Please Im Worried About My Heart?

[looking4answers]

I am so worried there is something wrong with me.. Everyday my heart vibrates and I hear it in my ears after eating..My back hurts alot between my shoulder blades and my arms feel weird but mostly worried about something being wrong with my heart. I have been told by my doctor and also an ent specialist that there is nothing wrong with me other than stress..Some days I feel almost normal.I have a nurse friend that tells me that she doesnt feel there is anything wrong with me yet she sees me almost everyday but has never examimed me ..I sometimes hear my heartbeat when I lie down and then other times at odd times.I have heard this is something that I just will have to live with..There are other times it sounds like thunder in my ears..Its odd the place i live is a high altitdude ,one day I feel that i can do anything and dont even breathe hard and other days I feel its everything i can do to breathe and walk around.. I have heard this is normal here according to different people that are younger and some older and some about our age.They say its the place but don't know why it makes you feel that way.I usually eat lunch and thats when i feel something that pushes in under my ribcage under my breastbone and a thundering of my pulse in my ears...and sometimes a shortness of breath.I have asked the nurse about this and she says it will disappear the more I do .She is really confident there is nothing wrong with me .So why do I feel this way ..could it all be just anxiety? Could I imagine all the shortness of breath..if you had a serious illness wouldnt the symptoms be consistant? It comes and goes .some days I feel good and almost normal other day my fingers go numb because im typing like right now but it could be the position that im in.I feel nausaeated and hurt behind my shoulder blades and get so depressed i feel so bad that im just not interested in nothing.If the doctors say I don't have a heart issue and the the nurse that is our friend that is 30 year veteran surgical nurse says she would bet her reputation on it .. could there possibly be anything wrong..?I get a lot of skipped beats in my heart after eating too ,sometimes they go away with burping and other times they are spuratic every so often all night long.. Does this sound normal or normal for anxiety or could I really be sick and nobody knows it but me.IM really scared help me please .. Im so worried and nobody takes me serious..I feel so alone and scared.. Please
'

[xBettyBoopx]

Hi Looking4anwers

Everything you have said in your post sounds very much like anxiety. A lot of anxiety sufferers fear that there is something wrong with their heart, I suffer that too, I have shortness of breath sometimes and not others, depends on how tense I am. We can get tense without even realising it, because it becomes part of every day life. I also hear the thudding of my heart in my ear, I also get the 'missed' heartbeats that go most of the time when I burp. Hurting between the shoulders blades - yer, I get that too Tension, tension, tension
I've heard that yoga is very good for tension and anxiety, although I haven't tried it myself, lol
I hope that you are reassured that your symptoms are anxiety, but I know first hand that sometimes all the people in the world won't convince you of that.
It's hard for 'normal' people to take us seriously, I've been told to pull myself together a few times but everyone one here will understand you. Take heart and take care.
Elspeth

[looking4answers]

Elspeth,

Thanks...kind of figured it was..been told by yes everyone .. over and over to the point they are getting tired of me asking or talking about it so instead of being mean they just say im old or just blurt out that im having anxiety or depression and just make a joke of it. The nurse I spoke of is probabably better than most doctors because the take care of the doctors patients and their needs ...Its like they are the band that entertains before the main attraction but actually they are the star of the show if that makes any sense ..She probably has more patience than a doctor would with me and checks me out visually and chatting with me enough to know whether im sick or not.I have seen her diagnos someone just talking to them and listening to them and they would ask her how she knew and being a nurse 30 years well i suppose its second nature..thank god that we have her just down the road but I hate to bother her... but glad they are our friends that come by fairly usuall.I can 't really talk to my wife about it because she is convinced that im just anxious and nothing is really wrong with me and glad that you replied ..it made me breathe a sigh of relief when I read what you posted..We can't all be dying lol..But thank you for your reply and I don't know why I get so scared I guess for years I just never worried about it and now I wonder why do i..I suppose life really does matter to me and thank you for sharing yours with me.. You helped me a lot tonight..Michael

[shoegal]

I have all of those symptoms too, and I'm pretty sure it's down to my anxiety. Please try not to worry.

Hope you feel better soon.

Love shoegal xxx

[xBettyBoopx]

Hi Michael

Glad to be of help. I wish that none of us had this awful anxiety. I noticed that you're retired, has your anxiety got worse since then? If so, maybe your symptoms are no worse than before, but you have more time on your hands to think about it? Just an observation, sorry if I'm out of order, I don't mean to be, it's just that I know from experience that the more time I have to think when I'm not doing anything, then the worse my symptoms are or I have more of them Ggrrrrrrrr
Wishing you well.
Elspeth

[nell1965]

Hi sounds to me like you have a bit of acid reflux, you have all the classic signs. This can be brought on by anxiety as when we are anxious we naturally produce more acid. This acid can cause us to produce excess wind which gives you the pressure feeling in your chest and can cause palpitation and fluttering type sensations, it also gives you the pain between your shoulder blades. Its nothing to be worried about and can be relieved by taking some gaviscon or ant acids, if this does not help your gp can give you something else that will. There are a lot of us on here who suffer from it and i understand your axiety about it as it is very unpleasant and can be worrying, which in turn makes your symptoms worse, hope this helps.

[sandie]

Hello Michael

The tremendous pounding of your heart, heart palpitations, chest burning, paid between the shoulders, chest pain - I experienced all of these when I first started with my anxiety/stress problems and panic attacks, about 5 months ago.

I was very scared, barely getting any sleep and desperately low. I did see my doctor who explained (after examining me) that it was all anxiety and stress; he went on to explain that although the extra heart beats/palpitations were extremely worrying and very unpleasant, they weren't in the least bit harmful to my health in any way and they didn't damage the heart at all. (There is a very useful and informative piece about extra heartbeats/palpitations in First Steps on this site).

All of the above is so hard to believe when you are experiencing the really dreadful and painful symptoms, but please be assured, it is anxiety. The doctor can prescribe meds (beta blockers) which can help - I'm on propanalol which has helped a great deal. Learning to stay calm, controlling your breathing and understanding what is happening to your body - all of these help with coping with the issue.

Hope things improve.

Take care

Sandie

[looking4answers]

Thanks everybody for the support and well it helps a lot to have people that suffer the same symptoms tell me that its exaclty what they have. You can have someone that never has suffered with it tell you that you are fine and its all in your head but until you have experienced it then they don't quite understand what you are feeling..I seem to wake up everyday and so far have been able to push forward with things i want to do .I even went to my nurse friend's house yesterday which is a thousand feet higher and dropped by to say hi.They have been inviting us up there for many months and I just wanted to prove to myself and them i could do it..I also went to town yesterday and worked in the yard ,so some days i can take the feelings and ignore them then there are other days i can't seem to shake them.I also had a creepy feeling all day today ,but the weather was changing AGAIN so well it might have been that ,but thanks you all of you and your support im starting to believe that well maybe just maybe its all anxiety and I can really relax and say im not going to let this control my life.Although sometimes i get petrified I keep telling myself that if im going to die at least i died trying.. and I woke up today so thats a good sign lol.. thank all of you and you really made me feel 1000 percent better.I appreciate it and yes im retired and have more time to think but im trying to keep busy no matter how i feel.. Thanks agian..

[guitarboyuk]

the post you did almost had me convinced that I wrote it! you sound exactly like me!!! the thing is the more we think about it the worse it gets, obviously its hard to just forget about, but we cant let it control our lives. i dont know how old you are, but im only 17. it would be nice to hear back from you. try and interract with people, read a book, sing to music, listen to happy songs (try R.E.M's shiny happy people!, it works i swear!). keep good company, because ive also heard that the more we isolate ourselves it also gets worse.

write back, guitarboy xx

[looking4answers]

Well lol.. nope not 17 .. but i have pretty much experienced what I wrote there you can identify all my life. Im 52 years old so you see my concern...My brother died at 44 which I have outlived him .He died of a massive cornary that was hidden..It happens.. can happen to anyone..To Im not sure just what other health conditions he had too so well doesnt really count I suppose..My grandfather who I take after..lived to 93 and then my father to 79 so well.. I looked at the date that I wrote that it was first in July and now its middle August.

I have found project after project to keep my busy and when I lay around I feel just like I described before..and when im too busy or too tired to think then that works..Its focus in the other direction no matter what. You can't even imagine the aches and pains of middle age and although I am.. I forget that Im that old and well..it wreaks havoc on being spooked.

I have always been active and hard working and been very blessed to not have illness and aches and pains as most.I suppose I get a little freaked out because im starting to..and others its the most natural thing in the world to hurt all the time..Im just not used to it and well..it causes me to be depressed and worried..but It comes and goes pretty much like the weather..


At least its not like it used to be and you are 100 percent correct when you said its all in focusing on happy thoughts and BUSY ones..It makes a difference and Ill be glad to keep in touch with you .I usually check my email pretty frequently and ill be glad to respond anytime..

Michael

the post you did almost had me convinced that I wrote it! you sound exactly like me!!! the thing is the more we think about it the worse it gets, obviously its hard to just forget about, but we cant let it control our lives. i dont know how old you are, but im only 17. it would be nice to hear back from you. try and interract with people, read a book, sing to music, listen to happy songs (try R.E.M's shiny happy people!, it works i swear!). keep good company, because ive also heard that the more we isolate ourselves it also gets worse.

write back, guitarboy xx