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Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (Expert Forum)
My heart is fast and been sick feeling for months
Answered by
Lee Kirksey, MD - Peripheral Arterial Disease, PAD, Cardiovascular Disease, stroke, treatment, angioplasty, spider veins, laser ablation, wound treatment, surgery, leg pain, Prevention, Varicose veins
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center of the Univ. of Pennsylvania Healthcare Clinical Assistant Professor at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia - PA
Questions in the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention forum are answered by Dr. Lee Kirksey, associate professor at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
My heart is fast and been sick feeling for months
by atomic811, Jul 23, 2009 12:50PM
I had a chest x-ray, 24 hour holter monitor and an echo of my heart. It call came back normal except sinus tachycardia, which the cardiologist said is anxiety. However I do not feel that is what is causing it as I am not nervous 24/7. I am a male, age 33, 5'11 and 146 lbs. I am an 12 year smoker and in the process of quitting I am down to 7 cigarettes a day.
If my heart rate is 71 and I smoke a cigarette my heart goes to 110 and then will hang around 95 for 5 hour after I smoke. Standing up my heart rate is 120-140 a minute. My blood pressure is not low when I stand. Sitting my pressure is about 110/70 and standing it is about 110/92. My heart racing like that after I smoked never happened before and started after I took a single dose of paxil 10 mg. (I only took the one dose. I am not currently on any medication). 4 hours after I took the paxil I fainted. About 6 hours after I fainted my heart went to 140 and stayed between 120-140 for 2 months.
When I eat many foods now my heart will race and I get an anxiety and breathless feeling. If the food contains no fat it does not happen. If the food does have fat my heart rate will go to about 100-106 and I will feel breathless and an anxiety feeling. My heart will do this for about an hour before it goes back down.
When my hands are at my sides they turn a purplish color, more so on my right hand. I have been to the ER 3 times when this first started on March 4th. I saw a cardiologist and 2 doctors. When I get out of the shower my heart is about 150 and very mild exercise 2mph on a treadmill for 5 mins will bring it to 160. I have had no energy at all and have hardly exercised in almost 5 months. I literally lay in bed most the time and can hardly eat any food. I am just not hungry anymore.
My thyroid has been checked and I was checked for anemia, both were normal as were my electrolytes. My liver enzymes were normal as was an ultrasound of my gallbladder. I do not drink alcohol. I do not drink any caffeine.
If my heart rate is 71 and I smoke a cigarette my heart goes to 110 and then will hang around 95 for 5 hour after I smoke. Standing up my heart rate is 120-140 a minute. My blood pressure is not low when I stand. Sitting my pressure is about 110/70 and standing it is about 110/92. My heart racing like that after I smoked never happened before and started after I took a single dose of paxil 10 mg. (I only took the one dose. I am not currently on any medication). 4 hours after I took the paxil I fainted. About 6 hours after I fainted my heart went to 140 and stayed between 120-140 for 2 months.
When I eat many foods now my heart will race and I get an anxiety and breathless feeling. If the food contains no fat it does not happen. If the food does have fat my heart rate will go to about 100-106 and I will feel breathless and an anxiety feeling. My heart will do this for about an hour before it goes back down.
When my hands are at my sides they turn a purplish color, more so on my right hand. I have been to the ER 3 times when this first started on March 4th. I saw a cardiologist and 2 doctors. When I get out of the shower my heart is about 150 and very mild exercise 2mph on a treadmill for 5 mins will bring it to 160. I have had no energy at all and have hardly exercised in almost 5 months. I literally lay in bed most the time and can hardly eat any food. I am just not hungry anymore.
My thyroid has been checked and I was checked for anemia, both were normal as were my electrolytes. My liver enzymes were normal as was an ultrasound of my gallbladder. I do not drink alcohol. I do not drink any caffeine.
Doctor's Answer
by Lee Kirksey, MD, Jul 23, 2009 09:18PM
, Jul 23, 2009 09:18PMTo: atomic811
Hello
It seems that you have a very complex issue which has had a substantial and thorough work up by your doctors. There are a number of conditions that may cause your broad spectrum of symptoms including systemic disorders like hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, anxiety and deconditioning. Certainly, your continued smoking is not helping. Iwould say that a stress echo or nuclear medicine study may complete your workup of these symptoms.
I would not minimize the contribution that anxiety may have to this problem. Instead, ask your pcp for recommendations regarding counseling for the management of stress. Stress can cause significant changes in the body's biochemistries including substances that stimulate the heart
You and your doctors should remain diligent in an attempt to identify the exact cause of this problem. Good luck.
visit www.personalwellnesswheel.com
It seems that you have a very complex issue which has had a substantial and thorough work up by your doctors. There are a number of conditions that may cause your broad spectrum of symptoms including systemic disorders like hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, anxiety and deconditioning. Certainly, your continued smoking is not helping. Iwould say that a stress echo or nuclear medicine study may complete your workup of these symptoms.
I would not minimize the contribution that anxiety may have to this problem. Instead, ask your pcp for recommendations regarding counseling for the management of stress. Stress can cause significant changes in the body's biochemistries including substances that stimulate the heart
You and your doctors should remain diligent in an attempt to identify the exact cause of this problem. Good luck.
visit www.personalwellnesswheel.com
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What I can't understand is I took a single dose of paxil March 4th. End up fainting out of no where. Then had a constant heart rate of 120-140 for 2 months before it even dipped back into the 90s and I am told it is anxiety.
My heart never behaved in such a manner and was always 65-80 at rest. It never was 140 standing. And while now I can see after being sick for months and not exercising how I could have deconditioning, I suddenly the day I took the paxil was not in a matter of hours deconditioned. Nor did I suddenly have a rare pheochromocytoma grow.
It scares the heck out of me the lack of understand of reactions to these medications. I am left with doctors telling me that as soon as I get on a "good SSRI" my heart rate will come down. Well my heart rate was down before I ever took a "good SSRI", why would I take another one after it did something to me that no one seems to be able to understand.
This drastic health change yes has fueled my anxiety and I am aware that that is not helping the situation, I am also now after many months depressed over how I feel. Who wouldn't be depressed at this point.
Thanks for answering my question.