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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Slow, hard heartbeat relating to excercise?
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Slow, hard heartbeat relating to excercise?
by heidi, Sep 30, 1999 12:00AM
I'm 43 years old. Most of my life, I've had a very fast heartbeat, about 90bpm while resting, with occasional palpitations. Also my blood pressure was pretty low, 110/90, and sometimes I'd get dizzy standing up too fast. During my last pregnancy, 3 years ago, I got high blood pressure. During the diagnosis it was discovered I have an unusually large and odd-shaped aorta (the picture looked something like a Perrier bottle), which might have accounted for the fast heart beat. I was put on Atenolol, which worked great: my heart rate and blood pressure went down (to about 80 and 110/90), my energy level improved, and I got fewer migraines.
Now, after 2 babies I had gained a LOT of weight (80 lbs), so over the last year I've been changing our diet (lots of whole grains, vegies, lean meats) and working out on a ski machine at least 3 times a week and some weight lifting. I've lost 30+ lbs, I'm stronger and leaner etc. So far so good. BUT, now, on days I DON'T excercise, I'm increasingly getting a strange heartbeat: it's slow (60bpm), which is ok, but also very hard (I can feel it all over my chest), and I feel a little lightheaded. My pulse is also fainter than it was, and my blood pressure is
a bit lower, 100/90. The symptoms actually go away if I go work out for 20 minutes or so (my job, I should mention, is VERY sedentary, and these symptoms usually come about after an hour or two at work). Sometimes these get worse when I also get after-migraine symptoms, where my head hurts on one side if I bend over or strain.
So, I don't know whether to worry about this or not. Partly what concerns me is whether I'm enlarging this already enlarged aorta. I have SOME Marfan-like symptoms (long arms, tallest girl in my family 5'8'', used to have very loose joints, migraines, crowded teeth, slender fingers, joint problems) but I'm not terribly tall and certainly not skinny. But my 2-year old son is extremely loose jointed, tall, skinny, long arms, has scoliosis, reflux, and was born with 2 hernias (diaphramatic and groin). Most of his symptoms can be explained as results of the diaphramatic hernia, but the loose joints and tallness would have to be something else.
Thank you very much for your help. By the way, this site is a GREAT resource for the community!
Now, after 2 babies I had gained a LOT of weight (80 lbs), so over the last year I've been changing our diet (lots of whole grains, vegies, lean meats) and working out on a ski machine at least 3 times a week and some weight lifting. I've lost 30+ lbs, I'm stronger and leaner etc. So far so good. BUT, now, on days I DON'T excercise, I'm increasingly getting a strange heartbeat: it's slow (60bpm), which is ok, but also very hard (I can feel it all over my chest), and I feel a little lightheaded. My pulse is also fainter than it was, and my blood pressure is
a bit lower, 100/90. The symptoms actually go away if I go work out for 20 minutes or so (my job, I should mention, is VERY sedentary, and these symptoms usually come about after an hour or two at work). Sometimes these get worse when I also get after-migraine symptoms, where my head hurts on one side if I bend over or strain.
So, I don't know whether to worry about this or not. Partly what concerns me is whether I'm enlarging this already enlarged aorta. I have SOME Marfan-like symptoms (long arms, tallest girl in my family 5'8'', used to have very loose joints, migraines, crowded teeth, slender fingers, joint problems) but I'm not terribly tall and certainly not skinny. But my 2-year old son is extremely loose jointed, tall, skinny, long arms, has scoliosis, reflux, and was born with 2 hernias (diaphramatic and groin). Most of his symptoms can be explained as results of the diaphramatic hernia, but the loose joints and tallness would have to be something else.
Thank you very much for your help. By the way, this site is a GREAT resource for the community!
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD JMF, Oct 01, 1999 12:00AM
Dear Heidi,
Unfortunately it is difficult to make diagnoses in this forum. I would recommend a full evaluation for your self in view of your age and your cardiac risk factors. You should have an echocardiogram to assess your aortic root as well as valve if you have this prior history of aortic enlargement.
I would also recommend a stress test and a physician recommended exercise plan based on this information.
As far as Marphans goes, the echo would help characterize any heart abnormalities that may be associated with marphans including an enlarged ascending arch or bicuspid aortic valve.
Unfortunately it is difficult to make diagnoses in this forum. I would recommend a full evaluation for your self in view of your age and your cardiac risk factors. You should have an echocardiogram to assess your aortic root as well as valve if you have this prior history of aortic enlargement.
I would also recommend a stress test and a physician recommended exercise plan based on this information.
As far as Marphans goes, the echo would help characterize any heart abnormalities that may be associated with marphans including an enlarged ascending arch or bicuspid aortic valve.
