Palpitations, strange light feeling in head, etc.

[relika]

I haven't been here in a while, mainly because my (health) anxiety was well under control. Now it came back full force with all kinds of new and scary symptoms.

A good friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer just before Christmas, she's only 31. I went to visit her shortly before New Year and a couple of days later the symptoms began.

I was at a store standing in line to pay, when all of a sudden my heart started beating really fast, I got hot and everything felt surreal. Probably a panic attack. I breathed deeply and by the time I reached my car my heart rate was back to normal. Still feeling lightheaded, but at least the heart rate was down. This episode scared me, and it lasted a couple of days before I felt normal again.

That was a few weeks ago. Last week the symptoms started again. Actually around the time my friend went to the hospital for surgery. Light feeling/surreal feeling in the head, palpitations (feeling my heart beat), and a new symptom that scares me the most and is hard to describe. Throughout the day I sometimes get the a light feeling in my head and/or chest, a bit like a slow "woosh" feeling. It only lasts a second or less. Yesterday it happened alot, today it's a bit less, I think. I'm not sure if it is a palpitation, since my heart does not feel as if it is missing a beat. It feels a bit as how your heart feels when you get a sudden scare. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I didn't get the feeling this morning when I was doing my 30 minute workout routine at home (aerobics dvd).

I'm so scared that it is my heart or I have a blood clot somewhere. Years ago, I think it was around 2005, I had to go to the ER since my heart rate was high and it wouldn't go down (it did after giving me a betablocker). At the time I had several ECG's and they couldn't find anything. The only advice I got was to exercise. My family has got a history of heart attacks around the age of 50. My dad and three of his brothers all suffer from heart problems around that age. I'm 29 years old.
I'm scared to go to the doctor.

Do these symptoms sound familiar/like anxiety to you? I'm especially concerned about the "woosh" feeling.

[Wuboo]

Seems similar to what I have had. It would feel like butterflies but in my chest for 2 weeks and my heart wouldn't slow down! The weird surreal feeling you get I think maybe down to anxiety as well, it's quite common to feel "dream like". I'd say pop down to see the doctor just to put your mind at rest as it's probably nothing but anxiety, it does do some real strange things to us!

Hope you're ok.