anxiety or issue

[Anxiousgirl85]

hi guys I’ve suffered with health anxiety for years now. Over the past year and a half I’ve been obsessing over my heart. I have been to GP numerous times I’ve been to a&e I’ve had heart traces ECG blood tests examinations and all have came back normal. My issue is I feel like my heart stops or skips beats and thuds again I asked to be referred to cardiology because the skipped beats have been going on every day for so long so I have a telephone appt scheduled for next week(I’ve waited around 16weeks for it).

I have had a lot of stress before they started I was a student nurse working full time plus having children to look after and essays to write my friend passed away in the March and then my mother in law suddenly passed away in the June. Right after this is when all my strange symptoms started I had lightheaded my heart felt like it was going to fast and skipping beats I was terrified to leave the house for a year. I started therapy for anxiety which helped alot. It hasn’t stopped the palpitations they are there sometimes alot daily or just the odd one daily certain positions I sit to fat to the left for too long I feel it if I eat heavy foods too fast I have them after it this morning I was sitting doing my daughters hair looking down for a long time and it happened I’m not sure what but it felt like my heart stopped or skipped I wasn’t sure but then I had a sudden rush of anxiety I’ve already been worried about my appt thinking about palpitations every day so I don’t know if it was something else or what but alot of the time when I feel them I feel like I have trapped wind and have to burp. Does anyone else have this and what other tests should I ask for or am I just anxious and need to deal with that ?

[Yumz199725]

Ahh sounds like you have been through alot and that can affect you in different ways, anxiety can cause alot of your symptoms I know the same thing happens to me. Definitely dosent hurt to get everything sorted out though better to be safe then sorry hope your appointment goes well x

[Anxiousgirl85 in reply to Yumz199725]

Yeah it was a lot and I know trauma and stuff can cause wild symptoms of anxiety but it’s so scary when you do not know if it’s anxiety related or a health issue x thank you I’ll update when I’ve had the appt and I hope your doing ok I think we may have spoke on one of my previous posts x

[Yumz199725 in reply to Anxiousgirl85]

Yeah it can x yeah some times it hard to know whats causing your problems. Look forward to your update x yeah I'm ok thank you 😊😘.

[Bluehope81]

Note, opinions and suggestions only, always check for interactions, and check with your doctor first before embarking on any changes. This is not medical advice

One of the best ways to overcome anxiety is to have a full range of tests, to reassure yourself that everything is ok, anxiety and stress can be a real driver of disease, and can produce physical symptoms. So I think you are right to get everything checked, make sure you tell the cardiologist how much this is impacting your life and that you would like further testing to ensure everything is okay.

Opinion only - Have you considered asking for a 24 hr or 7 day Holter monitor, this would give you a comprehensive view of if you are suffering ectopic beats.

Huge heavy fatty, carbohydrate meals will increase loads on the heart, which is a perfectly normal mechanism, needing to send a greater volume of blood to the stomach and intestines, the fats can stop nitric oxide release in the cardio vascular system, as seen with FMD results after eating a Macdonalds, possible but unlikely irritation of the Gall bladder responding to fats, and feedbacking to the heart via the phrenic nerve. All of which is nothing to be overly concerned about per se unless the response is overly stimulated.

[Anxiousgirl85 in reply to Bluehope81]

Thank you for your response I think the appt next week is to discuss a monitor I hate how I keep panicking when I feel the skilled beats which makes them worse . I will be detailing it all to my cardiologist x

[Bluehope81 in reply to Anxiousgirl85]

Note, opinions and suggestions only, always check for interactions, and check with your doctor first before embarking on any changes. This is not medical advice

Just remember anytime that you get anxious and feel it coming, that by seeking answers and doing tests, you are on the right path to recovery.

[Noodlesalad]

Many years ago I had same problem and spoke to my GP my blood pressure was low to normal for many years. I realised in the end how much indigestion can mimic some of the symptoms associated with heart problems and when I could feel it coming on took some indigestion medicine and it passed. I would definitely speak to your GP again, at that time I was in my thirties and going through alot of anxiety.Now having high blood pressure and a heart problem I can feel the difference.

Hope you get the answers and help you need.

[Anxiousgirl85 in reply to Noodlesalad]

Thank you for your response. I too have low blood pressure well lower side of normal nothing to worry about. I do feel sometimes that I feel the ectopics more frequent when I have acid reflux or trapped wind I can feel the strange sensation in my chest then if I take my pulse I can’t feel it in there. I have an appt next week for a chat with cardiology so I’ll see what they suggest.

[Stuartc100]

If i were to write up a description of me this would be it exactly! they said the same thing to myself "anxiety" put me on AD to manage it, im waiting on the last test CT Angiogram and then hopefully ill be referred to gastro, do you suffer with acid reflux (gerd) or have a hiatus hernia? i do and the line of thinking once the heart is ruled out is its either my HH sliding and/or my vagus nerve is being over stimulated.

[Anxiousgirl85 in reply to Stuartc100]

I do get acid reflux not like every day but an occasional. I too was thinking it was my vagus nerve just because I spent a full year in constant fear and anxiety state and I was thinking maybe this is set me up for these ectopic beats and crazy symptoms. As you said once the heart is ruled out then I can look at other avenues. My doctor wasn’t going to refer me she said due to my health anxiety that’s why she is to try help me over come it.