OCD over heart palpitations-advice?

[Ethansmom]

I suffer from anxiety and obtrusive thoughts regarding my heart. I wake up with a pounding heart everyday. It usually calms down as I take my meds. When I get a panic attack my heart goes really fast with skips in between. Those really freak me out; I worry that i'm going to drop dead from them. Does anyone else have this fear, or OCD over heart palps? I need to find a way to stop obsessing and thinking about it.

[SLA]

my heart goes really fast with skips in between

How can you accurately make this assumption?

[Ethansmom]

because when it starts going fast, I feel like big skips. If I check my pulse during it, I can feel a quick pause. Is it possible that's not what is actually happening?

[SLA]

If I check my pulse during it, I can feel a quick pause.

I'd say that is a subjective measure of your heart rate, and I wouldn't base beliefs about the state of my heart on my own rudimentary measurements. Especially when I have a predisposition to worry.

So, assuming you've had it checked by an expert, I would stop focussing on it, stop measuring it, and leave it to do its job.

[Ethansmom]

I have had several EKG's, and chest xrays. But, other than that no other testing. There was never a need for one. The anxiety has just spiraled out of control causing a host of physical sensations. Xanax can stop a bout of palpitations so i'm assuming this means it's just anxiety and nothing life threatening. It's just so hard to convince myself of that.

[bcf_101386]

I wake up with a pounding heart everyday.

I too wake up with a pounding heart beat. Feels like it's going to pound right out of my chest. It does feel like I could die, but I don't fear I'm dying because of it. But I know how you feel. It's an awful feeling. Do your meds help?