Painful Palpitations, Heart Rate over 100, Dizzy

[chl_hobbs]

Hi all

I had an echo done at the beginning of Jan which showed that my heart was on the very 'upper limits of normal' meaning that it cant get any bigger or it'll be enlarged.... The drs werent that concerned and I was told basically that I should go away and be happy. The numbers on the actual report didnt make sense though, and after (yes I know I shouldnt) 'googling' each figure and measurment, my heart is the size of a mans - and some of the volumes it's taking in is beyond normal for a man... Im a 29 yr old woman. There's no mention of this in my write up...

I asked about it when I saw my GP and he said a cardiologist has written the report and if he says its ok then it is.

in the past few weeks Ive been getting heavy palpitations. They come out of nowhere and make my whole chest ache after. I get a horrible rush of dizziness straight after them and its scaring me. They are becoming more regular each day. I have loads, not just a few. Im scared of them as it's never been this bad before. I went to see my gp 2 weeks ago. he didnt take my BP or feel my pulse (he always tells me its my anxiety), and said he'd book a 24 hr holter monitor to try and capture them. I still havent heard about having that fitted yet. He prescribed me a beta blocker but am scared to take it as i have very low BP as it is (100/60 sometimes lower). Hes only given me a very low dose, but im still scared.

I dont know what to do. Ive been so close to ringing 999 or going to a+e this weekend. Ive read so much that if theyre painful that's a very bad sign, if they make u dizzy that's a bad sign etc.... Im just exhausted and scared. My heart rate is usually around the 80 mark but today ALL day its been 100 or more.

I did also have a heart disease blood test (bnp test) and it was way below negative. I must have had at least 15 ecgs this past 18months and all have been ok (just tachycardia but I didnt get any palps at the time of having ecgs done).

Am so scared. Please, please help

Charlotte x

[TotallyBonkers]

Hi Charlotte

Sounds like you are really stressing out at the moment, and am sorry that you are having to go through it, its never a nice thing.

Dr Google sure does have a lot to answer for! The fact that you have had 15 ECG's over the past 18 months and they were showing no cause for concern, coupled by the fact that the blood test to check for hear disease was normal too, are very good pointers that there is nothing major going on to worry about, the fact that the cardiologist is also happy with the results should offer some reassurance. Google can come up with so many different pieces of information, but remember Dr google has not seen you in person or done assessments unlike the actual doctors that have seen you, so what they say should stand far more ground than anything that is written on google.

I am sure you already know this, but anxiety has a direct impact upon the heart, the more anxious we get the harder and faster our heart beats, when it beats fast that's when we can then experience the sensation of palpatations. The chest pain you are describing can also be from the level of anxiety that you are feeling at the moment. The dizziness also is factored in with known anxiety attacks too. Its horrible because with anxiety all the symptoms are interlinked and can give you the sensation of it being something serious when it is in fact the anxiety taking a hold.

If you are really worried then give NHS direct a call, explain everything to them that you have said above, and let them guide you on what is best to do.

I am not a doctor, but having suffered health anxiety for many years, I can relate totally to what you are saying, and also have suffered the same effects as you are describing too, it was only when I had anti depressants to help counter act the anxiety that I found the symptoms around my heart ease, with the palpitation lessoning, and the fast heart rate slowing.

Please try to relax a little and see if you notice it settling down, I hope you feel better soon.

[ashurrutia]

I can relate to that, I was having bouts of Tachycardia two weeks ago as I was coming off Clarythromicin, then I went to a period of extreme fatigue, and my heart rate barely going over 70, usually in the low 60s, even during the day. So my naturopath put me on Adrenogen, which is supposed to help with Adrenal Fatigue, and was scared to take it, since it has Adrenal Cortex, and I thought I could mess up my heart. But I started taking it, my Naturopath assured me countless times that it does the opposite of panic attacks, that it calms me down, yet since Friday I had 5 episodes of elevated HR. Yesterday while at I was at the movies it went up to 140, and stayed there for a while, then I woke up today and it was 140-150, but it lowered. Then went to sleep, two hours afterwards, again 160s-170s, but that was only for like 5 minutes, but lowered to the 130-140s afterwards. Now when I'm in bed is like high 90s low 100s, but when I stand up it shoots up to 140 even 150. It's annoying, painful yes, as all your muscles react to the adrenaline, but one thing it is not, is not lethal, nor does it do any damage to your heart. Marathon runners have sustained heart rates well over the 80-90% range for hours, yet unless you have a pre-existing heart condition, you'll be fine.

[chl_hobbs]

Thankyou to you both, for your reassuring and kind words. I often think people around me think Im making it up or over reacting, but it's so scary and feels so heavy that it's hard.

My HR hasnt dropped from 100 all day. If i get up just to walk to the other side of the room it hits 120. Chest is tight and I keep getting stabby pains with shooting pains in my chest. I also KEEP burping, constantly... not 'food burps' but odourless ones, all the time.

Should I start the propranalol? Or wait? Im afraid i will feel VERY dizzy as my BP is low as it is.... but then if it calms my heart down and calms the palps down could it be worth it?

Thanks again x

[ashurrutia]

I understand your concerns, I took propranolol a couple of times, while it does lower your Heart Rate (I took 10 mg), it doesn't get rid of the anxiety, or the mental part. In my case the Heart rate is no such a big factor in increasing my anxiety, if anything I get more scared of gas trapped in my chest which gives me a weird pressure feeling. My HR gas gone up to 150-160 at least 3-4 times today, and then it stays at 120-130 for a good 10-15 minutes before it finally settles down. In my case, I could be in bed, and my heart would be pounding at 160, or I could stand up and be at 140, in any case, the chest pain you feel is likely due to sore chest muscles, especially rib muscle, I too feel it, and both my left and right arms would hurt. When it really is a heart attack, there are a few things you should know: First of all, Heart Disease has a very low prevalence rate amongst our age group that is 20-40, I'm talking about in the 0.1-1% range. In fact most Heart Attack that occur in young people are due to cocaine or other drugs overdose, real heart disease accounts for only a minority of Heart Attacks. Second if it were really a heart attack it will progress fast, meaning you would feel the chest pain, next thing you know, you are on the floor gasping for air, and can't even move. Anxiety on the other hand will keep you heart racing as long as your body is capable of producing adrenaline. However, your heart will not fail for racing, in fact people that have inappropriate sinus tachycardia syndrome, a condition where the heart beats fast all day long, do not have a reduced life-span. So all in all, we'll be fine, our hearts beating a little faster than usual for a couple of days, or even weeks won't do anything to us.

[TotallyBonkers]

I would give the tablets a try, the doctor has given you a very low dose and are aware of your blood pressure I would imagine, if they thought it would be detrimental then I highly doubt they would have prescribed it, try them out, but then if you find that they are not right for you then let the doctor know, its worth giving them a chance at least to see if they do help, but they wont help with the anxiety, that's something separate that it may be worth looking into if you feel that it is really starting to take over your life, then as I say antidepressants might be a way forward, they are not right for everyone, but that's certainly what helped me more than anything. (((hugs))) I do know how you feel.xx