Very worried - Please share your opinions.

[hoosier1907]

Hi All,

I am a 30 yr old white male. 5'9" tall and about 175 pounds. I was about 185 pounds like 2 months ago but I started to run on the treadmill for about half an hour (at 5 miles per hr) twice a day. But I think this screwed up my heart. I also lift weights and have done it for many years in the past (I am not a body builder though).

My nightmare started 3 days ago. I have started to feel a very mild discomfort / burning sensation around my left chest area. Then my heart started to run fast continuously and it is not something which comes on and off. I ended up going to the ER last night. They did blood work, chest XR, and EKG. My heart rate in the EKG was 105. The doctor said the heart was beating little fast but everything else was normal. But my blood pressure was elevated (150/90).

Today I saw a cardiologist whom the hospital referred to. He looked at the tests done in ER and said (given my risk factors, age etc), he is certain that I do not have a heart problem. To make sure he ordered a holter monitor and a stress echocardiogram. But the problem is I have to wait little bit to take those tests and I fear my situation may be urgent. My heart rate in his office was 85 and BP around 145/90.

Tonight, I went to CVS and took my blood pressure with their machine 6-7 times. Average BP was 145/85. Average pulse was 75. But I think in the past I used to have a much slower pulse rate and a normal BP.

I don't know exactly what triggered my condition. But after doing some research here, I suspect it is related to the exercise including running and weight lifting. I was also skipping dinners.

Now, it seems like my heart rate goes up fast and the discomfort/pain increases as I my heart rate increases. But I have not really tried the treadmill after these things happened due to anxiety.

What is your opinion? Can it be athlete's heart related some type of continuous tachycardia. I know my heart rate seems to be in the normal range but I believe my original numbers were lower and this continuous increase gives me some discomfort. I don't have a family history of cardiac diseases and I also think (like the doc today) the test results will come back normal in the future (holter and echo). But then how did exercising impact my heart rate and BP; and how serious could this be? Would this chest discomfort ever go away?

Any comments? Thank you!

[ireneo]

Your heart rate sounds good. You haven't been exercising long enough to have developed an athlete's heart. Their heart rate tends to be slower, say the 50's. Your BP is a bit high however. Whether that's due to a problem or because you're upset and stressed right now is difficult to say. The BP machines at stores are not accurate as a rule because they're rarely calibrated. Even those of us with machines at home have to take them in to be calibrated occasionally.

A heart rate can be faster due to excitement, exercise or stress as well. You said yours was 105. That barely qualifies as tachycardia. In some books it even says tachy is 120 bpm and above. So with your rate it's hard to say if there's a problem yet.

As hard as it is, you'll have to wait to have accurate testing done to get a clear answer. The pain in your chest could be musculoskeletal since you've just recently started an exercise regimen. Hope everything checks out OK for you and congrats on getting in shape. That's hard to do.

[fizzixgal]

You don't say how long ago you started your exercise program, but if it is within the last week or so then I wonder if you haven't been overexerting yourself. One thing I've noticed in my own body is that if I try to do too strenuous a workout for my conditioning level, my heart will stay fast for many hours. Years ago when I had been sedentary for months and then went backpacking in the mountains (Appalachians) with friends, my heart took several days to adjust and was up in the 90s to 100s even at night. Everything else you describe could be anxiety related, but you'll have better peace of mind once everything is checked out. I'm betting all this will go away in a week or two. If your heart is structurally normal it is pretty hard to damage it with moderate exercise. Still, best to ask your doctor and follow his recommendations for easing into a good programme. If your BP stays high, ask about medication to keep it under control -- your heart (and kidneys) will thank you!

[hoosier1907]

Thank you for the answers. I have started the exercise regimen about 2 months ago. I am certain, like fizzixgal said, I have overdone it.

Are there anyone else who has/had similar experience such as exercising/weight lifting and then continously elevated heart rate with some chest discomfort?

[fizzixgal]

If you're in the Midwest (hoosier? I guess maybe so!) then another thing to consider is dehydration which can also cause tachycardia -- and much worse. Here in Michigan we're in our first real hot spell of the summer and everyone is feeling the heat. You said you'd been skipping dinners which makes me wonder whether you've been drinking enough fluids (you should be drinking at least 18 oz a day based on your weight and exercise duration).

Just a thought since you've been working out for 2 months but just started noticing symptoms this week.

[hoosier1907]

I used to live in Indiana :) but moved to FL about 2 years ago.  I was trying to get enough water but I do not know if I actually needed more than that.

Now, the discomfort seems to be relieved or very little unless I do things which increase my heart rate such as walking fast or running. This worries me a lot now. Do you have any input on this?

[fizzixgal]

Without an explanation for why your symptoms came on 3 days ago, I would avoid exerting myself until I had more information in hand, meaning further test results. Holter and stress echo are exactly the tests I would want if I were in your position. I hope you are able to have them done soon, waiting and not knowing is one of the worst things.

BTW I meant to write 18 GLASSES of water above, not oz. One glass = 8 oz. Stay hydrated!

[hoosier1907]

Fizzixgal, thanks for the response. I am getting the holter on Wednesday and echo on Friday. Btw, my blood pressure and heart rate went down cosiderably as compared to yesterday.

I am still afraid of exercising though. It seems to me that my heart starts to beat very fast and hard if pushed (maybe overreacting?), but with no exercise I think I am almost back to normal.