Heart Palpitations Forum
http://palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl Heart Palpitations Forum >> Symptoms and other concerns >> Palps are better. Sharing what worked for me http://palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1339654562 Message started by Starturtle on Jun 13th, 2012, 11:16pm |
Title: Palps are better. Sharing what worked for me Post by Starturtle on Jun 13th, 2012, 11:16pm I just want to tell everyone that I'm feeling much better thanks in no small part to this forum, especially Dr. Rane. I'm about 90%+ better and but I'm positive I'll completely recover. I thought I'd summarize what symptoms I experienced, what worked and what didn't. I may edit this over time as I recall more important details. About me and my symptoms I'm a 43 year old male. Up until last December, I was in perfect health. I worked out almost every day. Ate relatively well and didn't have a worry in the world. One day, I was working at the office and out of the blue I experienced something that felt something come over me that can best be described that I was going to have a seizure, heart attack, stroke...I don't know what it was. Perhaps it was a panic attack?! Regardless, it was scary and lasted about 15 seconds until a load of adrenaline and I stabilized. I have had several episodes since then. Anyway, this set in motion a chain of events and symptoms that took place over the next 6 months. It seemed like a cascade of symptoms from my previously healthy body. Here are some of the symptoms I experienced:
Because of my symptoms, in retrospect, I believe the following symptoms may have been a result of anxiety although they didn't feel like it at the time...I'm still not sure if they weren't physical but I'm prepared to be open minded about it:
There were many more symptoms but those were the majority. I did SO much Internet research. I clearly had a health anxiety issue as well. I saw my doctor 1-3x/week for 4 months straight. I went into the ER at the hospital 10x during that time period. I saw an Internist, Neurologist, Gastroenterologist and 2x Cardiologist. I had MRI, CT Scans, XRays, stress tests, everything came back normal just as RLR said it would. Treatment that didn't work for me I tried everything but they didn't stop the palpitations which I thought was the root cause of everything:
What worked So here's what I felt worked for me or relieved my symptoms:
The bottom line here is I recognized that the palpitations could no way hurt me as Dr. Rane had indicated, however, putting this to practice was more easily said than done. Simply by recognizing that the palps were there and acknowledging them but knowing they can't hurt me allowed me to carry on with my life. After 5 months of dealing with my palps, slowly, over a few weeks I noticed that they just disappeared. Now even though I think of them they don't reappear and if they do, I just carry on. Anyway, that's how I've overcome my palpitations and most of my other symptoms. I hope this helps someone. |
Title: Re: Palps are better. Sharing what worked for me Post by George88 on Jun 14th, 2012, 6:04am Nice post, great story, Your experience reminds me much of my own over the last few years. I too have drastically reduced the amount of worries that I carried over this time. Your list of symptoms is very familiar to me as well, having had all of those regularely, including the weight loss. I've also gone through the "alternative" phase where I was desperately searching for other forms of therapy and treatment, not for my anxiety but for Crohn's. Tried the herbs, the diets, the lifestyles and the "ways of thinking differently" but nothing worked. I don't regret taking any of it, but I realise that it was a mistake on my part. At one time I was taking about 10 different "herbal supplements" to try and find some relief. I am just thankful that the alternative route is largely filled with crap that doesn't work, because if those pills and tablets that I'd taken actually did something I might have damaged myself. But that's a learning experience and I won't ever be making the mistake of actually believing that homeopathy, Chinese medicine, herbs and plants will cure me of my problems! One such quack I fell for was making claims about how eating only raw vegetables will cure every disease known to man, along with drinking "ionized" alkaline water. Looking back, I'm absolutely ashamed of myself for being so easily duped by what I now see clearly as bullshit! I find your list of methods interesting. What's more interesting to me is that your approach is a completely different one to that of my own. Only a few of those are simliar to me, and those are eating better and exercising more... probably something everyone should do. I've said this in the past, that you've got to know you're alright, but I never truly believed myself when I said it. From an intellectual point of view, I understood that these symptoms were harmless, but that wasn't enough to convince me I was going to be fine. There's something else at work in trying to come to the realisation that we're not in harms way, and it isn't intellectual reasoning. I firmly believe that learning and understanding about the symptoms we present goes a long way in helping us to come to terms with what's happening, but taking that knowledge and information, along with the facts, and then actually assuming a position in which you know without doubt that you're fine, is something that I still ponder. I don't know how I did it and I would really like to find out just for the sake of knowing. It bothers me that I don't know why, but at the same time I'm truly thankful to Dr. Rane and the forum members for being around when we need them. You should join the RLRs thread "Here's a Question for All of You" and share your experiences in there. George. |
Title: Re: Palps are better. Sharing what worked for me Post by Typer on Jun 14th, 2012, 10:33am What a positive and inspiring post. Thank you very much. Did you suffer from acid reflux as well by chance. I have the most terrible acid these days. Hoping its all part of the same thing. I will try the things you have listed. Already bought a mindfulness book and am on the first chapter. It came with a cd and is an 8 week course in a book. |
Title: Re: Palps are better. Sharing what worked for me Post by Starturtle on Jun 14th, 2012, 12:08pm Thanks for your insights George. Yes, what works for some won't necessarily work for others. What I wanted to point out here is that the things that controlled my symptoms unknowingly were addressing the cause which I didn't recognize because I was so focused on my symptoms. When I look back I noticed that all the things that worked for me shared one thing in common. They all worked on reducing the underlying anxiety that I didn't believe I had because I never felt stressed. The only stress I had was around me focusing on my health all the time and worrying about the palps. In retrospect, I went through my due diligence and saw my doctors and specialists. Intially I kept going through the phase that they had missed something. I then realized, at some point I actually have to have to believe the doctors who are treating me. With that epithany, I sustained my disbelief that it wasn't caused by anxiety and focused on the fact that the palps couldn't hurt me. At one point, I was encouraging the palps to happen to prove to myself they won't hurt me. I'm actually in a mindset now that I welcome the palps when they happen especially after reading about someone who had an abalation (sp??) and the problems that occurred after he got rid of the palps but felt worse after. He also wished the palps would return. So in summary the things that helped me infact cured the anxiety that I didn't believe I had. Regarding the question on acid reflux or GI problems. It was part of the due diligence as I believed I had it. After seeing my GI specialist, they told me I had no problems. I accepted that and I didn't question if he had missed something. |
Title: Re: Palps are better. Sharing what worked for me Post by Typer on Jun 14th, 2012, 5:31pm I haven't had any tests on the GI problems yet. Will be speaking with my GP on Monday. Hi George |
Title: Re: Palps are better. Sharing what worked for me Post by George88 on Jun 14th, 2012, 6:14pm With respect to anyone who has chest pains and believes they "may have acid reflux", I'm not quite sure how acid reflux gets confused for other types of chest pain(s). I've had mild, moderate and severe reflux over the years and never once mistook it for some other kind of pain. It was quite clearly a mild-severe burning in the throat. A corrosive acid in the gullet is not really mistakable is it? Sorry to be abrupt about this, perhaps it's just me. Hi Typer. |
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