poor exercise tolerance

I have been seeing a cardiologist because I can't exercise long before my heart rate jumps to over 170. I'm a 52 year old woman in otherwise good health. I recall having this problem all my life. I'm tried continued exercise to build up my tolerance but I never get any improvement. My respirologist did a stress test which showed I change from an aerobic to an anaerobic state at an early stage of exercise. Do you know what this might be. The cardiologist seems stumped also. He has ruled out hypertension.

[is_something_wrong]

Your question is not easy to answer. There are lots of possibilities. What is most important, get a stress EKG test done (if not already done) to see if you are in a normal rhythm with your rapid heart rate. Does it jump or just increase rapidly?

May be some autonomic dysfunction if your rhythm is normal, just rapid. Anemia may be a cause. If your heart is normal with normal pumping abilties, that's a good sign. Did your cardiologist perform an ultrasound?

[jrbon]

Have your thyroids been tested?

Jesus

[kykyalmon]

I don't recall having my thyroid tested. We did an exercise stress test, with ultrasound (peddling a bike while on my back) as well as an at rest ultrasound. I think the rate increases rapidly as opposed to jumping.

[vienna13]

You should Google "Anaerobic Threshold "...lots of interesting info you can get by it, and hopefuly some idea, how and why it is happening for you.  

I fined exercise sites giving more understanding then what we can get from a cardiologist. Well of course good to have tests also as others were suggesting and you already have for bigining, then the other part of the work comes: to build up for yourself your very own exercise program that your body can tolerate. It might be hard, but not impossible.

"Anaerobic threshold (AT) is a frequently used term that sometimes causes a little confusion. What is the AT and how can you use it to run faster? For starters, the AT is an extremely reliable and powerful predictor of performance in aerobic exercise. To explore further, I will begin with a brief, oversimplified, review of physiology. Muscles can "burn" glucose two ways, aerobically ("with oxygen") and anaerobically ("without oxygen"). Both systems generate a temporary energy store, called ATP, which in turn produces mechanical work. However, there are some major differences."............
from Google

Good luck to you to get your answers, do not give up on Exercise!

[islandgrl47]

Have you had a chest xray? I recently had one as a pre-operative procedure for something else and turned up I have a pericardial cyst. In reading about them, I've learned that mine is 6x3 CM about an inch round and not considered small. Large ones can press on the heart and cause increased pressure on the heart, shortness of breath, heart palpatations. Being that most are congenital, meaning you're born with it, you could of had these symptom all your life. I was told from a young age I had a heart murmur and I'm beginning to think it was this all along. The x-ray showed the cyst and a CT with contrast said it was not "simple" (which is fluid filled) so off I go for further testing. Thank God I'm in NY where I can get an appointment quickly. P.S. my 10 lead EKG, for pre-operative for something else, was PERFECTLY NORMAL. So go figure.