Heart - Double Beat?! Argh!!!

[crazyhayz]

Hey everyone, I am pleased to say that my anxiety has been completely at bay now for 2 months :) I dont get any nasty physical symptoms anymore and live my life anxiety-free about my health :) However, today was THE FIRST day i have had where i had a physical symptom and its totally gutted me as i dont feel anxious anymore LOL. Argh!! I was sat at computer and all of a sudden i got a double beat/really strong flutter/double skip of my heart. It literally came out nowhere!! So gutted!! Whats good though is it hasnt brought on any other symptoms where ive got a little anxious about it, so im glad my anxiety disorder isnt coming back. Before it wouldve thrown me straight into a panic attack. Im just alot more rational now lol. But what i wanna know is, WHY?!!! I dont smoke, i dont have caffiene, i dont exercise much (just running around after my 2 year old), and I was completely relaxed reading local news website. My fella says its because I hold my breath! Which I admit i alwayssssssss do when im reading, but this is the first time i got a ectopic beat/double beat whatever they are, and i just wanna know does anyone think i should phone a doctor and ask for an ecg or not? Ive had 9 ECG's since my anxiety disorder started in January, all normal. Im seeing a cardiologist in 2 weeks, (been booked for ages lol) so maybe i should just wait for that?? Thing is, i go AGES in between eachtime i get them, so i dont even think the cardiologist is guna pick them up!

I get little faint feeling when i get them, but i spose this could be a bit of anxiety about it.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated x

[PanchoGoz]

Hi, are you in any pain? If not, happy days! Its if you notice discomfort or alarming sensations for an amount of time if you are ill. Tell yourself to ignore it because it could have been a muscel twitch, moment of panic or even wind! You seem to go to the ECG guy a lot. This is assurance of your health anxiety, and if you focus on an area of your body like that, it will start to notice your attention and it will want more. "Arrrrrgh, I've just realised I have a tongue, its horrible!" You must turn your attention away from your heart and onto your life. I am sure it is definately nothing to worry about. Lots of love xxx

[PokerFace]

I've had pretty much NO anxiety for around 2/3 weeks now and I still get missed beats! Had about 4 on Saturday, not had any since but I'm damn sure I will lol.

Everybody gets the odd missed beat/palpitation now and again, even people who don't have anxiety, is just one of those things! My sis gets them now and again and shes 23 and doesn't have health anx, never has and so does one of my friends! I bet most people wouldn't even recognise it as a missed beat I don't think! Before I had health anxiety about my heart I had a few when I was around 17/18 and just completely ignored them, didn't even dawn on me it was my heart til I started getting loads of them with my anx lol.

I've read on here the way you breathe can bring on missed beats, plus you could just still be very in tune with your body even though you don't have anxiety anymore so you really noticed the missed beat more than you will do if you get another in a few months. xxx

[Ella_Jayne]

You dont need to contact your doctor. Ectopic beats happen to everyone even those who are the opposite of anxious. My boyfriend gets them and he has no anxiety what so ever. I get them and have done even before I had anxiety, just never thought anything of it until I started worrying about my heart. Ectopics are harmless in a structurally healthy normal heart, which you obviously have since you have had 9 ECG's! Don't worry about it, you're fine. :)

[Going home]

I agree with Ella Jayne, ectopics and flutters etc can happen in everybody with or without anxiety...even my doctor gets them. Its only freaked you out because you're striving to feel 100% good 100% of the time which of course is not possible. But its something us anxies think will miraculously happen one day! We have to accept that from time to time our bodies will go their own way for a bit of a blip no matter what we do or don't do, or however good we feel :)

Anna xxx

[crazyhayz]

Thanks guys :) Great help :) Im not going to worry about them, its just that i get so dizzy when i get them like im guna faint, so its hard to ignore. Cheers guys x

[xfilme]

ive just been to my doc about exactly the same and they gave me an ecg. from what i gather, if it was a problem it would show in the ecg, if it doesnt it is likely not due to anything being wrong with you heart and probably a result of anxiety symptoms.. or stress. dont forget, even after you have recovered from stress and anxiety, it takes your body time to catch up. my health anxiety went away about a year ago, yet i still get symptoms like yours because my body is still trying to fix the mess i caused by being anxious. it is worrying i know. i went in for my ecg on friday because i had an irrational fear of having a heart attack. the day after, my 27 year old cousin did have a heart attack. but we have to remember circumstances surrounding likely problems. she had a lot of medical probs... and i mean A LOT. you are under stress, but that is not a medical problem, hence the clear ecg. as a health anxiety sufferer myself, you have to either choose to have another ecg and get the same clear results which you may become dependent on for reassurance, or you have to accept the fact that if there was a problem, all your previous ecg's would have identified something... but they didnt. the only dangerous path to take is to not decide either way and choose to worry about which decision to make. this is what i have learned from experience anyway. im here if you wish to talk to an ectopic sufferer. x

[Ruby83]

Hi,

Never used these forums before but guess I am just looking for some reassurance. I have been getting double beats for 5 years now, started off with 1 every couple of months, to at the moment I am having 50 a day. Been to a cardiologist who has scanned my heart and told me it's fine, but if I am fine I just don't understand why they are getting worse and worse... I worry what the next step is. I just want them to go away, they are really getting me down now. If anyone in a similar situation can offer me any advice or support I would be grateful :(

R