Heart palps

[Ceelos81]

Hi all, just wanted to see if anyone else has gone through this. So as I mentioned in some of my post I suffer from depression/anxiety and heart palps. I made a Dr appointment to see a Dr for my anxiety and heart palps. The heart palps are driving me nuts. Oh also I was in the ER on Saturday due to my heart palps that I just couldn't take anymore. Any how I had an ekg,blood work done and they said I was fine they gave me 2 bags of IV and some Ativan and I was ok for the rest of the night and for the most part of Sunday. Well Monday was not so nice to me as I started to feel anxious and then here come the skipped beats so I rushed out of work and went straight to the Dr and once again she listen to my heart and did a other ekg and all fine. She said it's all anxiety and my depression and prescribed Zoloft 25mg. But my question is this how come even though they've told me it's anxiety driven and nothing else why do I still get them and I still don't believe them and feel as if they are missing something. Why cant I just accept it and move on.

[Agora1]

Hi Ceelos81. The key to opening the door to recovery is acceptance that the symptoms are truly caused by the rush of adrenaline in our anxious mind and body. Zoloft will help you but takes several weeks to kick in. Meanwhile what would be beneficial is to start learning as much as you can about the mind/body experience What we think profoundly affects our symptoms. Start looking into meditation and deep breathing while waiting for the medication to work. Breathing deeply will help reduce the adrenaline levels which in turn will help calm down the heart. There are calming videos on YouTube which can guide you into Deep Breathing and Relaxation. It's not just a one time thing, it takes practice. But once you feel the effects of calm and reduced palps, it will reinforce your negative thoughts and doubts as to your doctor's diagnosis.

I wish you well. We all go through these stages of anxiety so know you are not alone. Once you get unstuck, you will be able to move on.

[Janco]

Hi Ceelos81

The heart palps can be the anxiety, and it feels like hell (but is harmless), I know, but you can also search for ectopic heartbeats on the AF Association (on this site). I posted about it and there are other posts about it.

There is a small chance of AFIB/AF/A-fib, but the doctors can give you a monitor or sometimes called a holter to check your heartbeat over a 24 hour period, but it sounds as if you first get the anxiety and then the heart palps.

Do not worry too much( actually STOP worrying, it does not help) , but keep on asking questions, exercise, eat healthy and think about what you are thinking of -"thoughtarrest"

Janco Vorster

[Jeff1943]

Ceelos81, palpitations are when you're conscious of your heart beating, missed heart beats are an irregular timing of the beats, two different things. I had the missed heart beats about a month ago, I'd had them 5 years and ten years ago. There was a big family wedding coming up and a long drive in an unfamiliar car to get there. About a week before the missed heart beats began. Not all the time, every now and then. Sometimes 10 beats apart, sometimes 30. But I knew they were anxiety and I just didn't feel any fear of them. I had them a bit during our stay at the wedding venue and they continued for a few days after we were back. Then they stopped and no sign of them since. Clearly it was anxiety and they went because as hard as I tried😊 I couldn't feel any fear. If I had felt fear and managed to convince myself I had a heart problem I'd probably still have them.

You've had two ECGs, as we call them in Britland, and blood tests and the medical people say you're fine. But you still think they've missed something, even though you know you suffer from anxiety and even though you know those fine medical people went to medical school for years and you didn't. The good news, Ceelose81, is that your missed heart beats, and palpitations if you have those too, are pure anxiety and your heart is 100%. No doubt about it, don't give it a second thought. So when you next feel the palps and the skipped beats just accept them without fear as meaningless blips of your bpnervous system. And because you stop fueling them with fear they will stop anytime soon. But if you go on convincing yoursekf this is Stage One heart failure and frightening yourself half to death you'll be stuck with them a lot longer. The choice is your's (but don't worry we've all done it).

[Ceelos81 in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you so much it feels somewhat comforting that I'm not alone. And your right it just been so long since I had them that I feel I'm on square one again. I try so much to get out of that cycle and remover I went through this before but my stupid anxiety and depresssion doesn't let me. And it hurts so much that I can't enjoy life like I did just a few months ago and it brings me to tears when I look at my kids that I love so much.

[Jeff1943 in reply to Ceelos81]

I'll give you the short answer to your anxiety problems and the depression we get because we're anxious. Treat yourself to a copy of 'Self help with your nerves' (also titled 'Hope and help with your nerves' in the u.s.) by Doctor Claire Weekes. It's easy to read and it explains what happens to our nervous system when we expetience anxiety and outlines a simple to understand method for recovery that has helped untold thousands to recover. You will soon recognise yourself in it's pages and although recovery does take time it will bring immediate reassurance and answers to your bewilderment. It's available from Amazon. I am sure you will find it life changing.

[Vbee in reply to Jeff1943]

I've been wondering how the drive and the wedding went!! 🌷

[Jeff1943 in reply to Vbee]

Thanks, Vbee, yes the wedding went well, Security didn't have tobe called once😊, well you never know at family gatherings, and the drive went like a dream, I've even worked out how to operate the computers on the new car. So once again it was the beast known as anxiety raising its ugly head a little!

[Vbee in reply to Jeff1943]

Awesome!! What a win for you 😎

[Vbee]

I presume that 2 bags of IV was because you were dehydrated....? My palps have 2 triggers (apart from anxiety itself !!!) - one is dehydration and the other is lack of 7-8 hours sleep. To stop them do the valsalver movement (google the technique......but simple version is hold your breath and push as if your were constipated but don't actually do a poo!!!). Or cough. That always stops mine.

[Lm92]

I have been in your shoes before. I have palpitations/ectopic beats to the tune of almost 20,000 per day on a bad day. I've had them last at that frequency 24/7 for up to 5 months at a time. So many things can affect them. Adrenaline, anxiety, depression, vitamin or electrolyte deficiencies, dehydration, etc. I say all that to say that I went to doctor after doctor, ER after ER (once I went to one right after the other because I was convinced they'd missed something.) The common factor in all that was every single one of them said the PVCs and PACs even at that crazy high amount were harmless. They might make me feel lightheaded at times or faint but no I know they won't kill me. It's still hard at night to get to sleep sometimes and for that I've been prescribed medicine to help me sleep, but you just have to remind yourself that your heart WANTS to beat. It's a very strong muscle and even if it goes haywire occasionally, it's still pumping away. Take deep breaths, do things to occupy your mind, put on headphones at night and listen to music or watch ASMR videos so you can't hear your heartbeat. Sending you hugs. I know it's so hard to believe but I promise you'll be okay.