Heart Disease / Anxiety?

[Ratchet]

So, this is something I've been dealing with for quite a while in my life and I've never really had any answers. Try as I might, researching the topic yields many different results that often collide with one another and end up with many more questions than answers. Now, this isn't a health forum or anything, but there is generally a pretty diverse base of knowledge here and I figured I'd give it a shot.

It's hard to describe my 'symptoms' to someone. As such, I imagine others also have trouble describing it (assuming someone else in the world has whatever I have), making it quite hard to find cases which are exactly similar to mine.

Here's to describing what happens as best I can.

Information:
- I get a rapid heartbeat, out of the blue, beating irregularly and out of control
- It is varying degrees of uncomfortable, depending on how hard my heart is beating (next bullet)
- My heart beats with varying degrees of 'strength', sometimes it is deep, hard beats and sometimes it is light, rapid beats (usually the deepness changes frequently and constantly throughout the episode)
- I may start to perspire, depending on the length of the episode
- Episodes can last from 3 seconds (one or two irregular beats) to 30-45 minutes (very few have gone to this length but it does happen). The most common length is probably 3-5 minutes because I have learned to control it (explained below).
- I can make the episode go away by distracting myself for long enough to forget about it (even through the pain, which is hard) and/or taking slow, deep breaths
- If I think about the pain/my heart rate, the episode will vigorously increase in strength
- When it does go away, I feel one or two deep, hard beats as my heart returns to its normal rate. A wave of warmth washes over my body and I can feel a flushing feeling of blood draining from my head
- Episodes may come once a month, once a week, or twice a day. It's not consistent and I can't say I've noticed any trends with episodes and stress or anything like that.
- I can be doing anything: playing a game, holding a conversation, driving, peeing, it's even happened and woken me up from sleep
- I'm usually not experiencing any more or less stress or anxiety than usual. I'm not much of a stressed out or anxious person. I'm also not depressed.
- I'm 20 years old and I don't remember it happening in my childhood. I'd estimate that it started happening around my teenage years
- My family does not have a history of heart disease. I've only had one family member (grandfather) with heart disease, and it was likely because he was quite obese.
- I am not obese.


The point of posting this isn't to get hate, or to be told to go to a doctor, or anything like that. All I'm looking for is perspective.

I've been to the doctor (and hospital) before, but not while an episode occurred. Only after. Heart readings were taken (I can't recall what all tests they did) and determined that I was functioning normally and blah blah. The doctors quickly dismissed it as anxiety (or panic attacks). However, I wanted to see if maybe anyone else had any more information that may agree with panic attacks or disagree.

Thanks in advance

[Pre]

That does sound an aweful lot like panic attacks to me

[sinewav]

Because you used the word pain instead of discomfort, I suggest you go to a cardiologist and explain your symptoms. Express your interest in wearing a heart monitor for a short period of time. The goal is to catch one of these episodes on the monitor for review. From there the doctor can make an assessment. The technology exists for reasons such as this, and the peace of mind you get from the results will be invaluable.

Here is some good news: not every heart condition is something to worry about. I have one of those. For the last several years I have had heart palpitations. They are uncomfortable, not painful, but quite disturbing nonetheless. This time last year I had a couple weeks where they were stronger and more frequent. On the advice of my friend's father I saw a cardiologist and was fitted with a heart monitor for one week. We managed to catch just a single, small episode. The readings showed my heartbeat "doubling up" for a second or two. I also had my heart imaged via ultrasound. The final diagnosis is that my condition is both common and non-life threatening. Knowing this has helped a lot.

It also helps to keep a log when these episodes occur. One of the things that seem to trigger my episodes is my diet. The palpitations will happen more when I'm dehydrated. Also, if I eat too much food the stress seems to bring them on. These are easy remedies! Naturally, anxiety is also factor and I have some healthy ways to manage it.

Try not to panic about your heart, even though it's one of the hardest things to do! Also, don't let people talk you out of learning about your body. People might say "oh you are young, it's just anxiety or panic attacks" (which it might be). I had a friend who suffered from a constant malaise and thought it was just in her head and she was just in a rut. Turns out she had cancer. She waited too long to find out. The moral of this story is, medical technology exists for you to use, to be healthy and informed. Don't let people dismiss your symptoms. Cardiologists know that heart irregularities are scary. Determining if the cause is a malformity or psychological is important, and the sooner the better.

[Light]

Sine has given a pretty complete answer, but if you have more information on tests that were done and results of them, we may be able to get closer. Was there anything abnormal in any of the tests?

If the problems fall under a few different categories, maybe exercise could help. Even if not completely physical, it's a good stress reliever for many and may help you relax better. If you are having more serious problems though, I would be hoping it doesn't make anything worse. It does sound like you're on the right track of thinking though. Maybe you could get the opinion of a different doctor, or try something like Sine suggested.

I haven't dealt with it a lot, but my mum has and you sound pretty similar. I'm not sure what, but she has meds to help her with it, which may be worth looking into. It would require a prescription though. I don't think she really has any over the counter alternatives.

[Koala]

What you described sounds a lot like either an AV nodal reentrant tachycardia or a Wolff Parkinson White syndrome to me (both cardiac dysrhythmias). Get yourself checked by some experienced cardiologist. Should at least be able to rule them out in a long term electrocardiography.
Though it could also be something entirely psychosomatic like panic attacks.

- Eber

[Word]

@Ratchet: Also, don't panic over any diagnosis or list of symptoms that you get on the internet. When my chronic illness started to show, I ended up thinking I have cancer and only a few days left to live based on my Google searches. After I got the diagnosis, I read the Wikipedia article about that (many more from other sites actually) and the side-effects of the medicine and still thought I'll have the worst life imaginable. That being said, I urge you to inform yourself nonetheless, as soon as the doctors are sure what you have and prescribe you something you'll perhaps consume for the rest of your life. I learned the hard way that the wrong medicine can easily cause mood swings/depression or worsen your condition. So pay close attention to how it affects you, not just your heart.

[Ratchet]

I knew I'd get insightful responses from you guys. Great!

So, I'm not extremely worried and freaking out Thanks for looking out for me and being reassuring, though. It's been happening for a while and it's more puzzling than anything.



@Sine: That certainly doesn't sound like a bad idea. As an electrical engineer, it's actually a quite intriguing thought. I'd love to hook myself up to a heart monitor; I'm sure they have some really cool ones that write to a SD card (or even USB) and allow me to view and analyze it using software. I'm taking signal processing classes in school, so looking at my heart beat would be very fascinating!

I'd love to see if I can find any correlations with my lifestyle, diet, stress, etc. I'll definitely look into that (even though it's not perhaps what you had in mind )

While the idea of seeing someone who specializes in cardiology is appealing, I can't say that my family can financially support any such visits right now. The good news, though, is about a year and a half from now I'll be quite well off and I should be able to afford it myself. I think perhaps my body can wait a bit longer.

I think the only person who has talked me out of learning more about my body is myself. No one else in my life really shows much concern so I tend to blow it off as well. I know it's probably a horrible mistake, and I certainly would like to learn more about it. I'll try to do so as soon as possible.



@Light: I was probably 15 when the tests were done (and I really don't even remember which hospital) so I can't recall much. I think they pretty much just made sure I wasn't dying. I have no clue what tests they performed and I really don't even know how to go about obtaining that information.

I have been prescribed Xanax by my family doctor (years ago), assuming it is panic attacks. I never take them because I can make it go away on my own. I don't like medicine.



@Eber: I appreciate your suggestions. I have read wikipedia articles on each of them and I must admit, I don't think that's what I have. However, I'm also not a heart doctor or anything, so you may very well be correct. I'll keep those in mind in case I recall to bring them up when I speak to a cardiologist.



@Word: Bingo. That's the exact reason I'm skeptical about falling under the umbrella of 'panic attacks' and also why I'm skeptical of Google search results. I know of many people who start experiencing symptoms of some sort, look it up on Google, and then self-diagnose (usually completely wrong). Heck, you can look up just about any female body issue and somehow, some way connect it to being pregnant. My girlfriend has been scared into believing she's pregnant a few times now, it's nuts.

I was hoping by posting here that I'd get more informative responses and I certainly have. I appreciate it

[Monkey]

I'm a bit late to the party but I'll give my two cents (of course I'm far from being an expert on the subject so really you should get yourself checked out).

As someone who used to get them, it could be panic or anxiety attacks. Here are some possibly useful questions and tips for you if these are what you are indeed suffering from:

Do you ever get pins and needles in your face or hands when it happens? I used to get this before I knew about breathing and relaxing techniques.
How do you know your heartbeat is irregular? I used to think my heartbeat was irregular when I had panic attacks but it was just a feeling, not a fact. ECGs taken by ambulance staff showed my heart rhythm to be ok (the first time I had one I thought I was dying).
When it happens, does your chest feel tight? Try not only breathing slowly and deeply but also try to consciously relax your chest, arm and shoulder muscles. I found that helped me.

You can get portable ECG monitors that you wear while you go about your daily business. A quick Google search shows that even if your doctor/hospital won't lend you one, you can buy one for less than $200. Your life is important so make sure you get one if you can.

Good luck in finding out what you are suffering from.

[Ratchet]

Monkey,

No, I do not get a pins and needles sensation anywhere.

Yes. I am very certain my heart is beating abnormally. It actually beats to hard that if I'm sitting still my entire body visibly shakes from my heartbeat. The first time I told anyone about it was when I was in school one day and it wouldn't go away and kept hurting. I went up to my school assistant principal/first response personnel and didn't say a word. I asked for his hand and held it over my heart.

He freaked out and made me lay down on a couch and got me some cold water while he called my parents.

My chest doesn't feel tight so much as I feel short of oxygen. My heart beats so fast that I guess it needs way more oxygen than normal.


Also, perhaps not related: when this does happen for any decent amount of time (let's say more than 5 minutes), I have to pee afterwards. It's like my whole body goes into hyperdrive. My heart starts pumping epic blood through everything, causing me to need more oxygen and my kidneys to presumably be filtering more blood. I may be completely wrong about this, but it makes sense to me, so... yeah

[Monkey]

Ratchet:

I'm not qualified enough to give any more advice so get yourself checked out as soon as possible.

The UK's leading heart charity, the British Heart Foundation has loads of info and downloadable booklets on its website. Check it out:

https://www.bhf.org.uk/publications/hea ... rt-rhythms
https://www.bhf.org.uk/publications/hea ... conditions
http://community.bhf.org.uk/forum

[kyle]

I would keep a food/drink log (anything in the mouth), maybe something you are eating or drinking is causing it. could be caffeine or something.

[Ratchet]

Thanks Monkey

Kyle, but... meh I suppose it's possible. I don't think it would be caffeine, though. I love coffee milk and I drink loads of Dr. Pepper. I think it would happen much more often if that were a trigger. It would be really hard to pinpoint something because I doubt it would be a whole item such as "corn" or something. It would be some acid, bacteria, or component of a food that appears in multiple things. Since I'm not really familiar with what's in everything, it would be extremely hard for me to pinpoint that

[Word]

Also, perhaps not related: when this does happen for any decent amount of time (let's say more than 5 minutes), I have to pee afterwards. It's like my whole body goes into hyperdrive. My heart starts pumping epic blood through everything, causing me to need more oxygen and my kidneys to presumably be filtering more blood. I may be completely wrong about this, but it makes sense to me, so... yeah

I'd still recommend you stay away from coffee, alcohol and dr pepper/other soft drinks, and all too fatty and sugary food for a while and see what happens if you just drink tea and water - fluids that your body can process without any stress. Losing weight by peeing or shitting is the normal reaction of a body under a lot of stress - it was probably useful when humans still had to run away from lions all the time, but nowadays it's just annoying Also, do you get enough sleep?

Since I'm the colitis guy here: Yes, caffeine/alcohol/white sugar can easily trigger what you describe, and if your body doesn't work the way it should, more blood is used to regenerate the cells used to process them -- if you're starting to have an insufficient amount of blood circulating through you, your heart needs to pump much faster to even that out until enough new blood is produced. In my case, a cup of coffee every day would kill me after a few weeks (assuming that I don't get blood or iron transfusions -- guessing here, though.) because I wouldn't be able to regenerate blood that fast...and coffee is the worst of all drinks for me, health-wise.

[Ratchet]

I'll try and adjust my diet