Hyperawareness of Heart

Hyperawareness...The worst thing ever!

How do you turn it OFF!!?

Constantly awate of heartrate, rhythm, eptopics , Palps.. I know people who have a resting heart rate of 105 and an active heart rate of well up to 120 just basic walking and they have no idea other than what the Fitbit tells them I can tell every time my heart beat changes Rhythm or intensity. Even if my heartrate is 58..i can tell. I'm so sick of every thought that I possess is of this.

I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse with Regurgitation..Mild..2 years ago.

The EKG at that time showed I may have had a small HA. That was never conclusive.

I went to the cardiologist at that time due to palpitations skip Beats and flutters.

Its interuptive to leading a normal healthy life. If anyone out there has dealt with this please how did you overcome?

I still have all those symptoms mentioned before..I know my hormones are out of wack Thytoid and Menapause.

But no one in medicine my GP etc..will listen.

I have accepted my diagnosis my question is how do I live a normal life and tune out the constant awareness of my heart?

To those of you on here who are dealing with heart issues, arrhythmias Etc are you constantly aware of your heart beat? Are you afraid to even move for fear of setting something off?

Im going INSANE. PLEASE HELP!

[lettingoffsteam]

Absolutely am I aware of my heart and have been for years.I also have palpitations and ectopics which can be very distracting.I think I've just got used to them and they are definitely better when I don't pay attention to them.Are you on any treatment for this?

[Hidden in reply to lettingoffsteam]

Hi...no not on any treatment. I have a slow heart rate so the cardiologist didnt want to do anything. Thank you for your reply!!

[lettingoffsteam in reply to Hidden]

Ah right, well hopefully it will get less noticeable with time...mine has but it can really hammer at times...very annoying.

[vinixxx]

I am like you.I feel my heart even at 60 bpm.

After small activities the feeling is even worse.The rythm and bp are normal,again with 60,but i feel huge pounding and rough work in my chest.

I also have small mitral valve prolapse.

Try with small dosage of beta blocker.

[Stobban]

Yea, I feel for you , I too know how you feel. Don't know if this will help but .......I was the same in hospital and the Cardio doctor said to me, ''All these palpitations, etc will always be there,'' I heard myself saying, 'no they wont,' I went home and lost weight, I did not need too as I was normal weight, but I do remember a Heart Specialist in a Cardiac Clinic in London saying to a patient next bed, that losing weight gives your heart much less to do, when carrying less weight. That worked with me to my surprise but I was desperate as you are. Its worth a try. Good Luck.

[Sparklegrrl]

Having previously had an arythmia which requires an ablation I am now hyper aware of my heart, and have been to the hospital several times with symptoms only for there to be nothing new wrong other than my congenital heart defect. I find distraction is one of the best things for me - getting stuck in to something usually helps me to pay less attention.

One of the problems being hyper aware I find is the anxiety around any little changes can cause a bit of a feedback loop and then make it worse. I literally have to tell myself if I get stuck in that that I have been tested several times and that nothing is wrong, just repeat that to myself for a while and it usually helps.

[onadiet in reply to Sparklegrrl]

I do that to myelf by telling myself I am being silly by overeacting. Anxiety makes it all more predominant.

[valeriep]

When I was menopausal, I was tormented by free-floating anxiety. I felt anxious and on edge all the time, even though I didn't know what I was anxious about. It's one of those lovely symptoms of your hormones being out of whack. Could that have something to do with how you're feeling - esp if you also have thyroid problems? I didn't know I had a heart condition then, but if I had, I bet it would have been obsessing me. I found 1000 mg of Holland & Barrett Evening Primrose Oil (it must be that particular brand, not all primrose oils are equal), one taken night, one morning to start with, reduced to 1000mg once a day when I could feel it was working, really calmed me down. I'm not aware of evening primrose oil interfering with medication, but it might be wise to check with your GP or a pharmacist if you intend to try them, just to make sure.

[Munkyboy]

Hi there, I had avr earlier this year and a mechanical valve put in. Different to yourself but it ticks and I was hyperaware of my heart rate. Sitting here i can count it and as soon as I start moving I can tell pretty much exactly what my rate is. I found some mindfulness practice helped especially initially when I couldn't sleep because of the ticking. It's not a silver bullet but it has helped me start getting back to being me.

[onadiet in reply to Munkyboy]

I listen to hypnotherapy apps such as Glenn Howard . Such a lovely voice and soothing.

[IrisCarter]

I am also aware of my heart and the ticking of my new mitral valve. What works is a technique developed for people with tinnitus(which I also have).

Whenever you become aware of the activity or sound you deliberately switch your attention to something else in your environment, ideally something easy to concentrate on like a different noise, sensation or sight. With tinnitus and the sound of my valve I have the radio on to fall asleep to (It’s on a timer so that it switches off) and with heart activity I create a diversion like tapping my fingers or paying very close attention to something that I can see.

Over time the brain will learn that it doesn’t need to pay attention. The problem is that allowing the brain to pay attention to heart activity reinforces the habit so that it gets worse.

[onadiet in reply to IrisCarter]

You are so right. Tapping works sometimes and sleep music apps .

[dunestar]

Hello Autumn822. I'm sure a lot of us have been there - hyper aware of what our heart is getting up to. It can lead to some pretty negative feedback loops. We become aware of our heart which makes us on edge and anxious which affects the heart even more. For me what's really helped is doing focussed breathing. It calms me down. It may help if you can find some kind of mindfulness approach or distraction type techniques which you can tune into.

[Shopgal67]

Know exactly how you feel , I’ve been having palpitations since May mostly a.m and p.m some days worse than others , I’ve changed my diet and I’ve learnt to meditate , I’ve also found distraction helps , I say out loud to myself ‘Im not having this ‘ and do my jigsaw or read or go for a walk ! I’ve found exercise helps , just walking is good and I’ve also learnt Qi gong with is gentle medative exercise . I have a feeling mine are menopause related !!!! Hope you find something that works

[Hidden]

Thank you to everyone for your replys and good ideas..i am convinced menopause is part of the cause! I am going to try each ideal you have shared with me. I am desparate. I felt good yesterday still had palps..etc. But had some energy. I did this morning. Then suddenly i got a slight headache.while cooking, .felt weak and nauseas and had to lie down. This lasted about a half hour i felt so sick and weak did not want to move.

Not low blood sugar had eaten just shortly before. I felt terribly sick on my stomach..and very weak all of a sudden and increased palps. This happens FREQUENTLY! Has been happinging on and off for years but not with the heart palps. Ever since my RADICAL HYSTERECTOMY IN 2001.

[Micron5]

Hi, Firstly may I say that you are not alone with this problem! I have been a highly stressful person all of my life and at any moment am aware of my heart and what it is doing (fast, slow, ectopics, palps., A.F.) Never any need to feel/check my pulse as I am constantly aware of it. I developed A.F. around 20 yrs ago and just recently have had 4 mini-episodes including admission to A & E. Every day I am aware of missed beats, bumps, jumps and am in constant fear of another full-blown A.F. episode. I have a mild leak from a right mitral valve first diagnosed in 2006 and reconfirmed in 2018 but still considered mild & no other issues shown on echo-scan. Stress is our biggest enemy - the more we worry - the worse the situation becomes (take it from a 'seasoned professional') - remember there are lots of people with similar heart issues who are blissfully unaware of them. Since my last admission to hospital with A.F. 3 weeks ago I am living in a state of constant tension & fear that it is going to recur big-time - anyway what I call "distraction therapy" (fully occupying your mind with anything absorbing - be it a jigsaw, a book, a tv programme, anything) is the best therapy I can suggest. I currently take Bisoprosol 1.25mg beta-blocker (reduced from 2.5mg due to low resting heart rate though still averaging 48-53 but as long as I have no dizziness or breathlessness I am told a low pulse is good!) and Edoxaban 60mg anticoagulant. What I keep trying to drill into my stubborn mind is that my situation could be a whole lot more serious, something one is reminded of whenever one is admitted to hospital and observe patients with far more serious problems & conditions than your own. Try to be strong & positive. Best wishes. Micron 5

[Hidden in reply to Micron5]

Thank you so much for your reply! Great advice as well!

I wish for you a happy fulfilled life with NO MORE EPISODES!!

I should mention when i was on here a while back, I read a post on here were someone said they had thyroid issues..and supplemented with Iodine..

They to have low heart rate like me..i have hypothyroidism. My iodine level has never been checked.

I found out a lot of people are deficient in iodine even in the United States.

I started using Pure Planet greens.

Powder..it has seaweed and kelp in it..

A powerful source of iodine.

I have been using it daily for 2 weeks just a little scoop in a bottle of water.

My heart rate at rest now is running 68/70. My low body temp has come back to 98.6. Coincidence?

I hope not! Praying this was a fix for at least some of my issues!

[onadiet in reply to Micron5]

Such good comments. I have hypertension and possible AF but not diagnosed yet ad waiting to see Cardiolagist. The fear is the worst and latches onto you. Hard not to stress as that is a normal reaction.

[onadiet]

Yes I get it all too along with Tinnnitis which pulsates. Have hypertension. It is hard to sleep as I feel the flutters and Palps. and thumping heart.