Tach? or panic, please help - Heart Disorders Message Board

abbygirl2 · 03-20-2004, 09:50 PM

Hi, for those who don't know I have HOCM, I have recently had an EKG, Echo, 3 holters. All is fine as fine can be-everything with my condition is stable.
Tonight I started feeling light headed and I got a bit scared(thought I might faint) I went and laid down and my heart began going crazy. It was going quite fast, I didn't count but possibly 130-140BPM, and it was all over the place, it would slow a bit then speed back up, it felt like it would skip 2-3 beats then kick in-all the while I am going crazy because I still feel like I am going to pass out. I hollered for my husband to call an ambulance and instead he brought me my Ativan-I have a been having panic attacks for 4 months. I am shaking so bad I can barely open the bottle. I try to do some deep breathing but my heart is going too fast, I can't. Finally in a few moments, my heart slows down and I begin to feel a bit better(probably 2-3 minutes after taking Ativan). I was so weak for a few hours afterwards, that I could barely undress myself for bed. (We never went to the ER-as I have been there numerous times).

Now like I said I have had panic attacks but my heart didn't usually take off like that- I had all the symtpoms of a panic attack-but I have never felt my heart out of control like that. What do you all think this was. I don't have a history of tach. but I know it can start out of the blue. What do you all think? Do spells of tach. make you feel like this-I really thought I was going to faint or die, but did neither.

My husband said I didn't look pale(if that matters) and I was freezing cold just after I began to feel better. I hope I never go through that again-it was horrible, probably the worst I have ever felt. I appreciate any advice plese.
Thanks
Abby

kimma5202 · 03-20-2004, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abbygirl2

Hi, for those who don't know I have HOCM, I have recently had an EKG, Echo, 3 holters. All is fine as fine can be-everything with my condition is stable.
Tonight I started feeling light headed and I got a bit scared(thought I might faint) I went and laid down and my heart began going crazy. It was going quite fast, I didn't count but possibly 130-140BPM, and it was all over the place, it would slow a bit then speed back up, it felt like it would skip 2-3 beats then kick in-all the while I am going crazy because I still feel like I am going to pass out. I hollered for my husband to call an ambulance and instead he brought me my Ativan-I have a been having panic attacks for 4 months. I am shaking so bad I can barely open the bottle. I try to do some deep breathing but my heart is going too fast, I can't. Finally in a few moments, my heart slows down and I begin to feel a bit better(probably 2-3 minutes after taking Ativan). I was so weak for a few hours afterwards, that I could barely undress myself for bed. (We never went to the ER-as I have been there numerous times).

Now like I said I have had panic attacks but my heart didn't usually take off like that- I had all the symtpoms of a panic attack-but I have never felt my heart out of control like that. What do you all think this was. I don't have a history of tach. but I know it can start out of the blue. What do you all think? Do spells of tach. make you feel like this-I really thought I was going to faint or die, but did neither.

My husband said I didn't look pale(if that matters) and I was freezing cold just after I began to feel better. I hope I never go through that again-it was horrible, probably the worst I have ever felt. I appreciate any advice plese.
Thanks
Abby

The same thing happend to me....it was 3 am and i was on the computer in san diego (i was visiting my mom) i was to leave that day at 10pm back to new york. i got off the computer and went to lay down to go to bed and my heart started to beat fast, i also started to shake uncontrollably, my heart was pounding so hard and so fast, i was sure i was dying, i felt like i couldnt relax. i called the nurses hotline and she told me to call 911. i hate going to the ER just to be told im fine, ive done it too many times. i was scared to take a xanax if it really was something heart related (stupid i know.. i should have just taken it) i then started crying thinking i was gunna die...i decided i wasnt just gunna let myself die and went to wake up my mom. as i walked to her door i felt like i was gunna fall over. she opened the door, saw me crying and asked if i was cold cus i was shaking so bad. She got me a blanket and asked what i wanted to do, i asked her to just sit there with me cus i wasnt sure if i was dieing or if it was a panic attack. she was scared but agreed to wait it out with me. i tried to relax and finally fell asleep with my mom right next to me. I HOPE it was just a panic attack but i have never had one so severe. im going to tell the doc about it on my next apt (march 30th). thinking about it still scares me cus at the time i was so sure i was dieing, i felt like i was gunna pass out and my heart was out of control, my symptoms were so real. how is one supposed to tell panic from the real thing??? but i didnt die and im here talking about it so i guess it must have been a panic attack. sorry my post was so long....kim

crabbycdn · 03-20-2004, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abbygirl2

...my heart began going crazy. It was going quite fast, I didn't count but possibly 130-140BPM...I really thought I was going to faint or die
Abby

Well, Abby....130-140 may SEEM fast, it really isn't. There are many different kinds of tachycardia, not all of which are harmful in the short-run.

Best of Luck to you.

abbygirl2 · 03-20-2004, 11:27 PM

thanks so much for your response. I have been sitting here waiting for someone to respond. I have been a basket of nerves lately so it wouldn't surprise me if it were a panic attack, but like KIM said, how do you know a panic from something else??? I am waiting for tests results and have just recently(2 weeks ago) had an echo done. I didn't really think it was a heart attack, I thought my heart was out of control and I was gonna die. Just thinking about it now makes me feel sick. How do we cope on a day-to-day basis-I am so down in the dumps right now. KIM thanks for telling me your story-its comforting to read others who have experienced similar things. Do you have an anxiety disorder?

kimma5202 · 03-21-2004, 11:30 AM

yes i have and anxiety disorder/panic disorder. i take one xanax at nite before bed because thats when my anxiety is the worse, trying to fall asleep with pvc's. sometimes ill just have a really bad pvc that brings on a warm andrenaline feeling and i panic, my heart starts racing, i shake, my teeth chatter, then i take a xanax and it all goes away. the one i told you about two weeks ago was bad because it lasted so long and i was so upset, i couldnt get a handle on it....it lasted until i fell asleep(about an hour). alot of times i can tell myself "your just having a panic attack its going to be ok and take my meds" relax and its over, there still scary though. i had my first panic attack about a year ago and they have been getting more frequent lately. i think people that focuse alot on there heart are more prone to panic attacks, sometimes a funny beat can put me into one but on some days it seems to come from nowhere. i read on a few posts in the panic disorder section that you have taken zoloft...did this help at all with your panic attacks?? i think it might be more preventative, as the xanax only makes the symptoms calm down. Kim