EMPTY CHEST CAVITY FEELING IS THERE AN EXPLANATION DOES ANYONE RELATE TO THIS. HAD IT SOMETIMES WHEN I FEEL PARTICULARLY ANXIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING

Hi Kathy and English Rose, I have those missed or skipped beats all the time, and rapid heart beat, I think the skipped beat scares me therefore I get rapid beats. I have only been dealing with this for six months and 2 trips to er. Right now am wearing 24 hr holter monitor and seeing heart Dr Monday for treadmill test. I am 41 and was thinking maybe my hormones are messed up for pre menopause but my Dr. says hormones are normal and I am still having periods every month. It does give me piece of mind for sure that I am not the only one with the screwed ip heartbeats cuz I am always sure I am gonna have heart attack. Nice to have met both of you :)

Hi Kathy, I have the same problem as you, I started getting panic attacks 21 years ago. At the same time I started getting what I felt as skipped heartbeats or a fluttering sensation, I went to see a cardioligist who assured me that it ws ok, he called them extrasystoles, which mans that sometimes there is an extra beat. Over the years I have realised that they form a patten, like you I get them a couple of days before my period and sometimes for the first few days of my period. Now and again if I am realy anxious I get the odd one during the month between periods. My panic symptoms are definitly worse in the second half of my menstral cycle so I am not sure if the irreguler heartbeat is from the panic symptoms or the hormones. It was realy good for me to read your post as I dont know anyone else who suffers from these wierd beats. If anyone else has these symptoms please reply. Many thanks Rose.

hi I've been making really good progress with the anxiety and panics over the last few weeks,the panic programe and the support group has ben really helpful. Finding it really rough going this week with PMT. Today was especially hard as it was my first meeting after 2 months off work. I'm trying magnesium ok, evening primrose oil and a magnet from the health food shop and they seem to be helping. But also have a raving hunger during this time so constantly eating. I'm famed for producing bananas at any available opportunity. Also having the headaches, exhaustion, feeling so angry and legs feel like lead- just been for a walk to work off some excess energy - didn't get very far. Meditation and visualisation are also helping. I am counting the minutes until my period arrives. Have pointed this out to several doctors over the years, who tell me to have a baby (but the time has never been right). I do have the 'clock' ticking loudly - I'm 34. Just wanted to say Sarajo, that you are not alone on the work front and living away from your family. All my family are in Wales and I live in the South of England. Due to the panic and anxiety I haven't been able to get home very often at all(can't drive on motorwys yet!) and so looking forward to going with my partner(he can)to Wales in a couple of weeks. Although I have been down here for 17 years - still wish I lived near my family- especially at times when the anxiety is high. Also on the work front. I am a social worker and took a secondment to another area of the council. Found this very difficult, as I felt out of my depth and the professional identity that had kept me safe for so long wasn't there anymore. I tried to go back to my old job and was told that I had been permanently replaced and that i was considered as'fragile'. This was quite difficult for me as I know I am good at my job and although I have panic attacks, they didn't affect my work. This was the last straw before I went off sick. Now feel much stronger. Some jobs put an excessive amount of stress on people and have to return to a social work role in December- despite the stress this is what I love doing!!!Just trying to take some time to look after myself and work out what I't what I need. Also to find a part of the organis

Hi everyone, I have often wondered if panic attacks were related to my menstrual cycle/hormone changes. During the first few days of my menses (every month) I get heart palpitation/irregular beating patterns called PVC's. I just assumed they were related to hormonal changes seeing how they show up EVERY month. Also they occur during the use of my arms, exercise, at rest and pretty much all the time. However, they get worse during my period. Anyway, doctors say it is normal and it is nothing to worry about. It's just the heart being told to beat from different areas in the heart. Hence, extra beats. Well, even though I have been given a clean bill of heart health, this always unnerves me and will almost always bring on a panic attack. I don't know if it is the heart beating irregularities, my menstrual periods/hormones, or both. Maybe the hormone changes worsen the heart rhythm problems which brings on the panic, etc. Who knows? I wish someone knew. Has anyone else ever had this problem? Am I just one of the weirder ones? Kathy.

Hello Bonnie, Wanda & Andrea, Thanks all of you for responding so quickly: this is so nice, being amongst friends, isn't it?! Wish I could have you all round for coffee and chats, it'd be fun. Yes, please, Bonnie, I would love to be in touch via email: will do so soon, so "see you" then! It's comforting to know you've been through similar stuff & so understand the way it feels. Wanda, I know what you mean about feeling like it would help to run about or scream or whatever...and yes, I wonder if some of the stress we experience IS because we have to "hold" so much in: we all have to behave so calmly and so politely even when we're angry, upset or frightened...and all that emotion has to go somewhere. Since we don't feel permitted to make a big noise and fuss, we try and squash it down, and then: here come the shakes, the tears and the panics..? Well, it seems kind of logical to me! And yes, I totally agree about how tiring the anxiety is: I feel like I exhaust myself with the intensity of these fearful experiences, and the huge amount of emotional energy and courage it takes to keep my "wobbles" at bay and to appear "normal" and confident, when I'm a mess inside! More and more, I'm so drained by the effort of getting through a stressful working day (without visibly cracking up, though I can feel it all bubbling up inside ready to burst out!) that when I finally reach home I've started a cracking headache that no pill, stretching or massage can relieve, and I can only cry and sleep....not a very positive role model for my daughters, who have been waiting for Mum to get home... Some of the worst moments are when the class at school are playing up and as I try to discipline them, to my dismay I feel my lip starting to shake and pull down...so near to tears!...and I have to make a huge effort to control it and not give way...it's horrible. Andrea, seeing what I've just written, I think you might be right about encouraging me to quit the job...I have to remember, NO job is worth this self-destructive experience...I guess I have been forgetting that it is indeed "just a job": the prevailing atmosphere at my work is so much that this is a career, a vocation, and everyone expects total dedication. Well, it just doesn't seem to be a career I can sus

Hey Sarajo, I read your post here and I just want to say that I agree with you about quitting your job. I mean...in the end dear it is...just a job. It isn't worth it if you're getting nothing out of it. Perhaps you could even try not working for a while? Would your finances allow? You could take that vacation and get away for a spell. I also think you might enjoy taking some art courses at college...wouldn't that be cool!? :p Lighten up on yourself Sarajo. Your friends will still be your friends if you leave the job. If they aren't, they weren't worth having anyway. Just my opinion. Andrea ;) This message was edited by am on 4-2-03 @ 7:43 AM

Sorry you're having a bad time of it. Just a set back, that's all. Sometimes the anxiety/panic just jumps up at us out of no where. Think about it...I have always thought some of out panic is excess energy, thoughts out of control - thinking if I could just start running, or just start screaming or something like that, the panic would stop - oh well, I have never done that, 'people' in the neighborhood might call 911 - even though, deep down inside, they themselves would just love to run and scream without restraint!! ;) Remember, it won't kill us, it always passes, it is just the fear of the unknown, like a dream and we're in a free fall. We wake up, safe in our bed. Whew...they are always rather tiring, don't ya' think. Bye for now........ This message was edited by am on 4-1-03 @ 11:55 PM

Sarajo, Hi...sorry to hear you are struggling so much right now. Know exactly how you feel. Been there too. If you would like to chat more often, feel free to email me at bonnie05@email.com I, admit, I don't check this board too often, and I have been wondering how you were doing. Plus, I have a couple of suggestions, but we are not supposed to "plug" stuff here. So, if you like, I understand if you are a private person, email me. Otherwise, I will catch up with you whenever I come in here. Hang in there. Bonnie

Hello Bonnie, So glad you're still there. Have just had a quick read of all the new posts & saw yours about "freaking" at the doctor's. I do sympathise: I know just what you mean about the tears and fears making us feel so childlike...not a comfortable thought, but I'm so glad that receptionist was kind to you and helped you stay! And Hello maria d, thanks for your post. Your phrase "running with fear" I can relate to quite a bit (I've been like that all day: nearly turned the car around this morning to run back home, but found the courage from somewhere to get in to work and face the day...) but I'm having a tough time tonight as well, can't seem to stop the tears overflowing every few minutes. I think maybe I've finally reached the point where I have to stop doing this job and try for something less stressful. I've struggled on for nearly 5 years, hoping I'd find it easier to cope, but if anything I'm getting worse... Being "wobbly" and wound up with fear about the job is taking over too much of my life, and my family's. I don't want to feel like a failure, but I don't want to keep on living like this, either! I'm not certain that all my symptoms of stress and panic will go away if I quit, but I'm sure that I won't get better if I keep on doing it...the pressure and stress just keeps on growing and I'm losing so much faith in my own abilities, struggling on with a job that I find just so difficult to do well. My husband realises this and is encouraging me to look for something else now. But, friends, I'm scared too to make the change! But I think I must find enough courage to change the job and try to have confidence that I'll find new friends: I've been anxious about leaving all my friends amongst the staff at work. Maria, thanks for reminding me that "we will get better"....I so need to really believe that, because today I'm feel afraid that I'll never be really strong again..! Bonnie, looking forward to your next post. Thanks for your encouragement: means a lot to me. Sorry you've had some downs too, but I know you're still fighting on! Hopefully my next post will be more positive in tone: my working week will be over by then! Love, Sarajo.