Constantly convinced I'm having a heart attack and it's ruining my life

Hi i know exactly what you are going through ive seen a private cardiologist and now 2 nhs cardiologists and had at least 10 ecgs, an echo test, blood tests and 2 chest xrays ive also had a 7 day monitor aswel. All my results so far have all been normal my episodes start by feeling really hot and my heart races and jumps all over my chest feels tight but most of that is me being tense. You have to trust in the what you are being told my gp is also a cardiology specialist and he says hes not worried they must have certain signs/ symptoms that cause concern but mine are not flagging anything up. I spend some part of most days worrying about it and i hate being alone its very hard to focus on anything else when it happens but distraction is the best thing i can advice. I tried hypnotherapy which i would definitely recommend also. Its horrible and something I wouldn't wish on anybody but you are not alone and its your mind trying to trick you.

I've been going through the same thing since about June. It's been horrible a really rough ride. I've been improving each month . Keeping busy and talking to people is one of the best things and GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP trust that's the most important thing. I still get bouts of anxiety but more depression moments but I see improvement . If you need any advice or anything you can message me or if you just want to talk. I know talking helps

Hey hope you are doing well.

Chest pain can be a worrying symptom especially when you have other things going on with it and it is hard to ignore. I've had heart problems and been worked up countless times as well for different things. Basically, though, the EKG that they do in the ER would show any heart abnormalities or a heart attack specifically. If it's been good which it obvious has been then I wouldn't worry. Best way to avoid palps are good eating habits, staying hydrated, and staying well rested. Palps aren't abnormal everyone gets them and it's uncomfortable but not life threatening. If you're having a heart attack there won't be any wondering about it, you'll know and at your age as long as you don't have any chronic illnesses that would directly effect your heart, I wouldn't worry about it. Anyone could work themselves up into thinking they're having a heart attack myself included. Other things that can mimicked heart attacks though is acid reflux. Maybe keep some mylanta on hand for the times that you have chest pain and when you get it take some and see if it helps. If it doesn't then maybe this is all related to that. If it doesn't that doesn't mean it's you're heart, it's still probably anxiety. Next time it happens force yourself to sit there and take a slow deep breath in through your nose out through your mouth. When your lungs are full of air hold it for a second or two and slowly let it out. Repeat this for two minutes and see if it helps. Block out the thoughts of chest pain and focus solely on your breathing. After a couple minutes see how you feel and go from there. No one will ever tell you not to take action when you have chest pain, of course, but the odds of it being something serious such as a heart attack are beyond slim. I take care of people in the hospital every day and I'm amazed at how some of my sickest patients have strong hearts even with their illnese. The body is an amazing thing and one thing that I've found in my years of nursing is that it's pretty hard to die. Your body will do incredible things to keep you alive no matter how sick you are. There are people still alive to this day that probably shouldn't be because the human body is relentless.

Take care.

Hi caitlin'

I m 30 now and since from 4 years i am facing the same problem when it start ist its horrible i csnn ot take breathe....i still remember my breathe stop and i feel completely dark in front of my eyes i think i was pass out with in half hour i go to hospital discuss with a doc they tell me its bcoz of stomach after that day i feel horrible i go how many times to emergency room that i have heart attack they monitor my blood pressure and heart beats docs laugh at me that i am pschyco....well i go pvt clinic and do ecg that was normal but i feel terrible i have fear even i travel by car and in plane i always feel that my heart stop beating and i have heart attack i burp alot...till now i visit more then 30 docs...test till now i do is((( ecg 16 in which 15 is normal in one ecg doc see my heart beat is slow for 2 seconds thats why he do 24 hours holter ecg to monitor my heart beats result was clear my cardiologist say some time my heart beat is slow but i am not alone moslty people face that so no need to worry result is 99%...2 heart echos,tyroid test,3 times complete body blood tests clear last one 2 months ago...3 ultra sounds, 2 stool test,urine test,chest x ray 4 time,cbc blood test,typhoid test,endoscopy,colonscopy)))) nothing wrong accept little bit high cholestrol ... I burp alot with burps my heart is fluttering before i face skipped heart beat now its fine some time i feel but no to much panic.......i feel scared to travel by plane by bullet train some time by traveling in car....i think abiut non sense things what if this will happened i will die what if there is blast in company machine and can u believe once there is wire smell in company like burning i think is it the smell of my heart can u believe how cheap thinking this is.....my gp say i have anxiety and acid reflux it sucks i m tired of burping and when i eat spicy food i have panic attack i jumo from my bed and i burp alot and think i have heart attack my heart stop beating...now i m taking propnolol 10 mg 3 times a day and lexapro 10 mg once at night and also take one tabket for my acid problem believe me i still feel scared and have burping all day....just be patient and dont think to much i didnot think to much now i face problem now to but little bit fine then before

  I am sorry to read how upset you are. I know it can be scary and I have gone through it and still do occasionally. But I have better control over it now. You can also have control over this.   Millions of other people also have the same symptoms due to anxiety. All your test came back clear. Your heart is fine. When they say women are often misdiagnosed for heart problems, they mean women normally in their 50s and higher . Your heart is fine.  You are getting palpitations because when you get anxious, you're heart sends out adrenaline which causes the palpitations. 

 but remember, any symptoms that are related to the anxiety CANNOT hurt you! They can be scary but that is all. So please relax about that. 

 all anxiety starts in the brain. So the key here is to calm down the brain so it does not become over anxious and send out more adrenaline. 

 what I found  that really calms down my mind and body is listening to audio meditations on YouTube for anxiety, stress, sleeping, depression.  Just search for "guided meditation for anxiety" or whatever else you want to listen to.  

 They are excellent and also teach you how to separate negative thoughts from yourself that cause anxiety.   There are many to choose from. I do them a couple times a day and they have helped me manage my anxiety. 

 One thing that's really important to learn is the proper breathing technique when you have anxiety or the heart palpitations.

Search YouTube for "Mindfulness breathing guided meditation 10 minutes".  Listen carefully and do this whenever you start to get any symptoms or shortness of breath. 

 another thing that really helped me was speaking  with a counselor. This is sometimes hard to overcome on our own and it really helps to vent to someone in person who can help. 

 if you can, pick up a book called Mindfulness.  It's excellent, and it teaches you all of this and also teaches you how to regain your peace of mind to live a happy life. It is a white cover a book with a ball of tangled string on the cover. 

Worst thing you can do is sit around and think about all of this. Try to stay active and do things you enjoy. Anything that calms down your mind is great.

 take a walk in nature, listen to calming  music, etc. 

 try not to take life too seriously and be good to yourself! 

 you can do this.   Fight for yourself and be relentless. 

 we are here for you! 😁??

This is incredible, I’ve been dealing with different traits of anxiety and depression (not so much depression) that all started in a restaurant having a discussion with my fiancé at the time. (A wave “light hit me” and I had the sensation I was going to faint while swallowing a bite of steak ( haven’t had steak in years) It has taken about 5-6 years of my life and has cost me my career among other things and I still fight to this day. I have been to the er multiple times for the same things multiple people have described, this is the first time I’ve found others that are dealing with  exsactly the same things within reason. My anxiety has mutated over the years and takes form physically in different ways, it seams stuck on the palps, stomach problems dizzy dreamy disconnected feelings I’ve even had so much adrenaline go through my body my muscles locked up in my arms and took hours to come down. I am addicted to nicotine and that Is a huge snow ball cause and effect of feelings and triggers (my main focus at the moment). Talking used to be a trigger until I was sure about it being anxiety and that I wasn’t dieing, I will continue to fight this and I will win! Stay strong everyone!!

Love to all

             Ryan

First of all, just wanted to say i hope you're all doing well. i have this exact same problem and it started from getting a new job (called it imposter syndrome) and now my anxiety has manifested itself into "im having a heart attack" every time i have a panic attack. ive called ambulances before when its the exact same symptoms, im also burping alot which lead me to believe its acid reflux/GERD syndrome/heart burn and have been really struggling with it. i wondered if (even though i know this thread is old) anyone has found a winning formula for dealing with it eg some form of medicine to block those types of messages, or a therapy or even just a method to stem panic attacks. my dad has heart failure (from a virus non-hereditary) and i believe even though common sense tells me otherwise, that i am going to die of a heart attack whenever i have a panic attack. any help/guidance would be appreciated, i was relieved when i read others were going through the same thing.

Thank the gods im not alone. i was starting to think I was crazy. exact same symptoms. the palpitations got so bad they put me on Lopressor for my heart rate. 15mg 2x daily. i have the sweating nausea vomiting chest pain shoulder pain. its worth mentioning that i also have a ventricular septal defect and my cardiologist has had me wear a 48 hour holter monitor (which showed nothing because why would it ever happen while im being monitored?) ive been going to the er for years every few months convinced I'm having a heart attack. nothing ever showed. finally went in with palpitations and belching and shortness of breath and chest pain and arm pain. there was a new nurse on duty who actually took me seriously for a change. she set me up with an ekg and they caught it! pvc's and bigeminy. (premature ventricular contractions very close together) and my magnesium was tanked. they gave me Lopressor and magnesium right there and sent me to my cardiologist. the Lopressor and magnesium combo seems to be helping. my palpations have settled down a bit gone down from 3-8+ hours a day of nonstop some days it would last all day and id fall asleep with them and wake up the same way to a few minutes every few days. hopefully we all improve 🐱

I hope you are okay now. I'm a 22 year old and I'm facing the exact same thing. I've visted 4 doctors and none of them took it seriously. So I searched for the possibility that my mind is creating symptoms of an heart attack. I found a mental illness named 'hypochondria'. In this, you develop the symptoms of a disease or health condition in your mind and you even start to feel it even though it's not there.

There is no cure for hypochondria except that you can stop thinking about it so deeply.

completely new here and I need someone to talk to, I've been suffering with chest pains for nearly 2 weeks now some are very sharp quick shooting ones and then some is dull I get them in my arms neck and back and I've convinced myself I'm having a heart attack I've been to ER 4 times now had loads of test done and my heart is fine but I can't get it out of my head that I'm having a heart attack I'm absolutely petrified I've driven myself I'm a home with the fear I don't even look like myself because I am so so scared

Also do pain relieve see. to help anyone because they dont do much for me

I understood everything you felt. my case is a bit different. I found out I have mitral valve prolapse. since the day of finding that out my anxiety was partnered up with what's called Cardiophobia. Which is defined as an anxiety disorder of persons characterized by repeated complaints of chest pain, heart palpitations, and other somatic sensations accompanied by fears of having a heart attack and of dying. It feels so real physically yet mental I know I've been there before and it wasn't. Everytime I just about win the fight the same thought crosses my mind "what if this time it's real and I actually die"! Then it starts back up again. I didn't sleep but maybe an hour last night and now I have to work. Tired beyond words because I couldn't control my anxiety so I'm also mad at myself. been done with it for almost 10 years haven't found a solution would love to hear if anyone else has.

hi Caitlin

ive been feeling like this for the last 42 years since my dad passed away from a heart attack when i was 21 years old .

ive been to A&E so many times ive benn put on their xmas card list !!

But in all seriousness , please at 19 years old , dont let it dictate your life like i have .

I am now 63 and still go through it .

What you have to remember is we all have a shelf life ( sell by date) , just live the life you have to the full and fit as much as you possibly can into it , so when it does come to that day which will come to us all, you can have no regrets !!!

This is the best advice i can give to someone who had their whole life to look forward to!!

ENJOY!!!!!

Tony

sorry your going through this, im having the same thing and its embarrasing turning up to AandE or urgent care to be turned away as just anxiety. i find no amount of medication is beneficial and as hard as it is a exercise routine and social routine of any sort does help a little. have you looled at help in regards to CBT? thankfully for you Caitlin your younger than me and so the time wasted in this patch of anxiety will easily be made up