rapid heart beat, chest pain,shortness of breath on standing/walking around

[patches748]

Female and 53.  had superventricular tachycardia, with ablation done 11/99 and have not anymore of those.
I have new tachycardia and it is not the same.  Normal pulse 72 and BP is 120/70.  During these episodes when I stand up pulse goes up to 110-123 and BP spikes up to 147/128.  I get shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea and dizzy.  If I try to just walk from one room in my house to another, my pulse will go up to over 145 and BP down to 145/90.
  went to Emergency VA 2/21 w/chest pains. Had elevation of WBC and troponin at .1.  I was sent home after 5 hours with nothing done.  Went in to Emergency VA on 2/26 for severe chest pains went down arm to outside two fingers, shortness of breath and  nausea. They kept me overnight at ICU and let me go next morning. Was told that all women my age have abnormal EKG's, that there is nothing wrong with my heart, that if I get short of breah, sit down; get chest pain, take tyenol, etc.  
My family history the women have heart trouble:  Great-grandmother died in mid-40's; grandmother had 1st heart attack at 49; and mother had heart attack at 56. I am saying I have heart disease, but problem is standing up, pulse jumps 30 or more beats a minute. In walking around it goes even faster so end up with chest pains, shortness of breath, etc.  I am unable to do much because of this problem and it is not due to anxiety.  What could be causing chest pains, etc., if there is nothing wrong with my heart?  Could it be an orthostatic thing? I am so frustrated with VA in not helping me resolve this.  I cannot get anything done because of this

[CCF-M.D.-CRC]

Dear patches,

It sounds like you may have "postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome" or POTS.  You can find many other postings on this web site concerning this condition. Briefly this is a condition where the heart rate elevates inappropriately on standing.  It is usually diagnosed by history and a tilt-table test.  Treatment may be with life-style modifications such as rising slowly from a seated position, support stockings and/or with medications such as beta-blockers.

Ask your doctor to send you to someone with experience in treating disorders of the autonomic nervous system.  If you wish to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic you can do so by calling 1-800-223-2273 and making an appointment in "the  syncope clinic".

[patches748]

the doctor (not cardiologist) told me that I was a false positive just on a sample of EKG.  She has agreed to do a treadmill today but is very reluctant as she feels that it will be a false positive test and she strongly feels I do not have any kind of heart problems.  How can you determine a false positive from just a strip of EKG's?  Also shouldn't a cardiologist be interpeting things like the Holter Monitor, treadmill, etc?

[patches748]

could this somehow be related to fibromyalgia with chronic fatigue (actual diagnosis)?

[karizmaflip]

THEY SHOULD DO A STRESS ECHO, AND A 24 HOUR HOLTER MONITOR. HAVE YOU HAD ANY RECENT X-RAYS?

[patches748]

last EKG showed STT changes, early repolarization pattern which became more pronounced in changing position, which then resulted in ST depression as much as -1.8 to 2mm.

I was told this was a false positive (this is not a stress test) and nothing was wrong with my heart.  I was sent home again today and told there is nothing they (the VA)can do for me and my current tachycardia problem upon rising and trying to just walk around.  I am a real loss anymore because of the fact I am so limited in what I do as cannot get up and even walk around becuase of shortness of breath and chest pains.

[debra21784]

Find some one who will listen to you ,explain things and look at more than one EKG.If you don't have a cardiologist you can trust and feel comfortable with then get one.The first place to look is a large teaching/academic/research medical center.You have a right to be treated in a respectful and caring manner.

[Jade'sMom]

How in the world do you ever get a post on here for the doctor? I have tried for months and never have any luck. Is there some secret?

I have been experiencing (on and off) periods of chest pressure that radiates to my neck area and under my ears. It feels like a balloon is inside my chest and someone has inflated it. These symptoms will come, last about a week or more, and then go away for a month or so. I went and got checked, and my Cardiologist ruled STRESS. She found a trace murmur, but said I'd have more chance winning the lotto than having the murmur progress.

These episodes come even when I feel stress free, but I have had huge amounts of stress over the last year (death, baby in NICU, husbands job loss, and now father inlaw 2 days ago had brain hemmorhage...I was feeling this tightness though two days before the father in law news arrived). I have ativan and I take it when I feel this tightness, amazingly I don't fdeel this when asleep. I wake up feel fine, and then through out the day this feeling will creep up on me. I also had an upper GI done with no findings.
I feel like I have angina or something, yet it's not activated with exercise...I thought stress produced panic attack symptoms? I don't get a racing heart unless frightened by something, no sweaty palms, just the tightness from middle chest to back bone and up in the neck.

Anyone relate to this? I sure hope so. I need dome peace of mind that at 36 I'm not headed for a HA. My blood pressure has always been around 110-122/70, cholest. 161.

Thanks,
Sherri

[Jean27]

Hello, I had this last year everytime I would stand my heart was pounding out of my chest so bad that I would sit back down. I wore a Holter and was told everything was fine just that my heart was fast ( gee thanks, I already knew that).They thought I had Mitral valve prolapse but I didnt just have the trace regurgitaion.  They told me it was anxiety but I feel the anxiety was secondary to the fast heart problem. Anyway I never found out a reason and I am better now but it lasted 2-3 months. At one point I was afraid to get up off the couch because my heart would start racing. I did a lot of reading and found out about something called dysautonomia. Also maybe you can go for a tilt table test to see if this is what you have. Im not a doctor but I have been there and it is scary to feel this way. I felt horrible just going up a flight of stairs.

[pikamom]

I can't imagine how your doctor can lump all women your age together and say they all have abnormal EKGs. That makes no sense. It sounds to me that your symptoms coincide with your abnormal EKG. Have you had an EKG when you were feeling alright to compare it too? If I was you I'd get another doctor who took you seriously, especially putting it all together...Hmm...symptoms with abnormal EKG, strong family history of heart disease. If I was your doctor I'd err on the cautious side. I was fortunate in that my doctor pushed testing on me when I was against it. And I'm a 37 yr. old woman. ALL the men on my mom's side of the family have died or been treated for heart disease in their 40's to 50's. I had chest pain radiating to my left arm and fingers, nausea and sweating, short of breath, racing/pounding heart, lightheadedness. My EKG's were very abnormal with ST segment depression of 2.5 and I had a tachycardia resting heart rate of 120-140 that could go as high as 200. My cardiologist is giving me cardizem for tachycardia and coronary artery spasm. And I'm feeling so much better that I don't even use the nitrostat anymore. Get a doctor who will listen to you and make sure you are alright!

[patches748]

well, needless to say the doctor here at the VA refuses to do anything about the 'heart problem' and states there is nothing she can do to stop the problem and that I am going to have to live with that.

problem with VA here is they denied my request for a new team and stuck with her as a doctor.  She made it clear that nothing will be done if I come in because I do NOT have a problem according to her.  Not only that my Medicare card (I just had to re-activate it) is not good until July of this year).  I am totally dependant right now on medical from VA.

What even makes it worse is that I had a possible stroke on the 12th of last month and MRI shows two scarred areas and chronic ischemic disease and she does not feel that means anything nor worthy of treatment. Even though it is in my recent physical exam that I have weakness on left side.....both arm and leg.

Yes, I had a normal (at least that is what they said) EKG when trying to do treadmill this last Friday.  A huge difference in heart rate, blood pressure, etc.  She just says if verifies the fact nothing is wrong with my heart.

She made it very clear to me that they are not going to take my chest pains seriously if I come into Urgent Care (emergency room at the VA) and so waste of time.

I am not as depressed as yesterday but will fight this as long as I can. Two lessons I have learned about battle:

1) never let the enemy know you are coming;

2)  and make sure you line all your ducks in a row so you can be sure to win,

thanks everyone for all your comments,

Lynda

[jan]

This is a forum on a site devoted to autonomic dysfunction. Check it out!

http://216.149.163.247/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=NDRF+General+Discussion&number=1&DaysPrune=20&LastLogin=

[briane]

I am curious if atonomic dysfunction might be what i have and was wonder since I don't know to much about it if it is life threatening or haoe serious of an illness is it.

[MeenakshiK]

A related discussion, Fast Beating of Heart with Severe pain and shorten breath was started.