How can the drs leave me like this :'(

[Moxxi]

This is my resting heart rate according to my Fitbit and if you see the graph is practically above 100 all day. The lowest it got to was 89 in my sleep. Anyone got any advice because the drs say I'm ok but I'm clearly not. I have had a scan of my heart and a 24 HR ECG which just showed sinus tachycardia. I've been this way for 8 years is it going to kill me?

How can this be ok? I am taking beta blockers too since Jan this year but I'm not sure they're working.

In general heart rates under 100 bpm don’t usually concern cardiologists in menstruating women unless it’s accompanied by high blood pressure / cholesterol etc. I know this from experience. It’s more often a sign of anemia / hypothyroidism / low blood pressure and can fluctuate naturally around your period.

Are you drinking plenty of water? Dehydration can cause a host of issues (as I am currently finding out).

[quote Moxxi]@SomeKindOfFloppyWeirdo thanks for much for the reassurance. In scared I'll have sudden cardiac arrest or develop heart failure at a young age. Luckily I don't get many symptoms just a bit of dizziness when I get out of bed in the morning xx[/quote]
And therein lies the viscous cycle. Your thoughts (which are just thoughts, not facts) about your health trigger your anxiety. As a result your body thinks it's under attack so fires off the "flight or fight" hormones which shut down your digestive and reproductive systems (thereby - in the long term - fucking up your diet and periods) and tells the rest of your body to be on full alert.

So, your heart rate goes up in anticipation of being attacked - your Fitbit tells you your heart rate is up and, low and behold, you become more anxious. There are loads of options to tackle your anxiety, but you need to want to make the changes and do the work involved.

Given your weight loss and commitment to improving your fitness you know you can do this

@Moxxi the waiting list you're on for CBT, is that through your GP? Could you look into other routes, see if there's an IAPT service in your area, or could you afford to see someone privately?

I drink plenty of water and orange squash (sugar free) the CBT is already through the IAPT service. Does anyone know how CBT works?

I am so ready to beat the anxiety. Just wish my heart would bare with me. By the time I'm 30 (26 now) I want my RHR to be 70. I'm also very very scared exercise won't reduce it.

OP has had a heart scan and 24hr ECG. That doesn't mean it's anxiety but it almost certainly rules out anything other then the tachycardia which was diagnosed.

Right, which is why I said op’s symptoms may be caused by anxiety.
However the other part of your post is way too simplistic. My ecgs (multiple!) and heart scan all came back healthy. However, my consultant still knows there’s a problem - we just now know that the problem isn’t in my heart. It hasn’t “almost certainly” ruled out anything other than anxiety, and that’s my consultants opinion. There are other systems in the body that can affect heart rate, so it would be great for op’s doctors to check that, and not dismiss everything as “anxiety”.

Moxxi
Buy a pulse oximeter to take heartrate readings and your oxygen level. Our GP will not even look at a fitbit reading because they are not accurate.

www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/06/Pulse-Oximeter-Easy-Read-final-online-v4.pdf

Sorry, didn't realise that link was for coronavirus, anyway, it explains how to use a pulse-ox though.

@Moxxi CBT works by teaching you about the relationship between the thoughts you have, how they make you feel, and how that affects your behaviour. You learn ways of recognising which thoughts aren't true, or helpful etc.

Your health anxiety is causing the thoughts about being at risk of death, but anxiety is a liar. Brains throw out lots of useless or random thoughts everyday, but we normally tune them out. (Think how common it is for people to get a "what if I just jumped?" thought when they're up somewhere high!) CBT should give you the tools to accept these thoughts as nonsense, and that will then break the connection to the feelings of fear that the thoughts cause.

Once your brain is not living in constant fear of an imminent heart attack etc, the physical reactions caused by this, like the heart rate itself, should hopefully improve. That's probably a simplification, it's been a long time since I went to IAPT but it's the gist I think

when i had really high blood pressure I just found the doctors just prescribed beta blockers and ramipril, and apart from that they couldnt care less. I was supposed to take my blood pressure 3x a day for a while, which honestly was making it worse as i became obsessed with it and it was making me tearful. I had a big panic attack when i thought it was a heart attack and i was going to die etc.
You give your blood pressure readings and they dont do anything about it. Ive given up checking it now

I agree @SomeKindOfFloppyWeirdo.

An ECG etc... that is normal shows no issue with the Heart itself (which should be a relief to the OP).
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t something else going on. It’s just that, as my own GP said, it’s very hard to pinpoint and therefore they often give up and put that under ‘anxiety’ - like a lot of other issues ...
It also doesn’t mean that anxiety is never at the root of the issue. It might well be the case for the OP. Or one of the reasons - no one has ever said that there is always just one cause for that sort of symptoms.

[quote BlankTimes]Moxxi
Buy a pulse oximeter to take heartrate readings and your oxygen level. Our GP will not even look at a fitbit reading because they are not accurate.

www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/06/Pulse-Oximeter-Easy-Read-final-online-v4.pdf[/quote]
I have an oximeter at home. It gave me more or less the same readings, if not lower.

Is a Fitbit accurate enough for a GP to record your heart rate? No
Does it earn that we should automatically dismiss any readings from it? No.
And clearly the OP’s GP didn’t either if they ordered an ECG.

Having heart issues is really scary. If you’ve been investigated by Drs already, all you can do is focus on working really hard at exercising and being healthy. That’s your best bet at combatting serious illness.

photos.app.goo.gl/xbELQdvCH5YLM8MS6

Hopefully this works this is now and I'm just sat on the sofa watching the American office :(

I also have a really high resting heart rate, usually around 90/100. I've had all the tests done, I'm fit and a healthy weight. It's just me. If you've had all the tests done you need to just accept that ta just your body 🤷🏻‍♀️

@iwantadogdhdoesnt has anyone ever told you it's dangerous? I'm only 26 and can't imagine living like this forever.

KeepingTrack

Then GP's vary in what they will accept.

Ours would not even look at the fitbit evidence, but was interested in the noted down pulse-ox readings and ordered a 24 hour Holter monitor on that and one other symptom.

@Moxxi almost snap - I was sitting down watching tv and was 101. Try doing some slow breathing. In through the nose, hold, breathe out through the nose, hold. That got mine down to a dizzying low of 97

It’s not going to damage your heart. And if it helps, I remember a doctor saying that a racing heart can cause anxiety (physically). Some system in your body is making your heart race, your brain feels your heart racing and assumes there’s something to worry about, releases adrenaline, and boom. You feel anxious. So it could be anxiety causing your high heart rate, or it could be your high heart rate causing your anxiety. Bodies are wonderful things!

Exercise will reduce your resting heart rate, it honestly really will. And there are so many other benefits to exercise, it's an amazing gift you're giving yourself, getting fit!

My resting heart rate used to be around 100, because I didn't do much exercise and was overweight. After about 6 months my resting heart rate was 54. I was so happy because I read online that athletes have RHRs of under 55, I was nowhere near being an athlete of course but I was so pleased! I'm sure you will see an improvement over time as well.

Also, sorry you are suffering from anxiety if your high heart rate is due to this then you must be feeling awful, all the time. People have a tendency to say "it's just anxiety" but it feels horrible, and is very real, to you, the person in your own body. I hope some of the answers on this thread have helped a bit

I have a naturally high resting heart rate - this was discovered while in hospital after having my DC- they kept me in for a week of significant tests as I'd had an emergency c-sec. I was diganosed with a slight mis-beat and suffer from regular ectopic beats. I have had every test under the sun, including echocardiograms and yearly 48 hr ECGs. Anxiety makes it worse and the more I think about it, the worse it is. Sugar has a negative impact on it. So does carrying additional weight. If my BMI creeps above 25, I feel it much worse. After years and years of my resting heart rare being between 90 and 110, it's much better now and a much more "normal rate". I am a decade older than you and my heart is healthy and I am fine. The anxiety and worry over it is much worse than anything else. Honestly. Keep eating healthily, exercising more and limiting sugar. Drink plenty of water and stay away from caffeine (tea, coffee, cola, chocolate!). Hope you feel better soon.

I also have a similar resting heart rate OP and also experience regular ectopic heartbeats- I've had ecg etc and they didn't find anything to concern them.

However, I do find that when I focus on my heart rate it sends it right up. I don't know if it makes me breathe differently or something but I'm sure it makes a difference. Perhaps it would be a good idea to ditch the Fitbit for a bit and see if you feel better.

I really sympathise with how anxious you're feeling, it's horrible. I was taught a really good breathing technique that chills me out even when I'm having a bad episode with my PTSD. I'll try and find a link once I've put the toddler down for a nap.

Does it go more than a 30bpm increase from laying to standing? Could be POTS if so. Often misdiagnosed as anxiety.

@Samanabanana

I have a naturally high resting heart rate - this was discovered while in hospital after having my DC- they kept me in for a week of significant tests as I'd had an emergency c-sec. I was diganosed with a slight mis-beat and suffer from regular ectopic beats. I have had every test under the sun, including echocardiograms and yearly 48 hr ECGs. Anxiety makes it worse and the more I think about it, the worse it is. Sugar has a negative impact on it. So does carrying additional weight. If my BMI creeps above 25, I feel it much worse. After years and years of my resting heart rare being between 90 and 110, it's much better now and a much more "normal rate". I am a decade older than you and my heart is healthy and I am fine. The anxiety and worry over it is much worse than anything else. Honestly. Keep eating healthily, exercising more and limiting sugar. Drink plenty of water and stay away from caffeine (tea, coffee, cola, chocolate!). Hope you feel better soon.

Excellent advice to stay away from caffeine, and I always find that alcohol makes the racing heart sensation worse. Which is a massive pain because I do enjoy a tipple

Have you ever been offered antidepressants ?
My DH had terrible anxiety and it’s the only thing that worked for him. They have been a lifesaver, quite literally.

My resting heart rate is anywhere from 96 to 117. When i exercise it can hit 195.

I'm very active, martial artist/instructor. Not obese but not skinny either. My DH on the other hand, he's overweight but also a martial artist and regular gym goer and his heart rate is crazy slow! Barely registers over 40!