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Hypochondria/cardiophobia is ruining my life!

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penel9704
penel9704

Hello everyone I've posted before about suffering from palpitations and nocturnal panic attacks. For the past 2. 5 months I'm waking in the middle of the night screaming for help. I know it might sound ridiculous but it's not planned it just happens. Needless to say that my heart is racing and i have this strong feeling I'm about to die from cardiac arrest. I've tried meditation, xanax, magnesium supplements beta blockers. They haven't resolved my problem.

I've been to 5 cardiologists and 4 of them told me it's just panic. The fifth though insisted it could be inappropriate sinus tachycardia. I've talked to a friend who's a neurologist and he insists it's POTS. All my ekgs (I have like 35 of them), holter, ecgs suggest short term incidents of intense sinus tachycardia it's usually around 150-175 bpm while my blood pressure remains low.

I've recently made the mistake to Google my symptoms and I visited a website talking about arrhythmias. Even though my 48 hour holter did not suggest any of them I'm gravely scared I might get a lethal arrhythmia called Ventricular Tachycardia. My doctor laughed when mentioned it to him. But every time my heart races I'm scared it's going to switch to a ventricular rhythm (due to tee fact that my heart beats really really fast) and I'm going to die right on the spot. Its the worst, most debilitating phobia I've ever had. Does anyone know if its possible to get ventricular tachycardia? My exams show I'm a healthy yet very anxious 23 year old girl. I'm a bit underweight yet I don't drink and I don't smoke.

1 like, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • GB89
    GB89 penel9704

    Posted

    hi penel same in here any chance to talk

    • amy39119
      amy39119 GB89

      Posted

      Hi what symptoms are you having?

  • amy39119
    amy39119 penel9704

    Posted

    Hi, I don't know if you have the same as me......but over the last week, most nights when I'm falling asleep I suddenly wake up with my heart beating really fast but it doesnt last long. It happens the same time every night between 11/12pm. Is this the same for you?

  • tm60100
    tm60100 penel9704

    Posted

    Sorry about my English .

    i am so glad I've found you guys .

    I've been suffering as never since two months ago .

    It's a miserable life i am living .

    It all started while i was walking in the street in a hot day , i got a pre Fainting follow by palpitations , all and all was a 5 seconds situation, pus 10 minutes to put myself back together .

    The problem come later , and what a problem i literally put my self in.

    After the pre Fainting episode i went to the hospital , cardio examinations , blood full examinations , brain CT scan etc .. All the results was positive . Healthy as man should at 39 years old.

    But then , oh dears .... Then i started to wonder what happened on that afternoon ... And i did the worse thing in my life : i google it !!!

    So, I started to have all symptoms i was reading about a cardiac arrest: chest pain; left side , right side uper side etc etc , at same time i got dry mouth, sweating from my hands and generalized panic !

    Then i started reading about stroke ... Even worse ( I am already sweeting from my hands just for type this )

    I was / i am crazy . And if you think this is already bad ... No it isn't .

    Because now i can't walk in the street , i always think i will have palpitations , faint and " bye bye " " right here right now " . It's been terrible , all day checking and checking my self ...

    If not thinking about a hear attack i am thinking about a stroke , i literally feel all the symptoms ...

    I already did several echocardiogram ( all good ), heart monitoring 24 hours ( all good ) heart monitoring 72 hours ( all good ) after all this positive examination thing should get better ... But not for me , 4 days ago , i was trying to sleep and suddenly another fear strike me : " omg Maybe i won't wake up again " ...

    I stay all night up, totally devastated.

    Next afternoon without sleep , i put (Finally) my mind together and told to my self : well, two months passed , is literally impossible getting cardiac arrest / stroke during so long . So I'm sick , i am . But not physically , this is mental . And i need mental help ( i might live with anxiety and whatever for the rest of my life , but i won't be living like an imbecile ) .

    So that same afternoon , Totally wasted , i went hospital , but this time i went straight to the psychiatric department .

    ( Something i should have done literally in the beginning ) .

    Obviously the doctor is supper familiar with this episodes i mentioned and he had a nice , simple chat with me .

    And we both agree i need mental Help to overcome this .

    Now i am taking medicine . And the last three days , being super honest , things get much better .

    During all this time i still worked every day .

    I just took some days off to hospital.

    Is so Sad living like this .

    And for me.... i never had nothing like this. ..

    I've been Always healthy , no family, social, cultural issues whatsoever...

    I think what we all need to do is find mental help .

    Remember what i already mentioned ...

    How can a cardiac arrest , or one of your symptoms , last for months without being an immediate emergency ?

    In my country is not very common people find mental health ...

    Still kind of tabu ( like people go there when starting seen pink elephants crossing the road ) ...

    I hope i will get better .

    Reading your episodes Help me a lot to understand that sometimes all we need is someone that understand us , and share with us .

    I am wishing you all good and better days. We will be better. And we will survive this . we are not alone .

    Thank you all

    Regards

  • andy47254
    andy47254 penel9704

    Edited

    Hello, I want to make this as short as possible, because there is a lot to say 😃

    So I have health anxiety since 9 Years, went thru a lot of ER, a lot of symptoms but this time is getting really scary on my side. I'm turning 29 next month.

    It started in 2019, when I was with some friends. For no reason my heart started racing, I was relaxed and all, but i was thinking it was a panic attack so i relaxed and then it passed after 15-20 minutes.

    This episode went ON and OFF, sometimes I can have a 140 bpm when standing up, and when sitting 80-90 bpm. They can last all day or they can last hours or minutes. It depends a lot on my anxiety levels as well. I had times when I didn't had them for a month, and they just come back for some reason. In pause state where I don't have them, I can exercise and do basically anything I want..i noticed that after a prolonged stress event, after a couple of days I start to have them. I had them now for 4 days after COVID, and some stress. But now It passed, and When I stand I can have 104 bpm, when i Sit 70-80 depends..

    Had 3 DR that found nothing..Had an 24/48h EKG and ECO they found nothing, even though I had the elevated heart rate..Is had to trust them. Because they are still coming back now and then. In my mind because I did read a LOTTT, like a LOT about heart issues...and that is hard to diagnose it..makes things wors with my health anxiety..

    Now i will go on another appointment soon this month to have the test done again (LAST TIME), but I don't know what to do..I noticed that when my anxiety levels are no that high even if I have my HR elevated I don't feel it, and it does not disturb me at all. But when I have anxiety i constantly focus on the heart, take my heart rate non stop...I'm really afraid, because nobody can tell me anything, I want to fix it and i have no idea how..If anyone can help me with some info I would kindly appreciate it. This is the only symptom I have. I had days where I had chest pain, and back pain..went to ER and nothing..posture was the problem. Thank you so much

    • tm60100
      tm60100 andy47254

      Posted

      Sadly for us finding " solutions " for our situation is not that easy .

      Since our medical check comes without problems , there's not much any doctor can do .

      I as mentioned before on my post , what's being helping me a lot is medication for anxiety ( I won't name the medication i am taking , since it should be your psychiatrist to prescribe , at least in my country is like that ) .

      I am taking pills 3 times a days , i fell less stressed , i keep working and i started to see some slow progress ( i am on pills aroud a week ) .

      Also I've been reading a lot about anxiety relaxing procedures , normal breading exercises , and another technics etc . When i get anxiety i try give a look around me, and from what I see, i try to distract myself eg, if i see a chair i try to image it with different colors , i name the persons around me ... i just try to use what i see or hear to put my brain to work in another direction ...

      I stopped Dr. Google once and for all .

      (To be honest Dr Google did great help to put where i am today ).

      But the best thing is been my close friends and family, the support and patience i have from them is astonishing . Talking with someone about your situation is a good way to reduce anxiety . For me , as soon as i feel my anxiety episode coming i immediately call a friend or a relative that already knows what's happening to me .

      But my case is a bit different then yours , for me was a pre syncope episode follow by heart palpitations in very hot day that trigger my anxiety episodes .

      Since then I just can't forget it and let it go ... in my case even cross the road without thinking i will passing out or getting a stroke is a battle, a huge battle .

      Sorry because i know my reply probably won't help you ...

      But at least you are not a lone !

      ( And sorry my English )

    • andy47254
      andy47254 tm60100

      Posted

      Update: This is the 4h dr i talk to. EGC fine, 24 holter fine, i felt the palpitations but nothing showed up. Dr said is sinus tachycardia and i should not worry and just leave it. Im afraid of doing exercise , im constantly anxious about them. I have at least 1 ectopic beat daily. But i have at least one day or two without any of this. And then for no reason they start again. When i drive i have pulse 95-100, When i walk i have 95-110 sometimes 130 if im anxious. But when i dont have the anxiety i dont the pulse even if ia high it does not bother me..sometimes when i sit down i have 85-100 , and if i sit up fast it beat fast until i sit down again. My dr prescribed me some heart medication to slow it down but im afraid to take it. Im very heart focused daily. I dont know what i have and if they missed anythig. I ha e problema trusting the doctor even if is the 4th. Anu advice woule be appreciated

  • daffydd22975
    daffydd22975 penel9704

    Posted

    suffering for 10 years now with cardiophobia ,did go away for a year but this year its bwck with a vengeance, and im 37 now so it worrys me more , bcoz,getting to the age where risks start to play a part in heart health , so i really do feel for you ,coz iam suffering immensely lately

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