Heart rate that is too fast

[lemyst]

I am 28, female, non smoker, and non drinker.  I exercise five to six days a week.  For the last decade I have dealth with a rapid heart beat.  It happenes randomly.  I could be standing and not doing anything or I could be doing a mild exercise.  My heart rate is normally at 65 but during these attacks it goes up to 224 beats.  My heart is beating my chest so hard my shirt moves with the beat and there is pain.  I hear it in my ears and I feel like a haze comes over my eyes.  I sweat a lot from my forehead.  And I get very hot.  When this started to happen (ten years ago) I had an EKG and ultrasound on my heart.  According to the doctor everything was normal and the doctor said it was anxiety attacks.  Is that really what it is?  Am I having anxiety attacks?  I do not feel anxious.  I do not feel stressed.

[mabebesc]

Hi,
I started in my teens having bouts of very rapid heart rates that would come on randomly.  I was also told at the time it was caused by anxiety.  I think a rate of 224 does sound too high for an anxiety attack. I later found out what I had was SVT. It may be a good idea to make an appt. with an electrophysiologist and discuss what is going on.  My SVT was never caught on a monitor but it ended up being classic AVNRT.  I never had any symptoms during my episodes, just the very rapid heart rate.  Keep us posted and good luck!
Betty

[rr2465]

Sounds very similar to my situation - my resting HR is around 70, exercising around 170 and I would get bouts that shot up to 250.  I was diagnosed with SVT back in June.  If this happens to you frequently I would talk to a cardiologist so they can document your condition with a holter monitor or an event monitor just like Ireneo mentioned in the post above.

Good luck.

[ireneo]

Sorry, what I meant was a Holter monitor or an event monitor that actually records the electrical activity of the heart (an EKG), not just the pulse rate. There is a type of SVT that is called PSVT - paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. It's an atrial tachy that turns on suddenly without warning; after a period of time, it also will revert back to normal sinus rhythm just as quickly. I've had that for as long as I can remember. From my monitor readings my HR never quite hit 200 bpm (I get up to 198). It's still uncomfortable.

Talk to your doctor again about this. Until they "catch" it on an EKG, they won't know for sure what your heart is doing.

[CNickels77]

Hey there,

I am 27 and have a pretty similar background to you. I have a resting heart rate in the 60's and then when I would have an attack it was like flipping a switch and it would go so fast I couldn't keep track.  An just like flipping the switch it would go away.  For me it was SVT, you might want to inquire with your cardio over the possibility of it being SVT.

Let us know how it goes!

[lemyst]

Actually I do where a heart rate montior.  I wear it very offten.  That is how I know my heart rate normally is around 65 but during the attacks it gets up to 224.  It feels like someone is sticking a needle in my heart with adrenaline.  It goes up sudden and then drops just as sudden.

[ireneo]

Have you ever worn a heart monitor for a couple of days or an event monitor for a month? If these attacks happen infrequently an event monitor can record them when they happen (you just push the button to record). If your heart is beating normally when you go in to see the doctor, they won't be able to see what's happening in there. 224 bpm seems a bit high for the average anxiety attack.