Fear of having heart attack/heart condition - help?

[NatalieSmith]

Hello, everyone! It's been almost a year since I last posted here on the site - so many things happened, and I felt like I was getting better. But alas, anxiety came back like a wild dog to bite me and drag me around again.

I've been having this really weird, sudden thoughts about heart conditions; like yesterday, I was ready to fall asleep, completely calm and ready to drift off to dreamland when suddenly I just thought "What if my heart stopped right now?" I felt a huge rush of anxiety rush through my whole body, and I thought I was going to have a panic attack, but luckily my sister started talking to me and distracted me from my fear.

But today I woke up with this constant worry that I'll have a heart attack or my heart will just stop - I keep checking my pulse and trying to see if I'm having any sort of symptom that might tell me that I'm having a heart attack, but since anxiety and heart attacks symptoms are so alike I'm just... really, really anxious and ready to burst with worry.

I have to say that I already had run some tests to see if there's anything wrong with my heart, and my doctor said that it's strong as a bull's. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, but why do I keep worrying so much over it? I can't seem to let go, and it's so distressing I feel like I'll have - after almost a year without having one - a panic attack. I'm trying to distract myself as best as I can, but as soon as I start forgetting, it's like my brain pulls the thought back into the spotlight! I keep trying to think reasonably about all of this, but it feels like my own brain is against me. Why is it doing so? I was feeling so well just yesterday, but now it feels like I'm back to square 0. Does anyone feel like this? How do you cope? Is there a way to stop this?

Sorry for the long post! I just... really needed to get this off my chest.

[CharlieM]

Natalie,

Just found your post. Sorry no one has replied. I am suffering really bad with heart anxiety again. It started 8 months ago. I had tests which were all ok. For a while this reassured me, but my anxiety has returned with a vengeance after a particularly bad panic attack a couple of weeks ago.

My symptoms all point to a heart problem, but despite how bad the pain and discomfort gets, I still wake up each morning. My rational side says that I would have had a heart attack by now if something was wrong with my heart. The physical symptoms seem so real, so it is hard to be rational when I am panicking!!!!

Hope you are feeling better now.

Charlie.

[Jamesk]

I started today feeling sure I was having a heart attack.

Got through ironing a shirt and shaving and showering and somehow got to work.

I still feel really lousy though, dizzy like I am about to fall over, numb face, convinced I have chest pains, and constantly being swept over by huge waves of fear. Head swimming and just really rough.

I hate it.

Can all this just be in my mind? Could I be feeling sop bad because I forgot to take my beta-blocker (for palps) yesterday morning?

[KeeKee]

I have health anxiety too and my main fears are my heart and allergic reactions. I get pains that literally feel as though they are in my heart (although truth be told I'm not 100% where about it actually is) and palpitations. I take 40mg Propranolol 1-2 times a day but they don't work for my palpitations. If anything I have had increased palpitations since starting the Propranolol but that may be because I am now more aware of them? Had an ECG, doctor checked my pulse/chest and everything seems fine. Palpitations are soooooo common but horrific regardless.