Eptopic beats and anxiety
Posted , 4 users are following.
hi all,
Background about me: 31 year old female with good health. I lost my father to a heart attack when i was a teenager and i have developed health anxiety as a result. it seems to have gradually got worse and over the last two years. I have had the odd ectopic beat for years but it would be 3 or 4 max on the occasional day. Last year I had several stressful situations in my life and I started getting panic attacks and referred myself for CBT sessions. This did help.
For the last 5 days I have been getting ectopic beats - on and off all day. They feel like a skipped beat/thud in my chest and I’ve feel around 20/30 of these a day. On Sunday it was probably 50/60 throughout the day. Each time they occur it’s one isolated thud. They make me stop what I am doing and I feel incredibly anxious afterwards and often find this creates a never ending cycle of panic and more ecptopics.
I went to A&E at the weekend and had bloods/ECG/blood pressure checked and chest X-ray and everything was perfect.
Next step is a 24 hour monitor but I have caught several of these on my Apple Watch which I showed to the doctor.
I don’t really have any other systems and feel well apart from these and the anxiety that comes along with it.
Would love to hear from anyone in a similar situation and any tips to improve? I know I’ve been told my heart is healthy - is this simply anxiety causing the problem?
0 likes, 3 replies
tamiel68821 lc55
Edited
Hi, Im Tamuiel. 49 year old male. i first noticed that "thud" when i was around 43, i ignored it but it was only every few months or so. now its sometimes every day and sometimes multiple times. every possible test done, multiple ekgs and my doctor says im healthy. i do believe most people get them but some dont notice (not sure how) just stop stressin, i know its easier said then done. my health anxiety was so bad i went to the er 17 times in 5 years. havent been in the last 2!! hang in there, just live your life you are so young
sarah29819 lc55
Posted
hello im sarah im a 34 year old female. i started with the skipped beats 6 years ago when i got out of a horrible relationship had them for a year then I got pregnant they disappeared for 3 years then in February they came back some days are good and other days I have them all day. I too have been told its anxiety as I have had lots of ecgs including 24hr, 48hr and 7 day ecgs also 3 echocardiograms which were all normal, its just so hard at accept that's its anxiety causing all this. I hope you are ok
RR1967 lc55
Edited
Hello!
Yes, the one thing that I have learned and trying to come to terms with is that if your medical professional says you are okay..then essentially you are. My electrophysiologist, after my Zio patch monitor, stress echo, etc, states: "You have to simply live with this and deal with the symptoms." Now, he was not being rude or mean, but stating a fact that many people like us have similar symptoms and as long as you do not have serious, underlying heart disease, we are are fine. I struggle with this as I am currently going through another rough patch with my PACs and PVCs, but my lovely wife keeps telling me.." you are fine and they will pass." Over the past two decades, they do come on strong, freak me out for weeks to a month, then disappear, only to come back months or a year later. And guess what, the daily anxiety we have over them, only make them worse or prolong their stay with us. We are in a cycle and we can try our best to believe the medical specialists, test results, and stay positive. Easier said than done, but we have to try.
I hope that helps!