Irregular heartbeat makes me think I'm on the verge of death Posted: 09-20-06 15:10pm
I am a 21 year old male. Was a two-sports
varsity athlete in high school. I am 6
foot 3 and weigh 245 pounds. There is no
history of heart disease in my family,
both pairs of my grandparents are
alive-and-well at over 75 years old. I do
not smoke but enjoy alcohol on a somewhat
regular basis. Four months ago I
experienced what has been described as
anxiety-panic attacks for the first time
in my life. Since that time I have been in
and out of the hospital 6 times, twice
were ER visits. I experience a variety of
different problems almost daily, ranging
from split-second very painful head pain,
a tightness/cramping from my left shoulder
to the lower end of my left pectoral,
split second sharp chest pains, waking up
with increased heart rate, varying heart
rate (I sampled my resting heart rate 10
times in a one 2 minute period, the
results were, 62, 81, 89, 77, 87, 101, 99,
80, 89, and 85, all using an electronic
heart rate monitor). Sometimes I will
monitor my heart rate manually and feel it
fluxate like crazy, as in, it will go
"beatbeatbeatbeat...beat...beat.......,"
and then I will feel what I used to think
was numbness but now have decided is a
rush of adrenaline shoot through my body
before it continues, "beatbeatbeatbeat." I
have been prescribd Xanax and yes, the
Xanax works in the sense that it takes
away the ANXIETY, but on Xanax I still
notice my heart rate being very weird.
This does not happen all the time, rather
at random points during the day. Both EKGs
done ahve showed perfect marks, all 6
times the doctor has told me I have great
blood pressure and heart rate has been
below 80 those times. I have not yet had
an "echo," whatever that is, or a stress
test done. These problems have grown and
grown to the point where I cannot live a
normal life, I cannot concentrate in class
and cannot have fun with my friends
because I constantly think I am on the
verge of death, I think about what I read
about heart disease and how you can just
suddenly die. Basically, I have a really
hard time believing that anxiety/panic
attacks can make my heart skip beats like
I described earlier, and would just
appreciate any help at all. It always
takes at least 10 days to fit in an
appointment with my primary physician so
that is why I came in here, for the
meantime.
According to the symptoms you are
experiencing (constant obsession with your
health), it seems likely that you are
experiencing hypochondria. Hypochondria
is a kind of neurotic disorder wherein a
person thinks irrationally that he has
a/many severe disease(s). The patient
often visits many doctors searching for a
disease but all examinations indicate an
absence of disease. Treatment for
hypochondria includes psychotherapy and/or
medications. You can visit a
pscyhologist, psychiatrist, or another
mental health professions for an expert
opinion and help.
DISCLAIMER: "Ask a Doctor" Questions are answered by Dr. Nikola Gjuzelov, General Practitioner. Dr. Gjuzelov practices medicine for the general public and is affiliated with the Republic of Macedonia Public Health Institution. For more information about Dr. Gjuzelov or other eHealthForum.com medical experts, please visit our About Us page. You may also visit our Anxiety and Stress Forum, for moderated patient to patient support and information.
The material presented in the eHealth Forum Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified licensed medical professional. eHealth Forum and eHealth Forum's Ask A Doctor advises all users with health problems and concerns to consult their personal doctors. Furthermore, if you have any questions or concerns about your condition, you must consult your qualified licenseced medical professional before starting any treatment.
The materials in the eHealth Forum Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. To the fullest extent possible, eHealth Forum and eHealth Forum's Ask A Doctor expressly excludes all liability in respect of the information and opinions contained in the Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor, this Web site, or any sites linked to this Web site.
The site is not a replacement for professional medical opinion, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information written by any author on this site. No health questions and information on eHealth Forum is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor. Posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author, and not the administrators, moderators, or editorial staff and hence eHealth Forum and its principals will accept no liabilities or responsibilities for the statements made.
Schizophreniahealth
This page was last updated on June 11, 2008
