Anxiety or cardiovascular problem.

[arpita1890]

Hi,

I really need an opinion on this- so please help. :)
I am 23 year old female, normal weight, and for  the last three months, I found myself feeling the need to take deep breaths. Initially the symptom got so bad that I'd to consult a doctor who advised me a certain antibiotic after taking my chest X-Ray and blood report, hailing it was mild bronchitis. On further consultation from another doctor, when I did not feel any better, I was told that my X-Ray showed nothing and I probably had nothing. So I was duped in one way or the other.

I don't know where my need to take deep breaths comes from, but I have mostly been a mouth breather and these days I find myself gasping for a deep breath after short intervals.

This being said, I've always had minor claustrophobia/ anxiety issue and they became worse after I'd an alcohol induced, full-blown panic attack recently (after the 'bronchitis' episode). Now I constantly suffer from anxiety and for some weird reason, I've managed to convince myself that I've a heart disease and I can get a heart attack any instant.

Any slight discomfort in the chest freaks me out and to top it, I get this sinking sensation in the heart sometimes, like a sudden thud. (an ectopic beat, may be?) For days I experienced perpetual anxiety, mood swings, chest heaviness and what not- However, after I had a change of place, it all disappeared.

However, this feeling of getting a heart attack still continues to haunt my mind and make me super nervous. Fearing the worse, I got an ECG done and following were the results-

Rate- 76
PR 120
QRSD- 85
QT- 365
QTc-411

AXIS
P 58
QRS 68
T 32
12 Lead, Standard Placement

The cardiologist told me that everything was normal with my ECG and Chest X-Ray, yet I feel he's dissuading me. I realized that my PR interval is super low (in the normal range) and it's freaking me out.

Can someone please help me calm down?

xoxo  

[arpita1890]

Hey!

Thank you so much for the reply. :) I am so relieved. Do you get that weird flip flop beat in the heart sometimes as well?

[lorigirl76]

Hi, I don't know anything about those test results, but I will tell you at your age a heart problem is so totally unlikely.  I am 37 and have horrible health anxiety.  I have been overweight and have lost weight recently and am still losing but any kind of pain that I have that makes me think it could be my heart totally flips me out.  I just want you to know you aren't alone.  For me, it's like if I feel this little twinge of something then I tend to fixate on it and I can't stop "waiting" to see if I feel it again and it's like it will hurt or ache or something and I almost am sure that it's just in my head and it isn't really hurting.  It makes me crazy sometimes.  It's like I wake up and am ok and then at some point during the day I think about something scary like "oh what if I start having chest pains today and have to go to the hospital" or something like that and it's awful and I can't get it out of my mind sometimes.  I really only have a lot of trouble when I am alone or my mind is idle. Typically when I stay busy I do ok.  I was having a little bit of anxiety a few days ago and my left arm was a little tingly feeling and I was starting to feel anxious because of it.  Well, I had a friend drop by and we talked and hung out for a couple of hours and I never noticed it a time while she was here...so I'm certain my mind does this to me when I'm idle. I wish I could make it stop.  It's very unnerving!  Hope you are doing ok.