Hi everyone!
I was officially diagnosed with benign sinus tachycardia when I was 20, but have had it as long as I can remember. It was only when my PE teacher in college freaked out over a pulse rate of 200 after swimming a couple laps that I got sent to a cardiologist for an official diagnosis. After a treadmill test, I was told it was totally unimportant, and that even though my heart beat faster than normal, everything else about it was normal, so not to worry.
About 9 years ago, a different doctor was somewhat concerned and ordered another treadmill test - the results of which were exactly the same. "Your heart beats fast...The rhythm is normal... Intervals are normal... Everything is perfectly normal except it just beats faster than the average person." So other than being really annoying, I've pretty much ignored it.
Well, today I was diagnosed with mixed sleep apnea - both the "regular" obstructive kind and a few episodes of the "central" kind (caused by my brain forgetting to send the signals to my lungs to breathe). Since central apnea is usually caused by an underlying condition - often congestive heart failure - the doctor was somewhat concerned about my longstanding tachycardia.
He seemed to think that long term, lifelong tachycardia would eventually sort of "wear out" my heart, eventually causing congestive heart failure. I have no real signs of it at the moment (other than the central apnea), so he doesn't think that's the case right now. But he wants me to see a cardiologist anyway.
So my question is... is that long term sinus tachycardia really totally insignificant? Or can such long term tachycardia really "wear out" my heart? It sort of makes sense, but sort of doesn't. The doctor I saw was a pulmonologist, by the way, so I don't know his experience in the cardio field. I don't want to go to the hassle and expense of finding a cardiologist, getting an appointment, maybe being put on a treadmill again, only to hear the same thing I've already heard twice "It's insiginficant and unimportant."
BTW - my resting rate is usually around 95-100 bpm, almost *never* lower than the high 80's. Just sitting still and talking will put it up into the 130's, and exercising can easily put me in the 180's. (I'm 40 so that's pretty much the top.) I don't know if that's considered severe or pretty average for someone with sinus tachycardia. I've never met anyone else with it! And since the docs seemed to think it was about as important as having freckles, I thought it didn't matter.
Any advice?