22 year old with fast heart beat and chest pain and sob constantly

[bill2001]

hi,i'm 22 year old from Australia.2 months ago i started having tight in my chest & was short of breath constantly after short walks showering eating...& experienced occassional chest pain and also experienced blood pumping my skin on different parts of my body.i dont have heart conditions and am healthy.4 weeks ago during watch tenis wimbelden(no stress)worries experienced a episode unlike anything before. i felt a sharp chest pain in centre of my chest which spread,then i lost my breath for about 5 sec & then heart started racing and continues constantly still and i continue chest pain(centre & left side of chest,heart)i have had several cardiographs done by doctor & at hospital.all of which revealed sinus tacky.i have also had my blood pressure taken several times,they say it is high(app 170/100.dont smoke,dont drink.i had extensive blood test taken,all of which were normal except 1 showed a minor liver result.i have had 2 vq scans,both  normal,chest xray normal and just recently had 24 hr holter monitor on.results showed sinus tacky whilst awake and h/r of 50 asleep.i had echo which was normal which only showed sinus tachy.when doing echo they said the heat beats normal on outside,fast on inside.i have been to emergency on few occassions and diagnosed with anxiety.i saw a cardioligist today and he sent me for urine scan and 24h urine test.i struggle  walk short dist without even faster heart beat sob and pain.(walk 3stairs,toilet,2metres.i am dizzy,feel pins needles in feet,arm, leg sometimes & sudden jump in heart beat while sit. any advice,answers or help appreciated?

[CCF-M.D.-CRC]

Dear ben,
Hard to say for sure what is causing your symptoms.  You may be experiencing inappropriate sinus tachycardia.  We recently had a cardiologist from Australia complete specialized training here in heart rhythms and he may be able to help you.  His name is Dr. Stephen Pavia and I believe he is in the Brisbane area.  Hope this works out for you.  G'day!b

[bill2001]

i forgot to mention,the hospital told me to take minax 50 to slow down my heart rate and blood pressure. without much success.
my cardiologist prescribed inderel 40 today and i just started taking it.

[bill2001]

thankyou doctor, i live in sydney but i'll try get in contact with the cardiologist in brisbane hopefully with some luck.thanks alot.

doctor if you have any other details about this doctor(ie: name of the company)that would be of great help.

thankyou very much

cheers

[jambotuk]

Please be reassured that you are not alone on this one! I experienced an identical nightmare to you, but mine happended in a cinema when i was 21. I thought i was having a heart attack - pain in chest and up left arm and jaw, pins and needles, couldn't breathe etc. I went to hospital and had an ECG and thyroid test (in the uk). These were normal but i had very high blood pressure for a short time and then went home and slept almost continuously for three days.

I saw my doctor and he said i'd had a panic attack caused by anxiety. This sounded understandable as i was in the middle of Degree exams. He prescribed propanalol beta-blockers (which i think are the same thing as inderel) and peroxatine (seroxat) anti-depressants to both reduce my heart rate and raise my mood. After some experimenting with dosage i eventually felt ok and have been well (with a few minor recurrences of breathlessness etc but nothing as bad!) for about 2 and a half years.

I know how you feel. It was easily the scariest experience of my life. It's important to know though that IF it is caused by anxiety there is nothing to worry about. It feels terrible but it can't actually kill you or anything!!

I say IF here though, because i must admit I still have some doubts as to whether all my symptoms and specifically the initial attack were caused by anxiety. Baring this in mind i would appreciate it if you (or anyone else) could let me know about your findings. I'm seriously considering requesting some more check-ups myself actually - just in case any new ideas arise.

Good Luck

[Neener44]

My symptoms sound similar to yours and after 2 ep studies and ablations I have been diagnosed with a rapid heart rate that originates from the sinus node. For about 10 years I have struggled with trying to control high blood pressure. Last Fall I suddenly passed out, got a concussion and was referred to a cardiologist/ep doctor to rule out ventricular tachycardia. He has since discovered that my high blood pressure is caused by the constant rapid heart rate and goes down if the heart rate is controlled. I take sotalol which helps most of the time. My doctor recently told me that my only options are medication or possibly an ablation to modify the sinus node. However, with sinus node modification he feels that I would end up needing a pacemaker and so will only consider that as a last resort. Hope you can find a good doctor. Take care.

[hopefull]

hi all
i am now 33 years old and have suffered all of the symptoms you have mentioned since the age of 21. I have had probably every test possible (twice)all results have been negative and so my GP has come to the conclusion that the problem is pycological and has been treating it this way for many years with anti depressants and beta blockers ,as others have mentioned.This i can see is a logical approach for the Dr to take as in his words "if it were anything more serious you wouldn,t be here now",but this philosophy doesn't help me and as for the anti-depressants ,i have had them all with no affect.My symptoms are sob,slow heart rate / fast heart rate ,palpitations and a general feeling i can only descibe as having a (hangover)this has been diagnosed as panic attacks and anxiety though i question this as i have these symptoms 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year,to a greater opr lesser extent, is that possible ?. Some days are better than others and i can actually do everyday things ,other days just getting out of bed is exhausting.One thing is for sure you must keep the pressure on the doctors to keep trying different approaches until they find the answer.We live in hope !

Reagards jon

[destined for deliverance]

Hey guys...I just wanted to let you all know that you are not alone.  I too have suffered with anxiety.  For a long time I refused to thing it was that because I thought I was too strong to let something mentally get to me for so long.  (divorce/singleparenthood)  

I now know how to control it,  It is really possible.  IF AND ONLY IF you can get past the FEAR.  Fear is what actually disables you.  I know it is a terrible feeling and you never know when it is going to happen but I am learned that the battle was in my mind more than anything.  I pray constantly.  God has given me insight on many things.  Dealing with the subconscious is hard because we are not aware of it.  Sometimes our bodies send us warning signs that we ignore.  I have learned that when I push my self to hard(over exerting), holding things in, constantly rushing..etc...I will definitely have an anxiety attack.  You have to learn how to relax in your mind and body at the SAME TIME!!!!!!  I focus on God and myself on our own private island.  I speak to my heartbeat, my breathing, nausea and I say I am in full control.  I will not allow this to keep happening.  I pray and ask God for His help in my time of need.  

I am very aware of myself and my feelings now.  I have learned to open up and ask others for help.  Sometimes just talking about "anything will help an attack to subside."  You have to surround yourself with a good support system.  (positive people breathe positive results)  

The worst thing that you can do is beat yourself up about the attacks.  Just remember....you can and will learn to control them.

[boo]

I need to know from someone who experienced high bp,if it is dangerous. can you have a stroke from a panic attack?

[jambotuk]

Since reading the original message from ben i've been doing some research into this subject and i think what i've found will be very reassuring to all of you. I've spoken to my doctor and i've looked on the internet.

Firstly, as i said before if the problem is anxiety related then
the problem can be tackled by using a combination of drugs and counselling. I've been taking a small dose of beta blockers and a very low dose of an SSRI daily. These slow down my heart rate and reduce the anxiety symptoms. I've also seen a counsellor to find out what it is that may be causing me to be over anxious. This combination of treatment has gradually helped me to cope with my symptoms and also diagnose the cause. I'm now gradually coming off my tablets. This has taken me two and half years. So don't expect instant results. It took me a year just to get the dosage of my tablets correct! But it can be done. So don't worry.

Ben mentioned in his original message 'Sinus Tachcardia'. I've looked into this and i've found a very good website. Go to: http://heartdisease.about.com/library/weekly/aa050701a.htm

Please don't be scared by the word 'heartdisease' in the URL!!!
Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST) is not dangerous. But it is unpleasant. Infact, people suffering from it experience all of the symptoms that ben and i have had - very similar to anxiety. But they usually grow out of it in later life. Again this can be treated by a combination of drugs.

I feel that this information is reassuring because it shows that whichever problem we are all suffering from, neither of them are life threatening and both of them can be treated. So please don't worry!!!

[Kandytoes]

A related discussion, Pulmonary Hypertension was started.