What are Persistent Cardiac Symptoms?

These are cardiac symptoms that remain persistent for a prolonged period of time and are impacting your quality of life.

Examples include:

• Chronic chest or arm pain
• Palpitations
• Tiredness or fatigue
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Heartburn/indigestion
• A combination of the above

If you have been experiencing these symptoms on a regular basis, you may have had worries about what they mean. It is common for this to be the case, even if you have had reassurances via investigations that there are no problems with your heart structure or function, or you have been told that your condition is stable and that your treatment has been optimised.

Common worries that people experience include: “Has something been missed”? “Is it safe for me to do everything that I used to do”? “What if I trigger something off”? These concerns are absolutely understandable, given the persistent nature of the symptoms that you have been experiencing. However, these worries may have become problematic if they are getting in the way of your quality of life. Some examples include trying to prevent symptoms from happening by avoiding doing particular activities such as: favoured types of exercise, using stairs, having sex and engaging in stressful or anxiety provoking situations (e.g. at work). In addition, you may put a lot of time and energy into distracting yourself from difficult thoughts and feelings associated with these symptoms.

How can Mind Body Clinical Help?

We understand that the symptoms that you have been experiencing are real and may be very distressing. We cannot take away your cardiac symptoms, but we can help you to cope with them, to achieve a good quality of life and to do more of the activities that are important to you, despite your symptoms remaining present.

Clinical Assessment

You can book an assessment with a Clinical Psychologist and/or a Clinical Exercise Specialist. 

Assessment with a Clinical Psychologist

An assessment with a psychologist will give you an opportunity to tell us more about the cardiac symptoms you have been experiencing and how they have affected your life. We will be interested in how you have coped with your symptoms to date and ways in which you would like your life to improve as a result of your work with us.

Assessment with a Clinical Exercise Therapist

Your assessment with a Clinical Exercise Therapist will consider past and present levels of physical activity and factors that currently prevent you from being more physically active. Your therapist will take several physiological measures, such as: height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar and resting heart rate. You will also be asked questions about your lifestyle, relating to your diet and whether you drink or smoke. This will be combined with the information provided by your referring clinician, in order to establish a set of appropriate and safe parameters under which you can engage in physical activity.

Treatment Planning

Following your assessment, ypur clinician will agree an appropriate treatment plan with you, based on the information you have provided.

Treatment

Your work with our Clinical Psychologist will involve getting a better understanding of why your cardiac symptoms have been so  disruptive/distressing and how you can cope with them and begin to move forward with your life.

Sessions with our Clinical Exercise Therapist will focus on building your confidence with engaging in a range of physical activities and improving your general health and fitness.

If you would like any further information, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your personal requirements.