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Avatar universal

How to stop thinking about my heart and how to turn off the adrenaline...

Oh god, I don't think I will survive a long time in the situation I live right now!!!

My therapy go very slow, only 5 appointments for now and we don't start working on something to reduce my panic and heart obsession, the therapist need more time to know what she will use to treat my case... my PDoc totally ignore me, I saw him this week and he don't give a dawn about my symptoms and don't listen to me. I can't do nothing right now, my heart hurt all the time on the lift side, my left arm is all the time numb as well as the left hand, my legs pain are worse than ever, taking my shower make my heart race above 200 bpm, even if i'm not alone at home (who was my problem before), now even if i'm not alone I feel not in security and fear to have a heart attack all the time. This weel, I start waking in the middle of the night with my face cover with sweat, my hands and my feet are also cover of sweat, my heart race at 180-200 all the night, I can't fall asleep again and I start also having some IBS symptoms as well at night, it's like my stomach is full of gas and like my intestine move, I have to get up cause I can't stay in my bed because of the pain and the more pain I have and the faster is my pulse rate... that new symptoms start last sunday and since then, it's never stop. I can't be in a car, even for 2 minutes cause my heart start going crazy and beat loud and fast (200 bpm and more)... just the idea to think about going to my therapist appointment trigger big panic attack 2 days before the appointment... I have no life at all, all I can do is sit on the couch, try to calm down and think about everything else than my heart but I can't!!!

My cardiophobia (obsession about my heart) is worse than ever, me who last year had seen 2 Cardiologists and  had many tests done for my heart, they find nothing wrong with my heart... Why my brain don't want to accept this results and why I can't believe them and I always think I will die from a heart attack?

It's a sad day for me, my 35 birthday today, I feel miserable, have no friend who will come to see me, will be alone with my parents, I look around me and see the others who have a lot of pleasure in their life, and I feel frustrated cause I lost my liberty!!! I feel trap inside my own body, like i'm in a prison... that's a very bad feeling.

I try all the tricks I know to slow down my heart beat (deep breathing, relaxation, yoga...) nothing work!!! It's like my adrenal glands release all the time a lot of adrenaline and i'm tired of this situation.

Of course, I call again my Cardiologist and he don't even care about my symptoms since he know i'm anxious, he say it's just my anxiety and told me to learn to manage it!!! He was very rude with me on the phone and told me that I had many tests done last year for my heart and that my heart was in a perfect condition, BUT I FEEL SICK and I have chest pain all the time, as well as the fast heart beat... It's like nobody believe me cause I have a panic disorder disorder!!! I try to explain to him that I loose another 14 pounds in less than 1 month, and that it was not normal, even for someone with an anxiety disorder, but he don't even take it seriously and he say that it was normal to loose a lot of weight when your heart beat is so fast...

He RX another heart test, a 24 h monitoring for my blood pressure and he think I don't eat enough salt so he send me see a nutritionist in february...

I think that I start having a depression also, I need to cry often, i'm all the time negative, I feel alone in the world and a lot hopeless!!!

Someone have some tips or tricks to turn off this adrenaline s h i t  and the heart obsession???

Sorry for this angry post, I feel just very sad today...and i'm tired to live that life... what's the point of living this life if I can't even go out for a walk and enjoy the beauty of nature and have a little fun or having a nice birthday supper at the restaurant with my family or my friends?

While I type that message, I can feel the pain inside my chest and my heart beating really hard and I just want that all of this stop!!! I wasn't like this before and I don't see why I'm like this now...

Well...anyway, thanks for your support!
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Avatar universal
Wow, I'm so sorry for your anxiety related issues.  If you're so concerned, please take yourself off to an ER.  They HAVE to see you and monitor you.  Maybe it will help.  There are a lot of us in this position.  I also feel like I'm dying, every day.  It's been like this for 6 years now.  Some days I wish I hadn't woken up.  No-one understands, except those in the same position.  I'm so sorry I don't have anything more to say, except GO TO THE ER. xx
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

Thanks for posting, it's really important to talk about these things and to know that you're not alone. Anxiety related to your heart can be a nightmare (believe me i know), but the most important thing to remember is that you can get through it! If you've been checked by a doctor and had tests and they've come back clear its time to accept that its anxiety- and then you can begin to work through it. Getting a second opinion can put your mind at ease but be careful that it doesn't turn into a third and a fourth opinion and endless tests- eventually you have to accept what the doctor says and live your life (believe me, i know it's not that easy)
I used to have panic attacks all the time until i accepted that i had anxiety- heat related like yourself- and that i needed to deal with it. Chest pain is incredibly frightening but as my doctor told me "if you were going to have a heart attack, you would have already". Heart attack pain typically isn't something that comes and goes, angina can be but if you've been checked out they would have found anyany blockages and dealt with it.
There are lots of resources online for dealing with heart palpitations and anxiety attacks but most importantly you need to accept that is anxiety and then reduce your stress levels. Drink less coffee, less alcohol, and stop smoking- and of those things make it worse. Encourage yourself to think calming, positive thoughts and breath, bring your heart rate down and relax your body. Remember that its only anxiety, it can't hurt you, and that you're going to be fine.
Obviously none of this is easy, but step by step you can do it. It's takes time, and you'll have set backs, but as someone who has, and still does suffer with something similar, i can tell you that you can do it.
Remember that this is your life and it's meant to be enjoyed. Find things that make you happy and do them more often! I've found the best treatment for anxiety is getting out and having fun and forgetting that you have anxiety! If you need medication to help you along the way that's fine as well, there's nothing wrong with that.
Hope this helps and that you hey your life back on track.
L
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
As you know, this thread is very old.  Please start your own new thread so that you will get the info and support you need.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/new_with_new_subject?forum_id=71

Thanks!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hey TxQc .. My name is Danny and i'm 22 years old . I know it's been a long time since you posted this but I just wanna know how you're doing ? Are you doing Okay now ? Do you still have those symptoms ? If you're doing well , how do you manage to get rid of your anxiety cuz i have panic attack all the time and sometimes it's really bad but sometimes it's mild .. I feel weak and tired all the time . Headaches , vision problems , dizziness ..etc are killing me .. When I had my first panic attack , i didn't know what was happening to me . The panic was so bad that i hit my head to the floor and bled . So kindly reply how you're doing , bad or better .. Please .. Ps - today's my 22nd bd !
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
All my friends,

Same thing I was suffering from past 5  months. Then one day I was reading articles on phobias and anxieties. Then an idea clicked in my mind. All these psychological symptoms are created by some part of brain so why not use the smarted part of the brain to stop this. So i started doing yoga and meditation for relaxation. Then one day I started playing games telling my mind that If win then i will not die with heart attack. Ofcourse I was using the easiest mode. I played one game and won. I was happy and that day i got nice sleep. slowly slowly i started talking to my wife and she also started listening to me (earlier she used to ignore my symptoms because medically i was normal) the reason was she started seeing me changing. Then one day she purchase lots of indoor games for me and told me that lets play. So when ever i am at home i play those games. In office If i am not working then I use my android and start playing games over it. This has helped me in breaking down the chain reaction of panic and anxiety and given a time to brain to set itself to normal thinking. I do not play game or do the things in which I loose only because I am cheating my brain ;-). Belive me guys if start cheating your brain like this then you can break the negative thinking. Try with some other activities I chose games because i like them. you can try with painting or the best one is repair. Take anything which is broken and try to repair it. I am sure you will not get attack any more....

Cheers!!!!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
do you get shakes at night while in bed in the chest aswel as pain, i have so similar symptoms. my heart rate went crazy when in the car with my gf and i had to stop to get an ambulance, i had calmed a bit when the ambulance got there and my heart rate was still 180 plus, the paramedic told the dr at the hospital i had gone into tachycardia too i am so scared i thought i was gonna die right then and there my pulses and heart were going so fast my arms tightened up and i could barely move my fingers to dial 999. Is this normal for anxiety sufferers i am down to get a 24 hr heart monitor also nothin has ever showed up on an ecg even when my heart rate was at 180 plus they still said i was fine! how can i be when tht is happening, there needs to be more people involved with anxiety in the hospitals i leave not knowing why this is happening to me which also scares me.
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
I agree that it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion, JUST to be sure there is no medical reason (the only thing left I could think of that you haven't ruled out IS an endocrine issue, like with your adrenal glands as you mentioned)...if you come thru a second more thorough work-up with a clean bill of health, then you must continue working with your therapist.

It is NOT easy...hell, it's downright impossible most times.  How the heck are we supposed to let a therapist help us when we can barely GET to the therapist's office b/c of anxiety???

With time and patience, you WILL start to feel better and you will not be as focused on these thoughts as you are now.  I know that seems impossible, but with continued professional help....you WILL have better days ahead of you!  You are not alone...so many of us know exactly what you're going through...hope that gives you a little solace!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
there are so many reasons to have a fast heart beat. is your blood pressure high also?  

you could have too much thyroid hormone, which is called graves disease.  it causes sweating, fast heart rate, etc.and can even cause that feeling of impending doom that you have with your heart.  has your doctor tested your thyroid function?  

if it is adrenaline, you could take beta blockers, or ace inhibitors.  ace inhibitors actually lower the secretion of adrenaline, while the beta blockers reduce the effects of adrenaline on the heart.  they both lower blood pressure also.

honestly, if you can't stop your anxiety with the relaxation methods you are using, then it means that there is some physical reason for your problem, and then my advice to you,is look for a better doctor that doesn't blow you off.  you are important and your symptoms are real, and can somehow be treated.  find someone that will not only tell you what you DON"T have ( heart disease) but will tell you what you DO have.  don't stop until you get a diagnosis that has a treatment.  

good luck!

Helpful - 0
1315722 tn?1274044476
I have chest pain every day.  Some days its worse then others, but it always seems to be there.  I am 24 years old.  I am over weight, but have only been over weight for the last 5 years, so I don't think that I have a blocked artery or anything like that being this young, but I ALWAYS worry that something is wrong with my heart.  I get sharp chest pains at random times, or I will give a tightness in the center of my chest that goes up to my neck.  I will get random aching pains in my arms and my face.  I have been to the ER for this many times in the last year, and everytime they take an EKG or a Chest X-Ray everything comes back normal.  

I cant help but think something is wrong because I always feel this pain.  Along with the constant chest pains, I get bad head aches, and sometimes I get dizzy and feel like I am going to pass out and die.  Sometimes it builds up really bad and my body feels really shaky and I need to pace around because I keep freaking out.  This has been going on for the last year.  I feel it ALMOST EVERY DAY, but I am still here.

I am contemplating getting on medication.  I tried Zoloft for a week, and it make me feel weird and I had lots of symptoms that made me feel sick, so I have not tried any medications since.  But its to the point where I am no longer enjoying life and every day I live in fear that I am going to die.  I cannot get my mind off this.

I understand how you feel about the heart.  Its really hard to believe that its just anxiety, because this pain feels like were having a heart attack.  All I know is I am still here, but I still feel this pain every day.  I would think that if something was wrong I would have been gone by now.  The doctors at the ER took an EKG and Chest X-Ray and blood tests several times and found nothing wrong.  My main doctor who I hardly every see because I don't have insurance says its Anxiety, but I dont believe him.  So I know how you feel man.  I take comfort in reading what you have to say, because it lets me know other people are out there feeling the same thing.

Best of luck to you and I hope you find something that works.  Maybe you should try an anti depressant.  i think I am going to try and give them another shot.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi !
    Thanks for your support ;-)

I can imagine your fear about having the same thing than your father... that's sad...

You talk about those episodes that you had in the past... how long they lasted? Do you have chest pain sometimes and if so, is it chest pain who occur at rest or who is worse while you exercise and better when you rest? For the fast pulse rate, do you think that it's very bad for the heart to beat for 10-12 hours in a row at an average speed of 160-180-200 BPM?

I know that a part of the problem is my cardiophobia and my huge level of anxiety, it's now totally out of control with new symptoms every week... but what I find weird is that I always have the chest pain at rest, it's chronic now, some day it's worse than other... but the pain is all the time there now... also, the fast heart beat who now last 10-12 hours a day... and who is worse when I have to get out of the house or be in a car... the red hands, the sweating on my 2 hands, me feet and my face, the lower legs pain, the jaw pain, the neck pain, the back pain, the numbness of my left arm, the bad headache on the left side, the weak blood pressure (usually very low when i'm having very fast pulse rate, BUT can be high even with fast pulse rate), the dizziness, the insomnia, the IBS symptoms in my belly, the stomach pain.... it's all symptoms that I have now all the time... no wonder why i'm anxious...

The chest pain look like unstable angina for me, since I have also neck, jaw and left arm pain all the time... I also feel like I drink 10000000 coffees  all the time ... it's too much adrenaline for sure... but the family Doc say no to send me see an endocronologist for my adrenal glands to see my level of hormones... and I do everything to avoid bad food now, no sugar, whole bread, no fat, more fruits, a lot more vegetable, not a lot of meat, no milk product (some yogourt only), no salt (even if my Cardiologist think I need to eat more salty food), no coffee since more than 1 year now, no chocolate, no candies... now everytime I eat something I feel anxious because I think I will have a drop of my blood level of sugar so more adrenaline release...

SometimesI think that I have hypoglicemia cause when I had my last blood work, my level of sugar in the blood was very low... and I feel all the time worse in the morning, just after I get up , will feel better around noon until 5 pm and after I will feel very bad for the whole evening and night... anyways...

Same for the cigarette, each time I smoke a cigarette, especially in the morning and in the evening, my pulse rate tend to increase A LOT when I smoke, same for my chest pain to the point that I can't smoke the whole cigarette and since I smoke outside, I have to return fast in the house cause I feel very bad and panic start often...especially in the morning I will now have panic attacks because of the cigarette (but I quit soon... I try the laser treatment, my sister just stop 1 month ago with that technic and it's working great, she's also a lot anxious-depressive and she's on the cymbalta med since a while)...

I just find it hard to live everyday like that... I always feel bad now... last year, I had some days where I had no symptoms, just the headache... but now it's seem that my brain is stuck in the anxiety mood, especially the heart and panic related...

Well, I didn't go out last night for my birthday, was alone at home and had so much pain in the chest that I almost call the 911... had nobody to call just to talk and change my minds... so I wait that my parents return home at midnight and I stay sit on the couch all the evening, wasn't even able to go to the bathroom... or eat something... when my parents return home, the chest pain don't stop, but I was feeling more safe, so I get up and eat something and go in my bed to sleep...

Today I feel the same... the chest pain is strong and the fast pulse rate will kill me...

My parents plan to go eat breakfast at the restaurant sunday morning for my birthday, just the idea to have to be in a car and sit in the middle of a place full of peoples with all the pain I will have trigger strong panic on me... not a good idea..

I know that I will survive, but god I hate being in pain all the time... That's so easy to say : stop thinking about your heart, stop worrying about dying and go out for a walk... The problem is that I can't go out for a walk cause I can't even take a shower, all my body hurt, I have no energy, i'm so tired and so anxious that even a small noise like a bird will trigger a faster pulse rate and worse chest pain!!!

Anyway... will have that 24 hours monitoring for my blood pressure... and will wait for the results... will maybe try to start again the beta-blocker the Cardiologist RX to me, it's call "Acebutolol"... when I try it in December, I had a very low blood pressure on only 1/4 the usual dose of 200 mg... I don'T fain, but wans't able to walk...

I was used 3-4 years ago to take some Inderall for my headache without having side-effects like drop in the blood pressure or slow pulse rate... but I try it again last november,  and I faint on only 60 mg... so the Cardiologist RX the Acebutolol cause apparently it's affecting less the blood pressure and the pulse rate, but when I try it it was a disaster...

Well well... enough writing for me, my head hurt...

Thanks again to both of you!!!
Helpful - 0
345079 tn?1299202476
First thing Happy Birthday. This year will be my 35th as well. This is the year that you are going to get your life back. I have suffered with huge heart issues since I was 14. My father was sick my whole life and died of a heart attack at 40. Since then I have been a mess. I have seen cardiologists, had every work-up imaginable done. All clear. I would spend every night in the ER. I couldnt accept what I was going through was anxiety. I was sure I was suffering the same fate as my father.
The only thing that really changed was I was starting to realize that despite all these episodes I was having, I was still around. Each time when I was sure I was dying, I made it through just fine. My mind was completely controlling everything and making my life hell. I am not going to say that I am cured, I still by every vitamin or supplement that says heart healthy on it. Eat a super low sodium diet, take my blood pressure nightly. But I am able to get through my attacks without having to go to the ER, or actually having an attack. I get freaked out but rarely do I get a full blown attack. What I realized was I could spend days upon days worrying that I will have a heart attack, but what does that accomplish?? If I am going to have one, I am going to have one and all the worrying in the world isnt going to change that. I need to focus more on less stress and worry(better for the heart) exercise, eating well and living my life. I am 5 years away from the age my dad died. I dont want to imagine that if I did suffer the same fate that I wasted every day worrying and not enjoying. You are young, healthy besides your brain trying to control you. Break free. This is the year and the time. Keep coming in here and talking to people that feel the same way you do and realize your not alone. We can all get through this. We are more powerful than these thoughts. Now go out somewhere and enjoy your birthday!!!!!!
Helpful - 0
1547031 tn?1296831436
Dear txQC,

Your anger is so normal!  I've suffered from anxiety for years and sometimes I get so angry about it too!  I think we all do!  I believe your pain is real.  I can validate that you are in pain.  I understand.  I know it hurts.  I know it's scary.  I know it's frustrating.  I know your pain is real.  Not imaginary.  And it is frustrating when you are trying to get help from the people who are supposed to help you, and all they do is send you back into this silent, violent battle with your mind.  The mind is such an amazing and powerful organ.  Yours and mine is sick.  It makes us TRULY BELIEVE without a doubt that something awful is going to happen (whether it's with your heart or other body system).  By convincing us that our lives, are in fact, at risk the panic cycle is perpetuated.  The trick is being able to use your brain to convince your brain that it is WRONG.  Not an easy task, my friend.  Not at all.  Ask anyone here.  So, I can't make your heart feel better.  I can't sit next to you and pat your back, though I wish I could.  But know, please know, that you are among friends here who believe what you are saying, who have walked this road and continue to walk this road with you.  We understand.  We surround you with peace and love and will sit with you until your brain straightens out a bit and gives you some peace.  It is your birthday, today.  How wonderful.  I want you to go look in the mirror and have a good long conversation with yourself.  Tell yourself that you are happy that you were born.  Tell yourself that you realize you're anxiety is out of control in this minute, but that the blessing is that this minute will not last forever.  Tell the anxiety you don't need him right now, that you can face whatever emotions you are trying not to face all by yourself, thank you very much.  Give yourself a hug.  Have a nice cup of hot tea and turn on the radio to some soothing music.  LOUD, so that it fills you up.  Take a bubble bath.  Now, write yourself a letter wishing yourself a happy birthday.  Color.  Paint.  Get lost in a novel.  Play soduko.  Put on your most comfy pj's and make yourself an oasis in your bed.  Start fake laughing and watch how fast it turns to real laughter.  Tell yourself it is OK to let go of this anxiety for just a little while.  Research some recipes you would like to try out.  Pray.  And let all of us who understand, just hold you up for a little while...    Jen
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I know that this was a very long time ago, but thank you. What perfect loving words. Something i so needed to hear in this moment in time.
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