Health Anxiety and Introduction 🙄

[Hcaz89]

I may look new here, but I’ve been a member for YEARS. I forgot my login from my previous account so I started a new one. To make a long story short I have struggled with health anxiety for 15 years, and up until a few days ago have been doing GREAT for years and no issues. I’ve had a lot of stress on me recently, I was sick, and then my wife got sick. And BAM health anxiety strikes! I got so worked up yesterday that I could NOT get my heart rate below 115 for 6+ hours and my blood pressure was 150-160/90-100 during this time. I ended up going to the ER, I was dehydrated but otherwise all tests came back unremarkable. Clear ecg, clear troponin, clear chest xray, clear bloodwork minus for hydration related issues. I have gone through this so so so many times in my life and here I feel like I’m back to square one and will never feel normal again. It SUCKS! I’m very active and mountain bike often. But all I can do is obsess and double check my heart rate and how my chest is feeling. It’s like I will never be normal again even though only 24 hours have passed. It seems like a mountain I won’t be able to climb, I feel like I’ll never get to mountain bike again. My heart rate jumps up anytime I move or walk. Sometimes it does me good to express how I am feeling and that is what I just did.

[b1b1b1]

It might help you to worry less if you saw a cardiologist. I am not suggesting you need additional tests, however, again to relieve your anxiety, a stress test and echocardiogram might help.Also, a cardiologist can give you more information about your rapid heart rate, as well as possibly beta blockers. Seeing a cardiologist would, at any rate, not be harmful and might be helpful.

[Hcaz89 in reply to b1b1b1]

I had a complete workup 7ish years ago stress test, echo, even wore a holter monitor, and it was an act of god to get it done. Basically because I have NO other symptoms that would point to a heart issue. Even if I wanted another workup it would be extremely hard to get done I would imagine. I appreciate your response as it does make sense.

[designguy]

My anxiety would at times morph into health anxiety. My suggestion is that you check out the youtubes of Mathew Codde at Restored MInds and also Paige Pradko. Both are therapists who had health anxiety and OCD, healed themselves and now help others heal. You may have some OCD which is common with health anxiety like I did. They both have really good practical advice on it and how to heal.