Anxiety - advice please!!

[Slim]

My doctor thinks I am suffering from anxiety. He says I am to have an ECG/Heart Recording test done, will this show I am suffering from anxiety? Why has he requested this be done, has anyone else had this?

Your advice would be greatly appreciated!

[LuvMyLilDoggie]

I have been through electrocardiograms several times. What that shows is the electrical currents going through your heart.
By heart recording test, I am assuming that you mean a holter monitor. Is this correct? I had that done last year too. If that's what you're having done, you wear a small device strapped around your neck with wires and leads attached to you. It records what your heart is doing during the course of the day and night. You'll be asked to write down everything you do (I do mean EVERYTHING) and what time you did it. You'll also be asked to write down every time you have chest pain, shortness of breath, etc. In my case, I had to wear it for 24 hrs. This does not require a stay in the hospital.
This will not show if you're suffering from anxiety or not. What your doctor is doing is what every good doctor does. He's ruling out other possibilities. This does not mean that he thinks you have a heart problem so don't worry. He just wants to make sure that nothing else is wrong with you. The worst part of the test is writing things down. So please don't worry. Good luck with the tests.
Barb


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"Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things".

[suseque]

Slim,
I have suffered from panic and anxiety for many yrs, for which I take medication to control. I'm not sure this is the same thing, but I had to wear a monitor that you would tape in a couple of places on your chest, it was attached to a very small receiver that you can wear in your pocket. When you feel your heart racing you hook this receiver up to the phone...dial a # and it calls in your reading...you then note what time it happened and what you were doing at the time. I think I did this for about a month. It helps the Dr determine if it is truly anxiety or something more serious.
Hope this helps.