Fear of a heart attack

[Hails314]

Every day I fear I'm gonna have a heart attack. I'm a healthy 23 year old mom of e. I've been to the e.r so many times to be told im fine. Its anxiety and stress. I'm tired of being this way. I still can't be alone or drive alone. I'm at my breaking point. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm going crazy

[Justin21]

Hey , I've read your post and relate so much . The ekg that they give us can pick up so many things . (Enlarged heart, arythmia problems, missed beats , etc.) I'm 24 and have wasted the past two years of my life fearing the same thing . All of my ekgs were perfect . The triponan blood tests that picks up if your heart is damaged was fine every time . It is normal for people to feel palpitations and skipped beats . Some people feel them and some people don't . The only time to worry is if it's like every other beat is a skipped beat . Some times I feel like my heart stops . But I'm here writing this so clearly it hasn't . Trust me , you'll be fine . Nobody can understand what your feeling because they don't feel it . But from experience, your not crazy . Be strong , pray . I'm here if you need to talk . You can message me if you want .

[Hails314 in reply to Justin21]

Thank you so much. I feel crazy for only being 23 and thinking I'm going to have a heart attack and die and leave my babies behind. I've had anxiety since I was 17. It's taking it toll on me. I've never had blood work but I've had ekgs and every one has been fine. I pray daily and I try everyday to stay strong. I need to beat this. I just don't know where to start.

[Justin21 in reply to Hails314]

Your mind is where you start . Trying getting in to see a psychologist . I'm trying too . You can't let your mind wander and take over . And do not google stuff , worst thing you can do .

[BartyParty]

Hey guys. New to this site and having a rough month myself. Same thing I'm convinced I'm going to have a heart attack. So much so it feels like I'm on the verge of experiencing palpitations. Such a pain in the butt how it wears you down. I'm here for you two as well if you need to vent.

[Justin21 in reply to BartyParty]

Thanks man

[Mrworrymaster]

Try to relax and think logically.

Anxiety thrives when you panic and feeds off of it and makes you think illogically.

Also, a fear of loss and not being there for your children is alotnof negative pressure. Just love them and be there for them. All you have is today. Why waste it worrying about something so rare and out of your control.

If you're worried about your heart. Take care of it. Exercise and eat right. That's really all you can do.

Besides. Heart attacks are rarely fatal anymore. So the chances are that even in the rare case that you werentovjave one, you would still be there for your babies.

The checkups went well and you're going to be fine. Just don't let your anxiety trick you into believing otherwise.

[Mark1256]

Its panic attacks. Anxiety at its worse. I had this many times and ya, ended up in the hospital at least 4 times. All checked out fine. Need to the doc or therapist or both. There is ways of getting out of that rut but one thing you should do before anything else. Breath in and out slowly and focus on the here and now. Take deep and very slow breaths in and hold it and breath out slowly. This will calm you down. It does work! I am on Lexapro because I have GAD, general anxiety disorder which means I have it each day but it has mellowed over the years. Never gets real bad anymore. Still bothersome but I know it will get better over time. The meds help a great deal and after a month, you feel like yourself again. Go to your doc. Trust me, thats not living. best of luck.

[Hails314 in reply to Mark1256]

Thank you !i will definitely be making an appointment. I was diagnosed with gad at 17. I never took pills. I was scared, I wanted to beat this alone,but by years later and I'm still bad, I think I need medicine

[Jeff1943]

Hails314, no you're not going crazy, anxiety does not have the power to do that. Also, you're not going to have a heart attack, you're far too young to have a heart attack, people aged 23 are not allowed to have heart attacks☺ You must ask yourself what has caused your high anxiety in the first place? You say this goes back to when you were 17, only you can answer that question but it can be caused by family problems, relationship problems, money worries, problems at work etc etc If you can identify the cause of your anxiety then be assertive in neutralising it, put yourself first for a change, be ruthless.

But often the original cause of our anxiety has passed and the problem continues as symptoms cause fear which causes more symptoms which causes more fear in a self perpetuating vicious circle.

What has happened is that too much stress and fear causes our nervous system to become over sensitised and in this state it causes many symptoms that resemble genuine physical illness and we think we have all kinds of problems: in your case the 'fake' symptoms have led you to believe you have a heart problem.

If you are overwhelmed with anxiety then you should see your doctor for some medication to give you a break. Whether you do or not you can help yourself to recover by accepting the symptoms for the time being: if you can practice acceptance calmly and with the minimum of fear then eventually your nervous system will recover and your worries about your heart will cease. Anxiety is not life threatening, cannot disable you or send you crazy. So with that reassurance accept the bad feelings calmly and without fear and pay less attention to it, if you can do that you will be well on the way to recovery.

[Hails314]

Thank you all so much for the replies, I've been under a lot of stress lately. At 17 I had my first child. And it seems like after that it all went down hill.

[Hails314]

Not blaming my child in any way for what has happened to me.

[Hails314]

I jusst always think about why me? Why is this happening to me. Every time my heart pounds I think I'm gonna die. Every panic attack. Every ache or pain, it's just bad. Does medicine truly help?I don't ever take pills. Any kind. But if they'll help I'll take them.

[Agora1 in reply to Hails314]

Hi Hails314, you've gotten off to a good start in finding this forum. What wonderful advice you have been given by others who have gone through the same. There is a time that medication may help bridge the gap between the symptoms and accepting what they are. This may be that time for you. It is not a defeat by any means but just a little help in settling down your irrational thoughts and symptoms while you work on other methods in going towards your goal. Therapy, as mentioned, helps while on medication, since a pill is not a magical answer.

Being a mother is a big responsibility and sometimes comes a little sooner than we were ready for. Learning to quiet your mind and body will help with the surges of adrenaline you are now experiencing. You are going to be okay, just need a little help right now to get over this bump in the road.

We are all here to help support you. Start with a call to your doctor. The rest will fall into place. Come back to the forum as many times as you need help. We understand and we care. x

[Hails314 in reply to Agora1]

Thank you very much. I have been diagnosed with gerd. The burning and chest pain and gas and belching really makes my anxiety shoot. Always think it's a hard attack. Or I'm dying. My sleeping lately has been terrible. It's terrible to live this way. It's like I'm a whole different person once the anxiety started. In not fun, hapoy, loving anymore. I'm grumpy, mean and irritable. I don't like it.

[Agora1 in reply to Hails314]

Hi Hails314, It's understandable that a health issue such as GERDs can bring up your anxiety level. Because the pain and discomfort are in the chest, you need to be able to accept that is what promotes the pain. As painful as GERD is, it can be controlled through medication and proper diet. Quieting down your body while eating will also make the symptoms less painful. Right now you are swallowing a lot of air in your present stress level as well as producing a lot more acidity also from stress.

Pain has a way of making anyone grumpy, mean and irritable. Your doctor should be able to put you on something to help with the digestion issue. You can help yourself by looking into ways you can calm your nerves and anxiety. Take some time for yourself everyday to go onto YouTube and listen to some audio meditation and deep breathing videos. Those 5-10 minutes will help balance your stress some.

This diagnosis doesn't have to be a life sentence but just temporary until you get your life back in control. x

[Hails314 in reply to Agora1]

Thank you !i will definitely be looking into YouTube video. I need to find a diet to help with the gerd.

[Agora1 in reply to Hails314]

Definitely. Your doctor may have some printed material that he can give you as a guideline.

As for YouTube videos, I use them myself every day. There are some great ones out there. Pick and choose what you like best according to their voice and calming techniques. We'll help you through this and you'll smile again

[Indigojoe]

Hi Hails. You hit the mother-load with the folks who responded to your question here. Jeff1943 and Agora1 both describe ways for you to think differently to get you on the right road and both of them give us all solid advice and comfort. Some of us have YEARS behind us having had the EXACT same thoughts feelings and beliefs that you describe here. We are all here to tell you, WE ARE ALL HERE! All this "drama" you are indulging in is smoke and mirrors for what is really at the core of your " control issues". I can say this, because, well, I have them too, and have spent the equivalent of a Ford F150, to find this out. HERE ya go for FREE. *.............. you can and will find your answers. As Clair Weeks tells us, Accept your anxiety ( for now). Be well.

[Moi46]

Some people in the UK have reported that what helped them to reduce the fear/stress and anxiety of heart attack (especially those who had a heart attack and were afraid to venture out) was to feel that they could do something to reduce the damage and reduce the risk of death. It has been shown that carrying and chewing ONE dispersible 300mg aspirin tablet AFTER CALLING AN AMBULANCE can reduce deaths from heart attack by nearly a third. See this video.

youtu.be/mI_7kj4HKIQ(Not working as expected?)