Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Slow heart rate, shortness of breath - anxiety or heart?

Hello everyone, looking for possible answers (while waiting for various docs' appointments) as I have been feeling so terrible both physically and mentally that I can hardly keep myself from breaking down.

I'm 31yrs female, smoker, ex athlete, currently about 260lbs (lost 40lbs since January this year).
BP around 110/70, pulse used to be around 75 bpm (before dieting), now - about 50-60bpm. Moderately active lifestyle, go walking 2-4 times a week (brisk walk 2-4 miles).

Around January had a heart echo that showed a mildly enlarged left ventricle and slightly impaired relaxation of left ventricle. Cardiologist did not seem very concerned and said this should be reversible when I lose weight. 24hr Holter monitor came back normal.

My weightloss is chaotic as when I diet (around 1200kcal which both my GP and cardiologist said is ok for me) my pulse gets 60 and under, and I feel absolutely horrible - chest discomfort, shortness of breath, etc. Then I start to eat the way I used to before, and it returns to normal. Then I start to diet again - sure enough the slow rate and all the symptoms return within 3-4 days until it becomes unbearable again and I start to eat 'normally' again.

This is driving me insane and I am so anxious I can hardly do anything else, fear of death is extremely high. The past few weeks have been most awful, googling of course doesn't help as now I am positive I am dying from different heart diseases.

Worst is when I am sitting/being inactive - pulse slows down so much, and palpitations/extra systoles start too, along with chest discomfort and not being able to take a satisfying breath.

This breathlessness can last for weeks (especially together with slow pulse) and then go away, or come up 10 times a day, or whatever. Usually it goes away when I go to sleep and I wake up feeling fine, and it then it gradually gets worse.

Sometimes it goes away during exercise, sometimes it doesn't (although I wouldn't say it gets worse).

I know that this is usually an anxiety symptom, however, bradycardia is not , and keeping in mind my heart abnormalities - I am petriefied.

I have never fainted or am not overly dizzy (there is some diziness sometimes but i'm sure it's anxiety).

I made another cardiologist appointment and will get veloergometry too, as well as all blood tests. In the mean time I just want to ask if anyone else has experienced something similar...
4 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Forgot to mention that when I first had a heart echo around 8-9 yrs ago the cardiologist said I had an 'athlete's heart' and should take some magnesium/potassium supplements every so often and keep regular cardio check ups every few years. I now suppose she was referring to my pulse being quite slow. At the time I was around 23yrs old, very active and of normal weight.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
is_something_wrong - I did ask a few doctors if they thought it was too little, and they said no. I don't loose that easily on 2000kcal :) For me this amount of cals is more or less for weight maintenance (unless I have a very active day).

caregiver222 - logically thinking - yes, I'd agree they should disappear, however, the irony is in the fact that these things appeared or worsened with weight loss. This is one of the biggest issues and source of anxiety for me - I can do the dieting no problem - it's the physical symptoms that make me think I am harming myself while trying to actually help myself by becoming healthier.
I will check my thyroid again, although my hormone results always came back normal. My weight gain was the result of very bad depression/anxiety and antidepressants (paroxetine).
Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
You are grossly overweight. The problems with breathing and your cardiac issues will magically disappear if you drop 60 pounds or more. I suspect you have endochrine problems that contribute to your obesity. Thus you need an appointment with an endochonologist.
Helpful - 0
1124887 tn?1313754891
At 1200 kcal/day your body probably goes into "energy saving mode" which will decrease metabolism and heart rate. Are you sure you shouldn't be closer to 2000 kcal/day? You will probably still lose weight.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Heart Rhythm Community

Top Arrhythmias Answerers
1807132 tn?1318743597
Chicago, IL
1423357 tn?1511085442
Central, MA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Salt in food can hurt your heart.
Get answers to your top questions about this common — but scary — symptom
How to know when chest pain may be a sign of something else
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.