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Heart Palpitations, Fluttering In Neck, Stress. Echo And EKG Normal. Anxiety Related?
Question: hi, I have started getting heart palpitations about a month ago, flutter like feeling in my neck and it feels like my heart stops for a second then returns to normal. I have had high levels of stress in my life right about the time I started getting them. However, now that I am not as stressed, the palpitations are still here. If those were stress-indused surely they would stop by now, they are really scaring me. Is there anything I can do to reassure myslef? All a GP did was look at me, take my blood pressure and told me that since Ive had a heart echo scan and an EKG a year ago and I am 27yo female it is just anxiety. Can nothing have damaged my heart in a year, shouldn't a new test be scheduled? Thanks
Hello XXXXXXX
Thanks for your query ,
Thank you for describing your symptoms so well. What I understand from your query is that the palpitation is there only since a month. And the ECHO and EKG were done a year ago. Now, these tests were done when you did not have palpitation (?). And so, the results of those tests are ideally not relevant to your current symptoms.
You are right in saying that stress induced palpitation should go away with stress. But then it is also true that stress and anxiety induced heart symptoms might stay for a long time even after the stress and anxiety provoking situations have been resolved. So, we can’t say the palpitation should have stopped by now. However, I must say that you do need to get your cardio-vascular system evaluated again by a Cardiologist (preferably).
A reasonable approach could be - to keep in mind the possibility of stress induced palpitation and consult a Cardiologist to rule out any heart problems. Please make sure you describe your symptoms to the cardiologist as objectively as possible. Also, it would help if you could carry your old records/reports for their review.
I hope this helps you a bit. Please contact me again if you need more information. Take care.
Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD
[Disclaimer: This post is intended to provide health related information. It is not meant to provide diagnosis or medical advice. This is also not an attempt to establish a doctor-patient relationship or replace an existing one.]
Thanks for your query ,
Thank you for describing your symptoms so well. What I understand from your query is that the palpitation is there only since a month. And the ECHO and EKG were done a year ago. Now, these tests were done when you did not have palpitation (?). And so, the results of those tests are ideally not relevant to your current symptoms.
You are right in saying that stress induced palpitation should go away with stress. But then it is also true that stress and anxiety induced heart symptoms might stay for a long time even after the stress and anxiety provoking situations have been resolved. So, we can’t say the palpitation should have stopped by now. However, I must say that you do need to get your cardio-vascular system evaluated again by a Cardiologist (preferably).
A reasonable approach could be - to keep in mind the possibility of stress induced palpitation and consult a Cardiologist to rule out any heart problems. Please make sure you describe your symptoms to the cardiologist as objectively as possible. Also, it would help if you could carry your old records/reports for their review.
I hope this helps you a bit. Please contact me again if you need more information. Take care.
Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD
[Disclaimer: This post is intended to provide health related information. It is not meant to provide diagnosis or medical advice. This is also not an attempt to establish a doctor-patient relationship or replace an existing one.]
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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