Heart Pounding Heart when trying to sleep, jolting awake!

[Ella_Jayne]

Hi Everyone,

The last couple of nights, everytime I try to go asleep I can feel my heart beating very strong in my chest and anyway I lay. It's a regular beat and not PVCs but it's very frustrating. Last night I was pretty stressed trying to get asleep and then I must have dozed off for a few mins only to be jolted awake and up right with an incresed heart rate. I felt like I was dying, full of fear.

My heart rate came down after a couple of mins but when I tried to go asleep again the pounding remained and stopped me from falling asleep for a long time.

I'm on my own for most of today and keep thinking my heart is just going to pack in and that nobody will be around to help. Thanks to doctor Google i keep worrying about things like Myocarditis, I read smething about it a while ago but I'm afraid to google again incase it sends me into a spin. Anyone know if it sounds like this?

I'm 22 and have had many cardiac tests, ECG's, ECHO, Holter etc... which have all came back normal. The last ECG had was about 4-5 months ago and Echo's and everything else were done about 9 months ago.Could anything have changed since then? I'm just a bit worried. I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks x

[PokerFace]

Hmm, no idea about Myocarditus I'm afraid! I tend to stick my head in the sand when it comes to heart related problems cuz I'm a firm beleiver in ignorance is bliss lol.

I've had similar jolting awake right after I've fell asleep, breathless and heart pounding, it really is due to stress and anxiety. My heart rate usually stays hard when that happens to me, not fast just REALLY hard and very distracting but it's stopped since I've started taking beta blockers again.

I've been alone all day everyday, except weekends, since September started and it really is horrible isn't it. You drive yourself more crazy being alone because you think if you die no ones gonna be there to help you! But remember, if you DID have a heart attack (which your not) a lot of people survive unless they're really really old. That means you've got time to get to the phone ring 999 and open the door so they can find you! Also I don't know if this would be any help to you, but in my book it said that your body releases endorphins if you're having a heart attack so you won't get panicky which would mean you'd still beable to think clearly!

I don't think anything would have changed with your heart in 9 months. Your heart is only 22 years old, and if you think about it, the average life expectancy in the UK is 79/80! That means your heart is just a baby and very very strong! It's just reacting to what your brain is telling it to do, wether you mean to or not. xx

[Ella_Jayne]

Thanks again. You're always such a great help to me. x

I don't really worry about getting a heart attack as such, it's more sudden death from some unfound condition, sounds stupid when I write it down...

I worry that I'll just drop dead, I know my cholesterol is fine and have no family history of heart attacks so for some reason I don't worry about a typical heart attack.

Things like Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome scare the life out of me, conditions like Long QT, and so on have the same effect.

I keep thinking that I have one of these rare conditions and one day I'll just drop dead... I know I've been checked but sometimes my anxiety gets the better of me and I think 'Doctors are only human, they can make mistakes or over look things'.

I've been feeling a bit ill lately and my Mum said 'Oh you probably just have a viral infection' and straight away I remembered something I read ages ago that after you're ill from a virus or whatever your body can attack your heart and mistake it as a threat, and you can die suddenly or have a major heart attack, it's called Myocarditis (Inflammation of the heart muscle, i think). I can't remember all the details and I'm too chicken to Google but this freaks me out. Apparently it's rare and people might say 'Why would YOU get that', I always say 'Why Not???'

Staying on my own is the worst!!! I try to stay busy but sometimes I just don't want to do too much incase I start freaking out from Ectopics or something. I get palps more when I'm moving about. Ugh, it really it horrible!!!

x

[PokerFace]

You've had loads of tests of your heart, they would of found anything wrong. One doctor MIGHT make a mistake but with all the tests and seeing a heart specialist I really really think you're in the clear.

Yea I remember reading viruses can go to your heart, I don't know too much about it but I'd guess it would mostly be for ederly people. Think how many people get sick every year from viruses and it doesn't attack their hearts, I've just had a horrible one and it didn't attack mine!

With the sudden death, dodo posted a good post about it the other day. She said if more people had ECGs it wouldn't happen as often because it's a problem with the left ventricle and it shows it on ECG's. You're definatley NOT going to die of that!

My big big fear is jus the standard heart attack, cuz IDK about the other things that can go wrong because I know I'd jus start to go mental about them too! Though I did think "OMG ENLARGED HEART MUSCLE!!!" the other day, I have no idea why now though .

My missed beats come on a lot when I move, usually if I turn round in bed or bend down to get something or even put my arms across my chest. This is gonna sound so sad but I'm even afraid to laugh cuz that brings on massive missed beats for me too ;( They are by far the most scariest thing I've ever experienced, scarier than the muscle spasm that set all this off for me! But really they ARE normal. If missed beats were a sign we were gonna die of a heart related problem pretty much everybody on earth would be dead because probably everyone gets them!

You've had the test where they scan your heart kinda like what they do to look at babies in the womb right? (idk what it's called sorry) If you have that means they've seen your heart and it's doing its job just fine! Yay! If there was anything, they would have found it. xx

[Ella_Jayne]

Yeah I've had an ECHO (Ultrasound) and it came back normal. I know when I tell people what I worry about it sounds ridiculous, I really wish I didn't think like this.

You made me laugh when you said you were afraid to laugh due to ectopics, I've been like this too. What are we like? I always get ectopics when emotional. I had a massive argument with my sister a few weeks ago and I was getting LOADS of Ectopics, it didn't freak me out at the time as i was really angry but later I was like 'Oh god, that was a lot'. They are horrible, actually I just got one while typing this, UGH!!!

I've seen probably 20 different doctors about my heart, all have said it it 100% fine, but I'm my own worst enemy, I'll read stories from people who have just died from a heart condition even after being checked and then my anxiety goes mental! I've been okay over the past few weeks, it's just the last few days that have been quite tough.

How are you getting on?

What do you say to yourself when you find yourself worrying about your heart? How do you get passed it?

xxx

[PokerFace]

Yep, you should definatley stop googling and readin scare stories! I've been told to face my fear head on and activley go looking for stories of people that die of heart attacks but I REALLY don't think that will help me lol.

I had an ectopic earlier when I picked my cat up, poor thing, I nrly dropped him lol! They're just something we've gotta get used to, one of our anxiety symtpoms is ectopics so not much we can do really except grin and bear it! ;(

Umm I'm not doing so great myself! Had a scare earlier this week, got a vile chest pain that just WOULDN'T shift itself it's eased down a lot now though so I guess I pulled a muscle or something! ;s And I had a HORRIBLE heart flutter, lasted about 3 seconds, but was longest 3 seconds of my life actually felt like my heart was convulsing lol ;( I keep meaning to start excersising again but with no one in the house I'm too scared to incase I die and by the time they get home it's too late and I don't like exercising late at night. ;(

When I get chest pains or missed beats I just keep sayin to myself over and over in my head "face everything and recover" OR I count to 100 perfectly and if I manage it I'll be ok! Silly coping methods really but they work for me! I don't know how I really get past it, I don't think I ever do to be honest else the fear wouldn't come back! Something I've gotta work out and learn, hopefully soon" xx

[Ella_Jayne]

LOL! Your poor cat!

I used to be afraid to exercise too, so I just started little by little, going for walks with friends, then the gym and now I can go for a run and not worry too much. I think it's better to start small, so even if that means starting with a couple of mins of Wii Fit and then building up then that's progress. I always tell myself to remember that exercise is really good for your heart. It was really tough when I first started exercising aging, I would hyperventilate and get myself into a right panic. But you just have to keep on trying.

There is no chance at all of you having an actual heart attack, none. You're far too young for anything like that. They're caused from high Cholestorol, bad lifestyle and bad genes. And I doubt you have any of those.

You're right though I should stay away from all stories about heart problems, it really doesn't help. I used to be like you, just worried about standard heart attacks and by looking at stories it just opened up a whole new can of worms. I'd stay away from it if I was you!

I get horrible chest pain too, I used to go straight to A&E then I just tried to manage it at home. It's terrible and I always have a fear that one day a pain will be something serious and I'll treat it as an anxiety symptom until it's too late.

Have you had CBT?

x

[PokerFace]

Yea I always think that one day I'll have a heart attack and I'll ignore it! But I think we'd know if it actually ever came down to it.

Nope I've not had CBT, I've been to A&E once the day it all started and the doctors 3 times. Doctor jus keeps chucking propranolol at me and tells me I'm NOT gonna have a heart attack, he hasn't offered me anything except propranolol! I'm scared of doctors and hosptials, I get worse when I'm in a medical environment I don't know why! My pulse shoots through the roof as soon as I get in the door of the doctors usually, and the day I went to A&E was pretty much a constant panic attack, adrenaline rushes every 5 minutes! ;(

I've got a book that tries to teach CBT, but I find it hard to stick to cuz it's just me and I've got no one to answer to if I don't to the exercsies and no one to cheer me on so I end up not doing anything like usual =/ I know I should be doing more about my health anxiety I just feel like I can't do anything when I'm alone all day cuz I get too scared lol ;( x

[Ella_Jayne]

Yeah we probably would know if we actually had a heart attack, atleast I'd bloody hope so! Lol!

My heart is the exact same when I go to the doctors or hospital my heart rate flys up. Even if I just go with someone else. By boyfriend hurt his arm a few months ago and before we left for the hospital I had a panic attack, and the whole time I was in the hospital I was biting my nails and feeling VERY restless.

I don't know where all this anxiety came from, my Mum and Dad are probably the least anxious people that you could meet so I don't know what happened to me. LOL!

Why don't you ask your doctor if he can refer you for CBT? I went for it twice, the first time it didn't work at all but the second time helped me a lot. It might be what you need. You seem really clued into Anxiety in general and with someone there to answer any questions you have or just for extra support I'd say it would help you a lot.

I was on propranolol for a few weeks but when I went for my review at the Cardiologists office I was complaining of headaches and he told me to come off them, but to take one if I'm having a 'Jumpy heart' day. I haven't tried taking one since. Do you know if they work well if you take them just when you need them?

I'm glad someone else feels uneasy when they're at home alone due to anxiety, I thought I was alone for a while. At the start of my panic and anxiety I found it even hard to shower, I used to have the fastet showers just so I didn't have to be alone in the bathroom for long. I think the whole Brittany Murphy thing didn't help that. Thank god I've overcome that now. LOL!

x

[PokerFace]

Lol! I used to get really wound up about having baths/showers cuz they'd give me missed beats. I used to dread it every single day but it has to be done! It's stopped now but I still get a little tetchy about it, especially if I'm alone.

It's so weird you say that, my mum and dad are anxiety free to!! I've read a lot it starts with the parents, you learn behaviour patterns from them but mine were never like that! Neither is my sister so I don't know what happend with me either lol! My whole family are just like..."why the hell is she doing this to herself for?" and I really can't answer that ;(

I used to just take the propranolol as and when I needed it and it worked fine to stop your heart goin fast/hard when needed, gets into your system really quick, but I went back to the doctors cuz I wanted help cuz I was still convinced I was gonna have a heart attack and he said to take them 3 times a day without fail, last time I went back he's told me to take 2 tablets 3 times a day but I REALLY don't wanna take 6 of them a day lol. I'm not the most confident person in the world so I find it really difficult to go into the doctors and actually ask for certain medication or counselling or anything I usually just say 1 thing then let him talk and just answer his questions lol! I keep meaning to ask if theres anything else I can do but idk, I get in there and go completely blank and scared/nervous.! x