Heart Palpitations and Anxiety

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hi all, I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar and can shed a little light on this. I've been having sudden palpitation for the past few months. Sometimes every day, multiple times a day and other times can go a week or more without anything.

I haven't been diagnosed with anxiety but...I've got anxiety. I'm a worrier and a stresser and every time my blood pressure is taken it's high. I'm only 35 but I basically live life at a level ten stress, and while I've never had a panic attack I can be very emotional and easily upset. However, this has never caused any physical problems until three months ago, when I had sudden chest pains so bad that I went to the urgent care facility at 8am in the morning because they woke me up and I was convinced I was dying.

They did some blood tests, did an EKG and xrays and told me it's probably anxiety, that everything looked normal and not to worry because the odds of someone my age and weight (I'm only 108lbs at 5'2) having a legit heart problem is basically like winning the lottery. Even though I technically wasn't super upset about anything at the time he seemed to want to label it as stress and anxiety.

He did suggest that I do a stress test...which I haven't scheduled, because shortly after I went home the pains gradually went away over the next few days. 

No more chest pain now, three months later, it's gone, but the palpitations are still here and while they've eased off some they are still daily in most cases and it's really starting to stress me out. I feel like it can't be normal to be sitting on my sofa watching tv and feel my heart thump and pulse out of the blue, or be laying in bed trying to fall asleep and feel the same.

I don't have to be doing anything stressing, emotionally or physically, to bring it on. It just seems random. Only lasts a second or two each time. It's not prolonged and doesn't hurt, it's just a rapid, heavy flutter and then it's gone and my heart rate is normal again.

Does anyone else with anxiety experience something similar? I'm considering trying to find a doctor that will give me a holter monitor just to make sure I'm not secretly wasting away from some undiagnosed illness, but would love to hear any insight from folks that have read this and see anything familiar. I'm on the road to panicking because I assumed it would be gone by now sad

Big thanks for getting this far in the post.

 

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Posted

    Your completely normal! I dont think a holter monitor will help because when they tell you that nothing is wrong you will spend your money on another test! I have heart palpitations all the time! After a year of having them, one morning I felt a little off and felt like I was going to black out. On my drive to work a had the weirdest crazy feeling that came over me and it made my heart go crazy! I thought I only had seconds to get to the hospital! I a grown man was crying thinking this was it. I rushed in told them my heart was fluttering and my body was shutting down. They rushed me back and did all their test and about five minutes later they gave me a pill said to relax and we will find out what’s up with your heart. As I calmed down I was excited to be there and knew I was going to have to have surgery. The heart doctor came in and said your heart looks great nothing wrong people get them all the time a can at times cause anxiety and panic. Since then I haven’t been convinced been back to the ER had stress test monitor 4 ekgs, exrays, blood test and not one thing wrong! The more I read about hear palpitations the more  I realize so many people suffer from them. Hope you get well! Sometimes drinking apple cider vinegar with the mother can really help. Or slashing your face with cold water, or if you get them lying down just maneuver your body..
  • Posted

    Hi there Ann 😊hope you are feeling OK. Yea I suffered the same symptoms for quiet along while.I've managed to control this anxiety it's took me a while and very hard at first .if you needing any reassurance please text me .it won't be with you forever I still get this feeling 's if I'm having a bad day with anxiety x

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