Heart disease or anxiety? ;-;

[SxufferingSxoul]

Since I constantly worry about the severe physical symptoms I get, I googled some and google came up with a heart disease called postural tachycardia syndrome, and that it can be misdiagnosed as anxiety! D: I have almost every symptom it listed, and now my fears of having a disease and doubt that it’s anxiety have risen up. I just woke up from a nap and I can feel my heart racing for a bit then being super slow for a bit, I am worried about it stopping.

[1uglychild]

First, I know it’s hard, but don’t google your symptoms! You’ll find you have more conditions than you knew were possible. And what symptoms you don’t have, your body and your mind will suddenly find a way of mimicking. You become hyper aware of your body’s sensations in that part of your body. A lot of people with health anxiety worry they have issues with their hearts, I did at one time too. Read through these boards and you’ll see people who have been to the doctor repeatedly and still focus on their hearts.

The more you focus on your heartbeat, the more oddities your going to think you notice. I suggest when you start to focus on your heart take some time out for deep breathing. Chances are if you are younger, reasonably fit, and have no family history of heart problems you are fine. Make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your worries but until your appointment keep calm by trying to remember how really unlikely it is that you have heart problems.

Best wishes!

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to 1uglychild]

Hi there, I actually have been told by my therapist to stop visiting doctors and most importantly to stop googling symptoms, everything you told me is true but the symptoms just feel too real and are so bothersome and awfully frightening. It’s just the fact that I found out some heart diseases can be misdiagnosed as anxiety gave me shock yesterday. My mom is booking me one last appointment with a cardiologist to assure me that I am fine and there is nothing wrong, but I feel like there is no power that will convince me I have no disease. Non of my family members have had heart diseases thankfully, thank you so much for reminding me that the chances of getting a heart disease are slim if one does not have a family history of heart problems, it sort of convinced me a bit now : ) you’re right I always stop to check my heartbeats and I keep assuming that my heart is taking long pauses between each heartbeat which is normal I think, it still scares me and makes me think that my heart will stop.

Best wishes to you too!

[Emsnavvv]

I too worry again and again about my heart. I am very in tune with my body and can feel every stupid palpitation or pvc or where it feels like it just says screw for five seconds and stops, I full fledge go into panic mode, my adrenaline kicks in full swing then my heart starts racing I get super hot and it's just a mess! Talk to your doctor, get an ekg done, ask about wearing a holter monitor for a week, constantly tracking your heartbeat! If they can't do that there, ask about a referral to a cardiologist who can have you wear one for a week and then go over the results!!! Further testing may be needed as well, but usually knowing all of that, helps me! You will get answers and I hope that soothes you!

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Emsnavvv]

I have visited multiples of doctors for my heart and lungs and they all tell me that I am fine. I can’t believe that! But I haven’t tried using a holter monitor, which I plan on doing so soon. Thank you so much.

Best wishes

[Emsnavvv in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

Yes! Then you have actual hard evidence laying in front of you! It gave me some comfort when I looked and it wasn't as big and bad as I thought!!! Keep us posted!!!!

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Emsnavvv]

I’m going to be honest, I know I’m too young but due to a bad past I had, I started smoking cigarettes, and I never really had these anxiety heart symptoms, if they even are from anxiety. However, I quit cigarettes and have now switched to an e-cigarette because I have been told it’s less harmful. A few weeks after I switched to it, I felt all the physical symptoms I complained come back, at their worst form. Every time I stand up, I get blurred vision, dizziness, a pounding heart that I can feel punching my chest painfully, and I feel as if I’m breathing through my ears. Can anxiety cause this feeling when you stand up? I am just heckin worried that I got a heart disease, but an e-cig can’t cause worse side effects than normal tobacco cigarettes, can it?

[Emsnavvv in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

Well the thing with the ecigs and idk which you're using, but some of the nicotine mg is higher in certain ones so the higher the content, the more symptoms you can experience, to be quite honest and I have no clue why I feel better smoking a plain old cig than a Juul or e cig! But if you're smoking that then you stand up and feel dizzy and racing heart that's your body's response to the nicotine probably! Now if it's just randomly all the time, make sure you're drinking enough water if you're dehydrated or don't have enough fuel in the tank you can get this too!!

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Emsnavvv]

So even if these symptoms are frightening, they aren’t dangerous or lethal, are they? Or a sign of a disease? I’m honestly sick and tired of visiting hospitals and doctors since I end up getting a panic attack when I am there. I’m sorry for asking so many questions, I just don’t want to die 😭

[Emsnavvv in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

I mean I can't tell you for sure, but my best guess is that it's your body's response to nicotine which is a normal body's response! Now if you're walking around feeling that way all day everyday you need to get some more testing done! But nicotine causes all of those responses and should subside within like 20-30 minutes after smoking!!! I would just focus and tell yourself that! Make sure you're taking slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth to regulate your breathing and heart rate, the rest should slowly subside

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Emsnavvv]

Yeah the symptoms only happen every time I stand up, and wear off after a few seconds. And when I sit back down. Thank you so much tho, that made me relieved