Scary Heart Racing

Today I was in the gym working out on the treadmill as I always do.  After about 25 minutes I was adjusting the incline and was slwoing down and I started feeling strange, I felt as if I was going to faint and everything around me was not moving and that I was in a dream.  I stepped off the treadmill very qucikly and then my heart was pounding and I felt a nasty tingling sensation in both of my arms.  I felt terrible and had to get out of the gym for some air.  Once I got into my car and drove away the symptoms subsided.  This has happened to me before after work outs and I am wondering if this is heart related or could be panic attacks.  Today was by far the worst attack yet as I almost passed out but managed to overcome the sensation by hurrying out of the gym.  I am very scared to go back to the gym tomorrow and have made an appt with my family Physician tomorrow.  Has anyone ever exprienced this type of thing? I am 50 years old and do take blood pressure meds (beta blockers).


This discussion is related to exercise induced tachycardia.

[erijon]

It's good that you're seeing your doctor tomorrow to be safe, that's the wise thing to do. It could have been a panic attack or there are a couple other possibilities. First, you may have experienced low blood pressure by cooling down too fast. If you slow your exertion rate too quickly it can leave too much blood pooled in your large muscle groups and cause a temporary drop in BP that could have caused your symptoms. Also, you may have become hypoglycemic as well and experienced a drop in your blood sugars.

Just a couple things you may want to ask your doctor about.

Good luck,

Jon