Hello. I suffered from anxiety attacks and panic disorder when I was in my late teens and early 20’s. I was extremely scared & terrified of death and dying in general! I was treated with medication & I was able to go on with my life pretty well and normal, until now! I’m 46 years old & just recently everything for me has changed! A little over a month ago I got a Septoplasty surgery done overseas (I don’t have medical insurance here in USA). 10 days after the surgery I went to see a primary doctor to get a full check up with blood work etc. During this check up the doctor heard something that was off in my heart with a stethoscope. The doc sent me to get an eco exam. In this eco exam they found I have a small hole in my heart which is called Atrial septal defect. It is a heart condition that I’ve had my whole life but I just found out about it for the 1st time. I did 2 separate exams & saw 2 different cardiologist to confirm! Ever since I received this news I’m a complete mess. I’ve been to the ER (here in the US) twice in the last two weeks and I’m struggling with anxiety attacks & panic attacks every day, all day long! So far most of my exams have come back well (positive) especially everything that is heart related. My heart condition does have a repair and I’m in the process of getting medical insurance to move forward with the procedure. There are two ways of making the repair…. One is a simpler procedure with a catheter usually done through the grion, while the second is open heart surgery! In the mean time I’m having trouble going through my day to day life! I feel pain in my chest, my heart, it feels like my heart is going to stop at any moment, I have trouble breathing well (remember my nose is semi-blocked due to my recent surgery), I feel dizzy, weak, faint, I can’t stop thinking about everything that’s happening…if I’m going to die soon, I’m losing weight rapidly, I just want to sleep, I’m worried, scared, my legs and fingers feel numb or tingle, I feel out of breathe. I’m struggling going to work feeling like this and my day to day is very difficult! Please help me!
Please Help! Anxiety and Panic - British Heart Fou...
Please Help! Anxiety and Panic
I was diagnosed with a hole in my heart in my 70's. I live in the uk.After diagnosis I was operated on via my groin and was out of hospital the same day. This is a minor heart procedure. The next day was as normal.Job done. No need to worry. i do not know why you have been told this is open heart surgery because it is not. I was sedated,no general anaethetic. I did not feel anything other than very mild discomform.Better than the dentist!
Good afternoon. Thank you for your reply and help. I was told it all depends where the hole is located. They said to look at it as a Tv screen, if the hole is located anywhere near the middle of the screen the procedure is done through the groin. If it’s located anywhere on the borders, it is open heart surgery. My anxiety and panic about all of this is really taking a toll on me
Well.I suggest you get 2nd and 3rd opinions on this because without trying to act as your medic or anyones medic I think you need to get this understood and to see images of your heart before you proceed with any surgery.=
Thank you so much. Yes, I’ve seen 3 Different cardiologist and they sent me to get a Transesophageal Echocardiogram. This will show what procedure needs to be done. I’m waiting to get my medical insurance to then proceed. Thank you so much for your messages and help.
Why are you needing to have the hole in your heart closed? What life changes have you experienced.?i had a very small stroke but it was enough to persuade the medics that it should be closed. I had probably had the hole all my life.I had travelled the world and had a child with no problem.Maybe question why it has to be closed. Someone is making money out of it .You do not need an op. unless the need is there.
The feeling is difficult of anxiety and panic but the is lots of ways to help support these feelings ….. from the experiences from others the positive outcomes provide awareness regards Wayne
Good morning. I hope you’re well. Thank you so much. Everyone’s support helps a lot!
Hello 
I am in the UK but it doesn't matter where you are when you have anxiety you could be on the Moon and it still controls you every thought and emotion
I suffered with anxiety from a child and one of them is health anxiety so now in my late 50's and having had 3 heart attacks and Bypass surgery my health anxiety is having a party it still will not leave me alone
What is even more frustrating is I can tell someone else all the answers what to do regarding anxiety yet I cannot do it myself and even having had my Bypasses I still panic every day and struggling to move on so the Mental and Emotional side I can relate to you very much how you are feeling
The thing is had you never found out about this ask yourself do you think you would be feeling tired out of breath and so on
I have a feeling the answer might be no but the moment we are told something is wrong then we latch on to that thought and we start to feel things as we start to focus so much in on how our bodies are feeling and the more we focus the more we feel it and there is nothing worse than anxiety to make our breathing feel worse
Anxiety can also make you lose weight nothing medically wrong it can either make you overeat and put weight on or you are so anxious you struggle to eat and lose weight
Now even though I struggle let's turn round what is happening because it is positive when we do
They have found out you have this defect
But they can fix it ( how great is that )
They now know you have it so you are safe because fix it they will yet imagine if you had never known you had it what might have happened in years to come but you do not have to worry about that you have been lucky enough for it to be picked up so you can get it sorted
Which way they go about doing it is out of your hands because you are going to let these wonderful Consultants and Surgeons make that decision knowing which ever they make they are doing it in your best interest
Whichever way it might be they do it the outcome is what you need to focus on and that will be it will be sorted and fixed
I know your medical care works differently to ours but I would imagine Insurance or however it works if you were in any immediate need of having it done and you did not have the right Insurance or any they would still do it and not wait around till you got that medical Insurance sorted
But get it sorted and you can move this on and when the negative thoughts appear try changing them to positive ones it is not easy but you will get through this and eventually you will be posting telling us what happened , that you are fine now and how good life is
Keep us updated how you get on x
Why can't I find the lovely words of comfort that you write so beautifully and reassure the anxious members who sometimes feel that they are the only ones with the problem?
I'm fairly new on this forum and have read your positive posts and you are a credit to the forum. Thank you 😊.
I am sure AlexFlorida will be comforted by your reply.
Lily
Hello Lily
Lily is your name ?
A very nice name
Thank you so much for such a lovely compliment
All I do is speak from experience and for a better word from my heart
I have not had the best of life suffered so many things physically and mentally and I just feel what others feel because I am still living it everyday
I never read back my replies I just put down what I feel but if it helps just one person then that makes me happy because I know how much it means for someone to care and try and help us when we are suffering
I wish I was not like I am and was stronger
I know you suffer with your anxiety , I hope you are managing to keep it under control the best you can but you are not alone and if you need to talk just talk to us , heart issues for some of us have two sides the physical and the mental and they can both be hard to deal with the mental side can beat the physical side at times
Despite all this I hope you have had a good Jubilee Bank Holiday x
Completely agree with Mrs Suzuki. Bekind is a credit to the community! 🌸
Hello
I have just seen your reply to MrsSuzuki and Thank you so much for your kind words
When you suffer with health issues and you add anxiety to the mix you feel rather worthless and as if you do not have much to offer other than your experience so seeing something like your reply genuinely means a lot x
I think when people post on here, sometimes they are looking for practical "how to" advice but more often than not they are also looking for support and compassion, which you consistently offer with grace and sensitivity. Don't doubt what you bring to this forum. 🌸
Thank You x
Lovely reply Bekind28. As always you have the right words to give help and support. Jan xxxx
BeKind28. Good morning. Your message was amazing! I can’t thank you enough. Your support and that of others is very important to me! I really appreciate it. Thank you for taking the time to write me and tell me these things
Hello
Thank you for your kind reply to me
How are you now are you managing to keep those thoughts and anxiety under more control ?
I know only to well how hard it is but I do hope you are coping a little better x
BeKind28. Thanks again for your message. It’s been really tough going through my normal day 2 day things but I’m trying my best.
All we can ever do is try our best , some days we do better than others but as long as we have tried that is all that counts I hope it helps to now know you are not alone and can come and talk with us x
Thank you BeKind28. People like you make a difference in peoples lives and I’m grateful to you and those in this community who are here to help
x
I too suffer with anxiety, especially since my HA in December. You are not alone by any means, it is perfectly natural for us to worry when we are diagnosed with something very new and scary.All I can say is try to take deep breaths, not easy I know, but if you concentrate on your breathing, the chest pains do subside
🙂. I send my best wishes to you.
Lily
Thank you. I have read a lot about concentrating on breathing.
You've had some good responses here. I hope you feel somewhat reassured though I know that's hard to absorb when your anxiety is high.I wonder if it might help to remember that (unless I've missed something) nothing in your heart/ health has changed. It's the diagnosis that is new, not the problem that you have been (unknowingly) living successfully with for many years.
It sounds to me that you might benefit from support in adjusting to the diagnosis rather than the illness. This, of course, could run parallel to the medics looking at how to (if you need it) fix the hole in your heart. This community can help but also maybe speaking in more depth to someone about how you feel, a trusted friend or a professional therapist perhaps. It's a lot to deal with by yourself.
Wishing you well 🌸
Good morning Fullofheart. Thank you so much for taking the time to write me back, for your advise & and for your well wishes. All of this is very helpful to me and I really appreciate it a lot. It’s a really tough time for me 
You're very welcome, and I hear you. It sounds like you're having a really rough ride.Go easy on yourself.
I suggest you see your GP and get medication for your severe anxiety state to help you relax until the procedure is done. It would then be wise to see a psychologist to get the the root cause of your anxiety.You may need some long term but non addictive medication for a while as you sound severely stressed and that is very unpleasant. to live with.
You will see that all your bodily symptoms will disappear with medication that makes you relax as the symptoms you are having are due to high levels of adrenalin in your blood stress
Good morning Identiy. Thank you for your message and help. I’m trying me best to find the proper help. Your support means a lot to me
sorry - "blood stream"
I am 48 and had open heart surgery in 2020 to repair a large hole in my heart. I was so shocked as I was very fit and healthy. It is scary for us but routine for the surgeons - this is one of the easier heart operations. My aunt had the same surgery at 70 and is now celebrating her 99 birthday . I had to wait three months before my operation and my heart held out fine. Your heart is more than likely fine and strong as well.
Good morning Ragdollcat. I hope you’re well. Thank you for writing me back and 4 sharing with me your experience. I really appreciate it immensely! I really do
I'm guessing you didn't have any of these symptoms or problems before you were diagnosed so they are all caused by anxiety. Thousands of children are born with what's called a hole in the heart that's never noticed and causes no problems until maybe they are adults and it's found by accident like yours. You have taken the hardest step years ago in accepting that you suffer from extreme anxiety. That's what you need treatment for, far more than your heart . Get that under control and your symptoms will go. I speak from experience having suffered panic attacks for years which led to a total breakdown. It took a couple of years but now I am in control of it not the other way round. If I get a new illness I feel the anxiety starting but now I can stop it. The odd thing is that something and nothing , like a new brief pain can set me off yet having a heart attack didn't affect me at all. I was taught self hypnosis and relaxation exercises. Best thing I ever did. Good luck. You've beaten the anxiety once. You can do it again.
Good morning Qualipop. I hope you’re well. Thank you for sharing this with me and for your advice. This is extremely helpful to me during these terrible times I really am struggling with my day to day!
JUst remember- you are in charge; not these awful ideas.. YOu can not let them take over. Get angry with it if that helps
Thank you
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Ramipril and panic attacks and anxiety
heart related anxiety/panic
Please soothe my anxiety: palpitations
Panic attacks and high anxiety 2 years after heart attack and quad heart bypass
Help please, I’m new and only 16
Ramapril and Candesartan help please.
Any info or help please.
Anxiety help
Help and Information Needed Please
Totally paranoid, please help!
