SAH 12 days post op--waking with pounding heart. HELP!

Hi everyone:

I'm 12 days post op now and am doing fine except for one thing. I have a history of panic attacks that I thought I'd whipped, but every night since surgery, I've woken with a pounding, racing heart. What's the deal? I'm only able to rest after taking Ativan, but I hate to take that all the time. Anyone else have this issue? I wake up terrified EVERY night in the middle of the night. I don't want to get back into the cycle of panic! HELP???

Hi erniewu, this may be way off but i know anaemia can cause a racing heart beat, thats usually my trigger symptom to head off and get a blood test done. Might be worth checking out. Hope you feel a better mighty soon. Take care.

I had a few panic attacks after surgery, the first on hospital. I had a nightmare when I got home - dreamed that someone was sitting on my chest. Had a couple more day time panic attacks but they were gone by week 2-3. I had started taking iron tablets around then so maybe it was as coumarin says due to anaemia? Panic attacks are not normal for me so I put it down to the surgery. Hopefully yours will go soon too.

Hi, I too have too suffered from anxiety and panic attacks in the past, thought it was all over with until lately. I would lie in bed every night the 1st week and be convinced I couldn't breath and my chest felt like it was being squashed. The narcotics also made me anxious, I remember jumping off the couch and feeling like I couldn't breath and I convinced myself that immediately after taking my meds my lips were going numb...lol what a nut case eh! Anyway happily those feelings went away after a few weeks.

I've never had a panic attack, but I did wake up once with a racing heart within the first two weeks of my surgery It scared me, I could hear my blood pulsing in my ears! It never happened again, so maybe it was a bad dream. Or some side effect of anesthesia?