Funny turn/weird thing happened and now I can't stop worrying

[SpongeCake23]

Something happened at 4am last night that really scared me (exactly the same thing happened on Monday night about 2am) I got up to go to the toilet, felt my heart rate go up a little bit and pounding a bit harder than usual, which is normal straight from a deep sleep and then did what I needed to do in the bathroom and went and got back into bed.
I then started straight away feeling strange when I laid down on my side, after a few seconds, the feeling rushed over me, like feeling a bit faint and weird but while laying down. I can't explain it.
Then my heart started up, probably about 130/140 BPM and I could feel it in my head and everything.
I got up panicking and felt weirdly faint and lightheaded again. I told my partner how I felt and he said to lay down. So I did and my heart was still pounding away at about 150, maybe less or more I don't know as I didn't measure it. But it was definitely harder and faster than usual. Then it gradually slowed down as I was laying on my back.
I'm so afraid there's really something wrong with me.
I'm on my period at the moment too.

Probably best to see your Dr incase it’s due to blood pressure or a mini sexiure. You can get vertigo from changing positions quickly too.

@diamond25 I don't think it was a seizure because I was fully aware of what was happening.

I have been to the GP after the last time and was told I had a panic attack but now it's happened again, I'm not so sure.

Why do you disagree with the diagnosis of panic attack?

Do you fear it might be something specific and if so ,what ?

@tumblrpigeon Because it doesn't feel like anxiety to me, or not anything I've had before.

I'm concerned it's a heart arrhythmia

It sounds a lot like SVT book another appointment with the doctor and ask about SVT.

My DH had exactly the same symptoms. They started all of a sudden and he had similar attacks every night. He eventually went to the GP who diagnosed anxiety attacks. Neither of us believed it in the beginning, as there was nothing at all that srarted it off, no life change, no trigger, nothing at all. The GP asked my DH at the time if he felt anxious and my DH answered that he hadn't befote the attack started, but that he was now because he was sure they meant that there was something wrong withhis heart. So as far as my DH was concerned, these episodes were a trigger for anxiety and not the other wat round. The GP was still convinced that they were panic attacks and eventually gave my DH some antidepressants which DH took for a while but they didn't help at all so he stopped. In the end the attack just stopped after a few weeks. We were never convinced that they were panic attacks. This was about 8 or so years ago. But about two years ago, the episodes came up in conversation between us, sort of like "do you remember that time when..." and that very night, the attacks started again! So that finally convinced us that the GP had been right all along. This time round DH suffered with them for maybe a couple of weeks, but it was much more bearable because he sort of knew it was his head rather than any physical problem causing them. He just sort of accepted that they were happening and tried to use relaxation techniques to help ease them and make them pass, and just kept telling himself that they would eventually go away again.
By all means go and see a GP if you are worried, but honestly from what you describe it sounds line exactly the same thing. All the best

I agree it sounds like it could be palpitations / svt. I have had much of my life - initially diagnosed as vt, more recently as svt - I usually get an odd lightheaded feeling as a prelude to my heart beating v quickly. I've also noticed it can happen more if I have my period, or feel unwell. Go to the dr, they may want you to have a 24hr holter test to record what your heart is doing.

Get your bloods checked for over active thyroid.

I suffer from anxiety and have had these attacks before, then I worry about it and it happens the next night. it’s kind of stuck in my subconscious until I actually forget about it and they go away

I get this sort of thing if I drink more than about 3 glasses of wine. I read somewhere that when you metabolise alcohol it produces a chemical very similar to adrenaline. I am 100 percent convinced of this since the night when I found my son covered in a non- blanching rash and bleeding from nose and mouth and had to drive him 45 mins to hospital, I woke up in the early hours about 2 hours after being admitted with the exact same heart thing: and that was definitely adrenaline! (He recovered, btw).

Too much caffeine can cause this. mY friend had this and was told to cut down on the caffeine and red wine which she has done and there has been no other episodes.

Probably best to get checked again as it’s happened again as you can get seizures in your sleep. I am not a Dr but work in a hospital. Are you anxious at all? I have had panic attacks & that hasn’t happened to me.

@diamond25

It wasn't in my sleep or straight from sleep because I had already got up to use the bathroom then it happened when I got back into the bed,
It was a sudden rush of adrenaline/hot flush feeling, followed by a racing heart and feeling very lightheaded and scared. So I don't think it's seizures.
If anything it could be SVT I suppose. Oh I just can't stop worrying about it.

@diamond25

I think all panic attacks are different. And yes, I suffer with bad anxiety.

I had symptoms similar to this and was told by my GP that it was panic attacks.

It wasn't - it was a vitamin B12 deficiency that got steadily worse and I developed lots of other nasty symptoms and became very unwell. A good doctor shouldn't assume anxiety without checking bloods carefully. Please get thorough bloods done and ask for a copy of the results and check things out yourself (my b12 was very very low but my doctor didn't take it seriously).

I hope you get to the bottom of things. Hugs and best wishes.

Forgot to say, my b12 symptoms are always worse when I'm on my period.

I have episodes like this and the GP says its anxiety.
I didn't believe it at first, thought there was something seriously wrong (which is also part of the anxiety).
It happens if I've had a very stressful day, or if something's coming up that I'm unsure about.
I have propranolol now which helps. I also use distraction techniques - focus on my toes or the ends of my fingers and how they feel, Google anxiety breathing gif, name dog breeds from A-Z (or whatever you're interested in!).
It's worth getting it checked out, but it really does sound like anxiety, especially when you say about the rush of adrenaline.

Sounds like SVT, I had it. I had a secondary accessory pathway, I had it ablated and it hasn’t happened since. I was never really troubled or worried about it though - what are you particularly worried about?

I get this too, I suffer from anaemia and panic attacks. Have you had your iron levels checked?

But I’ve just googled SVT now worried I have that as the symptoms are so similar 😲

Id say it was anxiety/panic attack, my mum suffers with this and I suffered anxiety for many years.

She didnt believe it either the first time it happened but sure enough she worried more which made it increase and is given propranalol.

If you say you already suffer from anxiety, id be even more swayed to say it was an attack

Discuss with your GP though.

I know what it feels like, Its awful x

I can have a similar feeling with my period if I'm also a bit ill. At night you can real feel you heart rate. Mine is definitely not anxiety and I only ever rarely have it as a once off.

OP, you can't get proper answers without seeing your GP.

I'm also slightly anemic and have low blood pressure - worse if on period.

I should add, my SVT tachycardia was more like 200bpm, not 150. And it would come out if the blue, not when I was anxious, and stop very suddenly, not slow down.. And I quite like any medical stuff, I find it interesting and enjoy the novelty. So it definitely wasn’t a panic attack - if you have anxiety / panic with it, it is more likely to be a panic attack.

Also, read up on the Valsalva manoeuvre, sort of exhaling against a closed mouth and bearing down like you’re having a poo. If that suddenly stops the tachycardia, more likely to be SVT, if not more likely to be anxiety.