Tense left arm during panic attacks

[Pallex]

Hey all, I just wanted to see what you all thought about this.

I have had GAD for most of my life, I am 25 now and about a year ago I was sent to the ER for a very fast heart rate and very high blood pressure. They did ALL the tests on me there, and other than having a heart rate at 240 they found no abnormailities with my heart, they said although it is very fast the rythem was fine.There were differing opinions at the ER, some said it was anxiety attack and others said maybe it was something else, but they pretty much gave me a clean bill of health and told me to get a full work up done. I was given beta blockers to controll my heart rate and have been on them ever since. I had overcome my anxiety pretty well up to this ER visit, ever since I am overly aware of my heart/body at ALL times, constantly fearing the worst.

Latley when I have been getting my panic attacks I get a very tense/tight feeling in my upper left arm and in my shoulder somtimes a numb/cold feeling. It only comes during the peak of my anxiety attacks and goes away within 10 minutes, It has happened for about 2 months now, maybe 10 times overall. It kinda freaks me out because they say left arm is a sign of a heart problem.... I have had every blood test done and a EKG, Chest X-ray at a doctors office and while I was at the ER a year ago. I am scheduled to see a cardiologist this January , my GP said it was just precationary and to be sure there is nothing wrong with my heart. At first I had alot of problems distingushing what was a panic attack and what could possibly be another episode of what made me go the the ER, my doc said it is most likley all related to anxiety.

I want to belieive it is all anxiety related but in the back on my mind I fear it is not. Anyone else have this feeling in there upper left arm during an anxiety attack? I have read some forums where I have seen common complaints but It was hard to tell if it was a chronic pain or just during the anxiety.

Other info, Im not overweight, no family hostory of heart problems other than high blood pressure which the entire family has. I am on the beta blocker Metroprolol to control my blood pressure and heart rate, although I still have very high readings at the docs office, at home I am a perfect 120/70 while on my medicine and my resting HR is about 60-70 bpm.

Thanks for any input!

[ann88]

Hi Pallex,

First of all, although of course I wouldnt wish a panic attack on anybody, they are truly terrifying, it's such a relief to finally find somebody who was had a really high heart rate during a panic attack and is ok!!

I have suffered with panic attacks for about 4 years now and they have gradually got worse, i also now have agoraphobia, but when I have a panic attack my heart rate is so high that I'm sure i am going to have a heart attack. How long was your heart rate that high for? I mean was it a few minutes or an hour or more? I know you said you have always had GAD but was that your first panic attack?

I'm sure I have read several posts on here about pain/tightness in their arm during a panic attack. I'm positive it's because we all think 'oh my god, left arm = heart attack', so although you are not aware of it, your brain is causing you to experience these feelings. It also might be helpful to think that it has happened 10 times now with no consequences. As you said your blood pressure is fine, resting heart rate is fine, rhythm is fine, you're only 25, the chances of you having anything wrong with your heart is so low, i think you would have more chance of winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning. Every time i go to the doctors my heart rate goes up to about 100 (about 60-70 resting) and that's pretty normal. A lot of people's blood pressure shoots up too.

I dont know if that has helped at all but please be assured that I know what you are going through, I live in constant fear of a heart problem that hasnt been picked up on, I have been getting chest pains for the past couple of weeks and i've also been having strange tight/throbbing feelings in my left elbow and pains in my jaw, which just adds to the fear.

When you go to the cardiologist in January (which incidentally I am too!) I'm sure you will be reassured and it will help you on the road to recovery. :)

[Pallex]

Hey, thank you very much for the support and kind encouragment, its always helpful to hear someone else is experiencing similiar feelings.

As for my heartrate, That particular day It was around 160-240 for about 2 hours, which the ER said was abnormal for a "anxiety attack" But not impossible, I think the entire situation was very alarming to me, I always had a fear of having to go to an ER and I thought the worst at the time, I thought I was seconds away from emergency heart surgery! But that was my mind playing tricks on me. This was my first ever severe panic attack, and I still dont rule out that something else was wrong with me that day, my thyroid test showed some abnormal levels that day at the hospital.

But I experience fast heartate during anxiety attacks, and one thing that I find helpful when this happens is I KNOW it will pass. Id say it ussualy last about 5 minutes for me when this happens but I have had it last as long as 30 minutes at varying degrees. But for example I was at a doc apt the other day and I was anticipating getting my BP and HR taken. I think to myself OMG what if it is extremly high and I have to go to the ER again. I could start to feel my heart pound, I had a BP of 160/110 and a HR of 140, my doctors are all aware that I get very high readings at the office. Just 30 minutes later at my home I used my BP device and I had a BP reading of 120/77 and a HR of 80. So I can really work myself into a panic easily. I know it cant last forever and It always goes away.

The only other advice I can offer you is that listening to "Pass Through Panic by Dr. Claire Weekes" really helped me face my fear of experincing the panic attacks and made me realize that accepting them and not fighting them is the way to recovery. Its available for download on Itunes and I highly reccomend it. Its just that the left arm thing really made me think twice.

I look forward to hearing back from you!

[blueangel]

I have suffered from very high heart rates, as I have had attacks of SVTs, or paroxysmal tachycardia as it's sometimes known. I think the worst one got my pulse to around 200, which was very frightening indeed and I really thought my last hour had come. I take beta-blockers for migraine control these days, which mostly keeps high heart rate under control, although it can break through at times if I get really anxious.

[Pallex]

I have been having the feeling in my arm quite frequently latley, it is not isolated to only when I am in a panic attack but naytime I feel the slight bit anxious, I attribute this to the fact it has been on my mind quite constantly latley. One interesting thing I did was take my blood pressure when the feeling in my left arm is happening and I do not always have high readings. I have had it both when my readings are low(normal 120/70) and when they are (high 140/90). Im not sure what this means but I think it is a good sign seeing as though maybe it is not related to my heart? A good way to describe the feeling I get is almost like I was just lifting weights.