Have you tried your state medicaid/health department programs?
If you haven't, you may want to check into this that will help you get insurance since you're unemployed and need medical care. Normally local (ran by each county) departments will see you and treat you on a sliding scale fee; I'm not sure what the lowest amount is, but it may be worth a call to them and at least ask how it works in your county/state.
For anyone with medical problems who can afford it, the new healthcare plans under the PCIP program have just revamped their system and made it a bit more affordable.
https://www.pcip.gov
This is really similar to how I feel! I know I have a history of anxiety but I get symptoms when I don't feel particularly anxious. My heart doesn't tend to race, but it most often feels like it's just beating too *hard*, and it makes my head feel funny, like I feel clumsy and woozy. I'm really scared that one say I'll just drop dead! I get this feeling often after I eat or drink something hot, even if it's not caffeinated, but especially if I have to do irregular movements, like going up and down stairs rapidly or tidying up, eg picking things up off the floor. I totally know what you mean, because if my heart is in a bad phase anything makes it worse! Even standing up or moving around a little. And because it goes in phases, it's so hard to catch if I visit the doctor!
It's at least reassuring to know some other people feel the same, so I'll keep an eye on this thread! <3
I know exactly how you feel. I have those symptoms and I do suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. I always think I'm dying, and I hate that. I've been like this since I was 22 and I'm now 38. I honestly cannot remember not thinking I wasn't going to die because of my crazy arrythmias. My cardio just told me last week, that I had to start living my life again. My arrythmias were not going to kill me and that my panic/anxiety cause the vicious cycle to overtake me. He said he was sorry there was nothing they could do for me, someone with a normal, healthy, strong heart, who just happens to feel what everyone in the world has from time to time. Docs always make sense when you're sitting in their office, but that's not a lot of comfort when all this is actually happening. I would take yarrows advice on the wesite. Best to you and keep us posted on how you're doing.
yawning is def. a sign of anxiety
If you can afford a few bucks, there is a remarkable recording by a well-known therapist named Claire Weekes that is surprisingly effective in teaching you how to quiet down much of that panicky feeling. You can find it at amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1565119703?ie=UTF8&tag=anxietyguru-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1565119703
You can get some idea of the effectiveness of her techniques by reading the reviews.
If you are broke, a former anxiety victim has posted free audio files of Dr. Weeke's relaxation techniques on his website. Personally, I don't like his voice, and he takes up an awful lot of space with his own experiences with anxiety, but finally gets to the exercises here:
http://www.controllinganxiety.com/downloads/Relaxation1DSL.mp3
No i'm not on any anxiety meds..although I know that I should be. Like I said, I have no insurance to go to the doctor and get meds or anything...so i'm just trying to cope as best as I can. I feel like I know when my heart is just pounding strictly because of an anxiety/panic attack... but then I have episodes when I eat, or if I do have caffeine, or after a night of drinking..where my heart is just plain pounding..and then it causes me anxiety due to the feeling of my heart pounding and me not being able to control it. Which of course then makes it worse, because then I start getting really hot, I start panicking, my heart beats even faster, and I feel like i'm going to die. I have a friend who dropped dead while running of an undiagnosed heart issue... and with all of these symptoms I am scared it's going to happen to me..
You are right that anxiety can cause heart rhythm problems. Do you have/take an anxiety medication? If yes, does that help?
Can you correlate anxiety with episodes of pounding? Have you ever measured you blood pressure when your heart is pounding? If not, maybe trip to a pharmacy or anyplace you can measure you BP would be worth the effort. I can't relate high BP with a heart pounding (with I interpret to be beating hard), but it could be a helpful fact. You heart rate in BPM would also be of interest. Given you can feel the pounding all you need is a clock/watch to time an interval of counts. I like to count for at least 30 seconds and double to average out any short term blips or extra beats, which I do have.
Hope others can provide more help, and conclude here with a try to get the anxiety controlled. That may be the solution.