I have been a sufferer of health anxiety for about a year now (mainly focused on my heart - it all started when I used an app on my boyfriends phone to measure my heart rate and freaked out when it was 80 bpm because the app said that wasn't normal! I now know it is completely normal!!)
From then on I started getting chest pains - I had tests done for these (ECG and blood test) to rule out any problems. All clear and it was all down to my ribs causing the pain / anxiety.
After a few months I didn't really have any more anxiety over my heart (but became anxious about other things in my body!) but then I started getting heart palpitations early this summer - I would only get one a month but it would freak me out! I put it down to hormones as they came before my period.
However, for the past week or so my anxiety has been the worst it's ever been. I have been getting palpitations every day and just this feeling of dread and that I'm going to die. On Monday I ended up in a&e and had an ECG done - it was normal. However, I wasn't experiencing palpitations at the time (just a pounding heart from my anxiety about the situation).
I am going on holiday in two days for three weeks and I have it in my head I'm going to drop dead or something and no one will be able to do anything because I'm in a different country! I really want a holter monitor where your heart is monitored for days but that's not possible! This is giving me more anxiety.
Here's more info about my palpitations: most of the time I have a pounding heart (especially before bed/sitting quietly/after drinking alcohol when I'm trying to sleep), sometimes I feel an extra beat added and more recently I've been feeling a flutter in my chest which also feels like a lump in my throat. Luckily no pain/dizziness (apart from the anxiety)/sweating/major fast heart rate (my normal heart rate is between 80-100 more 100-110 if anxious)
Is this all anxiety? If there was something wrong with me surely something worse would have happened by now! This is all so horrible, i saw myself as a strong person but now I don't think I can hold that persona anymore and I need help
It sounds like anxiety, i have and stil experience all those symptoms and then some, however drinking alcohol isnt going to help. Alcohol has tons of sugar and can only make your heart beat faster. Try staying away from booze and drink herbal teas before going to bed. Try chamomile tea, lavender tea or other non caffeinated teas. Hope this helps
I want to stop drinking alcohol I really do, but as a 19 year old about to go to university I'm going to find that difficult. It's never usually given me problems before but last night the anxiety was that unbearable I had to listen to a guided meditation YouTube video to get me relaxed enough to sleep.
Hi Katie simple answer is yes you are definitely dealing with anxiety.You are not going to take a heart attack.You have to learn relaxation techniques and breathing techniques which you will find on YouTube.Also go to your doctor and ask to be referred to a therapist to help you work through your anxiety issues.Please do not Google your symptoms of you feel a compulsion to Google look for self help treatment for health anxiety.Enjoy your holidays.
First of all don't ever use one of those apps to check your heart rate or blood pressure, they do not work and are not accurate at all. If you are concerned you can go to a pharmacy or grocery store and use one of the machines they have there to check it. 110 isn't even that high for a heart rate honestly, especially if you have anxiety. I have been suffering from anxiety, health anxiety, and panic attacks for over 20 years and I have seen mine upwards of 140, which scared me even more of course. I have had every test known to man, even a heart cath, and everything comes back normal. They have no other explanation for my symptoms so it gets thrown under the anxiety umbrella. I am unable to be under a doctors care or on any of my medication right now due to finances so I am having a rough time of it. Palpitations are the worst, 99.9% of the time they are nothing and will not hurt you. Seeing as how you have had some tests run and gotten a normal result I would try to reassure yourself that had they thought it was anything of major concern they would have kept you and run further testing. We can be our own worst enemies when it comes to feeding the anxiety monster. Try to do some research online about how to cope with it and try everything, you never know what might work for you. Best of luck!!!
I'm a 25 year old single male, I have had to stop drinking. I only drunk and weekends anyway but with anxiety I cannot handle it and it's not worth it. I'd suggest not drinking on this holiday as if you are suffering now in another country hungover will be very hard for you to deal with. Some people can drink but I certainly can't.. This explains it all well, except the fact I can't accept it as I too am petrified over my heart. Had ecg last week but still convinced my heart is in trouble. All clear and blood work was fine but you can't tell me that. Hope you enjoy your holiday - I need one!!
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Hello katie sorry to hear about ur symptoms, its look like anxiety don't think to much about it i know its hard to not think but thats the golden words what i say other wise u will give ur self more hard time as i do----- i have same feeling like u and i think i m more anxious person then u i have done plenty of tests for heart stomach every thing but i m not satisfied i request for ct angiography---- i feel so scared i know my heart beats become fast but the real horrible thing is when the inject the iodine for ist time i m fine 2 nd time i m fine but when they do that for third time i feel some one hold my throat i can not manage it thats why i say to them i m not feeling well it cause burping and headache...such a night mare they stop scan and i come out side result will b on next month 2 waiting for whats wrong there i m sure there will b some thing wrong i m to anxious.....one day is to long for me like 100 years i dont wanna do any thing thinking of it😇-----so u have an ecg which is clear then it will b anxiety don't do any panic leave every thing to God---one day we all will die its hard to accept but thats the truth so better to pray To the God or Jesus or from which religion u belong -------its hard for me to to accept that i will die one day but all of us will die-----------if we die tomorrow then why not today its a request dont make ur life a hell u r fine its only ur thinking just go out of it other wise this anxiety will never leave u like me or other who is dealing with it for years Pray to God every thing will become fine