is this the begining of heart disseas

[chips1974]

i was diagnosed with sinus tachycardia 4 years ago, ive been under cardiology but they have discharged me this year as i am now pregnant and told to return if the problem gets any worse after i have my baby, im now 8 months pregnant and the sinus tachycardia happens most days lasting 5-10 minutes, ive also developed pain and weakness in my left arm and hand every time i have a sinus tachycardia episode, should i mention it to my midwife.. im 37 with a strong family history of heart dissease, ischmatic heart dissease... this is my first pregnancy

[chips1974]

it all started 4 years ago when i experienced a fast heart beat that made me feel sick, shake,hot and light headed, it felt like i was having a heart attack, i went to see my gp and he referred me to a cardiologist.. he had taken my familys history down and arranged for me to have a 7 day heart monitor fited,,2 weeks after it was removed i saw the cardiologist who explained my pulse rate was high and most times would hit 120, during the 7 days i didnt have any symptoms and was unaware it was high, he then arranged for me to have an excercise tolorence test, again my pulse would go high during the test but i still didnt have any symptoms during the excercise except for getting out of breath on the tredmill.. he looked at the reults and said i had sinus tachycardia but didnt need treatment as i wasnt symptomatic and it was of a normal sinus.. for the past few years since then ive had about 3 further episodes were it feels like i was having a heart attack.. in febuary this year i had 2 episodes in one day so went back to my gp, he arranged for a 24 hour heart moitor and again my pulse was around 120 but i had no symptoms while i had the monitor on, he re-reffered me back to a cardiologist, while i waited for the appointment to come i discovered i was pregnant..when i saw the cardiologist i was 4 months pregnant, and the symptoms i was getting was nearly once a week, he looked through my past results and sent me for an ecg, that showed a pulse of 121, he explained because its showing a normal sinus rhythm and the fact i was pregnant he didnt want to start any medication etc as the pregnancy could be causing these episodes due to the hormone changes.. he discharged me but said if it continues to go back and see him, untill they can catch the symptoms on a heart monitor he cant prove it is anything more than sinus tachycardia, he did mention svt but needs to get a recording of the symptoms... a few weeks after seeing him (6months pregnant) i had yet another episode but this time i was at work and a nurse checked my bp 150/70... sats 97%... pulse 230.. i was sent home and spoke with my midwife and obstetrician who both agreed i should start my mat leave early, i started that at 8 months... since ive been on mat leave ive had a few futher episodes but this time ive been getting numbness and slight pain in my left arm and my chest feels a little tighter than it normally does, but once the heart slows down and i feel ok the pain in the arm and chest tightness goes away and then i feel ok.. im getting at least one episode a day and this can last from 10 sconds to 20 minutes.. it goes as quick as it started... very strange experience

[is_something_wrong]

Sorry for a late answer.

At 150/70 there's definitely something stressing your body and I doubt the cause is cardiac related. That said, it's important to find out what it is. I would assume this is your blood pressure when your heart rate is 100-130 and not 230.

The tachycardia at 230 is another discussion, it MAY be sinus tachycardia but SVT (other forms of SVT than sinus tachycardia) is more likely. How did this episode start? With heart rate 80, one skipped heartbeat and straight to 230, or gradual start/stop?

Did you have chest pain with a heart rate this high? Other symptoms?

SVT is a great stress test for angina, with serious angina a heart rate of 230 (for some time) would probably make you unconcious or worse. If you felt OK during this rapid heart rate, your coronary arteries are probably OK but talk to your doctor about it.

[chips1974]

i was also ment to say my bp is 108/65 but when i get a tachycardia episode it does go high but not very high...150/70... my cardiologist isnt aware of the pain as this has only recently been happening.. im not sure what birth plan to have just incase the tachycardia starts as im in labour.. my cardiologist discharged me but referred me to a obstetrician while im pregnant for them to monitor me. once ive had the baby i have been advised to contact my gp for a re-referal to a cardiologist if the tachycardia is still present.. as you can imagine due to the high heart dissease that runs im my family (and beeing an only child) i cant help wonder if i will be at risk of some kind of heart dissease in the near future.

[chips1974]

thank you for your reply,, the cardiologist is yet to rule out svt.. most times my pulse is 100-130 with no symptoms, when the tachycardia comes its been as high as 230.. this is what they are trying to catch.... im a auxiliary nurse so have access to a bp machine when i get symptomatic, thats how i know just how high my pulse can go... the pain in the arm has only recently started, my father was diagnosed with angina at 40, at 50 he had 3 heart attacks and at 60 he had a tripple heart bypass. he passed away 2 years after the bypass, ischemic heart dissease and heart failure was recorded on his death cert, his both parents and 3 brothers died of the same thing.. he lost 1 sister and 1 brother both to an aneurysm.. im an only child.. its so frustrating keep getting sinus tachycardia as i dont smoke, drink coffee or stress, infact im very laid back and rather healthy, i was told the pregnancy may make the symptoms worse or come more frequant due to the extra weight on the body but since i reached 32 weeks its almost a daily thing then the pain and numbness started.. i will ask my midwife next week as im due to see her

[is_something_wrong]

Sinus tachycardia is not a diagnosis, or a heart disease, or even the beginning of a heart disease. Sinus tachycardia is a normal reaction to "something".

If the sinus tachycardia is bothering you, it's a good idea to see a doctor to find out what this "something" may be. It can be a normal reaction and it may be caused by some sort of disorder (usually not heart related).

A good start is measuring the blood pressure during your sinus tachycardia. If it is elevated (or "high normal") your sinus tachycardia is a sign that something is stressing your body. If it's normal, or low normal, it's a sign that your heart needs to compensate for something. If it's low, it may be more serious.

I can list some causes of sinus tachycardia and categorize them, along with describing their normal blood pressure response (though exceptions are common):

Physiological causes:
- Exercise (elevated BP)
- Stress or stressful lifestyle (elevated BP)
- Pregnancy (usually normal BP)

Mental causes:
- Anxiety (elevated BP)
- Panic attacks (elevated BP, possibly fairly high)

Pharmacological causes:
- Caffeine, nicotine,  other stimulants (elevated BP)
- Illegal stimulants like cocaine (dangerously elevated BP)
- Side effects of BP reducing medications (normal or low BP)
- Side effects of other meds (can have variable BP response)

Lifestyle
- Dehydration (normal or low BP)
- Excess sugar intake (normal or elevated BP)
- After heavy or fatty meals (normal or low BP, often slightly low diastolic)
- Malnutrition, electrolyte imbalances (can have any BP response) uncommon
- Alcohol intake (low or normal BP)
- Hot temperature/environment (usually low-normal BP)

Non-cardiac diseases:
- Fever (may have any BP response but often high pulse pressure)
- Hyperthyroid (usually elevated BP) and more or less a permanent condition.
- Excess catecholamines, pheocromocytoma etc.. (elevated BP) extremely rare.
- Tachycardia when standing up too quickly (low or normal BP)
- ANS disorders (variable BP)
- Allergic reaction (low BP)
- Anemia (usually elevated BP)
- Heavy bleeding or blood loss (low BP)

Cardiac causes:
-Heart failure (uncommon, low BP) would cause constant tachycardia if it did.

The only thing I find strange in your post is your pain with the tachycardia. Did you have this pain when your cardiologist found the sinus tachycardia?

How are your cholesterol levels and thyroid levels?

Follow up with your doctor (we are not doctors) take care and look forward to having a baby :)