Heart thumping

[defmunel]

I go in for my stress test tomorrow. I've been to the cardio doc, who is doing every test to rule out other illnesses besides anxiety. This is my question... Are there "appropriate " times to have a thumping heart? Like its beating hard?

I've always worried that I have some sort of autoimmune disorder. My heart thumps when I've sat down and bend over immediately after standing. It doesnt take long for it to stop, but it happens none the less. It thumps when I'm standing still for a while, or of I've been on my feet for a long time. It thumps after exercise. It thumps after swimming and holding my breath. It thumps after eating sometimes. It thumps when i walk up a flight of stairs. I notice every blasted thump! This "thumping" has me worried that I won't pass my stress test and something will show up that's wrong. I want every test to come back normal so I can finally move on from this anxiety and start living my life. I just can't move forward until I've had the stamp of healthy from my doc.

Anxiety comes and goes for me. In every other aspect of my life, I feel like I'm level headed, realistic. But I'm NOT with my health. I can joke, laugh, have fun...until I have to do any strenuous activity...then I fold. I just want to know....WTH IS "NORMAL" for me to be feeling with my heart?!!!

Def

[SussexDunc]

Hi Def

It really depends on what you mean by thumping. Are you suddenly aware of your heart beating, or does it noticeably beater harder? Thumping heart is normal during or after exercise, and a little bit if you suddenly stand up from bending as your heart needs to pump harder to keep blood pressure equalised.

There might be an element of self fulfilling prophecy to your condition - you're expecting a thumping heart, therefore you'll perceive every slight change in heart rhythm as abnormal, when there's nothing really there.

How much exercise do you do, and What are your resting and exercising blood pressure and heart rates?

All the best

Dunc

[defmunel]

Dunc,

I don't exercise much now. I used to run 2x a week. And it felt good. I ran a 10 k on thanksgiving, while I was 6 weeks pregnant, and my heart rate would not drop below 100 for about 8 hours. It was the most uncomfortable feeling ever. I ended up mis carrying 3 weeks later. I've been scarred since that day, and have not exercised since.

[dazza]

I go in for my stress test tomorrow. I've been to the cardio doc, who is doing every test to rule out other illnesses besides anxiety. This is my question... Are there "appropriate " times to have a thumping heart? Like its beating hard?

I've always worried that I have some sort of autoimmune disorder. My heart thumps when I've sat down and bend over immediately after standing. It doesnt take long for it to stop, but it happens none the less. It thumps when I'm standing still for a while, or of I've been on my feet for a long time. It thumps after exercise. It thumps after swimming and holding my breath. It thumps after eating sometimes. It thumps when i walk up a flight of stairs. I notice every blasted thump! This "thumping" has me worried that I won't pass my stress test and something will show up that's wrong. I want every test to come back normal so I can finally move on from this anxiety and start living my life. I just can't move forward until I've had the stamp of healthy from my doc.

Anxiety comes and goes for me. In every other aspect of my life, I feel like I'm level headed, realistic. But I'm NOT with my health. I can joke, laugh, have fun...until I have to do any strenuous activity...then I fold. I just want to know....WTH IS "NORMAL" for me to be feeling with my heart?!!!

Def

Let us know how your test goes. Fingers crossed.

This past year has been the hardest of my life. I don't expect to ever again, face anything more terrifying than anxiety + panic disorder.
ESPECIALLY where my heart is concerned.

What started out with what I thought was an impending heart attack, threw me into a world of terror + panic + unreal + fear beyond what I could have ever imagined.
"A living hell" doesn't even come close to what I've been through.

I don't have time to write much right now (at work), but what I can say is that, in the case of anxiety, ANYTHING is possible where symptoms are concerned. The most frightening, weird, terrifying, seemingly unexplainable stuff has been going on around various parts of my body.
The hardest part... was believing. Believing all this could possibly be a response from "simple" anxiety?

So many factors come in play during the course of this disorder that you can end up a complete an utter physical & mental mess... where one feeds the other in a continuous loop of living horror.

My heart has been ALL over the place. Skipping, palpitating, banging, thumping, wobbling... you name it, it's been there. As for being overly aware of it... fucking hell, I swear that for at least 4 months I focused on NOTHING else but each and every heart beat.
Not deliberately focusing, but mentally locked onto it... unable to break free.

Fear is the key.
Fear makes you vulnerable but also makes your heart beat hard & fast. A deadly, self-generating combination for health anxiety sufferers.

Living in constant fear dictates that you will also be living with symptoms related to what you actually fear.

Now I have the odd wobbly moment / hour / day, but my heart is at rest once again. I no longer worry about it because I've proved to myself that my heart is fine.
Hard exercise, doctors + er visits have all told me it's fine.

Listen & take on board these facts - they will eventually save you.