Please Help! I don't know if these symptoms are panic attacks, or maybe a heart problem :(
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Hi,
The first part is a backstory so you can get an idea where I'm coming from I would appreciate it if you read it 😃
So basically last year around august I had my first ever "panic attack". I was fine playing sports with my football team, then out of the blue, I started to feel like something was really off, and I felt really weird. Then I started getting very light headed, numb, warm, I felt like I was dreaming (which I think is derealization), and I had a huge feeling like I was going to die (like I was confident I was going to, I felt the world slipping away). Anyway, all of this made me need to lie down, cause I thought I was about to lose consciousness at any moment, and after 10 minutes or so I got up and went home. I also want to mention that I was shivering after, (maybe cause I drank so much cold water in hopes of stopping the attack) and I was also trembling for around 10 minutes after. To this day, I'm not really sure what it was, but I do think it was a panic attack. (The thing that concerned me the most was why did it happen during sports? Could that mean I have a heart problem)
Anyway, a few weeks later the same thing happened, and that time I was like, "That's it". So I went to a cardiologist, did an ECG and EKG, and said my heart was fine. He was a little mean, so a few months later I had a second opinion. Keep in mind though, that throughout this time I was super anxious, I was constantly worried I would have another one of those "attacks" and that I would either die or survive and embarrass myself in front of everyone. My second cardiologist thought I had SVT or something, and gave me a loop monitor which was normal, a stress test which was mostly normal, and yeah another test, but I'm pretty sure it was normal as well. The only thing that was abnormal was my blood pressure which was 140/80 at the time, so of course that put me off. (Im young btw not old)
That was in April. Now after going to a therapist and 1 year of torture, I could say my health anxiety had disappeared. I could now play sports with my friends without thinking about collapsing, deal with anxiety attacks or sometimes even panic attacks if they came, and I remember my doctor took my blood pressure and it was like 120/70 or something and my resting heart rate had went to 90 when I was complete stressed to 50! 😃
(The only symptom I had at this time was PVC's) I started getting them once or twice a day. And one time after I finished my football training in the summer, I kept getting them almost every 20th or so beat for an hour. Then recently my dad fainted right in front of me, and I thought he was dead, so I called 9 11. Turns out he had vasovagal syncope after using the bathroom. This caused me to have almost 200ish or a little more PVC's in a day for 3 days straight until I took magnesium and they went away???)
Well last Sunday. I was playing football with my friend until I had the same familiar feeling that I had in my first ever "panic attack" and for some reason I couldn't fight the physcial symptoms. I had to lie down once again as I thought I would lose consciousness. I don't know why it happened, only that I had 0 worries at the time except being angry in the morning, and I hadn't experienced a panic attack to that extent in over a year!
Now Im pretty sure I have some genetic condition like HCM, thats gonna bring me into V-tach and cardiac arrest next time I play.
Should I go back to therapy, or is it time I should ask my cardiologist whats going on??
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jan34534 anonymous098
Posted
sorry you are going through this. Anxiety and panic can really scare people. Just so you know, a panic attack cannot kill anybody even though it feels that way.
Another thing is that HCM will show up on an EKG. that’s why hospitals offer the sports EKGs for high school students so that they can catch something like that right away. It shows an abnormal electrical signal due to muscle thickening and a disorganization of the muscle structure. Sounds like your EKG was fine. The other thing is that the derealization doesn’t occur with a heart condition but it is very common in anxiety and panic.
you don’t have to feel anxious in order to have a panic attack. Sometimes they just come out of the blue. Many times people have underlying stress that can bring about a panic attack. they can also be hereditary and so can anxiety.
of course we cannot diagnose on the site but what you are describing sounds exactly like panic attack. I know several people who get those and I’ve had one.
i would suggest that you get to counseling to learn some ways to deal with whatever is going on in your life that could possibly be creating anxiety and stress. it really helps to vent to somebody who can help. You have been checked out by a cardiologist.
there are some great talks on YouTube about panic and anxiety and how to manage them. If you are at home and feeling like a panic attack maybe starting, search YouTube for something called stop panic attacks now. Then scroll down to one called don’t panic. It’s in black bold letters. Get comfortable and listen. It’s short but very effective! She guide you through the panic!
proper breathing is essential with anxiety and panic! It is the key to calming everything down! There’s also great anxiety meditations on YouTube that are very relaxing. I really like one called it’s OK by Lauren. Very soothing.
finally, make sure your blood pressure stays well below 140/90. 120s are a good range. I know you’re probably very busy but take time out for yourself to just relax without phones or iPads or whatever technology. Take care!