Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Once again the heart!

February 2, 2015 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med Ralf von Seckendorff

Hello,

This question builds on my problem from a few weeks ago, which I had already described here. It would be great if you could read it again, as there are more detailed information about myself, my age, etc.

http://frag-einen.com/arzt/innere_medizin/herzunregelmaessigkeiten-500845.html

There, I already described that I believe to have heart rhythm disorders. I have already had 2 long-term ECGs in the last 5 years, which were inconspicuous, but the problem never occurred during these measurements.

Well, my current problem is different. For weeks I have been having total anxiety due to a heart attack death in my family, about having a heart problem. It started with heart rhythm disorders, which I described in the link above, but now it is a different problem. My pulse has been too fast lately. I noticed this for the first time a week and a half ago, when I met with friends in the city, came home, and still had a very high pulse (just over 100) an hour later. I got anxious because I am a hypochondriac, then I laid down and tried to relax, and it went down.

But since then, I have noticed from time to time that my pulse is sometimes too high in certain situations - even when I am sitting quietly and doing nothing. Sometimes I am even afraid to measure it, as it only makes me crazier, but I can already estimate with my finger whether it is closer to 80 or 100.

This morning, for example, my pulse was a bit too fast again, but it went away. This afternoon, I was lying on my couch and suddenly felt my heartbeat. It wasn't fast or anything, I just felt/hear it clearly in my chest. After that, I became very anxious again and drank two glasses of wine, hoping they would relax me (which I rarely do, I rarely drink alcohol). And now my pulse is very fast again, even though I haven't measured it, I definitely know it is above 100. Can this be caused by alcohol?

Anyway, although my heart has been examined many times before, I am terrified that something is wrong. And I don't want to bother my doctor anymore, who may not take me seriously anymore. That's why I'm asking here: should this be investigated again? Should I be afraid of having something dangerous, or that my heart will just stop beating someday? And why was I able to "feel" my heartbeat in my chest today? I have never experienced this before.

Dr. med Ralf von Seckendorff

Good evening, I am happy to help you further.

First of all: if not already done, it would be advisable to check your thyroid levels as a precaution to rule out hyperthyroidism. Otherwise, I recommend the following:

Based on your description and reviewing the previous question, I can confirm the opinion of my esteemed colleague, Dr. Höllering: you are describing the typical symptoms of anxiety disorder related to the heart.

The symptoms you have described can be well explained by the tension in your autonomic nervous system, especially with your tendency towards hypochondriacal fears and the history of heart-related deaths in your family which naturally intensifies these fears. Fortunately, you are not at all at risk of experiencing a heart attack, as apart from being overweight, you do not have any other risk factors (non-smoker, young age, etc.)

Furthermore, sufficient preliminary examinations have already been done, so your heart is considered healthy.

I recommend that in addition to optimizing your weight, you also seek psychological help, as you are listening too closely to your fears.

With a very high probability, there is nothing to fear regarding a dangerous heart condition.

Best regards and all the best.