stress and tackycardia

[joanna hanna]

i am a 24 year old very stressed mom.  but i have always had difficulty breathing and palpations at the same time.  it was bad enough one knight that i actually went to the dr.  my blood pressure was 108\56 ans pulse of 118.  needles to ay i was misserable,  i felt like some one was laying up acanst me and it made it difficult to breath like i was not getting enough air.  my fingers and face where tingling, and i was becoming very anxios.  the dr had a ekg but did not find anything to wrong or atleast he said that would kill me wich really did not make me fill any better.  he gave up on the problem my pulse ox o2 stats where fine, my blood suger was at 97 so that rules out hypoglycemia.  this is very concerning to me i have had this problem isnce i was a early teen and i also have problems with nearly passing out when i get up even if i do not get up fast it somet imes takes about 10-15 sec to occure and then every thing oround me starts getting dark and i have to put my hand on the wall ta catch my self.  do you have any ideas as to what cpuld possibly be wrong, can anxiaty cause thease probblems to last for hours and hours, any help or advice would be apreciated  

                                             thanks

[CCF CARDIO MD JMF]

Dear Johanna,

this sounds like a classic description of a panic attack.  this is often associated with a rapid pulse, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and tingling.  sometimes, thes can be so sever as to cause passing out.

You should discuss all these symptoms with your physician and have a formal evaluation.

I recommend that you have a full cardiac evaluation to make sure that his is not due to an arrhythmia including a holter monitor and an echocardiogram to rule out any structural problems of the heart.  Depending on your physicians evaluation, a tilit test may be in order.Finally I recommend that you try to address the level of stress in your life and reduce caffeine.

Best of luck.

[mack]

Dear joanna,
Hi joanna my name is mack,i just got done reading your post and find that i am going throug simular problems!I am 24 father of 3 very stressed ,very busy.....I smoke about a pack of cigarettes a day and drink coffee on a regular basis.Needless to say I am one stressed out man..I am an asthmatic person and i am currently useing an inhaler to help my breathing,though it doesnt seem to help!Just last tuesday i was at work busting my *** when all of a sudden my heart started fluttering....It was really fast and short.All of a sudden my body felt really weak,I didnt even want to lift my arms because of this weakness.I went home just thinkng it was fatigue and went to sleep.i woke up the next night finding that i had slept all through the day(which is unusual for me),i was still very tired and very dizzy,my chest felt very tight and i had an ancyness in my stomach,I had a very hard time breathing and felt very winded.I decided to try my inhaler and get some dinner in me,I proceeded to eat my dinner(spaghetti)when all of a sudden i threw up,my heart was racing and all of my symptoms seemed to get very intense.I called into work and called in sick.The next day i felt very tired dizzy and had a hard time breathing(i figured this was a reaction to the asthma meds i had been taking(since i was just diagnosed with asthma just a week before)so i quit the meds to see if that would help......it did not help...i landed in the emergency room the next day with added symptoms to all of the ones i already had,chest pain,stomach ache,leg cramps,they gave me an e.k.g. and told me it came up normal.They did no blodwork no test at all!the diagnosis they gave me was s.v.t. triggerd by albuterol inhaler(basically what you described but triggered by a stimulent inhaler)they prescribed me with 2 new inhalers and sent me home.It seemed like they didnt want to believe me because i was so young,all they were asking me was "do you use drugs"any ways i am still suffering from all of this and,have no health insurance for me,and I am at risk to lose my job cause i just cant seem to be up and about for 8 hours a day!its really stressing me out!!ive sufferd with these heart flutters before and went to the E-room before and been diagnosed with the same thing,except before all they said was to bear down like i was haveing a bowell movement.(that never did work)i seem to suffer with this about once a year around this time of year and it is really getting annoying dealing with this!All these people arond me seem to think its in my head but i really do feel it!I Need a cure not a pat on the back saying oh its nothing just bear dowm and take a sh**!any ways i just wanted to write in this forum cause i feel very alone in this sickness and you are the first ive seen with symptoms similar to me.Its a very scary thing....I just dont know what to do anymore!well guess id better quit rambling and bid you farewell....GOOD LUCK and hope you feel a whole lot better......

                          Mack

[Carol55]

Hi Mack,
My 13 yr old daughter treats for asthma every springtime.  Only this year her inhaler , Maxair, really gave her skipped beats and palps from time to time.  The doctor changed her over to Xopenex, but it is only available for use in a nebulizer.  But, this by far is the best way to treat this.  She uses it in the morning, only takes 7  minutes.  The med gets right to her lungs. And the effects of the medicine last all day.   And then in the evening, she uses it before bed.    The med is very long acting.  And so far, it's been 2 wks now, no palps, skipped beats.  We think we are done using it now, as her allergies have cleared up. Maybe you could ask about this type of treatment.  I know inhalers are convenient, but this was by far more effective.  Relief in minutes.  When you said your doctors gave you 2 new inhalers, what brand did they prescribe?  Albuterol is very hard on the heart receptors, and so is Ventolin.  At least this was our experience.  
Good luck to you, hope this has helped.

[joanna hanna]

thanks i fill alittle better knowing i am not the only person who suffers but i do not have asmha i have been checked.  i do have a very stressing child one who herself had heart surgery a 6mo for a pda, she also has several other special needs, and several missing and deformed vert but amazingly she is able to walk.  i woulned if ther are any meds that can help that are not directly for asma but at this point i dont really care so long as it works.  thank you

[Darin]

I am a 25 year old male, and have recently had some of these same symptoms. It started one night when I was laying in bed and I kept havining this "falling" feeling when I would try to go asleep. I had this for about 10 hours straight, very scary. The following day I felt like there was 100 pounds of weight on my chest, had a hard time breathing, my pulse would race, arms would tingle, I thought I was having a heart attack. I went to the doctor and he said I was having a "panic attack" which was most likely caused by stress. I have been fighting this for eight months now and they finally seem to be residing. I too have been under a ton of stress and I am hoping that these "panic attacks" will go away with the stress. I have found one thing out though, alcohol has a major affect on these attacks.

It was very frustrating to me also having the doctor say that it is all in your head, when the symptoms are really happening. I also just came across that I have a hypothyroid problem, and am just starting my meds, I am hoping this also will help. I am glad to see that I am not hte only one having these problems, many time I felt like i was "crazy". Now the more I read and the more people I talk to I see that this is quite common.

[Mack to julie]

Hello julie,
Thanx for all the info...the inhailers i were recently prescribed are...atrovent(ipratropium bromide)and flovent 220mcg(fluticasone propionate).So far ive discovered that these meds are helping me breath a little but i am sill haveing tightness of the chest and a very strong heartbeat with fatigue.I went to the doctor today and have been refered to a cardiologist and pulmonaryologist.I was meanining to ask my Doc about those nebulizers but had forgotten the names of what you had suggested.What are nebulizers?Are they expensive?So f the flovent was $100.00 dollars and the atrovent was $45.00 dollars....its getting quite expensive!I personally dont think my asthma has anything to do with my heart problems,i think it is something else.Ive been flipping through these questions and answers and finding that all these symptoms for all theses peoples heart problems are so closly related.It seems very hard to tell what exactly the problem is when atrial fibliration is so similar in symptoms to a heart attack and so on.They are very closely related!In any case I thank you for the info and hope all of us in here find answers.It has helped me some to just come here and find that there are others that feel like me.I was beginning to think i was crazy.
                     thanx, MACK

[Mack to julie]

Hello julie,
Thanx for all the info...the inhailers i were recently prescribed are...atrovent(ipratropium bromide)and flovent 220mcg(fluticasone propionate).So far ive discovered that these meds are helping me breath a little but i am sill haveing tightness of the chest and a very strong heartbeat with fatigue.I went to the doctor today and have been refered to a cardiologist and pulmonaryologist.I was meanining to ask my Doc about those nebulizers but had forgotten the names of what you had suggested.What are nebulizers?Are they expensive?So f the flovent was $100.00 dollars and the atrovent was $45.00 dollars....its getting quite expensive!I personally dont think my asthma has anything to do with my heart problems,i think it is something else.Ive been flipping through these questions and answers and finding that all these symptoms for all theses peoples heart problems are so closly related.It seems very hard to tell what exactly the problem is when atrial fibliration is so similar in symptoms to a heart attack and so on.They are very closely related!In any case I thank you for the info and hope all of us in here find answers.It has helped me some to just come here and find that there are others that feel like me.I was beginning to think i was crazy.
                     thanx, MACK

[Mack to julie]

Hello julie,
Thanx for all the info...the inhailers i were recently prescribed are...atrovent(ipratropium bromide)and flovent 220mcg(fluticasone propionate).So far ive discovered that these meds are helping me breath a little but i am sill haveing tightness of the chest and a very strong heartbeat with fatigue.I went to the doctor today and have been refered to a cardiologist and pulmonaryologist.I was meanining to ask my Doc about those nebulizers but had forgotten the names of what you had suggested.What are nebulizers?Are they expensive?So f the flovent was $100.00 dollars and the atrovent was $45.00 dollars....its getting quite expensive!I personally dont think my asthma has anything to do with my heart problems,i think it is something else.Ive been flipping through these questions and answers and finding that all these symptoms for all theses peoples heart problems are so closly related.It seems very hard to tell what exactly the problem is when atrial fibliration is so similar in symptoms to a heart attack and so on.They are very closely related!In any case I thank you for the info and hope all of us in here find answers.It has helped me some to just come here and find that there are others that feel like me.I was beginning to think i was crazy.
                     thanx, MACK

[Carol55]

Hi Mack,
I really don't think, when you add it all up, the nebulizers are all that expensive.  Our insurance covered it.  Without insurance they are $140.00 here in PA.  It paid for itself many times over, as it really worked well for our daughter.  The med is Xopenex, which is quite expensive.  $75.00, that is for a 2 week supply.  But it is very mild on the heart.  She had no adverse reaction at all.  With the other meds her heart would race wildly for about 20 minutes after inhalation, then we noticed that after using the inhalers for a few days, she'd mention skipped beats.  She needed to use the nebulizer for just 2 wks, as we think allergy season has let up some.  Now she's off all meds.  Hoping the best for you, too, and no, you are not crazy.  Try and talk to your doctor about the best way to treat this.  A lot of them won't prescribe a nebulizer because they feel inhalers are more convenient.  Let me know how you make out.
Sincerely,
JUlie

[TSM]

I am a 36 yr old woman. Last year I went to the Dr. several times complaining of wheezing whenever I lay down and an overall weakness. I couldn't do anything. My son has asthma and I recognized the wheezing sound and would use his nebulizer with no relief. The Dr. said asthma and another Dr. said sinus drainage. I didn't believe either. To make a long story short, I was in the late stages of congestive heart failure due to a huge tumor in my heart. It was very rare, only about 1 in 5,000,000 get it. I guess I'm telling ya'll this because if you feel the Dr. is not right or not doing enough- keep looking! Also, some of the most early signs of congestive heart failure are wheezing and trouble breathing. Everthing is now back to normal after an emergency open-heart surgery. I feel so great now that I recognize I was feeling pretty lousy before but laying the blame on stress, 3 kids, anxiety, depression, etc. Just hang in there-if you feel in your gut there is something seriously wrong- keep pursuing an answer.

[From Debbie to Mack]

Mack, I have been having all of the same problems you are having for about 10 years!!  They have diagnosed me with everything from anxiety attacks to paroxismal atrial tachycardia.  I had the same problems with inhalers & other meds. They told me I had emphasema, then bronchitis, then they tell me my chest x-rays are clear.  My sinuses swell up and my throat starts to close up but when I have sinus cat scans they come back normal. Holter monitors show nothing.  One thing I do know now is how to stave off some of the symptoms unless they get very bad.  I stopped all prescription medications except the beta blocker & a NASAL inhaler.  The nasal helped the same symptoms that the regular inhalers were supposed to help. I have found some over the counter products that help with the shortness of breath and the tightness in the chest.  It all seems to have something to do with t-cells reacting to an allergen of some type.  With me I do not know exactly what kicks it off. I also find that any time I have stomach problems, constipation for diarrhea it can trigger one of these spells.  Any questions, ***@****

[mack to debbie]

Thank you debbie for your notes on this,i will surly keep your e-mail addy handy!!

[Sherri-Regarding Tightness in chest]

Hi there,

About 3 months ago I started on Pergonal which is a fertility injected drug. I noticed after one cycle that I had some palpitations. I had not had palpitations for about 10 years. The Dr. told me that it was caused by the additional estrogen being put into my body from the injections and that they would stop. On my second cycle of injections, the dosage was upped and I had some serious side effects. My chest grew very tight as did my neck. Almost like having a a tight band wrapped around my chest and neck. I also felt "out of reality", loopy, like on some bad drug trip. These symptoms happened nearly everyday for a 6 day period. I also was taking Excedrin Migraine tablets for headaches. Since these chest pains were making me nervous I decided to not inject until I saw the Cardiologist. Instead I had a headache and took the tablets. Within 40 minutes the reaction came on again, this time very strong. The Cardiologist felt that it was an allergic reaction to aspirin yet I've never had problems before with aspirin. I believe that my body chemistry was way off and the caffeine, aspirin, acetometophin combination just didn't set well with me.
After the injections were through, a couple of weeks passed (mind you that I had went to the ER and Cardiologist and EKG and blood work, Echocardiogram, BP and pulse were all normal) and I didn't have symptoms. Well starting a few weeks ago the tightness came back. I did not do the injectibles this month. My chest is heavy, but it has not affected my neck. I feel like someone is putting their fist in the center of my chest and pushing. Sometimes while laying down I feel my heart pause (which I have always had)and then I become dizzy or have that falling feeling. Yesterday I did the treadmill echo test. Of course it came back normal. She thinks it's stress, yet I was just as stressed 2 months ago and didn't have these feelings. I am convinced that there may be a blockage of some kind that has gone undetected and I also feel that the fertility drugs contributed to this as it does have pulmonary warnings on the pamphlet yet are to be very, very rare. My BP yesterdy was 99/69 and usually sits at 110/80. She (the doc) said that was a sign of good health. The tightness comes on at any given time. I suffered with it for hours last night, but felt that if I went to the ER they would dismiss me again saying everything is normal. I am scheduled for an upper GI on Friday. I am feeling the tightness as I type. What I'm concerned about is when to stop worrying about this when everything comes back normal? It seems alot of us on this board have numerous tests and years later are still alive and still have some symptoms. Should I proceed with a heart Catheter? Or just sit back and see if I have a heart attack (like who wants to do that?)? I'm 35, good cholesteral, BP normal, Blood normal, thyroid normal, Every test normal. I am out of shape but not fat. Have some extra beats, and a slightly off Mitrovalve flap (?) that has a small leak (a little blood gets pushed back in to the chamber). The doc said 50-70% of people have this and it is nothing to be concerned with. I have never had an anxiety attack like this, and when nervous I get butterfiles in the stomach, stronger heartbeat (like an adrenalin rush)but never a tightness like this. How many tests does one have that come back normal to feel relieved?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Sherri

[Jade'sMom]

Thanks

[joanna hanna]

i know it is fustrating but stress does sneak up on you when you least expect it some of the wordst simptoms i hava accure at knight when i feel the most relaxed, i am to trying to have a baby but have not been succesfull for 7mo,  i know some of the stress i have is from my dughter who is actually medically qualfied for ssi benifets and who also has a mitral regurgitation(leaky heart valve)  best advice i can give is take a few days off and get away from every thing this can do miracles for stress and firtility since stress can actually inhibit fetility.  good luck.

[CLM]

Sherri, just some thoughts:  I experienced some of my worst symptoms ever when I was trying to conceive after a miscarriage and they continued clear throught the early part of my pregnancy with my daughter and only abated after a happy ultrasound showed all was well.  Don't underestimate the power of your fears about conception/childbearing, etc.  These feelings are very strong and very deep and when you have a bit of a pre-existing condition (I too have mild MVP with regurgitation and a history of skips and chest pains, etc.) it can really act up.  I'm no Dr. but I've seen a lot of them and from your stats that you give you sound physically, fundamentally fine.  In the absence of fainting or extreme chest pain... a blockage is probably a much less likely scenario than anxiety.  But what you are going through is no less real and not to be taken lightly.  You are in a hard place right now.  Some of my fears about being able to have my pregnancy work out got "displaced" onto my heart and health.  It was perhaps easier to deal with old heart fears and even fears of dying than to face that I might lose what I most dearly wanted in this world.  The hormones must play a role too -- I totally agree with you there.  But all I am saying:  be gentle with yourself, you are vulnerable and in a place of sadness.  You may be holding on to yourself too tightly and rigidly if that makes any sense.  (Also, on the issue of allergy to aspirin:  after a weird reaction I once had after taking penicillin, the dr. doesn't want to take chances and now I can't take it, but looking back I can see I was under a tremendous amount of stress and was feeling lousy anyway and the whole thing may have been anxiety -- your aspirin experience reminded me of that, but of course the bottom line is always: better safe than sorry)

[Aris]

Joanna,i'm 20 y/o. I have recently had 2 electrocard. and 1 echocardio. All turned up fine (except for a slightly enlarged mitral that my doctor said it's nothing. I've been suffering from PVC's or PAC's or general arrythmia i don't know what exactly. I also have tachycardia sometimes. I am an athletic person,and i have the symptoms you have. I get tingling hands or feet,cold too, and sometimes,when i'm stressed mostly and i get up i feel my heart beating hard and my head going off for about 10 secs. Then i am ok. I must say i am a very stressed person,and these symptoms scare me so as i get sceptic when i am excersising anymore. I hope i made you feel better.

You,and anyone with similar symptoms can e-mail me at ***@****. I will be very happy discussing these things with others.

Bye

[Rachel]

I was recently diagnosed with sinus tachycardia, which I was told by the Cardiologist that is pesky but it won't kill me.  Some great comfort there!  He did, after my persistence, prescribe Lopressor for me, and it seemed to help for a short while (helped me to rest at night without getting awakened by my racing, pounding heart).  But then, the Lopressor aggravated my asthma, and I had to stop taking it.  I'm also considered depressed and having panic/anxiety disorder by the psychiatrist I've been seeing, who's tried various anti-anxiety drugs on me (Zoloft, Celexa) but the side effects drove me to stop taking them.  So, I was recently told to begin taking Pamelor.  Something told me to check on this medication, and lo and behold, it is seen to cause sinus tachycardia!  How could this doctor prescribe this, knowing that?  I complied with his request to get the copy of my EKG, and he prescribed it anyway!   My resting heart rate is never below 100, and so I refuse to begin taking Pamelor because I can't bear to have my heart rate rev above 100 again as it had in the past.   Thank you for reading my sad tale.

[Sherri For Chris McG]

Thanks for your words. I am trying to remain calm and for the last few days have been tightness free. However tonight while playing with my dog, my tightness came back after mild exertion. First thing I think of is ANGINA!!
Can a panic attack just effect you by tightness in the chest? I always thought adrenalin rush, sweaty palms, butterflied stomach always had to go hand in hand with a panic attack?
All my tests are normal. But what if the fertility medicine caused a blockage? Can that be? Or would that have happened immediately after the injections? I just don't know and surely don't want to have a Catheter just to do it. My doc isn't pushing it and still feels it's all stress related.
Prior to these events, I never had any heart issues. I had some palpitations years ago after taking a sedative at the Dentist.
Wore a monitor than with everything normal. I didn't find out about my MV flap-regurg. thing until now. So it hasn't caused me any problems in the past.
I'm just scared and find it hard to believe that the mind can actually make you create these feelings in your body.

Thanks again,
Sherri

[Jade'sMom]

Thanks for your words. I am trying to remain calm and for the last few days have been tightness free. However tonight while playing with my dog, my tightness came back after mild exertion. First thing I think of is ANGINA!!
Can a panic attack just effect you by tightness in the chest? I always thought adrenalin rush, sweaty palms, butterflied stomach always had to go hand in hand with a panic attack?
All my tests are normal. But what if the fertility medicine caused a blockage? Can that be? Or would that have happened immediately after the injections? I just don't know and surely don't want to have a Catheter just to do it. My doc isn't pushing it and still feels it's all stress related.
Prior to these events, I never had any heart issues. I had some palpitations years ago after taking a sedative at the Dentist.
Wore a monitor than with everything normal. I didn't find out about my MV flap-regurg. thing until now. So it hasn't caused me any problems in the past.
I'm just scared and find it hard to believe that the mind can actually make you create these feelings in your body.

Thanks again,
Sherri

[CLM]

Sherri - It is REALLY hard to believe that one's mind can have this much influence over one's physical symptoms, but it is actually true.  In your stressed state and heightened body-awareness, you are trying to "rationally" explain to yourself what might be triggering these symptoms and it seems so impossible that it could be mental... but it really can.  As to the panic attacks, mine have never been the classic sweaty-palm thing either, they can indeed be limited to one or two scary symptoms.  But I am not so sure the tightness is a "panic attack" it sounds more like a stress byproduct.  It might give you a panic attack though!  If you'd like you can contact me at ***@**** for support and further discussion of these types of symptoms.  (I think I have been through a very similar situations.)  Meanwhile, hang in there and take note:  the tightness really can go away and it does seem related to when things feel calmer.  As for the MVP connection: the MVP is a "nothing" really, but it does give you a bit of a predisposition toward tightness, chest pain, skipped beats, panic attacks, etc.  You are in touch with your Dr. and that is good -- they can rule out what needs to be ruled out and then you can move on from there and figure out how to live with that powerful mind-body connection you were born with... I think it is just part of who we are and we have to find ways to control it and channel it positively!!

[cindy19335]

For the persons suffering from asthma and heart stuff, this might be applicable.  

Airway inflammation and autonomic control
  PMID: 2876912

    Autonomic nerves control many aspects of airway function,
    including smooth muscle tone, epithelial cell function,
    mucus secretion, bronchial flow and permeability, and
    inflammatory mediator release. There is considerable
    evidence that there may be abnormalities of autonomic
    function in asthma...

  Autonomic regulation of the airways.
  PMID: 6144287

    ... Considerable evidence is presented that implicates
    abnormalities of autonomic function in asthma.

  Autonomic innervation of human airways: structure, function,
  and pathophysiology in asthma.
  PMID: 10213912

  Airway autonomic nervous system dysfunction and asthma.
  PMID: 10087868

  Neural mechanisms in asthma
  PMID: 1352167

There were also articles showing the autonomic control of mucous production.
But in the case of asthma, it's the smooth musculature

[Harold M. McGlew]

To Joanna:
          Because your blood sugar is "97", that may not rule out hypoglycemia. I would think a glucose tolerance test would be helpful in diagnosing hypoglycemia.

[joanna hanna]

i am not shure why i had niot ate for almost 6 hrs.  is my blood sugar usually high and would be low for me.  i know my glugoes tolerance test when i was prwgnat was normal. although some of the problems my daughter had where seam in diabetic mothers (partial sacreal agenesis- she has only one vertabre in her sacrum, nad she was hypoglycemic blood sugar stayed at 36 for 2 days)  could i be diabetic and not know it?

[Mickey]

I am a 57 yr. old female with copd.had it since 1989.put me ot of work 5 years aga. I am on oxygen 24 hrs at 2-3 liters.my meds are Albuterol , serevent, theophylline 450 mils.twice a day,blood pressure medication,my heart races at 120-130 beats just walking around.now the drs want me to go on zoloft, pain medication, and a calcium channel blocker.I am weak most of the time,I dont sleep well because I have hip pain and leg cramps,and lower back pain ,part of my side has been numb since I injured a disk in my back, and now my wonderful drs. want me to take zoloft cause the think I am depressed. I can only walk 10 to 15 steps at a time due to my heart racing and shortness of breath. I believe I am walking side effects from medication as I try to ignore my health problems and live as peacefully , quietly,and to enjoy my days. I do get fluffed when the drs. look at me like I am odd,when I tell them I dont enjoy taking medicine that will give me such unhealthful side effects.