Heart Rate & Dizziness

Hello All,

I'm a 28 year old male in good physical condition.  I workout 3-5 times a week and have a pretty healthy diet.

Last week I suffered from a quick onset of horrible dizziness.  I could barely move my head or even open my eyes without getting dizzy and nauseous.  The next morning, I woke up feeling pretty good and just had a slight bit of dizziness.  I thought I was quickly recovering from whatever element I had.  That night, I was struck again with extreme dizziness and nauseousness.  

The next morning I went to the Dr.  I was feeling a bit better.  The nauseousness was gone, but he dizziness was very apparent.  He checked for an ear infection, but none was evident.  My blood work was also good.  When he took my pulse, my resting heart rate was 46 (about 10-15 beats lower than it had been in my last two visits to see him).  An ECG showed some irregularities and a pulse of 43.  For the next few days I monitored my pulse and it was between 48-52 with a pretty good deal of dizziness.  For the last 3 or so days, my pulse has been normal all day.  I have had no nauseousness and my dizziness has become ALMOST eradicated.

Currently, I am waiting on my cardiologist appointment to occur.  In the meantime, both a nurse and a surgeon I am friends with have told me (independent of one another) that the problem maybe with my Vagus Nerve being overstimulated.  According to most things I have read, this seems like a reasonable explanation for the first couple of days of my experience.  However, if the Vagus Nerve is overstimulated and causing bradycardia, which is causing dizziness, what explains my slight dizziness the last few days even though the bradycardia has disappeared?

Thanks in advance.

[cindy707]

Hi i read your post.....i think what you have read and heard both sound correct.  My feeling and two cents worth is that it may very well be w. such a low pulse rate which is actually pretty common with athletes it may also come with low blood pressure which definately causes dizziness.  You have to also bear in mind that you may very well not feel the bradycardia and therefore do not actually know when it bottoms out.  When you see the heart doc i am sure that he/she will be telling you the same thing.  It all rounds out to the 02 sat. levels in your body.......just remember when you get the dizziness until the appt. to be sure that you put your head down between the knees for a moment or two to force 02 rich blood into your brain and it will pass i'm sure.  What you don;t need to do is pass out and risk hitting your head on something.  Good luck at your appt.

[hulley22]

So the cardiologist said that my heart was strong and normal.  None of my tests showed abnormalities.  This was a shocker since previous tests have shown abnormalities.  Also, the Dr. said that a low pulse rate was something I had to live with since I am healthy.  

I don't feel like he even looked at my chart.  He seemed puzzled when I asked about the cause of my dizziness.  I feel like he wrote me off because I am young and seemingly healthy.  Before my episode of bradycardia, my last two pulse rates at the Dr. were 62 and 56.  This time it was 46 (dropping to 43 during the EKG), which lead to going to the cardiologist.  At the cardiologist it was 58.  The cardiologist seems to think that this is normal.

Is such a large variation in pulse normal or should I be concerned that the Dr. overlooked me?

Thanks.

[cindy707]

Trust me your doc didn't overlook a thing especially if it is a heart doc....they review your chart and tests well before your appt....if you got a go you got a go...relax now...you have your answers and if it persists it may be something other than the heart possiby neurological based and your GP can send you in the right direction for that...enjoy the fact that you are healthy and fit..............