The doctor refused to help ..aibu here?

[sallybally335]

I've been having a irregular heartbeat since may.
I was getting around 50 extra heartbeats a day (PVCs) a day
Doctor sent me to cardiologist and they did a monitor (this only picked up 3 that day ) and heart scan which was normal.
Since then I'm now getting thousands a day and back and rib pain with them.
I went to doctors today and she said she wouldn't refer me back to cardio as I was only there July.
Aibu to complain to practice?

You poor thing, this sounds really tricky to cope with. I have a similar thing that runs in my family- skipped heartbeats (where it feels like your heart has stopped dead in your chest) and then lots of quick little beats. To me, it feels like a bird flapping its wings in my chest. All the women in my family have it, and it still shocks me a little bit every time I feel it!

I've had mine checked out a couple of times, and although it picked up some ectopic heartbeats I was told it was nothing to worry about. I'm not generally anxious about my health so I just try to remind myself that it feels awful but I am safe.

However, I know that there are two things that make these weird heartbeats VERY frequent- hormones and stress. My period or being pregnant makes them occur many times in a day. I don't have a MH problem but know from experience that any emotional stress makes them much worse. Interestingly, the other symptoms you describe- almost like a lump/obstruction in the throat and chest tightness were symptoms that I experienced alongside the funny heartbeats during a period when 3 of my grandparents died one after the other as a teenager. As the stress of that grief lifted, my symptoms gradually left, although it took some time.

I really wouldn't underestimate the power of stress to make this problem feel really quite severe. The more stressed you get about it, the more it happens and it becomes a vicious circle. I'm probably only relaxed about it because my grandmother and great grandmother had exactly the same weird heartbeats and both lived into their 100s, fit as a fiddle.

I really would try the medication your doctor has suggested. Also, try to find some strategies to calm yourself when you feel these strange heartbeats. It sounds like you are very frightened so I don't see anything wrong with seeking a second opinion to reassure you, but in the meantime try to find ways to make life a bit less stressful. I found meditation, yoga and plenty of distraction are useful tools. Best of luck xx

Are you perimenopausal? HRT stopped my palpitations almost totally.

Google globus hystericus too- a possible cause for the lump in your throat/difficulty swallowing.

Sorry you’re feeling like this

No Sally, you've got ONE thing. It's anxiety.

I promise you.

I have the same heart-fears you have. The same throat sensations. The same cold numb hands, the same pallpiations, the same obsessive worry about whether this thing or that thing will set off palpitations, whether I will die in the night if my heart DOESN'T thud me awake, the same random muscle aches and twitches, the same nausea and heart burn (at one point last year I was taking 600MG of ranitidine a DAY - that's a week's dose!)

In August I started taking Fluoxetine again, which is a medication very similar to Sertraline. In October, nearly all those symptoms were gone. They just faded away. I don't listen for my heart beat any more, I don't feel for my pulse. I don't wake at night in a panic.

I'm so glad you've decided to give the Sertraline a try. Don't let the anxiety spoil it for you

Anxiety is a LIAR. It tells you you're ill when you're not.

My doctor gave me some sleeping meds to help with the insomnia to start with. Ask your GP?

Is it just me or does this thread not ring true??
On page 1 @fairylea mentioned being tested for addisons.
She mentioned it again in a second comment.
Then @sallybally335 replies to fairylea and says
“I’ve never heard of Addison’s disease before”
If she had never heard of it,how did she know it was
Addisonsdisease???? Does this strike anybody as odd - and maybe attention seeking?

OP - crying for days over your erratic heartbeat is not normal and most posters are telling you that you have anxiety. Your doctor thinks this too and has prescribed something to help. You should take these drugs.
If you are not happy and you are getting ‘ thousands’ of extra beats then see another GP in the practice and ask for an ECG. But honestly, you sound very very anxious - and a tad attention seeking to me.

can the side effects be any worse than sitting paralysed on the sofa because you're frightened to get up and make yourself a drink?

Fenella

Autocorrect

You old fart

You're stuck in a vicious cycle, OP. The insomnia alone will intensify everything, it's no wonder you feel so shit. You could have a combination of minor, easily remedied problems such low blood pressure (the reason propranolol doesn't agree with me-at all), low iron, vitamins Bs and D deficiency ect...which would all exacerbate the anxiety, feeding into your belief that you're gravely ill.
If you read back over your posts, you can see that logically, it does make sense that you're suffering from anxiety, not a heart problem.

Does this strike anybody as odd - and maybe attention seeking?

No, she probably googled it. Using Google.

Fenella that's incredibly cruel. The OP is exhausted and fretting about her health to the point of barely functioning. The symptoms of anxiety are physically very real and completely draining, even when you can recognise that you're not actually dying.

Anxiety can bring them on and thinking of them can bring them on. Try not to fear them, it’s like the heart sneezing.

I agree with you BlancheM, there have been times when I think I'm dying, it's horrible. Now I recognise the symptoms for what they are and know they will pass - which they do and then I'm fine.

I suppose drugs might help but I can't say I've ever been prescribed anything that did, quite the opposite. A sedative would be good but they are rarely prescribed and then only for a short while.

I've had em too. Had the echo, stress test and 48 hour monitor, all ok.

I watch Sanjay Gupta on You Tube, he is a cardiologist in York.

I take Magnesium Taurate now, and the problem has eased so much for me. Just a thought.

The no more panic website is really helpful
Anxiety and panic attacks are a bitch because they can come out of nowhere and then the more you worry about your heartbeat, the more you panic
Distractions help a lot - TV, candy crush, yoga, YouTube, anything like that
I used to acknowledge it "hi anxiety, just you" and carry on with my day because I was angry at how much it was taking over
I had CBT, propranolol, citalopram, counselling. I was in a&e for chest pain, felt like I couldn't swallow, palpitations, feeling faint and on and on and on

One day I told my doctor I would rather crash my car than have another anxiety attack

It's 5 years since I stopped propranolol and 5 years since I've had a panic attack

Exercise too! It reminds you that getting out of breath and your heart pounding is sometimes a GOOD thing. And if you're doing something complicated or with a routine it helps you switch off

OP l've been where you are ... Convinced l had a heart condition, missed beats, palpitations, the works. I had blood tests, ecg, wore a 24 hour monitor - nothing wrong. It's anxiety. I recognise it now. I know it's fake news but it feels real! You're getting some very sensible advice on here, please listen!

I had all of the same issues as yourself around 8 years ago - I could have written your post! I was convinced I'd got a heart condition. My heart would skip a beat then catch up, I'd have palpitations and on occasion when it was really bad I'd have a tightness in my chest that extended into my back. It was awfully painful, like an elephant was sat on me. I'd also get pins and needles in my hands and feet and heartburn.

I went to multiple doctors, all told me it was anxiety and I was insistent it wasn't as I was not panicking when the symptoms arose. I was also prescribed Propanolol which didn't help.

Not long after, I found out it was indeed anxiety. I was having physical panic attacks with seemingly no trigger.

I think trying the Sertraline is the best idea. Be aware it does knock you around for the first few weeks and don't just knock it on the head if it doesn't work, come off it with your doctors support.

Just read this book and it's brilliant: www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/07/all-in-your-head-review-o-sullivan-suzanne-osullivan

We forget how closely the mind and body are linked and how physical sensations can be created by something in the mind, even subconsciously. Unfortunately the more anxious someone gets about something like PVCs, the more they're likely to notice them and have them.

OP, 100% of your symptoms can be explained by a combination of acid reflux and anxiety. I know because I've experienced it for the last few years. Acid reflux, in addition to causing traditional heartburn that you mentioned suffering from in one of your followup responses, can also cause rapid or irregular heartbeat (especially after spicy meals, overeating, or lying flat to sleep), burning sensation around your ribs and sternum, chest tightness, constant post nasal drip and throat clearing, and difficulty swallowing. Most acid reflux medications are available over the counter these days, so it would be easy to do a trial of reflux treatment and see if your symptoms improve. Anxiety also has many overlapping symptoms with acid reflux, and stress or anxiety can literally trigger your body to produce more acid, making it a vicious cycle.

It sounds like what you are really after is for your doctors to take your symptoms seriously and diagnose a medical cause that explains how you feel. What you don't seem to be grasping is that even if anxiety is the primary cause, it doesn't make your symptoms any less real or difficult to cope with. It doesn't mean your doctor doesn't believe you or thinks you are faking. No doctor is going to risk his medical license by prescribing a medication that he thinks is unnecessary and unlikely to help; he's weighed the risks and side effects of Sertraline against the symptoms you are experiencing and determined you stand to benefit from treatment. The reality of this situation is that you've been given a full workup by a cardiologist and prescribed three different medications to treat your condition: Propranolol, Metoporol, and Sertraline. You haven't taken any of them as directed or given them adequate time to have effect. Naturally, your GP isn't going to refer you for further workup when the cardiologist doesn't think that is necessary and you aren't med compliant with the prescribed treatment.

I am on Metoporol myself for benign tachycardia (basically just a fancy name for a high heart rate that occasionally includes PVCs but isn't serious or dangerous). I know from experience that it takes time and possibly some dose changes to bring your heart rate down to a normal level. When I accidentally forget to take it for a few days, I find my anxiety starts to ramp up because my body associates a racing heart with something bad happening, even if everything around me is perfectly safe. I think it could really help you if you give it a chance, especially if used in conjunction with Sertraline. And if it doesn't help, then at least you've ruled out another cause of your PVCs which will make it easier to advocate for a cardiologist referral.

How old are you because if you’re 35 or under these guys are amazing www.c-r-y.org.uk

BlancheM
I’m not meaning to be cruel at all.
Have you said that to people who commented at the beginning of the thread?
I live with somebody who is permanently anxious. Horrendous symptoms. But I do know that anxiety is incredibly easy to feed and that the sufferers almost feel compelled to do this which makes them worse and drives the anxiety into higher and higher levels.
None of us are doctors and even if the odd one is then no one can diagnose over the Internet. But all of the OPs comments seem to me like she is suffering from extreme anxiety , the posts of most people seem to think she is suffering from extreme anxiety and the previous thread alluded to on page one seem to think the OP was anxious then and got the same advice as she has here.
If that’s the case then yes, I do think it’s a bit attention seeking. But people with extreme anxiety can often be attention seeking - and I’ve got years of experience living with somebody who does just this.

So I wasn’t intending to be mean, just simply pointing out facts as I see them . Surely the truth - however unpalatable- helps people to face what is staring them in the face and thus find a way out of the mental maze they find themselves in?
Maybe I’m wrong - I ( like all other posters) can only go on what I have seen, what I know and what my experience of severe anxiety tell me. If I sound mean i apologise wholeheartedly.

And colditz - I have no idea at all what your post means.

Anxiety is a chemical problem, not just excess worry. You absolutely can wake up in the middle of an anxiety episode. In fact, those are the only ones I really suffer from at this point because with medication and calming techniques I can generally nip the daytime episodes in the bud.

Even if you don’t believe you need the sertraline, you need to take it. Give it a try for 3 months. If it doesn’t help, then you can go to your doctor and report the situation. They are much more likely to proceed with additional testing or investigation of you try what they are suggesting and it fails.

Sorry for echoing everyone else, but 99.9% sure you are suffering from anxiety. 2 years ago I could have wrote your post, although with different anxiety symptoms. I was constantly dizzy, nauseas, unwell. I was convinced I was dying. It wasn't until I recognised the reason behind my problems were anxiety, that I began to feel better. I still get episodes of feeling utterly awful, but through telling myself, 'it's my anxiety and I'm not dying' I am able to overcome my anxiety and horrible symptoms that comes with it.

I think that's my problem ...
I've never been able to believe my heart is anxiety.
It just seemed so powerful to me.
I know that it is possible but it's such a struggle to accept

Go on Amazon and buy a Kardia. It's about 100 pounds. It records a clinically accurate ECG using sensors you put your finger tips on

Don’t do this OP. As a colditz says, it will not help your anxiety one bit and it sounds like you have health anxiety which is focussed on one aspect of your health (as HA often is). Monitoring, checking, researching, tracking devices like Kardia will all maintain your anxiety as they are what we in the trade called ‘safety behaviours’ - they’re the things we do that feel like they help but actually keep the anxiety going. CBT would really help you - you can self-refer into IAPT or privately you could look at the cbt register for BABCP accredited therapists. The IAPT route can be slow but in the meantime you might find Overcoming Health Anxiety helpful www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/books/david-veale/overcoming-health-anxiety/GOR001888732?keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQiApbzhBRDKARIsAIvZue_BmqLWLaKRLoo5Z6AxZRYoj67UjgjBnCTq7aV9bMqpsEz-hMlipGUaAsI_EALw_wcB

• it’s a CBT based book and while no replacement for face to face therapy it might prove useful.