Went to ER with HR 160 & not coming down

[pinklulu11]

Hi,
A couple weeks ago I went to the ER because I felt my heart do a flip flop and then start beating really fast.  My HR was at 160 and it wouldn't come down.  They did two adenosine pushes. OMG! Scary crap! :(  
Since then I've worn a 48 hour holter monitor and had a cardio stress test done with ultrasound.  Everything came back normal???  How can this be?    My anxiety is now through the roof! I am afraid to be stuck in traffic, I am afraid to be alone,  afraid to go into a movie theater, and afraid to work out.  (and I just paid $400 to join a health club before this happened and haven't been back since).   My life isn't the same and I don't know what to do.  I am thinking of seeing a therapist for this??  Is that to extreme??   Dr. gave me xanax, I only took it twice to help me sleep, and once during the day.  Only half a pill.  I don't want to rely on them.  
So, they can't find anything wrong with me..but something happened and I don't know what.   Now, my dr.s are kinda like well..sending me on my way like it never happen.   I think I am switching to a diff doctor.  
Anyone ever have this happen to them?  This was the first time it happened.  Nothing else since.  But, I am living in fear that it is going to happen again.   And forget any vacations..but I am to scared to travel far away now too.   What is going on with me?   :(  
Thanks,
Sad

[CFS56]

Were you put on a beta blocker, like atenolol?  If not, you could talk to your doctor about trying one.  They help stop your heart from taking off on you like that and it may help give you a little bit of confidence back.  I know how scary it is and how it can take over your life, believe me.  And even though anxiety does play a huge part in it I know in my case my heart caused a lof of  the anxiety which consequently make my heart worse.  
I had to ease my way back into exercise.  Started back like a 100 year old person, I was afraid to get my heart rate too high.  But gradually I got more confidence and was able to increase.
And I hate adenosine, it is scary.  But it got to the point with me a couple of years I couldn't wait for them to give it to me so it would cool my heart out.  The first time I had it was in the back of an ambulance given by an EMT that I have known forever and thought was a complete goofball.  Talk about being scared!  But I lived....still think he's a goofus.

[DeltaDawn23]

Been there.  I've lived in fear of doing hardly anything after an episode.  It is NOT in your head.  I saw a shrink, didn't hurt me, but the problem was my heart, then the anxiety/panic, not the other way around as I was being told. Had agroaphobia, couldn't sit in traffic without panic, couldn't walk in areas alone without someplace in sight to sit or lean against.  The panic can take on a life of it's own.  A good book is "The sky is falling."  I do not know the author and it may be out of print, but the library should have it.  It helped me a lot.

Do NOT accept "there's nothing wrong."  Keep looking until you find a doctor who will listen.  Can your primary care doc be of any help?

I am taking Atentolol, Xanax -- .25 mg. as needed, but up to 4 times a day.  I expressed concern about addiction and the shrink said some people take way more and are not addicted.  You need to treat your present situation and worry about that later.  I take more Xanax at work, hardly any on the weekend.

Does your hospital have an exercise area for heart patients?  That helped me a lot.

This can get better -- don't lose hope.