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anxiety symptoms

hi I've had High anxiety and panic attacks fir months now its all because of pvcs and an abnormal ecg reading I've got the all clear from cardiolgy and the doctor said that reading was due to fault lead placement the problem is that i still have the nasty symptoms of anxiety that's being with me since this all started how long does it take to get over anxiety? i don't want to go on meds
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480448 tn?1426948538
PVCs are completely harmless, although they FEEL unnerving.  I get them myself, and I don't care for them at all.  It just feels so weird, then you instantly start thinking, "wonder if it could just STOP?"

I think it's a very good idea to give CBT another shot.  The problem with anxiety, it's rarely something a person can just "get over" and never have to worry about again, unless it's situational anxiety (related to REAL problems in life, that resolve...then the anxiety usually resolves along with it).

CBT is a great form of therapy that will teach you how to cope with anxiety, and how to change your thinking process.  That's where we get hung up, on the "what iffing".  Once we start that, all bets are off.  CBT will teach you how that cycle of thinking works, and how to gradually learn how to change how you think, and change how you react to those "what ifs".

You will definitely benefit MUCH more from the CBT (or any kind of therapy) if you keep an open mind and really TRY.  You know now that you do NOT have a medical condition or anything wrong with your heart....now you need to teach yourself how to get your brain to be convinced that all is okay.

If you put some effort into working with a therapist (with CBT), and start working to change those thinking patterns, the anxiety will start to subside.  Remember though, it can take some time.  Unfortunately for us, anxiety usually doesn't go away as fast as we'd like it to.  We want it gone right NOW, lol.  Too bad it doesn't really work that way.

Remind yourself along the way that FEAR IS NOT FACT.  The FACT is, you've been thorougly evaluated by a cardiologist, have had testing done, and were given the "all clear" where your heart is concerned.  The FACT is, PVCs, if you have them, are benign, and do NOT indicate a heart problem.  

It's just like that weird noise your car (or refrigerator) makes?  It doesn't have anything wrong with it, nothing is broken, runs fine, no defects, it just has that little characteristic about itself.  Same thing here.  The FEAR is that a PVC will somehow cause your heart to stop, and you'll have a heart attack and maybe even die.  When you put the FACTS up against that "what if"...it discounts it.  You see?  Just understanding that a PVC is not like a dangerous arrythmia is so important.

I strongly encourage you to make an appt, start back up with therapy.  I think that is a FINE starting place.  You don't have to take meds.  I think trying the therapy alone to begin is a good idea...if you continue to really struggle, you can always revisit the idea of meds down the line if you need to.  Personally, I am a big advocate for meds, they (along with therapy)have literally given me my life back from panic disorder a few times.  It's not for everyone, and it's a unique decision everyone needs to make for themselves.  Don't rule anything out...but for now, it's more than reasonable to try to manage this anxiety from a CBT standpoint.

Best of luck, please update us!

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Avatar universal
id say about 80% happy with the cardiac evaluation. The symptoms I've had since i started googling heart disease and checking my pulse everyday are still there for example the muscle tension off balance feeling short of breath for no reason some other stuff as well. The pvcs  theselves the doctor told me that some people have hundreds a day and the odd one or two are no harm
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Avatar universal
Perhaps you can self cure yourself first! You won't be the first.
When you say that you are more confident of the cardio doc's diagnosis, do you mean 60% confident or what do you mean? The cardio doc said in my province the government is trying to save money with low paid ECG testers but it doesn't work so well when they do the placement incorrectly.
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Avatar universal
feel more confident that the cardio doc gave me the all clear just hope i don't fall into the trap of doubts im going to try cbt again i didn't feel like it helped much the first time maybe because i was so convinced it was a medical issue and not anxiety i
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Avatar universal
Anxiety can disappear instantly if the right conditions are present. The doctor told you there is no heart risk after reviewing your data. Have you accepted that, or do you have nagging doubts?
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Arlington, VA
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