is there anything wrong with me?

[google2008]

hi guys..i have problems with high blood pressure and fast heart rate. i am in my mid 20s and i am not that overweight..6'0 235.  today,after eating a meal at Burger King,i went over to a local pharmacy and sat down for about 5 minutes and relaxed and put my arm into the cuff to measure my vital signs.  my blood pressure was 180/99 and my pulse was 156 after sitting for a while.  i took the bus home and i felt very fatigued and sweaty and out of breath.  my pulse was irregular,i put my hand over my chest and i felt about 5 strong fast beats and then i could not feel any beats,it was as though my heart was grounded to a halt.  when i sat down,i felt these "skipped" beats that left me breathless for a second.  what i want to ask is,can anything be wrong with me?  do you guys think that i may have atrial fibrillation?  i always get a fast heart rate after eating.

[Jcrow28]

If you blood pressure gets that high again you serioulsy need to consider going to the emergency room.
Anxiety can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure for a short period of time, but not that high. Blood pressure readings that high can indicated some form of dysautonomia, renal failure, mitral valve prolapse, adrenal tumors or certain forms neurological dysfunction. At the very least you need to see a doctor soon for evaluation and medication.

[Jerry_NJ]

I think you should get medical attention.  Maybe there is a clinic or a nurse practitioner or other medical person who can give you a hands-on recommendation at a relatively low (lower) cost.  

Just for sake of argument, if your car "dropped" its transmission, I bet you'd find a way to come up with $1,500 to fix it.  Your body is more important than your car.

You can always go to your hospital emergency room, they will handle you even without insurance.  The charge there would be higher, but you can make arrangements to pay over a period of time, I believe.  A trip to ER would be especially in order if you are then suffering the symptoms you describe.

[MichelleP_3811]

Yes, I agree with alvaa, your blood pressure needs to be managed.  I know going to the doctor can be expensive but letting your heart issues progress and worsen might cost you more than getting it treated now.  So just go and get checked out.  

[alvaa]

It sounds like a panic attack, however, blood pressure that high needs to be medicated. I feel bad when mine gets over 150 over 90. Also, after I eat, here lately my pulse has been getting over 110 which makes me feel bad, especially with the arrhythmia's.

[google2008]

just want to give an update..yesterday,my b/p was very high again,i had 2 readings..one was 203/104,the other one after 30 minutes sitting down was 185/95. today i woke up with cold extremities and my hands are still cold. i do not want to measure my b/p because i do not want to get anxious over it. my problem is that my insurance ran out and i do not want to visit a doctor and pay a lot. does anyone here think that with my age and high readings that my organs could be damaged? i did get mild headaches all day yesterday and some today.  thanks.

[MichelleP_3811]

I get a faster heart beat after eating.  A lot of people do.  My resting hovers around 100 and then tips over on any exertion to the 130s.  That said, your blood pressure and heart rate were high at the pharmacy, enough in my opinion, to warrant making an appointment at the doctors office.  Your high heart rate could be due to the blood pressure or it could be due to the pacs you experience giving you a false higher reading than what it really is.  A bunch in a row or close together can confuse the machines into thinking the beat is faster than it really is.  That said, I know you have talked about high blood pressure before and I am wondering what you are doing about it?  Have you been prescribed medication?  You have been for a cardiac workup and everything came back normal, does this mean you had a stress echo and the whole works?   What does the cardiologist think about the fast heart rate?  Did you have it during your holter testing?  Anyways, I think the first order of business is to get your BP in check.  There isn't much they do for pacs but maybe after you get the BP regulated the pacs won't bother you as much.  Until you get back to the doctors though make sure you watch the sodium and stress, two things that can raise you blood pressure.  As for afib, I couldn't tell you if you do or not.  I would say your best bet is the next time it happens get yourself to the ER where they can record it and the ekg should let them know for sure what is going on, it is pretty easy to tell based on how the ekg looks, unless of course you have already caught the fast beat on one of your previous tests.  If so, and you weren't diagnosed with afib then you likely don't have it.   Take care, go get your BP in check and keep us posted on how you are doing.