Palpitations Every Day

Posted by cgnet @cgnet, Apr 6 8:22am

33 years old / male / 138 lbs

Hello! I've been struggling with anxiety for my whole life but the past few years it's been worst and it's at the point of ruining my life. I'm convinced it's not anxiety though and that it's something serious.

I've had many ER visits, not finding anything wrong. I've now seen two different cardiologist. My blood work is good, heart monitors come back fine, stress test was great, echo cardiogram is clean and my EKG is always the same - only showing a right bundle branch block, which every doctor has told me is fine in a healthy person.

...And yet here I am, still convinced that there's something wrong with me. Let me explain why that is.

I don't know if it's anxiety or maybe cardiophobia or just something that was missed from the doctors. Could I be in a fib? I'm convinced that is the problem despite that never being found.

I went from having palpitations once or twice a month to now almost every day and sometimes all day long -on and off. when I sleep and slightly move my body to a different position, I can feel my heart rate moving faster. It comes back down and then it will do it again if I move in another position. If I stand up, my heart starts to pound hard and race faster. It usually levels out within a few seconds, but if I'm thinking about it or I stress about it, my heart accelerates really fast as if I'm runnin for minutes. It's like I can literally see it pounding from my neck on both sides. I've seen my heart rate go up to almost 175 just from getting up or walking. As I start to feel any sensation, I start to feel it and it just becomes a vicious cycle of this.

Yesterday I was out. I was walking for a few minutes and was thinking about it because I felt weird and then it started to beat so fast I couldn't even stand. I sat down, it started to slow down. I stood back up and it accelerated again. I couldn't stop feeling my heart, hoping it would just go down. I became anxious and then found myself fallen into anxiety. It lasted hours on and off. I'm tired. I'm scared. I don't know what to do. I'm now in a point in my life where I don't even want it to race or beat fast at all - so anytime it does it it sets me off.

On top of that, I experience really bad dizziness. I don't think it's linked with the palpitations. I think it's a separate thing. It's bad though! I feel like I'm on a ship and I have to hold onto the walls as I walk. I got an MRI of my brain and it was clean. I got my eyes checked and I did a hearing test and that was all fine. I went to a chiropractor and had him adjust me. The only thing that I didn't have him do was touch my neck because I'm really scared for him to crack it. I know many people who do it but I've heard of some being paralyzed by it online. He said he thinks the dizziness can be coming from there as I have a lot of tension in my neck.

I'm not on any medication's. No known allergies. I don't do drugs or smoke. I don't drink coffee. I barely drink much caffeine. I'm not someone who really enjoys alcohol. I go to the gym 4-5 days a week.

Any advice because I can't live like this anymore. Anyone else experience this?

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joshd | @joshd | 22 hours ago

Help is here:
I can’t post links since this a new account but go to ‘icbt(dot)online’ in your browser, click on the menu and select treatment.

Click on ‘ICBT THERAPIST PROVIDER LIST’

Find a therapist in your state, start the work and get better, you can have a better life. I’ve done it and still doing it, same concerns and experiences as yourself.

frouke | @frouke | 11 hours ago

I’m sorry you’re going through such a difficult time and who wouldn’t be scared when it’s your heart…I was wondering if you have had a covid infection at some time since your symptoms came out, I ask because I had covid and later on my heart was beating so rapidly and I could hear it in my ears, I went for many tests and nothing came up except my heart rate was too high. I was amazed at how many people here had the same symptoms and nothing ever showed up. Although it’s a comfort to hear that nothing is wrong but still my heart rate was high and like you, I didn’t have to do anything for it to happen either, you have had a lot of tests done and everything is good, you’re a young man and you live a healthy lifestyle, I feel that possibly you have some anxiety from this problem and this can cause palpitations along with dizziness, you might try talking to your doctor about trying something else like a medication to calm yourself or sometimes they can give you something to slow down your heart, don’t give up hope because the whole thing can just stop one day, best wishes for you.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | 9 hours ago

In reply to @joshd "Help is here: I can’t post links since this a new account but go to ‘icbt(dot)online’..." + (show)

@joshd, have you had success with Inference-based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)? How did it work for you?

joshd | @joshd | 8 hours ago

I have and it’s been great. It’s a different approach to OCD, I’ve done ERP and ACT, both of which have helped to a point, but I-CBT has made, by far, the most impact and success.