That's a great post by RLR. Thanks for keeping us updated with your progress BigCountry.

I find that the fear of my heart is relatively low now. I have come to believe that I'm fine after all these years, they're a lot more common than I'd realised, and so I suspect I was simply wrong in my assumption.

The trouble is, that the years which it has taken me to come to that realisation has lead to a lingering health anxiety.

The stress which I put myself under when the palpitations first came to light lead me to numerous other issues. Constant tiredness, headaches, and the main one for me has been stomach problems. Cramps, indigestion, acid reflux, stool inconsistencies.

I also have an inguinal hernia on both sides which is being operated on in January and which I'm fearful of the general anaesthetic, even though I've had it twice before about a decade ago!

So whilst I'm pleased to report that my heart worries seem to be subsiding, my general levels of anxiety remain high. I believe deep down that it's because I have personal issues of my life's direction and the expectations of myself.

I had grand plans growing up to get a job I loved, earn lots of money, go travelling. The reality has turned out a lot different - I have a dull 9-5 job, struggling through the recession to try to afford to own a house, let alone have enough left over to see the world. It came as a big disappointment to me and I'm struggling to prioritise. I feel that life is far too short to waste doing something I don't like. The trouble is, as with much anxiety, at this time I can't see a way out of this predicament.

Best wishes to all.

Just wanted to update everyone on my progress as of late!

I am making huge strides with all aspects of my anxiety and palps...I have really worked hard in understanding everything the RLR has to say...not just with palps but with anxiety as a whole because they are truly one entity!

I have jumped off the cliff with both feet and guess what...it is only 2 feet high!  You have to trust 100% what RLR is saying!  I had palps 10-15 a minute for years....anxiety so bad I was afraid to leave my house!  No my palps have greatly reduced and even when I get them I am not scared....I still have anxiety and palps and I am treating them both the same way....with an I DONT CARE ATTITUDE!!  

I pay special attention to my habits and actions and notice that they are so automatic its scary.  You need to become very self aware even to see them....once you start picking them out then you can start changing your behavior!  Anxiety IS NOT A DISEASE BUT PURLEY A STATE OF MIND!!!

Jump off the cliff folks!!!  It is only 2 feet high!  Life is too short to liveit with anxiety!  AM I HEALED...not yet....but I am well on my way!

Big Country

Bump  

37, 036 visits to this thread thus far, more than all other threads combined and yet it remains unanswered.

I carry it forward once again and ask you if such a premise doesn't strike you as extremely unusual. Look at the number once again. 37,036. The premise of this single thread is more critical than any other on the forum.

N'er force me to see, for what lies there lends preference for blindness instead.


Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

Alright, I'll take a stab at this once more and see if I can uncover something with my ramblings.

So this thread has more visits than any other thread in the history of the forum, and percentage wise has very little replies. 37,083 views and only 368 replies across 982 days or 2 years, 8 months, 8 days. This is approximately 0.99%.

Maybe it would be a good idea to present some facts and assumptions here.

Facts (things we know are true):

1. Many people have viewed this thread
2. Not many people have replied to this thread

Assumptions:

• Many people are interested in this thread
• Not many people have found the "answer"
• Everybody who takes part is actively searching for the "answer"
• Most people who read the thread don't reply

I think the actual percentage of people who reply is more than 1% since many of us who regularly visit/visited this thread have increased the number of views. I don't know how many views each individual has incurred, so I won't bother guessing the real percentage. Suffice to say, it's higher than 1%.

Why do so many people read this thread but never bother taking part?

Possibilities:

• People are looking for a quick fix (i.e., they're lazy and want someone else to find the answer)
• People are scared to discover the cause of their problems
• People don't care about finding the answer, just the solution
• People are interested in a possible problem, but are in denial and secretly feel that posting would mean admitting a problem
• There is no problem, and this thread is a waste of time

1. Quick fix

Perhaps the average visitor to this thread is the type of person who wants to find the answer to their problems, but is too lazy to go out and try searching for the the answer. Maybe they want to come to the forum, get their daily dose of reassurance, and move on knowing they can come back any time they need relief and will probably find some solace.

2. Scared

It may be that the readers of this thread are those that know they have problems, but due to their anxiety are too scared to delve deeper into their lives to begin a quest for resolution. They might be scared of discovering something terrible or frightening, or may be scared to release the skeletons form the closet, so to speak. Perhaps they're  too scared to leave their current situation for the unknown that awaits them.

3. Don't care

Some people who have anxiety may be so focused on escaping, they don't even care what the cause of the problem is. It may be something unimportant in their lives and all they want to do is find the answer, so are unable to contribute to the forum since they have nothing to say, and are waiting for someone to reveal the secret.

4. Denial

Readers may be in denial about a possible anxiety disorder or problem in their lives, and may feel that if they begin taking part in the thread, this act is somehow an admission of weakness. It could be that these readers are so in denial, they actively avoid any act of admission and therefore lurk on the forum reading the stories and experiences of others, but never sharing their own. In doing so, fooling themselves into believing they have no problems. This is closely related to point 2 (being scared).

5. There is no problem

Unlikely, but possible. I think this one can be ruled out.

I'll point out now that I have been in some of the above situations myself. First denial, then a quick fix and then being too scared to actually find the answer in case something was actually discovered to be wrong with me. It would be unfair to apply my own experiences to everybody with anxiety, but I think it is fair to say we all share some key aspects, such as fear.

The other possiblities are purely suppositions that may be playing a role. I can't really perform any original research to discover the truth other than asking question on this forum, so perhaps these aren't even part of the equation. Perhaps the reason why no one posts is a combination of the above (and others)?

I'm under the impression that, for the time being, we should forget about the fact we have anxiety, and focus our efforts on answering the question: why do so few people respond to this thread?

Keep the posts coming.

richie wrote on Mar 8^th, 2013, 3:24am:


I don't want to know the cause of my palpitations, actually. In all honesty I couldn't care less anymore what's causing them because I know I don't have any heart problems. You're right of course, not every palpitation is the same but that's an irrelevant point. In the absense of a heart disorder, palpitations are benign. We know this as a matter of fact, not opinion. Therefore the cause of palpitations is not of concern and no energy should be wasted thinking on the matter.

You're also wrong when you say "What helps for one person, doesnt do anything for another". The fact is, when it comes to medicine, what works for one person, generally works for another. Otherwise medicine would be an art form and not a science. Our biology is pretty much identical to every other human on the planet, and only a very small percentage of our genome is unique to each individual.

To extend the point further, take alcohol as an example. When you drink alcohol, you invariably end up drunk. This is not something that only a few of us can experience, it happens to all of us. Being drunk is a chemical process and the reason it happens to every single person who drinks is because our biochemical make-up is the same. Therefore, if something is affecting your biochemistry, it's going to affect mine as well. Of course I am willing to accept that some people do not respond to drugs as well as others, and some do not respond at all, but these are exceptions to the rule. I am also willing to accept that psychologically, not every non-medical therapy will have the same results for everybody, but this does not mean we've all got our own individual answers secretly waiting for us somewhere. We share a common problem, and will also share a common solution.

richie wrote on Mar 8^th, 2013, 3:24am:


There has never been a debate regarding this issue. Palpitations are a physical event, in every sense of the word. That doesn't mean they can't be promoted by non-physical elements of life, such as mental stress and anxiety. Dr. Rane has explained in the past that palpitations arising from stress and anxiety are the result of increased sympathetic tone, or an increase in activity of the "fight or flight" part of human neurology. In turn, increasing the nerves potential to fire at any given moment, which when intercepted by the heart causes the palpitation event. So yes, they are very much a physical manifestation.

richie wrote on Mar 8^th, 2013, 3:24am:


You're not taking the full story into consideration. Sure, many people die from heart attacks every year, but were you aware that most of them are aged 65 an above, and most of them were caused by poor diet, weight and lifestyle? Effectively making them self-induced. The NHS (UK health service) websites states that:

Quote:


Multimedia file viewing and clickable links are available for registered members only!!  You need to .


Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but when I read your posts I can't help but feel they're laced with paranoia, fear and anxiety. You are one of those people in severe denial. Doctors can't find anything wrong with you, Dr. Rane doesn't think anything is wrong and more importantly, after all this time with your symptoms... you're still here worrying about it all.

Alright, look: your whole reply was based on my closing sentence, ignoring the bulk of my message. I'm not accusing you of anything, nor implying I know your situation. All I'm saying is that personally, when I read your posts, I sense denial, paranoia, fear and anxiety, regardless of whether or not this is the case.

In the past you have posted your medical findings from the doctors who you have visited and claimed they could find nothing wrong with you. RLR has also stated he feels no sinister problems are looming. Your very sentence "i'm still in the process of..espescially after more problems arised lately. " says to us all that you're in denial and are paranoid about something happening in the future.

You also said "but neurological..we wait and see", but a professional retired neurologist has told you that your symptoms (from what I can remember) don't match any known disease and that your problems lie elsewhere, yet you choose to ignore these posts and continue on with your own theories. You are of course unwilling to change your position, claiming that no one can know.

With respect to your accusations regarding me trying to put you down and being paranoid myself, I can only say you've misinterpreted my post.