I'm so afraid that my heart is going to stop. I need help.

Mental health
1

Hi,

I'm a 19 year old college freshman with panic disorder. I've had the disorder for years, but recently, everything has spiraled out of control.

I constantly feel like something is dangerously wrong. I regularly experience chest pain, arm pain, and dizziness, as well as palpatations, a pounding heart beat, and heartburn. I've had a number of ECGs, X-rays, and blood tests done, and they've all come back normal. My most recent test was on February 21st, and they said everything looked fine. They even sent me home with a 24 hour Holter monitor, and said that looked fine too.

I just cant stop feeling like something is wrong, and that I'm going to die any second. Im terrified to go to sleep, because I feel like my heart will stop and I wont wake up. I dont know how to make myself believe that this is just panic, and not a heart condition. I dont know what to do. Any help is greatly appreciated.

2

Hi,

I've been having severe panic attacks for the last 3 weeks and since the first one I've been in the same situation where all that has been on my mind was that my heart was just going to stop or all of a sudden I would just stop breathing. A few days ago I got an ECG and my full bloods done and everything came up normal and so i left with the doctor extremely confident that my issues are anxiety related.

The only advice I can give you is that if all the tests you've had have come up normal then there's nothing that will/can cause your heart to just stop (short of sticking a fork in a plug socket or getting hit by lightening) =p

I'd advise reading through the threads in this forum as just reading about other peoples experiences will most definitely help, for example I only found this forum today while searching about pains around my heart area when taking a full breath which I seem to get for a day or so after having a panic attack. Skimming though some of the posts though, I found several other people who experience the same thing which has definitely put my mind at ease.

3

Are you somewhat stressing or thinking too much about college?? If so maybe that is the reason it is spiraling out of control now.. worrying too much causes physical symptoms.. for the past 7 months my anxiety was so bad I pretty much called 911 once a week lol.. I'm so serious though.. I was like no I'm dying I'm dying my heart is going to stop you guys need to look further something is up .. January and February was my Worst months Ever.. January was the month where I actually was so depressed and stressed and had anxiety so bad that I began to starve myself. And lost over 30lbs in the  month of January.. My heart would just randomly beat sooo fast and hard about 175 bpm and I began to feel like I couldn't catch my breath.. and I begged my mom to call 911 I was sure I was really dying that time but I wasn't. Anxiety sucks.. you've got all the proper testing so put you mind at ease my love.. and most of all RELAX.. I woke up everyday last month crying and scaring knowing my last day on earth was right around the corner but guess what I'm still here. Enjoy the moment while you can.. don't waste your time or energy on thinking your going to die or guessing when you are going to die.. u have a long life ahead of you I can be sure the last thing u need need to worrying about dying from is a heart attack. Put your mind at ease now that you have been tested and everything is find.. just find ways to cope with your anxiety and meditate before bed.. this app called abide omg it put me to sleep in like 5 minutes it's really good.. but I know how it feels to be scared to go to bed because u think you won't wake up just meditate before bed and you'll sleep better..  take care❤️

4

Hello.  I am sorry you are going through this and I know how scary it can feel. I have been through this too with your same symptoms when I was in my 20s. You can say I am a “veteran “ of stress and anxiety.

I also was worried about my heart, dizziness, random pains, pounding heart  etc.

my tests all came out normal just like yours did.

 I finally realize that yes, it was my anxiety and panic that created the symptoms. When you are  anxious or panicking, your brain sends out adrenaline which can cause your heart to beat rapidly, can cause dizziness, palpitations etc. When the symptoms are due to anxiety they cannot hurt you.  Just keep remembering that your tests were normal so your heart is fine.

Anxiety will NOT hurt your heart .  I have had anxiety for many years and my heart  is extremely healthy.

 I am in my 50s and work out five days a week on the treadmill, elliptical, weight machines, I go hiking and live a very active life. You are going to be fine! 

 The main thing you need to do is to take control over your negative thoughts. What happens is that when fear takes over the negative thoughts consume you.

Believe me, I’ve been through that! You don’t have to let the negative thoughts take you over. They may come from you but they are not a part of you. They are not based on fact or reality so you can let them go. The more you  get anxious about the thoughts the worst they will get.

What I did was take a matter of fact approach about them.  I stopped getting anxious and worried when I got them.

There is something called mindfulness that is taught all over the world. It teaches you to allow the negative thought for a few seconds. You be the observer of that thought. Just let it be there. Then in a relaxed  Way, imagine it floating off in a balloon and either popping or just floating off and disappearing.

Do this every time you get a negative thought and eventually your brain will do it automatically for you. 

 there are some great audios on YouTube for this that you can listen to that are extremely helpful! That’s actually how I got my start in managing the thoughts.

These audios help you see this from a different perspective. There are many to choose from on anxiety, sleep, depression  etc. 

So,  do an experiment and see if this helps. Here’s what I recommend: 

These help you gain control over anxiety and negative thoughts.

Listen to these in a quiet place:  

1. Mindfulness Meditation-Guided 10 minutes-You Tube

2. Mindfulness Breathing Guided Meditation 10 minutes

3. Detachment From Overthinking 

 remember, the symptoms are not the problem when it comes to anxiety. The problem is unmanaged anxiety and you can do this! 

 do things that relax you and make you smile and laugh.

Don’t take life too seriously.

Every day think of things that you’re grateful for.

The main thing is RELAX your mind , be persistent  and take one day at a time! ❤️😁