, 02:17
I am so pleased to have found this site..I didn't even realise that there was such a condition as 'health anxiety' and I feel so relieved to hear that there are other people who are experiencing the same problems as me.
Mark, when I read your post I could really identify - I too have had many tests - and all turned out to be ok. But still I torture myself that every twinge of pain in my chest or back is an imminent heart attack..I am also checking my pulse constantly - last week the usual rate seemed to have increased by about 10 beats per minute - cue more panic !
I can thoroughly recommend the books by Claire Weekes - she is a good old fashioned doctor - and you will find yourself warming to her common sense approach - I have read a couple of her books and they really helped me.
I hope all the posts you have received really help you - there are so many nice people out there who want to help - I'm sure you will feel better when you read their experiences.
All the very best to you
Hi Mark,
I have been suffering with this sort of problem for about a year now. I have been checked out by the doctor but am convinced that there is something wrong. You are not alone.
However I know that the fact I can sometimes feel my heart beating or it goes fast is just a reaction to the adrenalin being released in my body which anxiety sufferes can not control.
I know its hard but you have to accept that its just a symptom of our condition, just like if you have a cold you get a runny nose or if you have a hangover you get a headache. I promise these symptoms are nothing to worry about but just very uncomfortable feelings. No one in the world has ever died of these symptoms but millions of people all over the world suffer from them.
I find running helps me, you will feel so much better the next day as you produce seretonin which makes you feel happy and relaxed the opsite to that horrible adrenalin feeling.
Remember dont worry your not alone, and feel free to contact me if you need a chat.
Hey guys. I know that its been a while since posting this but ive been doing ok for the most part.
There's one thing that's been bothering me really bad and i really hope that someone can explain this. Sometimes when i tsand up from a sitting or lying position to a standing position, i get this adrenaline rush and my heart starts to pound or race. the whole episode lasts from 10-30 seconds.
It also happen when i think its about to happen before i even stand up.
With all the heart tests ive had, is this really anxiey? please has anyone ever experience this? Id really appreciate your repsonses on this. please.
hi, i was exactly the same as you 3 yrs ago and ive finally won the fight im pleaseed to say. i still have loads of ectopics and strange rythms, and even have the odd arrythmia which the dr's have all said are fine, wont go into it too much but if you read my post called my story you'll understand. but as for it speeding up when you stand thats completely normal cos your standing up the blood has to get to your top end hence the quicker rythm, sometimes i find mine will do this all the time im stood up. its not harmful just that maybe i have a sensitive heart as the dr's put it, and maybe the subconcious is allowing me to panic with out realising and pushing that extra bit of adrenaline through my body. Try not to worry i know how hard it is, but seriously if there was anything wrong with your heart the dr's WOULD know and so would you!! lots of love sara xx
Hi Mark,
sounds very familiar! I've been obsessed with my heart as well, had a very reassuring check-up in the end with a cardiologist who was really thorough and discussed all my fears in a totally rational, non-condescending manner. I told him I had health anxiety and I think that definitely helped, because he realised he had to go through things with me and not just dismiss everything as silly. I had blood tests, all sorts of monitoring and had to go crazy on the exercise bike and allow my heartrate to go up to 184!
The one thing that's really helped me deal with health anxiety & panic disorder is cognitive behavioural therapy. It's the single biggest step I've taken towards feeling better, and it's improved my life no end although I still have bad days and get knocked back every once in a while. I definitely recommend it.
Good luck fighting the anxiety, it's a nightmare but you're not alone!
Yes I do get this - it seems to travel from my pulse neck and up into my head and it feels odd and then I feel almost spacey.
Mark sometimes when I get the fluttery beats and the long pause, I feel as though I am about to black out. I panic when that happens and then stay in panic mode which makes everything worse
Oh my god, i have read a lot about palpitations and heart worrys. I also got them. But i haven't read about this pulse travel to neck and head and headrush/blackout feeling. It's exactly what i've been feeling. And also i'm afraid of that even more now that i know my heart is ok. I also get this pause and then raceing heart. Some times when i caugh. Sometimes when i kneel and then stand up. And when i go up the stairs. And sometimes even for no reason. The lightheaded feeling and pressure in the neck and then feeling like my heart skiped a beat is just so scary and the doctors i've spoken to haven't said nothing about what it could be.
Typer - have you confirmed your situation with doctors and you know that anxiety can do this? I just can't believe how many uncomfortable and physical symptoms just our minds can make us feel. Unreal!
And, Mark, i also do check my pulse. Some time ago i did go to cognitive therapy and the first thing they said to me was "stop taking your pulse" it only makes it worse cause it makes you nervous. Over a year i did it, but now i'm back checking again. Oh this thing is a bummer. And i also did go to cardiologist last week, everything was fine, but i just can't seem to accept that. Is it really just my mind? How can mind do such thing!? I feel you.
Well I've almost given up checking my pulse now. The only thing that makes me worry is the fast pulse when standing. If it doesn't happen right away, I think about it and it happens so it makes me wonder if its my mind or something else I also get a warm sensation in my chest when i stand up, like an adrenaline rush feeling.. =(
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