question on cardiomyopathy and constant high heart rate please help

[chantel1387]

Hello 1 year ago i came down with all 6 strains of coxsackie b virus which affected my heart i developed dilated cardiomyopathy my ef was about 25-30% it is now up to 45% which is good but now i have a constant high heart rate of 120 even while sleeping. If i walk around it shoots up to 150 or higher and i feel very faint and dizzy. i get very short winded as well the only thing the holter showed was sinus tachy should i look into further testing or is this normal

[chantel1387]

Thank you so much! It all started before the meds due to the cardiomyopathy i developed hyoptension so my blood pressure is always low but i take fluderocortisone for that. My cardiologist has sent me to an ep so he can see if it is something else going on or if its Inappropriate sinus tachy caused by the cardiomyopathy i just know its hard to function with this..my daughter is a big help to me thank you! You are very knowlegdable and i thank you for your concern i wish you the best as well

[Jerry_NJ]

I can't say I know the normal symptoms of sinus tachy other than it is defined as a resting HR over 100.  A person with a resting HR of 120 meets that definition, but I doubt it will cause any heart damage..  There are many cases of tachy who participate on this panel, maybe some will chip in.  The side effects of tachy should be easy to find here on MedHep using the search field.

If the dizziness and sleeping (fatigue?) started after you started taking medications, it could be in part a side effect of the medicine.  Beta Blockers are famous for making one tired, and for some dizzy, especially if they lower the blood pressure too much.  

You didn't mention what your BP is, it may be something you should check on your own, i.e., not in the doctor's office.  I frequently stop my the BP machine at Walmart.  Check several times and when you feel at rest.  Sit at the machine for a few minutes if there isn't a line waiting, before taking the measurement.  If you get numbers well below 120/80 (I think those are the target numbers one likes to stay below) your dizziness may be due to low BP which may be due to medications.

My wife and I had children young too, not as young as you, but young enough to be young during their growing up.  I hope your 14 yo daughter is able to give you a helping hand.  That could be a help and comfort.

Again, I know nothing about the virus issue, so none of my intended help in based on such knowledge. You doctor(s) are the best avenue to finding a cure/treatment.  I wish you a cure.

[chantel1387]

thank you for your answer i am on coreg and a low dose of bystolic as well as lisinopril. and nothing thus far has lowered it. I have now been referred to an ep but was just wondering if anyone else had similar issues? before i caught the virus i was very healthy. I am a 32 year old female with a 14 yr old daughter and 4 yr old son. I was sick for an entire year and no doctor could figure it out until my gi thought i was having issues with my heart and sent me to a cardiologist whom discovered the dcm and found out it was from the coxsackie b virus group. I just cant seem to feel normal with my heart always beating this fast i get dizzy and very sleepy although when they say sinus tachy isnt that normal?

[Jerry_NJ]

I would never consider a resting HR of 120 "normal" or even acceptable.  While I know nothing about the background health issues you mention, I wonder if beta blockers have been suggested by your doctor(s).  BB is the basic treatment to lower HR  It doesn't cure the problem it just blocks some of the heart beat signals.  I take both a beta and calcium channel blocker to lower my AFib driven resting HR down from about 130 to about 70.  I still have AFib, the medication just lowers my HR (and blood pressure).