Obsession

[Michelle D]

As my doctors keep tweaking my meds to deal with flutters and palpatations I've become obsessed with checking my pulse and blood pressure. It seems that my anxiety with this is getting worse. I am seeing a counselor but it takes time. Did anyone else have this problem? I worry because my heart rate is extremely sensitive to beta blockers, my doctor knows this and she gives me baby doses. What is weird is that I just started atenolol and it brought my heart rate from 80 bpm to 60 bpm at a dose of 12.5, the weird part is that my blood pressure went from 90/60 to 115/75. My cardio knows I have a history of paradoxical reactions to meds.

Oh I didn't get all of my echo results yet but my left atrium is 55% better than my echo from two days out of surgery. But it is still a bit weak so that's why they are keeping me on the sotalol for atrial flutters and fib.

 

[Penny]

Hey Michelle
I had really low blood pressure too from being on the beta blockers... I did test my blood pressure several times a day during the period where I was feeling really lousy. The doc told me I was going to have the dizziness and low bp due to the medication adjustment... I found if I had a moment of feeling really weird then I would slap on the bp cuff and it gave me some reassurance that I was just feeling crappy due to my bp being low..
It's great that your bp has gone up. Do you notice a difference in how you feel now that it isn't as low?

 

[Michelle D]

Well I feel dizzy, i think because my lower heart rate. I have been on beta blockers since February so I know I will adjust to it but after having a high heart rate and low blood pressure for so many years, having the opposite feels weird. I'm just tired of being so anxious about checking my pulse for arrythmias all the time. Any little feeling in my chest or head sends a wave of panic. I can stop myself from having panic attacks but the general sense of anxiety all the time is wearing me down. I hope therapy works, Xanax and atonal help for a few hours but I don't want to rely on those for all day relief, the only other one that helped was Buspar but it also made me extremely nauseous.

 

[malibu82]

i think you should continue seeing your therapist and stop taking your pulse and blood pressure all the time it seems you are making your problems worse

 

[Michelle D]

Yes I am making things worse. I know my problems would be minimal if I didn't panic over things.

 

[Eva]

BP varies from one minute to another and taking it several times a day does not help much with the medications' effectiveness evaluation.

I went through this after surgery, until my cardio explained to me that the the proper or accurate BP monitoring is to check it at the same day every day. You can do it twice or three times, but be consistent to measure it at the same time for reliable comparison!

 

[Michelle D]

Thanks Eva, that is sound advise, I'll do that.

 

[Protimenow]

I've heard from doctors that the best way they have to RAISE your blood pressure 25 points or so is, once they start taking it, to say 'uh oh.' That little bit of stress can make your B.P. jump.

Obsessively reading your B.P. can probably also influence what it is AT THE TIME you take it.

Sure, it's hard to change focus if you're obsessing over it. Perhaps if you keep a log - each time you take it - the extra effort may help to assure you that it's remaining pretty stable, and that it may not be worth obsessing over.

(I get my own little obsessions, but they usually work themselves out. The most effective way I found to stop an obsession is to realize that obsessing over a particular thing doesn't matter or is somewhat irrelevant. Recently, for example, I went on a binge of getting lancing devices and lancets for testing my blood. I would buy cheap blood glucose meters (because they came with a lancing device), and I've got probably enough lancets for five years of testing. Once I realized that I had the appropriate device and lancets for my testing - and that getting more would not help at all - I stopped.) If you realize that testing your pulse and B.P. more than the doctor's recommended interval is unnecessary, you will probably also taper off of testing.

 

[Michelle D]

I probably will stop eventually. The first three weeks home from surgery I was obsessed with taking my temp. That just went away on it's own but going to therapy is good, hopefully she can't get me over this. I'm sure after a while this obsession will go away but who is to say that some new obsession won't take it's place.

 

[Bina]

BP varies from one minute to another and taking it several times a day does not help much with the medications' effectiveness evaluation.

I went through this after surgery, until my cardio explained to me that the the proper or accurate BP monitoring is to check it at the same day every day. You can do it twice or three times, but be consistent to measure it at the same time for reliable comparison!

Eva is bang on. Taking your BP once or twice a day after starting a new med is fine, but not more than that.
I kept a diary of my BP for a long time because I felt so crappy, but now I just have a heart monitor watch for a quick check when I feel that my HR is going up for no reason. Then I take some slow breaths and focus on being calm. Stress can be very deceiving.

 

[Michelle D]

Before surgery it was extremely rare for me to wake up in the middle of the night. Now I wake up every single morning at six with a racing heart. It's not the atrial flutter just a normal racing heart beat. Is this something that happens to others? I am no startled awake I just wake up and it seems I have to pee and my heart is racing. I have to do a lot of work to calm myself so I can go back to sleep.

 

[Orangebrittainy]

Wish I could help, but I just wanted to let you know I am reading this, and I hope that you get it all figured out soon

 

[Michelle D]

Thanks Brittainy, I sometimes wonder if I'm losing it. I'm a nervous wreck and it helps calm me down a bit to come here to let my worries out. I hope eventually I'll stop thinking about my heart. I've never had a baby but I imagine that this must be what it's like to have a newborn, every little thing my heart does causes great concern. I feel like if I stop paying attention to it something bad will happen. I know that it's not true though. I'm never having a baby, I'll never sleep again.

 

[Bina]

Before surgery it was extremely rare for me to wake up in the middle of the night. Now I wake up every single morning at six with a racing heart. It's not the atrial flutter just a normal racing heart beat. Is this something that happens to others? I am no startled awake I just wake up and it seems I have to pee and my heart is racing. I have to do a lot of work to calm myself so I can go back to sleep.

Oh, yes, yes yes.
I can wake up at 5 a.m. with my heart racing. Sometimes it follows a bad dream during REM sleep, other times I manage to sleep right through until 8 a.m.
It has gotten better, but it can drive a person nutso.

 

[Michelle D]

Well it's official, I have panic disorder. The symptoms are clear, I avoid anything that raises my heart rate such as going up the stairs too quickly or getting angry. I avoid anything that makes me dizzy such as getting up quickly and I'm very hesitant to take new meds because some cause shortness of breath or dizziness. Driving makes me dizzy so I'm pretty panicky if I have to drive. So I've got the avoidance. It's not normal fear but debilitating fear. I'm going to try to get my therapists to change gears And have me work on desensitizing me to these feelings. The Xanax isn't working anymore anything over 0.5 mg causes harder palpatations so I get more anxious. But if by my pcp appointment Nov 1st I am still a wreck I'll consider imipramine or an SSRI.

 

[Eva]

Before surgery it was extremely rare for me to wake up in the middle of the night. Now I wake up every single morning at six with a racing heart. It's not the atrial flutter just a normal racing heart beat. Is this something that happens to others? I am no startled awake I just wake up and it seems I have to pee and my heart is racing. I have to do a lot of work to calm myself so I can go back to sleep.

Michelle,

For some of us, it takes a while before we can let go of the anxiety that built inside us since the news of the need for surgery and during the recovery. I think anxiety stays awake in the sub-conscious, even while we are asleep.

I experienced racing heart beats on wake ups before my surgery, but mine were due to sleep apnea which no doctor suspected at the time since I was not overweight. When DH noticed one night I stopped breathing my PCP referred me to a sleep clinic. Since I started using a CPAP machine, I no longer experience this and sleep one stretch all night.

Good luck with overcoming this.

 

[Michelle D]

As my doctors keep tweaking my meds to deal with flutters and palpatations I've become obsessed with checking my pulse and blood pressure. It seems that my anxiety with this is getting worse. I am seeing a counselor but it takes time. Did anyone else have this problem? I worry because my heart rate is extremely sensitive to beta blockers, my doctor knows this and she gives me baby doses. What is weird is that I just started atenolol and it brought my heart rate from 80 bpm to 60 bpm at a dose of 12.5, the weird part is that my blood pressure went from 90/60 to 115/75. My cardio knows I have a history of paradoxical reactions to meds.

Oh I didn't get all of my echo results yet but my left atrium is 55% better than my echo from two days out of surgery. But it is still a bit weak so that's why they are keeping me on the sotalol for atrial flutters and fib.

So my left atrium I'd normal, I guess I misunderstood what the doctor told me on the phone. I'm still peeved about the dizziness and PVCs but I guess there's not much I can do but learn to accept this.

 

[railrider 242]

Michelle I know what you are going through I have been there and know exactly how you feel. I have dealt with anxiety disorders since the mid 1980's. It is hard to describe to anyone that has never experienced full blown anxiety just how crappy it makes you feel. I read a book by an author "claire weeks" the title of the book is "Hope and help for your Nerves". The best book I have ever read on dealing with anxiety and panic disorders. I have read my book so much I literally have it taped together. As I said as a forum buddy I understand and i highly reccomend MS. Weeks book follow her advice and it will really help you..God bless

 

[Michelle D]

Thanks, it is hard being an anxiety ridden person with heart problems. I currently have Pluericy or chest wall inflammation and it has made my resting heart rate go way up. My blood pressure is too low to take more beta blockers. I'm trying to stay relaxed but sometimes I feel like I'm going to drop dead at any moment.

 

[Bina]

"Thanks, it is hard being an anxiety ridden person with heart problems."
Right on, Sister.