RLR
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Okay, welcome to the forum and I've read your posting and concerns.
Firstly, it's important to be reassured that regardless of the variation from normal sensations that you are experiencing, the presence of such symptoms often occur in the presence of an entirely normal heart. Always remember that contrary to beliefs, physical symptoms are not a direct association with physical disease.
The manifestation of palpitation events most often arises subsequent to, or during, some type of life-altering event ranging from loss of a loved one, divorce, financial difficulties, and similar circumstances. It is also true that serious acute illness can subsequently produce health anxiety if symptoms arise from the anxiety which are mistakenly associated with the prior physical malady. The remainder of the symptoms you describe are highly consistent with the somatic features of significant anxiety. Realize that anxiety can extend well beyond mere situational anxiety to the level that it produces a type of fear that something serious may be occurring and yet remains undetected despite all attempts to elicit a diagnosis through clinical testing.
When anxiety reaches this level, it characteristically produces physiological changes that are universally misinterpreted as physical symptoms of an underlying disease. The constant apprehension and fear of serious illness only serves to increase the level of anxiety and symptoms become even more florid. The cyclic nature of such an exchange is what produces the chronicity in most patients and causes them to become highly vigilant in trying to find an underlying physical cause that actually does not exist.
You're going to be just fine. Always know that clinical diagnostic tests seek out markers that we, as physicians, are specifically looking for to either confirm or rule out the presence of any type of underlying problem. The fact that all of your tests were negative is unswerving evidence that the presence of such problematic features are absent.
It's also important to consider that GI difficulties in the way of acute or chronic indigestion, bloating and bowel habit changes can all produce the type of characteristic inflammation necessary to induce palpitation events. This is possible because the vagus nerve innervates the GI tract as the pneumogastric nerve. If present, a reduction in GI symptoms will result in a commensurate reduction in the palpitation events.
Again, you're going to be just fine and you are in no danger whatsoever. Spend time with the members here. Most have been on the forum for some time now and constitute an excellent resource for support and reassurance.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
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