Unusual Autonomic malfuntions

[superdave19]

Any ideas on how to stop this? It seems that autonomic system decides heart has to beat faster for 4 hrs then stop, or beat harder for 4 hrs, or fingertips get numb for half hr. Head gets warm, ears get hot (but goes away if I go out to cold) Sometimes get sensation of ears being hot when theyre not. Few sneezes triggers brain to have heart beat faster for few hrs, same with forced cough. Once, had double vision, one eye saw same image a few inches higher, went away in 24 hrs. Am 67 yr old male, have had all blood work all ok, 24 hr urine for brain chemicals.Sometimes get soreness sensation under right rib, had echography on abdominal all normal then goes away, may be false messages from brain. I avoid rough sneezing or forced coughing, but need to find mechanism to tell heart to beat normally once this starts. And for other msgs to have ears get hot or face,not a problem, more of a nuscaince. Any food or vitamins to boost the autonomic system?

[superdave19]

Thank you for your reply and inputs. I checked on small fibre neuropathy, most of my symptoms not same, never burning sensations, or tingling, When I do any exercises, the heart rate increases normally and settles down following, I also sweat normally. What bothers me the most is when faster heartbeat is caused by few sneezes at once, or a forced cough, the heartbeats will last for hrs and hrs then subside. Also hear pulse in ears, but this is due to some weight loss and ear nerves close to arteries, sometimes pulses are stronger. That I can live with. Looking for ways or method to stop the prolonged faster heartbeat. Biofeedback? Yoga? Stress doesnt trigger the faster beats. Also when I go to sleep at night if I lie flat on my back, 2 hrs later I am awakened by hearder and slightly faster heartbeat, I sit up and its gone in 3 mins then back to sleep. Believe its blood or water pooling in body during sleep. remedy is sleeping in almost sitting position. Dr wants me to wear a 24 hr heart monitor but some days the beats ok other days seems to skip odd beat, so depending on when I wear the devise results might be different. He did complete blood work in June 2011 all 100% thyroid, T3, diabetic no, will ask him to repeat all blood work and refer me to neurologist specialist for consultation. Brain gets false signals at times to heat up face, ears, heartbeat faster, nose running for hrs and stops, and few other nuiscances, like ears feel hot and they are not. Thanks again for your inputs, appreciated!

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Before any treatment options can be recommended, you must identify why you are having these symptoms. (For example, are they neurological or not, can be cardiac related, etc). From a neurological perspective, there is a condition called small fiber neuropathy. With small fiber neuropathies, symptoms include burning or buzzing or other vague symptoms starting in the feet and hands then in some cases spreading to other parts of the body. The EMG/nerve conduction studies (NCS) (tests done to check for neuropathy) will not show an abnormality, and a definitive diagnosis can only be made with a skin biopsy so that the number of nerve endings can literally be counted. There are other tests of the function of small nerves that can be ordered, such as QSART testing which looks at how much sweat the skin makes, since sweating is in a sense of function of these small nerves. There are several causes of small fiber neuropathy, including diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and autoimmune problems.

Given your constellation of symptoms, I suggest you follow up with a neurologist.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.