racing heart and burning sensation

[coolmom52]

Hi, I am 52 years old and have been to 5 different doctors trying to figure out why I had 2 ER trips with "crashing fatigue"  no one could figure it out and called it just stress and tried to give me meds.. The meds made things worse and now I am just on HRT and feel much better except I wake up frequently throughout the night and have been awakened lately with a racing heart and a burning sensation on the left side as well. Has anyone else had this happen to them?  Also could the HRT be causing this.. I didnt have this until the doctor said I needed HRT. Also I am easily stressed, very sensitive to stressfull situations and the such.

[jareter5]

Had  the  same thing   small pain side of my left arm near the heart from ambein told myself  it was from working out but  there it  was  again  stoped  taking it for two months and it went  way? even  doctors couldnt seem to know either.......so answer  is  to stop .........i said how  sad,cant  feel a little high any more...and sleep..now  i cant take  even anything

[coolmom52]

Hi for some reasons my posts hAvent been working. Still waiting on bloodwork from new endo doc who was shocked that no did a complete workup on pituartary adrenal thyroid levels she thinks it's a combination of that and menopause I see an expert on sleep Tuesday to go over my study will keep u posted hope u r surviving now I get chills and shakes on top of everything else this sinks and I hate family doctors they r pretty much useless

[Jean72253]

Hi!  I was so happy to hear back from you.  Yes, we could be twins with the same type of menopause problems.  It feels so good to talk to someone who is going thru the same things as I am!  I am also getting off this HRT.  The only good thing I've noticed is that it has taken away my hot flashes.  But I can deal with those, I don't care how hot I get.  I have heart problems anyway and several people have told me it's not a good thing for me to take HRT while having high bp.  I have gotten injections for the menopause symptoms the last few months and haven't been myself ever since.  Also, along with the estrodiol injection and prometrium 100 mg capsule,  the doc included a massive dose of Vitamin B-12 "to make me feel better".  Well, I did some research on Drugs.com and read about the side effects of big doses of B-12.  I want to tell you that I have gotten so sick to my stomach, like a nausea type feeling in the top part.  Then came the diarhea.  It finally occured to me that maybe it was either the estrodiol or the B-12.  Not really sure which since they both have similar side effects.  I asked my OB/GYN doc if either of them could cause me to feel so sick to my stomach, and he said they shouldn't have that effect on me.   My eyes got all blood shot, the back of my throat turned red, my face has been flushed and red and the stomach pain is terrible.  So today I went to see my internal med doc.  He has me lined up with an ultra sound of my stomach and also may have an endoscopy!  More tests and more money.   I have a feeling they'll come back negative and it's the darn injections causing it.  I've never felt like this before.  My blood pressure meds were increased again.  Now I'm taking 150 mg toprol, 20 mg lisinopril, and 50 mg spironolactone.  My bp spiked  up to 209/106 about 1 1/2 years ago.  Been to the ER many times.  Your bp should be watched carefully and you may need to take a med for that.  Maybe find a good cardiologist.  So, just like you, my life has been so scary.  Many nights I've prayed to God to please let me wake up in the morning, because my bp would get so high and the docs tried many drugs to bring it down.  My bp goes along ok for a while, then it spikes out of the blue.  They say the spikes are not from menopause, but called primary hypertension and many times it is not understood why people get that.  Maybe inherrited.  I try to take good care of myself and eat right, exercise.  So who knows.  You're right in saying its a good thing to just get out and not think about this too much.  I wish we lived close and we could go out for a cup of coffee.  Please write back.  

[coolmom52]

Jean, Hi, I feel like we are soul mates!  Its sounds like we are twins...My thoughts are that the antidepressents are causing alot of your symptoms.. Go to crazymeds.com and check out the side effects or read the inserts that come with the meds and then talk to your nurse to ask her about them.. Since I don't know you personally I can only go off of what you are saying here.. Thats why I say to talk to your doctor and make them listen.. You said you never had anxiety or depression before the meds?  The same with me.. Tell the doctor that and make them hear what you are saying.. I was taking Ativan, Buspirone and then they pushed Lexapro and Celexa on me..For me I saw that the meds had side effects very similar to what my symptoms were and a physiologist I go to for "stress" agreed with me that I really had low levels of stress and wasn't someone who needed the meds.  I was also a person who is very sensitive to the side effects of even small doses of medicine.  The stress of all the doctors pulling you in different directions lead me to waking up every morning worried about my smyptoms, worried if I would get faint at work or taking my daughter somewhere or, or ,or.. I missed several days at work and they were getting very mad at me and they didn't believe me that I was sick..  I had sleep study done and they found that I get ZERO deep sleep which causes you to wake up with chronic fatigue that you cant fix!  I am going to see the local specialist for that next month to see what she recommends.. The cause of it?  Stress, anxiety, menopause.. probably all of it.. But in my case for the doctors to say its all menopause or in your head.. all I know is that my "menopause" only gave me hot flashes. I never was moody or crying easily or had heart palipations until I was on the HRT.  So I am planning on stopping the HRT..I can deal with hot flashes..lower heating bills!  I went to the P assistant at my doctors office and she actually listened to me when I told her about the chest pains and burning and she is scheduling me for a holister monitor and a stress test later..  To rule things out or find out things. WHen I had my sleep study they did say that I had some PACS -permature atrial contractions!  So I wasnt imagining them.. So they are going to check them out.. I was also having some spotting from my HRT so I taked to the specialist about that and she said that it was ok to keep taking them; and then I asked her if what I read was true about it causing heart ttrouble and she said yes...it can continue for some time.. Well thats not good...why would I want that?  It can lead to blood clots, strokes etc.  So I still am planning on stopping the HRT.. THE PA said I could stop anytime and just take over the counter if I wanted to after I had the holister test.. Hope it is soon.> She actually was very understanding and said she would help me to figure out what was going on with me. She personally thought that HRT was dangerous and that OBGYN sometimes since they use it so much don't pay attention to the warnings!  My BP is also up and they are watching it.. Yes don't stop it.. How HIGH is your BP you didnt say.. Mine is about 138/90 most of the time. That too can go up from all the meds.. HRT also raises your blood pressure and stress too!  Try Andrew Johnsons MP3 called don't panic.. I just listened to it twice this morning and I loved it.. I also find the more I think about the problems I am going through the worse it is for me the next day.. Weekends stink because I have time on my hands and think about it more.. So I am trying to stop that..The hynposis therapist I saw this week was dumb and I don't think I am going back He has a PHD in therapy but my insurance doesnt cover him and he didnt do any talk therapy.. I am going to someone else on Oct 3 who my insurance covers and has a waiting list.. I think he is a good choice.. Do you go to anyone? It is probably a good idea cause that gives you someone else to talk to also. I am also trying to find fun again in my life..If you are married or have family and friends you can go out with, do it, even if you dont' feel like it, cause all of this stuff makes you down, go anyway and talk with them. Talking to other women I have found out that there are alot of us out there just not talking about what the doctors are doing to us!  THE ER people think you are nuts and then they send you home with more pills and stress but never bother to figure out what made you go to the ER.. We may never find out the reason but now we have to deal with the side effects that all of the stress has caused us. I have a problem with hypothyroid and have a some pituatary cyst as well.  These things can also affect our hormones and are part of the picture as well..The PA told me that I was right in that there is such as thing as ADRENAL fatigue which makes us feel horrible because all of the stress causes levels of cortisol and adreneline to go crazy causing heart trouble, shakes, anxiety etc. Which are also all menopausal "symptoms" as well.. It is a horrible cycle and I don't really know all the answers. but I too want to get back to Normal and stop all the worrying.. Try to do something fun this weekend and don't think too much.. Relax some it takes time for the relaxation to work to help you clear your mind. Please post back.. It feels good to talk about this!  I am also taking the same HRT as you, weird, I am goind to keep it handy since I paid all that money for it for next summer but talk to the PA on monday about not taking it anymore.    Please post back when you can.

[Jean72253]

Thanks for writing back.  Sounds like we've got similar problems, that's for sure.  I also listen to relaxing music before I go to bed and have no tv on.  I'll look into hypnosis or maybe accupuncture.  I know all these meds are making me sick, too.  I've always been healthy, happy, good family, etc.  Had no major worries.  Nice job, lots of friends from work.  I had to resign from my job several months ago because I wasn't sleeping (due to anxiety I guess) and couldn't function at work.  The xanax is now helping me to sleep but maybe that's whats causing the nausea, or maybe it's the Prometrium and estrogen my doc put me on a couple of months ago. What's really scary is when the bp spikes. Did you have bp spikes?  Sometimes I feel like I'm going to die from a heart attack or stroke out.  The doctor will then give me another prescription for high bp, send me home and say "I'll see you in 4 months"!  Or they refer me to someone else.  Been in the ER 3 times.  It's a bad circle I'm in.  Haven't been able to get any answers now for almost a year!   When I tried all these antidepressants to sleep it made me sick and nausious, too.  I've never had depression or anxiety and here I have been taking all this stuff trying to sleep and getting sick from it.  I'm so tired of this.   I'm still going to fight this and not give up.  I do need to continue with my bp meds as it would be bad news if I got off them.  Maybe all these problems are from that little tumor on my adrenal gland.  Some doctors say maybe it is, and some say not.  I'll get another MRI and more tests in November to see if the tumor has grown or is a pheochromocytoma.   Well, I'll keep you posted. Thank you so much again for responding.  Hope I didn't ramble on too much!  It's helpful to me knowing I'm not alone.

[coolmom52]

Been there, done that... I had the same thing happen to me they call it "crashing fatigue"  The doctors couldn't figure anything out and decided to send me to 5 different doctors and all that did was cause me a mountain of worrying and negative thoughts, lightheadedness, racing heart and tons of anxiety.. They also put me on HRT therapy and then just last week I found it causes heart palpitations and lightheadedness during the first several months of taking it.. No one ever told me about that either!!!  I told the doctors enough is enough you have ruined my summer and I want my old self back.. No prescriptions for anything and I am stopping the HRT therapy as well.. Relaxation mp3s are the best, trying hypnosis to get my old positve self back.. That I thinki is the best thing to do.. I too think I have adrenal fatigue from all the stress and anxiety that they have caused.  Try not to think about it and go the natural way Metalonin is also helpful for sleep..BP is also affected by HRT therapy.. If you can go through it without any meds.. Think back to how you felt before the doctors started "treating you"  Look for a licensed therapist who also teaches hynosis for relaxation and check at AndrewJohson's mp3s for relaxation. He is in Scotland.. Just google him.

[Jean72253]

Hi.  I, too, am going through menopause and can honestly say it is absolutely the worst imaginable thing that has ever happened to me.  I am 58, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.  About 2 years ago while at work (health care facility) I felt kind of dizzy and just didn't feel right.  Had the nurse take my blood pressure and it was 209/106.  Got in to see my cardiologist right away and he put me on Toprol XL 50 mg twice a day. It worked pretty well, but occasionally my bp would spike.  Also had hot flashes, lost weight, terrible insomnia - in fact I went to the ER a few months ago because I hadn't slept for 2 straight nights and only a few hours per night several nights prior to that.  I drove myself to the ER and was so exhausted, felt like I was having anxiety attack and begged the hospital to admit me and find out what was wrong with me.  They said they can't admit someone for insomnia so sent me home with a prescription for Ambien.  I slept 6 hours that night then it didn't work anymore.  I went back to my doctor so miserable from lack of sleep about 5 times, and given a new presc each time (antidepresants or sleeping pills).  Each time I got so nauseated from taking them.  I'm not depressed and have had a good life and usually happy.   Now I'm taking xanax .50 at night to sleep and it definitely helps, but still wake up 2-3 times a night.  I feel stress in my chest many times during the day, then my heart starts beating fast (palpitations) and then my bp spikes.  My cardiologist found a small tumor on my left adrenal gland from a CT scan.  He had me see a surgeon to have the possible pheochromocytoma removed.  I decided to have a second opinion with another cardiologist.  He sent me to see an endocrinologist and was tested with 24-hr urine test and also blood tests to see if it was truly a pheochromocytoma.  All tests have come back negative over several months time so I haven't had the surgery. I If it were a "pheo" then I could understand the bp spikes.   I'm miserable because I can't find out what's wrong with me!  Is it menopause with anxiety, or is it the tumor on my adrenal gland?  Also, my OBGYN put me on hrt (estroliol and prometrium) and that helps with the hot flashes but that's about it.  I get nauseated quiet often and wonder if it's from the hrt, anxiety, or the adrenal tumor.  It's just really hard going thru all of this, as you know, too.  I appreciate any information I can get through anyone reading this also.  No fun going thru this!