I have had a heart sonogram, worn holter monitors 3 times over the years (one recently was for 2 weeks), had multiple EKGs, just had a sonogram of my arteries…there is literally nothing wrong with my heart, just a slight mild arrhythmia, praise the Lord!!!! However, I have heart palpitations daily, multiple times, and almost every time it sends me into a spiral of anxiety. It’s like every second of my day (at work at least) is just me waiting to have one, seeing the scene play out in my head of me having to call for help or passing out. It is SO EXHAUSTING to live this way. I know anxiety causes the palpitations and I am in a constant state of anxiety over them. It’s like what came first, the chicken or the egg? I’ve had anxiety and heart palpitations for 18 years. Clearly if something horrible was going to happen to me it already would have. Anxiety is impeding on my life. I’ve done therapy the last almost 2 years and I currently do so many things to assist with calming down my nervous system.
I don’t know anyone else that lives with this kind of anxiety like I do - anyone relate???? 🥺
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Wildflower13
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I have had issues with health anxiety on and off and suggest you check out the youtube videos and website of Paige Pradko, she is a therapist who has had anxiety and OCD and has recovered and treats and helps people with it. She also has a online program available for it. I like her thoughtful sincere approach.
Health anxiety and heart anxiety that presents in physical symptoms is pure terror. Totally empathize with you and I’ve dealt with my own stuff. Do you take any meds to control the palpitations or reduce them? There’s cardio meds that do and maybe that can give you some relief. Hang in there. Hugs.
I have in the past but not currently. Considering getting back on them. Working through this time right now to see if I can reduce my anxiety which I know in turn always reduces them.. we will see
Oh wow. You’re a warrior! Great job. Hang in there. But be kind to yourself. Don’t over pressure yourself. Sometimes we need the little extra help and that’s ok too. You got this.
I understand your situation since I tend to worry about medical issues myself. It is a spiral in that your palpitations cause anxiety which in turn causes more palpitations. The most common treatments for this kind of problem involve relaxation exercises such as slow breathing and meditation. Your don't say what kind of therapy you've been getting, but CBT is an effective treatment for anxiety and depression. I. would recommend the book Feeling Great by David Burns if you have not already read it. It is extremely helpful if you actually do the work the book suggests. Medication as also a useful treatment, but not usually for the long term. Distraction and involvement in enjoyable or useful activities can also help. It sounds like there may be obsessive thoughts underlying this process, and these can be treated, but it takes some work. Discuss this with your therapist. Good luck.
Yes, CBT is the kind of therapy I did for the past year a half. It helped, but I was dismissed from therapy in June as I had so much improvement.. so I am learning to manage now that the symptoms have come back (I've had a few follow up appointments]). I will add that book to my Amazon cart! Thank you for your recommendation, I love to read!
I'm glad that the CBT was helpful for you. If you find yourself starting to have some symptoms again, it is very common for patients to go back to the therapist now and then for just a few sessions to get support and refresh your skills.
If your therapist did not recommend a book on CBT for you to read, I would definitely get Feeling Good. Most CBT therapist give their patients homework to do between sessions in which they start to learn to do CBT for themselves. If you read the book, it will teach you those skills and you can use them yourself to feel better.
I can definitely relate. I exercise, which helps .e convince myself my heart os healthy, but on some days can cause the anxiety. Once i feel better & have other things that take my attention/focus, i seemed to have stop worrying so much about every single heartbeat like I used to (i was in & out of ER, just like u, & have worn a halter monitor, had many, many EKGs, etc, etc). I ride my exercise bike for usually 2 hours a day now, while i watch TV, so i had to convince myself that it was all in my head. I take Wellbutrin & buspirone for anxiety. I was on Clonazepam fpr 20 years, but can't get it anymore here (my doctor retired & no one else locally will prescribe it) & never had this type of obsessive fear about my heart when on that. I gave up all caffeine completely, not even tea. I looked up what foods or medicine can cause the palpitations & did away with those (pseudoephedrine, for example, can cause palpitations. I took those for sinus problems occasionally before).
I'm thankful to say, i haven't been obsessing over my heart recently. Once i was able to have a couple days where i didn't, i had that point of reference in my mind, so i could combat my brain wanting to be scared using those good memories, saying, "u were just feeling great recently. Nothing has changed. U know what this is, a coming panic attack. It will pass like always, eventually. Just use coping mechanisms until then, & u will be fine." That doesn't always make it stop completely, but I'm at almost 2 weeks without any panic/anxiety about health issues, which is a record by a longshot for me for the last 2+ years. Hopefully some of these things that worked for me can help u. It's still a process I'm working through, but I'm definitely closer to overcoming this than I've been since I've been off of Clonazepam. I think my brain needs to learn how to cope without it, which takes a while. But I'm definitely seeing that it's possible, which is great for me.
I'm not sure if religion is something that appeals to u (if not, u can ignore this part), but praying & church attendance have helped me. I've started attending church with a family member every Sunday for the last ~2 months. I told myself that I'm going every Sunday, no excuses, even if i had 1 hour of sleep, or am having a panic attack (which I've had while there the 1st 2 times i went), or anything else my mind would use as an excuse not to go. Even though I don't agree w all their teachings, it's the positive support of the people there that seems to help with my anxiety as a whole, & knowing they're all there if i needed anything (as many have offered). It's just the pleasant environment that I'm drawn to, & seems to help me during the week, which is hard to put into words unless someone is a believer. We call it the spirit, & having that spirit of helpfulness, forgiveness, acceptance is something i can feel, & seems to be contagious. This is worth a try if you're open to it. Obviously, not all churches are equal, so it may take trying a few different ones unless u have family that already has a specific place of worship.
Lastly, I was recommended this book, which i think u should check out if u can:
what a beautiful response thanks so much for sharing. Super helpful and touching. I really appreciated it as I can relate. I’m sure wildflower did as well.
Thank you. I often don't share because i feel i need to add so much context for anything to make sense. Everything i write ends up being MUCH longer than other posts, even without all that context. Because of that, i usually end up not posting even after i decide to write something, because of all the different doubts i get when reading over it. I decided not to even read over that post & just post it (so it probably has tons of grammar errors, lol), otherwise i knew I'd just not post it. I'm happy that my experiences, even without everything i feel like i need to include for anyone to understand, can help someone, even of it's just by providing something to relate to. I know how much that helps me, since we often feel like no one understands what we're going through, so i truly appreciate u letting me know this.
I appreciate you for just clicking post! I related a lot to it and it really resonates with me when I hear someone’s honest experience and know that I’m not alone. We are not alone.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your reply. I have been thinking about it ever since I read it yesterday. I relate to you so much. I made myself go on a 1/2 mile jog, then walked a 1/2 mile after that - not one heart palpitation. I said to my husband (just to hear myself say it out loud) "if something was wrong with my heart, I wouldn't have been able to do that!!". Concerning heart / health anxiety in general, I once read something along these lines - if there truly was a problem, it would continue to get worse an worse..it wouldn't come and go, we wouldn't be able to do normal things, there would be a distinct problem. I try to remember that, it's just been really hard lately. I agree with what you said about riding you bike - when I made myself jog that 1/2 mile without stopping it was like an "ah-ha" moment. Like you said, I am trying to keep that as a point of reference and it has been helping the last couple of days.
I am religious and spend time in the word / with a devotion daily. I, too, feel very safe at church. I've found myself having the thought while I'm listening to the sermon 'I wish I could just live here and always feel this safe/comforted'. I agree, the pleasant environment does emit such a since of ease and peace - how wonderful! It seems that would be just how the Lord intended it!
I am getting into yoga daily, meditations also, and when I begin to feel anxious, I am working on making myself stop and think "in this moment I am ok, everything is ok right now, the future scenarios can wait, right now, I am safe, I am ok".. something along those lines!
I will add your book recommendation to my Amazon cart! You are actually the second person on this thread that recommended it and I am very interested to give it a read!
Thank you again for your heartfelt reply. I am beyond grateful that you took the time out of your day to share your words. They have comforted me. I am thankful to know I am not alone and that it can get better. THANK YOU💙
Edit: i see I did it again, & this is very long, but i will go ahead & post it anyway, since it can possibly help u. Normally, I'd delete my mssgs when i saw how long they ended up. Original mssg below:
No problem, I'm glad my experiences may help you. Sometimes, i will type something, & see that it's so long, i end up deleting it, thinking, "no one will want to read all of that," lol, but I'm glad i didn't have that feeling here. Of course, as you already mentioned, we will have bad days, but if we have the good days as a reference, it seems to help put our brains in check, which constantly want to keep us in fight or flight mode, thinking we're in danger when we're not. We just have to convince our subconscious that we're truly not in danger, & it's not easy to "convince ourselves" when we aren't 100% sure of something, & have doubts. I noticed now that it's getting much easier to dismiss these thoughts. I will all of a sudden have this feeling, kinda like someone would experience de ja vu, where it's just sudden & hard to explain, but the feeling puts me back when i was in the midst of a panic attack, & made me fear of having another, reminding me that i was still going through this,, basically. That was always followed by another panic attack, but these last 2 weeks, my brain seems truly convinced that it's nothing, so it will just move on & not panic like before.
I have been watching "therapy in a nutshell" on YouTube, & she has great videos on anxiety/panic attacks that explains that cycle, where we become more afraid of having another panic attack, than whatever initially caused the 1st panic attack, & i can definitely attest to that being the case for me, after i was able to convince myself that my heart was strong & not in danger (i think many of the sensations i was feeling were in my stomach/esophagus, actually, like gas & reflux. Even though i considered that originally, i was always like, "what if it IS my heart tho?" That's what screwed me up, the "what if's". I have learned I can't entertain those thoughts at all. They never lead to anything but panic, & have never seemed to prevent anything that i would "plan out" for (that's how i rationalized those thoughts to my mom, who would tell me to "stop worrying," like i hadn't thought of that, & like it was that easy). She was right, tho. I know it's not easy to just "turn off", but it takes practice, & strict adherence to a schedule (for your meditation or yoga, for example, but especially for the exercise. Please try to stick with that, as it seems to be what helps me the most) & u will gradually see the results, & it will eventually work as intended. I just always gave up because i saw no immediate benefit. It may take longer for some than others, & different methods than worked for some, but if i can find things that helped me (i have to distract my mind, i can't look inward to breathing techniques or meditation, cuz it will actually make me panic instead of relief. I have to start drawing cursive sentences with my finger, or doing random math problems, writing them with my finger, so i get out of my head & internal workings, because that's what seems to cause my panic, not something outside of myself), i think most people can, too. It just takes commitment. I know it seems like, "these people just don't understand how bad my anxiety is. This will never work for me," because i was there, & tried everything. But, it has started working, so please don't give up. U just have to convince your subconscious eventually to see results, & it will happen over time.
Stay in prayer, & anything that shows promise, stick with it,, don't let you talk yourself out of it. Make a commitment & stick to it no matter what. It's taken about 2 years for me, but I'm finally gradually seeing progress, & i thought i could never leave my house again & have been unemployed the entire time, etc, etc, so it was BAD, but is finally improving. Praise the LORD! I have faith it will work for you, too. I always try to say a prayer for anyone i read on this site, because i empathize with every story i read, & i wll do the same for u. Take care.
THANK YOU again, for clicking the "reply" button. You don't know how your words have helped me. Truly. Everything you are saying I think "oh my gosh, me too!!!" Just knowing I'm not alone...wow..there is power in that. So thank you, for taking the time, it means more to me than you know.
I know exactly what you mean about the deja vu feeling, I get that too. Sometimes my brain feels super foggy, almost like I could pass out, but just for a split second, then thats when the true test comes in - can I manage to NOT let this turn into a panic attack. The foggy headed feeling always comes when I'm experiencing times of anxiety, its like my brain is truly on overload and just cannot process anything else.
Your encouraging words have helped me so much. I know I have people in my life that care, but I think they are getting sick of me and my anxiety, they do not understand, and having you say those encouraging things truly lifts my spirits! And I am about to go outside for a jog on this beautiful evening the Lord has given us!!! Thank you for encouraging me to do that!
I will most definitely stay in prayer. It has kept me hanging on over these last almost two years. And thank you for praying for me, I will be doing the same for you.
I am so glad you are finally experiencing relief from all of these symptoms. What a strong person you are to have worked your way through all of this and you are coming out on the other side! Praise the Lord for that! God is so good. I am so happy for you!!! Please always remember the power in your words, I know I am not the only one who is extremely appreciative of you sharing your thoughts. You are very knowledgeable and have a lot to offer.
Thank you again, I hope you have a peaceful, restful evening. Thanks to you, I am off for my jog
Palpitations are so frightening , even when you know there is nothing seriously wrong , are you on medication to control them, I found beta blockers have helped me enormously , take care
So frightening! I am not currently. I took a beta blocker years ago (maybe 15-ish years ago). I got off my meds when things got better. I've been thinking about trying one again. I was reading that it can lower your BP so then that was worrying me. I just need to stop reading!
I completely agree, keeping my mind and body relaxed has helped in really reducing the palps over the last few days. And you are right, very fear producing!! Thank you for your reply and sharing
I just read your post, and i found myself in it. I went to the emergency room 3 times in a few months ( that is very much, taking into consideration the fact that i almost never went to doctors in my life, thank God) with heart palpitations ( last time i had heart palpitations were for a period of 15 minutes coming and going) , thinking i am going to die, and each time, after EKG and screenings, doctors told me my heart is working just fine. The doctor prescribed me some meds to take ( only 2 weeks) for the well function of the heart ( the pills were only sodium, magnesium, potasium). During stress periods, magnesium is used in big quantity in the body, and when levels get low, there might appear a mild arythmia.Heart palpitations dissapeared after i made some changes in my life: i changed my job( i wasn t satisfied at all with the job i had, i was stressed all the time, didn t bring me any happyness), i stoped getting angry and reacting when people near me had this tendency to get on my nerves, and what also helped me a lot was schultz guided meditation/ autogenic meditation ( only after the first meditation i did realise how tight and stressed my whole body was, and releasing tension in my body helped me a lot).
Nowadays, i have short heart palpitations now and then, but they are associated with feelings of happyness, or when seeing someone i haven t seen for a long time, or when i feel stressed. But i know they aren t harmfull.
I also went to therapy (CBT), and learned to see things differently in life.
Take care, and i hope you will be heart palipations free, i know they can ruin your entire day. 🙏
Thank you so much for your reply!! I'm thankful you understand how I am feeling and thankful for your taking the time to reply to me
I 100% need to find a new job. My job is very stressful and I do not find even a speck of joy in it any longer. I have been looking online trying to find another job, hoping for something remote. I would like to give my nervous system a break and be able to be in the comfort of my own home - at least for a while. I attribute a large portion of the anxiety I experience to my job.
I am looking forward to trying that guided meditation! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you again for your reply, I am glad we were able to connect over this
I am glad that i could share my experience 🙂 Do what needs to be done regarding your job or anything that you feel it shouldn t be part of your life anymore. If you listen to your inner self, you will know exactly what changes you need to make 🙏 And be confident that things will get better 🙏
Just a thought --Did your drs. check your thyroid - Beta Blockers help, I've been on them for years - I have a Mitral Valve Prolapse, and had hyperthyroidism & still have A lot of Anxiety. Anyway, have a complete workup, and if All okay, the replies I've read should help. Hope you feel better soon.
Thank you for your reply! Yes, I have just recently had a full workup with blood work, and multiple different kinds of scans on my arteries, test for Afib, wore a holter monitor for 2 weeks, etc. My doctor made sure to check my thyroid (its been checked before many times). My mom has mitral valve - I feel for you, I can only imagine how terrifying that could be. They've told me for the past probably around 15 years that I am just fine - now if I can just get myself to believe it. I am so thankful for my health and I know how blessed I am.. just struggling with anxiety... its a beast. I know you know that Thank you again for taking the time to reply and I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!!
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