Feeling scared

Bipolar
#1

i went to the heart  specialist yesterday .last year i had a suspected heart attack i had a raised tropinion level they said it was borderline.

then last november about 2 months after   they gave me a stress test bascially running on a tredmill while wired up tp a ecg then they kept doing heart echo's aswell.well the specialist said the results was exelant i hadn't had a heart attack i hadn't got angina and it wasn't coronary.i was over the moon until he said i still had to stay on all the meds as it still didn't rule out something else was wrong.

well after months of waiting (6 months approx) to see him again  he said it was up to me i could just leave things or have one more test .so i opted for the test he said they would put a dye in me which would show up my heart and push me hard on a tredmill then test me again 4 hours later.he said it was to check my left ventrical in my heart was working ok and there wasn't any muscle weakness.

but he doesn't want to see me again until dec and the test will be somewhere before then.he did say though he thought it could all be  muslcer but was making sure i guess.

well i came out of there nearly in tears .i am terrified of anything being wrong ,the night before i went to see him i could hardly sleep and when i did drop off i woke up thinking my heart had stopped daft i know but i was in such a state.

everyone around me keeps trying to reassure me by saying he is just making sure but i can't help being so scared.

what can i do to not worry so much i'm on my own most nights of the week as my partner works nights and i'm terrified of going to bed just in case anything happens.

#2

Hi. It sounds like anxiety is playing a large part in this.  Before I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, I experienced heart palpitations, chest pain, a feel like I was about to die.  My husband at the time worked graveyard shift, so like you I was alone at night.  I would be afraid to go to sleep and was sure I was going to die.  I had been to the doctor, had an echocardiagram, EKG, etc.  He couldn’t find much except that I did have high blood pressure.  I am on meds now for anxiety and blood pressure.  Since being on the meds, I have none of those previous “heart” symptoms.  I had an EKG last summer and it came out fine.   Try to realize that what you are feeling is panic, which is part of anxiety.  Talk to your doctor about that, and if you are not already, maybe you can start to take something for the anxiety.  Good luck and if you need to talk, I’m here.

#3

thankyou very much for replying i think you are right would anxiety cause my pulse  to increase to nearly a hundred beats per minute.i do have low blood pressuse.

#4

I have low blood pressure yet my heart often beats more than 100bpm.  I have had some blood work done so far.  I think it is due to a med i’m taking since the fewer the dose i take of this med, the slower my heart beats.  When the pdoc boosts the dose, my heart beats like crazy.  When I try to sleep, I can feel it pounding away in my chest and neck.  my pdoc thinks it has nothing to do with the med.  It doesn’t show up as a side effect .  Klonopin helps me sleep and not worry so much about it.

#5

Do you still have your galbladder? I felt like maybe I was having a heart attack when my galbladder quit functioning. Just a thought. Anxiety cause a variety of symptoms. Are you suffering from nausea at anytimes?

#6

Yes, I still have my gallbladder.  I do get nauseous when I am very anxious and of course that is when my heart is pounding away, too.

I dont know what the doctor will decide.  Think I'm just as the beginning of this thing.  Heart trouble runs in my family.

#7

I know it is easier said than done but you’ve got try and keep the stress down to a minimum. Come here when you are feeling upset and need some people to listen. I am here for you my friend anytime you need someone to listen to your fears and worries.

#8

Hi there, I'm new to this fourm.  I've been suffering bipolar disorder at least for the last six years.  For the most part my illness is under control but this past week i've had excess energy and making bad decisions and getting very scared again.  How do you maintain a good sense of balance with everything?  Help!!!!

Lisa20cb

#9

snuggly, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) after having symptoms like yours.  Mine came out of nowhere while driving and had to pull over and get a grip.  I thought I was having a heart attack, and I wasn't thinking of anything particularly stressful.  My doc tested everything, EKG, blood, various diseases, etc. and came up with anxiety.  I've been on anti-anxiety meds for 10-15 years.

Usually my heart rate was in the low 60's but during anxiety attacks it is over 100 and sometimes up to 150 or so (avg 120).  My blood pressure is usually 90/50 - 100/60 range.  It stays pretty much the same.  Like you, heart disease runs in the family so I immediately jumped to the conclusion that I was dying of heart failure, but ... it's anxiety.  Now that I know that, I feel better and can take Xanax when it happens to calm down.

Another thing I noticed, too, is hearing and feeling my heart beating in my head and body while I'm lying in bed.  The first time I felt that I was freaking out and ready to call 911.  Again, it is anxiety.  After taking my Xanax, I was fine.  Talk to your doc about the possibility of you having panic attacks due to anxiety.  Perhaps that'll help.