i need help determining what's wrong with my heart

Question

hi im 19 years old and have been dealing with an irregular heartbeat for almost 6 years now. recently my chest has been getting really tight and sometimes causes a slight pain in my left shoulder/ left side of my chest. also, the left side of my face sometimes goes numb when my heart begins messing up. it hasnt always done this but also i get random feelings (feel like twitches or muscle spasms) mostly around my heart area but also other random places on my body. ive been to cardiologists years ago but the monitor never detected anything (most likely because my heart irregularity is irregular.........duh) anyways hoping for some kind of ideas of what could be wrong or if this is serious. thanks

is_something_wrong · Answer

Well, at some point he is right. Awareness will produce more adrenaline and worsen it, but doctors need to understand that we young people may have diseases too that needs treatment. Of course there is a chance that you just have cascades of PACs, but this needs to be investigated. Also, be aware that AF is sometimes preceded by massive amounts of PACs, so make sure you capture a bad event. They are not always easy to differ, though with PACs there is often a system in the madness. Atrial fib is completely irregular, if that made any sense.

angie334 · Answer

i also think i could have atrial fibrillation from what ive read online. 

fainting isnt something that i do regularly it has just happend a couple of times in the past but i know that still isnt good. im just hoping i can find a cardiologist this time that will fix this problem instead of just calling what i have "cardiac awareness" and telling me to exercise and stay off caffeine. the doctor said that when i would think about my heart beating,  it would increase from my anxiety from it. that was the most ridiculous thing ive ever heard. after 6 years of this i know it isnt just in my head.

Mom2four85 · Answer

I've lived with arrhythmia's and fainting from the age of 9 and was told it was nothing until at the age of 42 a doctor was prudent enough to do a tilt table test and find I had Autonomic Dysfunction & arrhythmia's.  My heart used to "quiver" it was useless and really not pumping the blood through my system, it felt like a I had a bowl of jello in my chest wiggling around.

be very careful since you've fainted...you might want to mention getting a tilt table test done to your cardiologist or EP and see what their thoughts are - fainting can be very a simple thing or very serious.  I was so used to being told it was nothing, when I felt my heart stop in Jan 2009, I really didn't pay much attention until I passed out driving - which scared the heck out of me.

Syncope (fainting) is one of the most common medical ailments encountered in clinical practice. Although frequently thought of as a condition with a neurological origin, it’s actually a cardiovascular problem.  http://www.cccgroup.info/neurosyn.asp  Two main causes are arrhythmias and neurocardiogenic (vasovagal, vasodepressor) syndromes and a TTT can help determine which is involved.

In the meantime, I would make sure you put something in your purse/wallet that says you've fainted previously and who to contact, your dr's etc just in case of emergency and don't give up until you find some answers.

is_something_wrong · Answer

There is a chance you have atrial fibrillation. This is curable in young people. If not, meds can prevent it feom occuring and slow it down when it occur. Please see your doctor soon, and of you get an event, get someone to drive you to a doctor to get diagnosed with EKG.

angie334 · Answer

and i dont exactly measure my bpm but i do check my pulse occasionally and notice that it is fast and irregular. a few years ago when it first started happening the doctors looked at my heart and said that the structure of it looked fine overall but then they gave me a 24 hour monitor that didnt detect anything (but i remembered i didnt happen to have an episode that day) then they gave me the monitor i think it was for like a week and it was when i was in school and it was just very complicated trying to leave class, record my heart, then call this number ...and i had to at least record it so many times before my next appointment. it was just all complicated and didnt detect anything (probably because i wasn't working it right). all of this was years ago and i feel like its doing different things now. before my chest wouldnt get as tight and it would just be the fluttering in my chest that would scare me. thats why im thinking i should go get this fixed while im younger rather than waiting until its a lot worse and too late.

angie334 · Answer

both rapid and irregular.

is_something_wrong · Answer

Well, considering your post you should get a full cardiac examination. You're saying you fainted from an irregular heart rhythm. That's a sign that it's not completely benign.

Do you measure your pulse when you have the events? Is it regular (runs of rapid rhythm) or rapid and irregular?

angie334 · Answer

yes im for sure going back to the doctor to find out what is going on with it. im just hoping they will be able to figure out what is exactly wrong and fix it. I dont want to have to limit myself the rest of my life because of it. and i will take the advice about keeping a log and writing down my symptoms everyday. its just hard to explain any more detail about what its exactly doing since i can't see whats really going on.

curmudgen · Answer

The symptoms are real and I think mine are similar to yours. Just before my episodes of arrhythmia begin I get a tight feeling in my mid abdominal area and a sensation just below my left eye to ear. For the feeling in my abdomen my doc suggested Prilosec OTC which seems to relieve that feeling and my arrhythmia...as for the facial sensation ??? I think it is related to an irritable vagus, triggered by GERD and somehow the nervous system sends a false sensation to my face. There were times I felt abdominal muscle quivering, but who knows. You probably do not have heart disease but the proximity of symptoms convinces you otherwise. It isn't a bad idea to reduce your caffeine intake and increase exercise...easier said than done but good for your overall health. no lecture intended.

tom_h · Answer

You could have any number of conditions from your description.  If it's bothering you, please keep on your cardiologist! Keep a log of your symptoms, their duration, when they occurs.  This will make your case more convincing.  Also, there are long term, 2 lead, wearable monitors that you can leave on for a month or so, 24/7 except for bathing or showering.  The monitor is the size of a deck of cards, and the electrodes are easily replaced each day. When an event occurs, you phone the data immediately to a monitoring lab for analysis.  Ask your cardiologist about this too. Sometimes these devices are called "King of Hearts" monitors. The terms like palpatation, galloping, and quivering are very broad.  Try to "feel" what your heart is doing.  Check your pulse when this happens and count the beats. Unfortunately, today with the way insurance is, most of us have to convince our physicians that something is wrong with us in order to get them to respond with further testing.  If you are more analytical, you are more convincing.

rilesnic · Answer

Looks like our posts came through at almost the same time, so I did not see your last post until after mine posted. Due to dizziness and lightheadedness, you should insist on an event monitor or other testing. I understand the symptoms you are describing...quivering and galloping. Hopefully a monitor can catch what you're feeling and a cardio will be able to give you a definite diagnosis. The monitors can be complicated and annoying, but let your work or school know what's going on and that the monitor is necessary. I teach, and not only myself, but students have worn the monitors at school and the staff knew we had to take a few minutes to make the calls needed for documentation and diagnosis.

angie334 · Answer

i know im planning on going back to the doctor this summer but my biggest fear is that they are just going to blow me off like last time and tell me to stop drinking caffeine and exercise. well i tried that and didnt notice any difference. i really appreciate all of yalls help. i can never seem to find anyone who experiences the same things as i go through with all of this

angie334 · Answer

but not until recently have these weird muscle spasms started occurring. it feels like a random kick is in my heart sometimes, not like a beat just a twitchy feeling but the irregular beats do still happen along  with those.

rilesnic · Answer

My daughter is 19 and has noticed skipped beats since she was 14...they were picked up on an EKG in our family doctor's office as being PVC's. Because we know what they are, she is a little more tolerant when they are happening...times of stress, asthma attack, etc. I believe knowing what is happening and what type of arrythmia you are experiencing is important for you to find out. They have event monitors that you wear for 30 days continuously that may be able to catch what you're feeling. I started feeling mine at 21, I'm now 39. It almost makes me mad that my daughter is having to go through what I have...but knowledge is power, so hopefully your doctor can catch what's happening and why you're having the other symptoms. Best to you!

angie334 · Answer

well its very different. sometimes it feels likes it quivering and others it will feel like a horse galloping almost. makes me very lightheaded and dizzy and i have fainted before from it. ekg never showed anything because i wasnt having an episode when they did it. wore a monitor for a day or so but nothing showed up because i was in school and had to call this number and record it and everything was all too complicated to get the timing right.

is_something_wrong · Answer

Hi,

Please describe the irregularity. Skipped beats? Double beats? Rapid when inhaling, slow when exhaling? Completely irregular where you can't predict the next beat at all? (like 123-4------56-7--8---9-10)?

The way of thinking is usually:

Double beats: Most likely: PACs. Less likely: PVCs.
Skipped beats: Most likely: PVCs. Less likely: PACs or blocks.
Irregular with breathing: Sinus arrhythmia (normal).
Completely irregular: Most likely: A-fib. Less likely: Lots of PACs

How rapid is your heart rate when it's irregular?

I agree, if you have long runs, go to the emergency room and get it monitored. The only way to diagnose an arrhythmia is by recording EKG when you have symptoms.

LindaTX · Answer

I agree with Jerry that you definitely need to make another trip to see the cardiologist or perhaps an electrocardiologist to check on your rhythm issue....as well as another week or two or a month on a heart monitor.  Something is bound to show up if you are experiencing those symptoms very often.  Go see a Dr....better safe than sorry!

Jerry_NJ · Answer

I is good that you have seen a cardiologist in the past.  That and your young age makes me optimistic that you will be just fine.  That said, you symptoms are serious enough to talk with your doctor.  If your symptoms are constant enough the doctor may be able to diagnose in the office, otherwise a monitor may be needed again.  

You didn't say what tests the cardiologist did in the past.  But your heart must have "looked" normal then.

If the symptoms are constant I trip to the emergency room might be in order.