About the Heart (HELP)

[ian414]

Ok here i go, now i would like to know if anyone suffers this and i mean suffers, Your sitting down or even laying down and you feel somthing isnt right in yourself so you feel your pulse no reason but you feel it and its racing, ok so what do you do? well me i take my pulse and find it goes faster as im taking it, WHY? well thats a question i would love to know is it ...1) Because the fear of it racing,...2) Is there somthing wrong,....3) is it mind over matter....Right ok that 3 so called answere's right im laying here right now heart is in its 90's now watch ok, ive just stood up and took my pulse again 130 beats a min, BP 124/91 now im going to sit and see what it is again, 106/80....now im 42 years of age had So many ECGs and an ECHO SCAN of the heart BLODDS done ok all clear,
Now im laying BP 114/76 heart rate 86 beats a min, now i would love to know what people make of this is this Anxitey or somthing else? i would love to know Many thanks Ian:ohmy:

[j2]

Ian,

This sounds exactly like what many people on this site go through and it is purely anxiety. You are "listening" too closely to your body. I have had this happen to me to. I am no doctor but I think your numbers look good. I know it is hard to believe but you have had the tests and they were fine. I know how terrifying that anxiety can be but I really think you are fine. Good luck and post as much as you need to.

[ian414]

Thanks J2 its nice to understand other people that suffer the way i do and i dont mean that in a nasty way as i would never wish this on anyone, but the worrying part is why did it shoot up to 130 beats a min just by standing up?

[debs71]

It IS anxiety Ian.

There is something called 'white coat syndrome' (I'm a nurse) which patients get when their pulse or BP is measured and your predicament is the DIY version if you like. The expectation of having your pulse/BP checked by a doctor/yourself gives you exagerrated, UNTRUE readings which give you an idea that something is wrong, when it isn't. If you expect a particular pulse/BP reading the the body reacts in that fashion, driven by your anxiety. The problem is, when you then see a racing pulse then your anxiety heightens and so it goes on! IT IS mind over matter, but I know that is easier said than done!

I'm intrigued about your BP measuring....do you have a sphygnomamometer at home then?? If so, PLEASE TRY TO STOP MEASURING NOW. Your BP is fine and low anyway! As for your heart rate rising when you stood up, this again is anxiety driven as you are expectantly waiting to see what happens to it, so it shoots up. 130 is moderately high, but that is adrenaline fuelled so completely explainable.

I too suffer racing heart, fluttering, etc. etc. like many other anxiety sufferers and this is what you appear to be experiencing too, but please if you can stop checking as it will only exacerbate your anxiety.

Take care and all the best.x

[Hazel B]

My pulse was over 100bpm for 2 weeks, then I went to the doctor, told him what had happened to me in the past 3 years and was signed off work with anxiety. I'd be alseep, having a normal dream, then wake up with a pounding heart and racing pulse. It's anxiety, I have temporary meds now and seeing a counsellor to help with my traumas (bereavements, family illness etc etc). I've also stopped smoking, drinking booze, tea, coffee and started eating properly. The hardest one was coffee! I have stopped napping in the daytime and try to walk outside every day. Simple slow steps is what I say to myself.
All your tests are OK, please read about anxiety and symptoms on the left of the screen as it may help.

[j2]

I wear a heart rate monitor when I exercise and I am always amazed and freqeuntly terrified by how dramatically my HR changes but doing something like standing up or walking up a set of stairs.

Good luck

[ian414]

Thats very intresting debs yes i do have a BP Monitor at home and the reason i take it is because i worry over my BP and heart racing, ok i will do as you say i will get rid of it for 1 week and see how i feel, but i know inside how i feel, but thanks for that Ian x

[ian414]

J2 i see what your saying but again its the 130 beats a min i dont understand, ok why do i always feel off balance when ever standing still or even wallking, now ive had this eve since my mum passed away from Overian Cancer, yes i believe its down to this but i cant blame my mum bless her i blame myself as i cant deal with her passing away, but trying to understand this anxitey is the hardest thing and to be fair i would rather the doc say Ian yes your ill and we can fix you, now Anxitey neds i wont take, i dont know why i wont i know i worry over meds that might be the reason,

[kibbutz83]

Hi ian414, it seems like whatever anyone says to reassure you, it's probably never gonna be enough to put your mind at rest :( I was like that when my panic attacks started, still am to a point. But as time goes on you will probably get tired of worrying! You kind of get used to the signs of your anxiety, and you just learn to accept them more. I suppose they become "part of you". For me it's been about learning to live with them, not about "getting rid of them"......

[j2]

I can't give you a precise medical reason for your racing heart beyond what you can find on the web but I know that that I share all of your symptoms. I find that I feel weak and off balance frequently. I think it has to do with dilated blood vessels and adrenaline. I know what you mean on the meds, I feel the same way. Most of my symptoms went nuts when my dad died several years ago. I am 39 and worry about everything regarding my health. In a span of a few hours I can convince myself from the big C, to a nuero disease and then my heart and lungs. The more I focus on a problem, the more I "know" I have a problem. I really wish I could give you (and me) some concrete way to proving we are fine but I don't. Take care and post or PM as much as you need.

[debs71]

Ian, I hope my post didn't come across as patronising and a bit harsh. I didn't mean it to!

I totally understand your reluctance to take meds. When I was first diagnosed 6 years ago with depresiion/anxiety I dug my heels in as I didn't want to feel good 'artificially', I wanted to feel good by myself. My GP at the time refused to refer me for free counselling by MIND unless I agreed to start Cipralex, so I really didn't have much option. This may sound harsh of her, but she was totally correct I think, though at the time I was appalled! Frankly, my anxiety was so bad at the time, despite my reservations, I eventually decided I'd try ANYTHING to feel well again.

Yes, the meds had side effects initially, but after a while they kicked in and really helped. The best thing for me was counselling. It was a true Godsend in my anxious state and I would strongly recommend it.xxx

[Going home]

I agree with Kibbutz, we can allow anxiety to control us and for some this can go on for many years, always in the anxiety loop, having loads of negative tests again and again. After many years of this myself, ive learned to accept that i'm an anxious person, a worrier, so have to also accept that with anxiety comes these symptoms.

Blood pressure goes up and down all day long and any movement alters it, as it does with the heartbeat. The difference is that people who don't have health anxiety don't monitor this as we do. You've had tests done and been told that your heart is fine, so my guess is that whilst taking your pulse and BP the way you do after every movement, your anxiety is adding to the readings and nothing more. Its also very common for health anxiety to get much worse if we lose someone to an illness like cancer or heart disease etc. and losing your dear mum will be the reason you are so scared.

Anna xx

[ian414]

Well ive got to say thanks for all your post's understanding Anxitey is the most unreal thing ive ever come across, I know it must be really hard for most of you that suffer like this, when you think about symptoms like i do i feel worse than ever, yes ok the doctor might say to me ok Ian im telling you now its Anxitey fine i will think and feel ok for the next few hours till somthing happens like the racing heart, Now if i told you all how many time ive been to A&E you will all choke, 139 times since last November, ok yes it might be alot to be fair to much. How may ECGs have i had done well again alot 200, yes thats right 200,
now that form the dotors and the hospital, why you may ask well as im told its Anxitey do i believe it? well no because the way i feel........but now thinking hard about it time over time over time ive not dropped dead have i? ive not been rushed to hospital with somthing really wrong with me, ok i might get chest pains all day everyday and a racing heart, but im still here. so what does that prove to me im a fool a big fool, because im still here alive talking on here.
Ok so now i need to put my feet on the ground and show that im not worried about this and its down to Anxitey (CBT) ok ive started this in my 3rd week now 1 hour a week, is that enough NO its not enough, so now its going up to 2 hours a week, why dont i trust myself why cant i sit tere and say for god sake Ian its Anxitey, why do i need to ask other people what im suffering? good Question. Reassurance yes thats it but why? when ive been told so many times im ok, again worry fear that im being told lies, ok sorry about all this i can go on lol and dont mean to....My mum was my Rock my Life my Everything, so really its me wanting somthing im never going to see or hold or say i love you to (my Mum) Wow sorry i cant go on thanks again everyone God Bless you Ian xx

[ian414]

Anna that has bought tears to my eyes, that is what i mean, loseing my mum has been such a hit to me, and i cant get over her passing the way she did, how can somone so close and dear to me go so quick within 1 month, oh god why oh why sorry i cant go on xx