Cardiophobia

[Dahrol]

Cardiophobia is what seems to have triggered this insanity I now live in.


Anyone else deal with this?

[Cuchculan]

I assume that is a fear of the heart stopping? Judging by the cardio part. That you are maybe obsessed with your heart. Trust me when I say we hear lots of similar stories every night in the chatroom. People who assume there is something wrong with their hearts. But we hear the same stories night in night out. And nothing ever goes wrong for these people at all. That, to me, is the most important part to note. They have a fear there is something wrong with their hearts. They feed that fear by inward focusing. Cocentrating on the heart alone. Some dash off to ER. Have tests done. Always come back negative. But they don't accept the results of the tests. They still imagine there is something wrong with their hearts. The answer is to try not to feed the problem. Ask yourself how long have you been thinking this way. And has anything bad ever really happened? Answer to that is probably no. Just a few bad feelings. But they are feelings brought on by yourself. Not by a heart condition. More a case of trying to distract yourself. Get your mind off of your heart and onto something else. Be it a hobby or anything else. It will sure make things a whole lot easier for you. No doubt others will reply to your post too. People who suffer what you do. There are loads out there.

[sixpack]

I assume that is a fear of the heart stopping? Judging by the cardio part. That you are maybe obsessed with your heart. Trust me when I say we hear lots of similar stories every night in the chatroom. People who assume there is something wrong with their hearts. But we hear the same stories night in night out. And nothing ever goes wrong for these people at all. That, to me, is the most important part to note. They have a fear there is something wrong with their hearts. They feed that fear by inward focusing. Cocentrating on the heart alone. Some dash off to ER. Have tests done. Always come back negative. But they don't accept the results of the tests. They still imagine there is something wrong with their hearts. The answer is to try not to feed the problem. Ask yourself how long have you been thinking this way. And has anything bad ever really happened? Answer to that is probably no. Just a few bad feelings. But they are feelings brought on by yourself. Not by a heart condition. More a case of trying to distract yourself. Get your mind off of your heart and onto something else. Be it a hobby or anything else. It will sure make things a whole lot easier for you. No doubt others will reply to your post too. People who suffer what you do. There are loads out there.

couldn't have said it better myself.

and from reading your intro post it was the friend who had a heart attack that triggered it.  The health anxiety section is full of folks who have various health fears triggered by the death or diagnosis of someone they know. 

[Dahrol]

My fear is fed through extrasystoles or heart palpitations.

Sometimes, they make me feel like any second, I will go into cardiac arrest because my heart is out of rhythm. But none of this occurred until the trigger happened.

If I didn't have the extrasystoles, the anxiety would probably be a cake-walk getting rid of.

My thing is, how exactly did anxiety cause them, and will they ever go away, or has anxiety damaged my heart.

That's the pinpoint right there.

[zhivago]

what does one do when they DO have a cardiac condition? Because of mine, I'm scared I could die any moment.

[Dahrol]

There seems to be a lack of supports on this issue.

Or maybe it's just the anxiety talkin. Idk.

[TonyL1]

not sure it's a lack of support, more a lack of information about this ( not on your part though ) I too have
Cardiophobia  badly , and as I get older (age 43 now) I find myself getting more freaked by it also, as I have
daily chest nasty pains + anxiety etc but I'm at a loss to explain why I have these pains so often, doc says all
the tests he's done last 6 months show nothing really abnormal for my age, I don't smoke, drink and
I'm now caffeine free also, only thing I can suggest is keep looking and get some basic tests done for
at least reassurance which is always good to hear,  however I've re-scared myself  recently as doc wants to probe
further maybe and try a angiogram, ( and that's a icky test from what I've read lol) Anyhoo ya just gotta try
and figure this crap out and stay positive... get rid of the triggers etc like what ya eat and drink, and try keep
moving forward.. it's all we can do

~~Tony~~

[ashcrash85]

I am like you. My anxiety is fully centered around my heart. Cardiophobia is exactly what I experience, it's relentless and non stop for 10 years, almost 11. Mine started after my grandma died of a sudden heart attack, a month after her death i was just laying around watching TV when my heart felt like it skipped. That one blip in time set off my fear and anxieties that have been so debilitating to me.

My anxiety is perpetuated by my extrasystoles as well. No matter how much research I have gathered that they're harmless, no matter the fact that I've had 3 clear ekg's, I still am stuck in this pit of he** and I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever claw my way out. I so feel your pain, I understand where you're coming from more than you'll ever know.

I've been poking around on the No More Panic forum and I found this:

Well I saw my lovely Doc today - didn't mention Wednesdays experience! (Although I think the Practice Manager may have put notes on my file to explain why I was re-visiting docs so soon after prev appointment appointment). Anyway Doc used to be a heart surgeon and he explained so thoroughly why I get ectopics - adreneline release stimulates the heart. (I already knew this but the way he said it was so definite)

He also said when he completed a heart transplant he was always amazed at how keen the heart was to start up again after being stopped for up to an hour. He said the heart wants to beat. Even if it seems to pause and quicken it just wants to beat and I have the proof that it will always self regulate. He was really reassuring. He said that a 24 hour trace would show up my ectopics and excited heart but that is all it would show as ECGs and bloods have proved that even though I have had them for 7 years there is no heart damage. I felt totally reassured after speaking to him and he ended by saying - Remember you have a tried and tested safety net of Cipralex - let's keep it as a last resort - but you know you can always go back on them if necessary.

Interesting stuff if you ask me. Here is another thread I found with some more reassurance ( for me too. I'm trying to pound it into my head)

Cardiologist 1:
- Ectopic beats are a normal phenomena, almost all us have a couple each day, and the tendency will usually become more frequent when we go though psychological stress, exertion, anxiety or fear. Try to mobilize on a psychological level to overcome them, by beeing aware of the fact that ectopic beats do not represent heart sickness. Thinking to much of them, or worrying about the next one, will almost always increase their freqency.

Cardiologist 2:
- All of us have several extrasystoles during the day (and night). Some of us have only a few and can be aware of everyone, while others may have thousands without ever noticing them. Ectopic beats are as good as always benign by nature, especially in people with otherwise healthy hearts. Certain things can increase their tendency, as mental stress, coffe, smoking and irregular sleep patterns. Many athletes experience them after traing, while their levels of adrenaline are still high. The most important thing to do if you worry and are bundled into the vicious cycle of pv's-anxiety-more pvc's-more anxiety, is getting back the recognition of having a normal heart.
If you have a functionally normal heart, ectopic beats are a normal phenomena you don't have to worry about at all. They do not represent heart problems, and they do not represent any tear or wear your heart. They will not make your heart stop, nor will they bring on a heart attack. Anxiety is one of the most common triggers, as anxious people , especially in stressed periods, have excess amounts of adrenaline-like substances in their blood, interacting with parts of your heart capable of triggering an extrasystole.
Beeing to much aware of them will leave your body in a more or less constant state of fight-or flight, and this will only aggravate the pvc's.


General practitioner:
Dear patient, what you describe sounds most likely to be ectopic beats, a phenomenon that is not at all dangerous, and which can appear in singles, or as a "run", in series for a brief time. You should first of all get your doctor to perform a resting ecg, a prosedure that will rule out a number of possible disorders (most of them totally bening) and blood samples. If your resting ecg is fine, and your symptoms don't appear alongside with extreme dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain or fainting, - and your blood tests are ok you most likely have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Cardiologist 3:
Those "missing" beats are actually premature ones and almost everyone has them at some time or another. Some people have them almost constantly. They are a very common source of anxiety and worry, but they also can be caused by anxiety and worry, so it's a difficult cycle to break.
The premature beats are rarely, if ever, diagnostic of anything, but they can cause an awful lot of concern for the person having them. A conscious effort to ignore them only helps to focus attention on them, so it is an ironic problem. The best thing is to allow yourself to become absorbed in something else and with luck you won't notice them as much. Oddly, some people have hundreds per day but don't feel them, while other people only have a very few, but feel every one.

It is so very frustrating living with these. I have tried accepting and ignoring. But really, ignoring and accepting only serves to keep my mind wondering when the next one will occur. You see what I mean? We've come to know what these feel like, we fear them, so we wonder when the next one will rear its ugly head. Samething works for trying to get our mind off of them, it only serves to let our mind wander and wonder. 

I wish I knew how to help you get away from this, but in truth, I'm right next to you.

[MeganxPhillips5150]

I to have Cardiophobia. My Dad has had 6 heart attacks & I lost my daughter at 4 months- just last year.

I feel like my heart is just going to stop. It drives me insane & the only cure is to go to sleep. I don't leave my house anymore- it's awful. I start school on the 7th & I'm not sure how I am going to deal/cope.

I have such a fear- that I truly start to see stuff around me- like I'm more aware of my surroundings- like I am just about to die. Or it's the "dying process"

I make myself sick/tired with worry. Your not alone. Maybe we should talk sometimes. I've been looking for someone with the same exact phobia =/

[MusicSoothes]

I had a major anxiety attack over ectopic beats also.  In the end, I realised that adrenaline causes this, so worrying will only make the symptoms worse.. plus the physical exam was seriously expensive and there was no way I was going to ask my parents to fork out for that.  Truth is, your heart is this amazing muscle which is stronger than a vice, you have to trust yourself and let it do its job. 

[MLTHOMSEN]

Hello
 I also suffer from cadiophobia, but I am no longer afraid of the extra beat or missed shots.

 A skilled cardiologist once told me that it would be nothing less than a miracle if I should die by them. They are harmless and can not do damage to your heart.

 adrenaline as we get much of when we get anxiety attacks, is only to make several extra beats, and once you are not afraid of the extra beat or missed beat, then they will disappear again-maybe even go away.

 It has helped me to know "it's a miracle if you were to die of them"

[Ikonoclast]

Cardiophobia is what seems to have triggered this insanity I now live in.


Anyone else deal with this?

I have struggled with this for about a year now. I am new here, if you read my introduction post you would see why it's a phobia of mine.

[ashcrash85]

Just wanted to let ya'll know, there is a Cardiophobia thread in the Hypochondria section in the pinned topics. Come by and talk with the rest of us who are fearful of our hearts