The heart palps have seemed to have eased a little, the tightness in the chest is still there but I can breathe better, cutting back on the cigarettes must be helping, I want to cut back more, its SO hard. I slept so bad last night, I feel dreadful today, so exhausted and weak, then I start thinking "congestive heart failure" my Dad has that was diagnosed last year at age 63, I worry all the time about an early sudden death and leaving my son, I wish I could just put all these horrible thoughts about my health and life out of my mind! I talk to my nurse tomm I hope it helps, the PMS is raging too, sure does not help. Thanks for listening. GOd bless, Debbie.

Debbie, Yes I do get heart related symptomss. I feel a tightness in my chest. I feel short of breath. My heart thuds and sometimes it feels like a flutter. I have had numbness in arm and fingertips. I have learned that the numbness in my case can be directly attributed to hyperventilation. When the panic begins I begin to breath shallowly and these are the symptoms of hyperventilation. When you begin to say I am having a heart attack, you worsen the symptoms and the panic escalates. Try when you begin this to say STOP! I am only having a panic attack. I will be ok. I am only hyperventilating and thats why I am having these feelings. They are only feelings and they will pass. Tell yourself calming things. It feels wierd at first and you might not even believe what you are telling yourself but telling yourself the truth even outloud will begin to calm you. It's the negitive untruthful things you shower yourself with that is causing the fear and panic to get worse. Yes I agree with the other writer that if you never have had these symptoms before, get checked out by your doctor. I had a few new symptoms over the past few weeks and I went to the doctor. Be up front tell them about the panic. If your doctor doesn't understand you, find one you feel comfortable with. One of the symptoms I was having off and on that scared me was I was getting very light headed feeling and fatigued often. My doctor checked my blood pressure. It was changeing based on my position, standing, rising, lying down, rising again. It is a very common easily treated condition that some people with low blood pressure experience. He put me on a beta blocker for a month to see if it help regulate my pressure. He told me it is not a life threatening condition. When I get scared about it, I try to tell myself the truth, "It is not a life threatening condition", If I allowed myself to dwell on my negitive feelings and fears I would begin to feel anxious. This is me doing this to myself. I am causing my anxiety. It's all about how we think and talk to ourself. You like me probable have been doing this for some time. I know when I think about it I have been like this my whole life. It's going to take time to change the way we look at things. A lot of hard wor

Hey Debbie! I know that I always get heart symptoms when I am really panicky. I know that when I was a smoker (I quit six years ago) it was always worse. Because you don't normally get this symptom, I really think you should be safe and call a doctor. You have a son that needs you. So what if you go to the doctors and they tell you it's just panic?! At least you'll know. I know how much you hate the doctors so gather as much strength as you can and start with a phone call to one. Tell them that you are an anxiety sufferer but have never had this symptom before. It's better to be safe than sorry. And please know that IF there is a problem, there is so much that can be done for heart problems anymore!! You would be amazed - seriously! Hang in there Debbie and call the doctor - I know you can get through this!! It's better to be safe than sorry. I wouldn't suggest the doctor except that you don't normally get this symptom. Don't be afraid - you can do it.

Thanks Gina and Kim, I keep dwelling on it, what scares me is my panic attacks or anxiety never really caused chest pain or heart palps, just shakiness and dizziness, now I feel pain in my left arm! The chest pain is still there, not as bad, the palps seem less but still there, I just pray God its anxiety and not angina or a pending heart attack, I smoke and I am trying to cut way down, even the Klonopin did not help and that always helps, I have to get my mind off it, right now I am on the verge of having a panic attack, I started getting arm pains after my Aunt mentioned that is one of the signs of a heart attack, I started Zoloft again so that may be contributing to it, did you have heart skipped beats too Kim? or Gina? that is what is really scaring me. This darn panic is ruining my life, my upper arm seems numb unless I am imagining it. God bless, thanks for being here. Debbie.

Debbi, Was there last night. I went to bed only to wake up not long after, heart racing, tight chest. Was very scared. Thought something terrible was happening to me, probably my heart. Tried to get back to sleep but this happened several times though the night. Went to the Dr this morning, he ran an ekg, listened to my heart, listened to me explain what happened. Said his gut feeling was my heart was ok, but ordered a 24 heart monitor for me for tues and wed next week and a stress test to calm my fears. I know it had all the signs of panic attack and what I should do but once it starts all that goes out the window and I am afriad I am dying. I just wanted you to know your not alone and I will be praying for you. I just bought the 16 tape set from the midwest center on anxiety on e-bay, and I'm going to listen to tape 3 today. Tape 1 and 2 really gave me some insight into my symptoms. It comes with a relaxation tape, I'm going to try that one today to. I know how overwhelming (an understatement!) these feelings can be, but we have to remember they are only feelings. They will pass. We must be possitive and tell ourselves the good and helpful facts. Stoping negitive self talk. I hope you feel better today and God Bless. Kim

hey debbie yeah it looks like the strom will pass us.i hope you feel better. gina

Dear Gina, I just saw the weather report it looks better for Florida its veering more west off shore, we may get a little wind and rain, but nothing severe, Thank God, I hope it spares everyone wherever they live. I have been having terrible heart palps all day and my chest hurts, I am even afraid to go to sleep I am afraid I will have a heart attack in my sleep, I hate to have these thoughts. I vomit alot and I think I have hurt my heart rythm or something, I have always had a bad stomach but my heart seemed alright, please say a few prayers for me I am here alone with my son. I hope you are doing alright. The storm is not going to hit us it looks like. GOd bless, Debbie.

hi debbie, i get racing heart for no reason.and i also get the throat thing .i think its stress. are you ready for the hurricane?i have been worried about it all day my family is all at my house since my house is the safest. debbie i pray you feel better. gina

Last night when I was walking with my son I started to get deep pains in the middle of my chest, it was very hot but that really never happened like that, it finally stopped, I was NOT nervous or panicked just a stroll with my son around the neighborhood. What really scared me was about 2:00 am my heart started "skipping beats" and then started to race, I feel a strange feeling in my throat now, like my heartbeat is skipping in my throat and mild chest pain. Heart problems run in my family, I am trying to attribute it to Hurricane Dennis stress {I live in Florida} the London bombings and my brothers fiance being in a coma, but I was very relaxed last night I had taken my Klonopin and went to bed, it was not a panic attack, I have convinced myself I am going to have a heart attack, does this ever happen to anyone else, chest pain, racing pulse and skipped beats?? Its scaring the heck out of me, now I am concentrating on it all day which makes it worse. I hope its just anxiety. Thanks for any replies. God bless, Debbie.