Am I suffering from anxiety?

[Plantome]

I would appreciate some advice please. Over the past couple of weeks I have been feeling very anxious - shaking, sweating, chest discomfort/tremors, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating. At times it seems my fight or flight response has gone haywire and I just can’t settle.

I believe the cause of my anxiety is my heart condition. I have a complicated heart history: right bundle branch, paroxysmal AF, prior VT, and am fitted with an ICD. I have been feeling quite strong palpitations and chest tremors over recent days but have remained in sinus rhythm.

My question is: do these symptoms sound familiar for someone in sinus rhythm? My resting heart rate is around 65-70. If so, and this is a condition I now have to live with, will anti-anxiety medication help alleviate these symptoms?

I would be very grateful for views on this.

Thanks

[jimmyq]

First of all, stop worrying. It never solved anything. You could try taking up meditation, mindfulness, a gentle form of yoga or a Tai Chi based execise routine. All these will help to reduce your anxiety and help you to avoid the meds.