17 w/ heart palpitations?

[JennieB]

Hello doc,

I have not seen a doctor yet. I thought maybe this forum might help. I am 17 and female. I do not smoke, or drink coffee. I exercise regularly. I am 100 lbs. and 5' 8". My BPM is 45, and BP is 99/60. I have (lately) been under alot of stress mentally, with having to write college and scholarship letters. I also have not been eating properly, about 1 1/2 meals a day. I have never been diagnosed with heart related problems previous, except for my doctor saying I had high blood pressure about 6 months ago. I bought a blood pressure monitor (which gave me my newest reading) and a stethoscope, (to help check my pulse because I have trouble finding it.) And for the past 2 months SUDDENLY I felt as though my heart was beating uncontrollably out of my chest, I wasn't even working out. In fact I am usually just laying down or siting up when I feel them. It gave me a fluttering sensation through out my chest. I tend to feel weak, not dizzy.  In fact I even feel one right now, they last about 5 minutes. They return in intervals between 2 hours and 10 days.

What are these symptoms telling me? Is this serious? What is causeing this? What should I do? Is it benign? Will it continue? How is it treated? Will I die tomorrow? Should I talk to a doctor?

[CCF-M.D.-KE]

Dear JennieB,

It sounds like you are experiencing palpitations. Palpitations are the sensation of one's own heart beat. What you describe does not sound particularly worrisome. However, you may consider having an evaluation by a doctor. A blood test to check your thyroid may be a good idea. Also, a holter monitor test may be a good idea. This is a test which monitors a person's heart rhythm for 24 to 48 hours and allows the physician to determine the type of rhythm disturbance one has. I would also recommend avoiding caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and stimulants such as those found in decongestants.


Thanks for your question,


CCF-MD-KE

[JennieB]

Thank You,

I want to inform you of what happened just today. Just after I posted this morning I went to school. I was in my philosophy class, and I collapsed. I fainted during the professors lecture. The prof. thought I had just fallen asleep, so took nothing of it. When I regained conciousness, I still had palpitations so I walked to the nurses station. I explained the same thing to the doctors there that I have said to you. They told me that I may have been experienceing and Atrial Fibrillation? What is that? and what should I expect from a cardiologist?

[arthur]

I would go to a cardiologist and get checked out as suggested by the good doc on this forum.  You'll probably have an EKG done and may wear a Holter monitor for a day or so.  These are typical procedures to check the rhythm of your heart and will not hurt or interfere with your normal day.  The cardiologist will need this info to figure out what is happening, since the readings on these devices are usually pretty easy to interpret and will provide you with a diagnosis of what you may be experiencing.

It is quite frightening to think that your heart doing loops...in fact, that feeling of anxiety will probably make things worse...so try and calm down.  If you check out the posts herein you'll find that your symptoms are not that unusual, and typically reflect a benign situation.  The trick is to get a solid diagnosis from the cardio as soon as possible...since information and facts lead to understanding which leads to peace of mind.

Atrial fibrillation is an example of many types of arrhythmias.  This specific one results in an irregular heart beat as opposed to simple skips.  It is often accompanied by an odd fluttery feeling in the chest and weakness.  As awful as it sounds, it still is not life threatening, but should be treated ASAP...son once again, the recommendation is to see the cardiologist right away.

Good luck and remember, tons of folks have these things all the time and there are ways to treat all manner of arrhythmias.

-Arthur

[ozark]

jennieb
if you are diagnosed with lone afib, my son who is now 18yo was diagnosed with this last year.  this is non life threatening ...please post a comment when you are diagnosed and if you need to talk i"ll email you my email address...good luck

[Mel22]

Dear Jennie,

I noticed you said you were 5'8" and 100 pounds. I also noticed that you are exercising regularly but not eating right. When did you have your last physical exam? Maybe an assessment of general health is in order. Are you dealing with any other issues besides school sress?

Good luck!

[arthur]

BTW...I had lone afib and was cured with a procedure known as an ablation.  So, regardless of the diagnosis, there's always a way to deal with the problem.

-Arthur

[karie]

I am 5 7" and 110 thanks to an increase in avocado.
I too live a very healthy lifestyle and have my heart murmurs/mvp checked yearly.
I know that food,stress,exercise can all trigger palps.
However nutrition too : I had a trip to urgent care yesterday for many pvc's 4 a minute and very painful , chest area/ After the ekg picked them up and blood work ordered, I was low in potassium and given K-lyte to help. I will try K-dur and hope it does not cause stomach irritation and return for follow up and a holter monitor. I thought with potatoes, bananas daily I was ok.
Fighting stomach troubles at the same time is no fun.
Keep us posted

[JennieB]

hey thanks everybody...

Well i am really pleased at the responses. I visited the cardiologist. The EKG showed a very rapid pulse, and they told me it was Atrial fibrillation.

Well i do have had other issues happening in my life. I have had a dear friend commit suicide, my sister in ICU w/ a head trauma, and haveing to live up to others expectations of me. I have seriously been under major stress and depression. my b/f is worried. He also says I don't sleep enough. i usually get about 6-7 hours of sleep. I just can't sleep.

I am still confused but you all have shed light unto this matter, Thanks!

Jennie B