bin_tenn

Moles may darken or lighten with age. Some of them fade away completely over time, often with what's referred to as a "halo nevus." I had one on my right cheek that did that in my 20s. The skin around it formed a lighter "halo", the mole started turning a reddish color, and it eventually disappeared altogether. But like I said, darkening is also normal as we age.

I also count things often. Syllables in words, especially. I also count things in groups of six, and frequently re-read the last six words of a sentence or paragraph. LoL. Weird, I know, but I do it all the time. It doesn't hinder my ability to comprehend what I read, it's almost second nature at this point. Oh well.

Yep. Certainly get it evaluated if it's new or worsening. Cardiologists do look at frequency as part of the evaluation, for sure. It's actually harmless to have rather frequent palpitations, barring any underlying condition.

I'm in full agreement with @jonathan123. Yes, harmless palpitations, and this is a classical presentation of palpitations with anxiety. What you're experiencing is actually not a *skipped* beat, but an *extra* beat. Also called premature ventricular contraction (PAC) or premature ventricular contraction (PVC). One part of the heart contracts prematurely (thus "extra beat") which causes the next (normal) beat to feel as if it's late, but it's actually on time. The PAC/PVC will indeed throw the rhythm off momentarily, while the heart quickly corrects itself. These are absolutely normal.

I think a nerve sounds likely as well. I also experience this often. Sometimes I get tingling and/or an ache in my left elbow, which travels down to the hand. Ulnar nerve entrapment (AKA tennis elbow), similar to carpal tunnel but in the elbow. My doctor said it's common, and nothing needs to be done unless it gets worse and affects the ability to generally use the arm.

Acknowledging that it is just anxiety is very important, so great work on that! Isn't it crazy how we can know it's just anxiety, yet we continue to feel anxious about it? This happens to me all the time, knowing it's just anxiety but also being unable to stop worrying.

The formal name for this is the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, sometimes called "frequency bias". It makes plenty of sense that you see cancer everywhere when you're anxious about it. Same when you buy a new car, and suddenly it seems like everyone owns the same car. Absolutely normal.

If you're concerned about any form of hypertension you should speak to your doctor. However, those symptoms are also classic panic attack symptoms. Yes, a panic attack can seemingly last for several days. What's really happening is, you have an initial panic attack, and after that you may have several "aftershock attacks" as I like to call them. They're residual, and they gradually decrease in intensity until they disappear for a while. I experienced a panic attack this evening with all these symptoms. Yes, it freaked me out, because I generally worry about heart health, but things turned out just fine, as usual. So I do understand the worry, but it sounds like typical panic.

Eh, it takes too much energy to hate something. It's absolutely possible to live happily, generally speaking, with anxiety. The key is not necessarily to be without it, and it's not to ignore it. The key is learning how to let anxiety have its space, while also not allowing it to take control. It's not the easiest thing to do, but with some patience and effort it's definitely possible.

LoL! I knew it wasn't aimed at me, but I still absolutely agree and even find your additional insight helpful. 😄

Can't say if it's serious, because I'm not a medical professional. But yes, I experience this with more intense bouts of anxiety. As the anxiety dissipates, so do those symptoms. Easy (and not so easy): anxiety. Anxiety does these things to a person. It sucks, I know, but it's very common.

Acceptance isn't giving in. You should still be proactive about your health. Address concerns / questions with your doctor, monitor how you feel, etc. But learn to accept that things can and do happen, no matter how hard you work to stay healthy. That doesn't mean you have to carelessly allow them to happen, but you can take reasonable steps to prevent diseases. If you can get to the root of your fears, that can be helpful. Just understanding the origin of the fear has helped me, personally, to be more accepting of these things.

My one and only real cardiac workup (echo and stress test) was four years ago. I understand the "what if things have changed" mindset, but we really shouldn't think like that. Is it possible? Sure. But not likely, IMO. Not without major risk factors. I'm on Atenolol 25mg once a day, since July 2015. No side effects whatsoever. Or course your BP was running a bit high, because you're anxious about it. Try to work on addressing the anxiety, and the BP will become more regulated as well. Even on the beta blocker, my BP can easily be 140/90 or higher if I'm particularly anxious.

Of course. That's what I mean about accepting the unknown. It can and does happen.

Jonathan has lots of wonderful advice, and yes, he talks a lot about acceptance as well. And why do we talk about it so much? Because it works. 🙂