To go to A & E?

[AlwaysAnxiousAnnie]

For some.time.now I've had major anxiety about my heart due to an episode last year of very bad heart palpitations, lasted hours and was so scary. It was like my heart was so out of rhythm. I went to A and E and they said it's anxiety, I've had numerous ECG, I've had a 24 hr heart monitor. They said they found nothing of concern just ectopic beats and and atrial thud. Apparently this is no cause for concern. So I was discharged from cardiology. I regularly have heart palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, breathlessness. Again it's anxiety apparently. Alas, I have developed this cardiac anxiety.
Anyway, tonight after studying up after dinner, my heart out of no where just started beating so hard and so fast in my chest. It felt like it was going to explode. Straight away I panicked, and then tried to calm myself down. I've so ce managed to calm myself but I heart beat feels all over the place. No pain or anything else. Its new Year's Eve and A&E will be busy. My DH is not very happy with me telling me not to go because it's all in my head. I've convinced myself.i won't see morning or at the very least my heart is about to give up very soon. Now I'm in this spiral of death anxiety of I could drop dead and be dead by this next time year and no one is believing me about my heart problem...am I being unreasonable to want to go to A & E and get checked out or ring 111 at th very least.. or am I just being dramatic, an anxious mess. The more I'm panicking the worst it's getting but I wasn't panicking when it first started this evening.

Telling someone with anxiety to calm down isn't very helpful but you could try to find something to help.

Have you tried any mindfulness apps? Bath? Yoga? Reading?

I suffer atrial ectopy/SVT so know how unsettling it feels. Do feel reassured your tests so far haven't shown up anything worrying so perhaps try the prescribed medication?

Your ferritin needs to be a lot higher - at least 70 and if you have any hypothyroidism issues preferably over 100. a level of 20 can easily cause your symptoms (as can anxiety)

Have a look at health unlocked forums

You're having anxiety attacks, take the beta blockers you've been prescribed. Serious side effects are very rare and the common ones are nothing more than a mild nuisance.

You also need therapy, so contact your gp about being referred for this.

You've had every cardiac test going and there's nothing wrong with your heart. It's anxiety. Anxiety can come on suddenly and out of nowhere.

You absolutely need treatment for this or it will just get worse

I used to have this- heart skipping beats and racing, leading to panic attacks thinking I was going to die. It was anxiety. I also got prescribed beta blockers and it fixed it. Never had a problem again. Take the beta blockers!
If you need some logic, why do you think that going to a hospital to talk to doctors will help more than taking medicine that a doctor has prescribed for you?

Do yourself a deal. Take a beta blocker. If you survive the night then all is fine! My money is on the beta blocker doing its thing and your anxiety massively reducing. They are really quick to work. If you took one now you will probably feel loads better by 9pm. I had zero side effects from taking beta blockers.

You have to help yourself here, take the beta blockers.

"I've had talking therapy which hasn't helped me x"

What therapy was it? @AlwaysAnxiousAnnie

I'm wondering whether you feel everything is on your shoulders (when you said your partner doesn't drive so can't take meds in case of emergency)? Do you have children?

I have had panic attacks come out of nowhere when I have been at my happiest and most relaxed. It’s very odd and very scary.

Conversely, when I have had very stressful periods of my life I haven’t any symptoms.

Try not to overthink it and please try to trust the medical professionals who have already looked after you and given you prescriptions. You are not going to receive better treatment than you’ve already had, especially not in A&E on NYE.

Take a beta blocker, try to distract yourself with something else and see how you feel in an hour or so.

I have this I have anxiety it comes out of no where
in fact I can be fast asleep or dropping off to sleep and bam my heart starts pounding
it is anxiety it sometimes just comes out of the blue no reason
although I think it’s more when stressed or tense but it has happened when I thought I was relaxed too

i also have had ctg etc heart checks for this

the more you panic the worse it gets
I think that tells you what you need to know it’s panic
di you feel stressed or depressed or anything? I find this makes my palpitations worse also I get them if I have indigestion gas and I think it’s the way I breathe I intake extra air and the gas can cause what feels like heart flutters too
its scary but if you don’t go to a and e and you wake up tomorrow ok you can tell yourself it’s ok it’s anxiety and reassurance yourself that you have had all the tests and they were ok and you have survived these palpitations many times before
that’s what I do when I’m having an attack and it feels like I’m having a heart attack

Your having a panic attack. I've had them before due to side effects from medication it can be frightening. When I've had them I try to take myself to a quite place and take a deep breathe. I can do anything when it happens until it passes.

If you are stressed or suffering from anxiety you're body will know about it even if you aren't necessarily feeling 'worried' about things. I was in a very difficult ongoing situation at work spanning about 18 months, and my body was desperately trying to rid itself off this 'stress'. I got hiccups which lasted 18 months. Then that went and I got IBS. Then a twitchy eye for several months. Point I'm making is, just because you weren't feeling anxious about any particular thing does not mean these attacks aren't due to anxiety.

At the risk of sounding a bit woo, you could try resetting your Vagus Nerve. This article describes some useful exercises.
(basically it’s activating the parasympathetic nervous system to help your body regulate following a stress reaction)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2021/04/15/what-the-vagus-nerve-is-and-how-to-stimulate-it-for-better-mental-health/?sh=2408b8736250

OP please read this

I have horrendous health OCD and anxiety. I’ve had therapy all year been on multiple medications and I’m currently pregnant and it’s great because everything that I feel I put down to a pregnancy symptom. I’m actually classed as in recovery by my therapist. I’m scared to have my baby incase it gets bad again.

So this time last year I couldn’t leave the house except for work (which I would also miss sometimes) because I couldn’t hear the word “stroke.” Someone would say the word stroke like “stroke the dog” and I would start having stroke symptoms. I would smell burning all the time and it would be set off by the toaster, people smoking near me or outside my window and it would send me into a terrified spiral I would be cowered in a ball unable to do anything and begging someone to call an ambulance.

Prior to this I had the same issues with my heart. This went on since I was 16 until 28. I had so many ECGs in a&e or by the dr. I had an ultrasound of my heart. They told me I had mild PVCs which terrified me, I KNEW they were missing something. I could be triggered by anything even things I didn’t notice (watching something intense on TV - heart rate raises.) you could see my heart pounding through my chest.

I’ve had a plethora of other issues from MS to really rare diseases and what I see now, wasted a lot of NHS time and resources (CT scans, MRI, blood test, consultant appointments).

But I have reasons as to why it got so bad. I was medically dismissed with women’s health issues and drs found nothing until a routine smear (I’d asked for a smear for years but wasn’t allowed until 25) I had CIN 3 which had to be removed under GA they they found a polyp I needed removing and I had lots of cysts on my ovaries. (I’m so lucky to be pregnant now!) I also had a medical scare which was legit and put me in hospital abroad which scared the crap out of me. I also love my mum but I feel her input sometimes can be unhelpful as she is also worried because of my symptoms which have previously ended up being serious problems.

2 things helped me.

1. Medication/therapy. I was on sertraline for years and also tried other medications but if you want my honest opinion only one thing helped during those panic induced “I need to go to a&e” moments and that was diazepam (2mg so a tiny amount.) I was given this in a&e by a dr who finally listened to me and could see I was so scared after going in for heart problems. It’s not right for everyone but I only take it WHEN I NEED IT. It’s super addictive and can become less potent the more you take it. She recommended it twice a day for a few weeks but I was far too scared to take that much incase it harmed me . After 45 mins I don’t give a crap if I have a heart problem lol I just want to chill and have a good evening.
2. Sitting with uncertainty. I was feeding the beast by going into a&e. It’s what my compulsive behaviours were egging me to do. Starving the beast was the only thing which helped the compulsions naturally stop. Calling people I knew would feed the beast also didn’t help. Have someone (maybe husband) who is reasonable and will stay with you and tell you that they will look after you and if you need immediate attention they will know and be there to call an ambulance, I can promise they will never feel worried enough to do so.

My symptoms during these periods were much more believable and prominent than actual issues I had and I was never panicked by actual health issues. I never thought I could have a baby, mainly because my previous issues but also because I didn’t think I would cope, especially with the appointments and all the medical chat, but here I am!

Sorry how long this is, I hope this helps. Try and sit with your uncertainties and see how you feel tomorrow x

Yes I have an 18 month old

You absolutely know it's anxiety, so please don't waste A&E staff's time. Look into getting therapy in the New Year.

My dad has had intermittent ectopic heart beats and in the last few years (I'm 40) I've had them on occasion. They vary from feeling a little bit weird to quite scary, but my dad had all the tests and it was deemed benign. He's now a healthy 70 year old.

Low iron can contribute - with ferritin on the border I'd try taking some iron supplements. My DC (3) has had low ferritin and was on prescription supplements for a while. When his ferritin got just into range GP said we could stop them, but he has had interrupted sleep and gets pale on occasion, and when we give him supplements this all resolved.

Echoing everyone else saying take the beta blocker or the diazepam that you’ve been prescribed.

Quite apart from anything else, if you go to A&E this evening, how many hours will it be till you get seen do you reckon? I’m willing to bet it’ll take all night to get seen and sorted and home again. And the likelihood is they will tell you what you have already been told and advise you to take the medication you’ve been prescribed. Hope you feel better soon.

I wouldn't go to a&e today. I've just got home from there 15 hours it was. I'd go back to your gp Tuesday.

Take the medication you've been supplied with. Plenty of families don't have car not being able to drive isn't an excuse not to take the medication - that's why taxis exist if you have to go out but can't drive, same Asif you broke a wrist or foot

Thank you so much..you sound alot like me..I have cin ,3 which I'm having a loop done end of January. I've not been that worried about this though. I am obsessing over things and much like you words and such trigger me. thank you for your comment, it's very helpful.

This is such a helpful response. I am so glad you are feeling better and all the best for your pregnancy 😁

You wont get an echo or any other kind of scan in A&E though. So in terms of right here right now, nothing will be done differently to any other time you've been.

And if you did happen to be diagnosed with a heart condition, guess what they'll prescribe? Beta blockers!

What beta blocker do you have? and what dose? I only ask as have had most of them in the last 30 years I may be able to advise you

Hi OP I just wanted to sympathise with you as I have cardiac anxiety and heakth anxiety and funny enough recently I've been having heart palpitations and same feelings as you. I know it's hard to trust the doctors but you must, honestly a serious heart issue would of been picked up somewhere over the years if not in your recent testing. You know what I do? Just have a dance around, quickly run up the stairs or do something for a couple of minutes without much thought, test your anxiety. I know it sounds scary but you're showing your mijd/body you are safe, you don't have heart issues. I have to do this! Also, random heart palpation even when not actively anxious are a common theme in HA sufferers. Think how long your nervous system has been in overdrive, it takes a very long time to get back to baseline. Please try defer from going a&e tonight, 1) it'll be busy, you'll be waiting hours just for some reassurance, you'll be happy with the results for a short time and then it'll start over again. You must try for your sake to not feed into it, this only feeds the loop (as you probably know) 2) ferritin levels being on low can have different affects on different people, could well be due to iron, get yourself some spatone from Holland a barrett and try it out. 3) please go onto YouTube and watch "The Anxiety Guy" I can't recommend him enough, he is totally aimed at HA sufferers has hundreds of thousands of videos, meditations etc you can access for free. Look at your symptoms as "oh okay, I'm not feeling safe, this is my body trying to protect me, thank you" try lean into it. It'll wane, and also if necessary then take the beta blockers for an easier night. I wish you all the best, happy new year x

Its 50mg bisoprolol

Beta blockers are about one of the safest drugs you can take. Take them