Mystery Heart Problems at 20

[christinb01]

I am a junior in college and I am 20 years old. Since September 2008 I have been having rapid heart beat and an almost popping sensation in my chest where my heart is. It started off feeling as though my heart was a balloon and it was trying to expand in my chest and when it got full it popped, forcing air out of my throat and causing me shortness of breath. This started to happen maybe once a week...and then once every few days...and then once a day...and finally a couple of times a day. One time it was so bad that I had to sit down for fear of passing out. So i went to my doctor and they referred me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist put me on a loop monitor but after wearing it a month and sending in recordings the cardiologist concluded that there was a slight arrythmia but nothing to be concerned with. So my mom took me to an electrophysiologist, who ran the same tests and told me that I need to do a catherization and an ablation. Well my mother did not like that idea so finally she took me to another cardiologist. All the while in January I took tropol but got off of it because it made me sick, then cartia but that made me really dizzy, and finally ending ith verapamil which did nothing but calmed it for a few moments. As I went through months of more tests and more failed conclusions the symptoms got worse. Now I am having chest pain (sharp sometimes going all the way to my back and dull and achy staying just in my chest region), very heavy pressure on my chest (sometimes restricting my ability to breath normally), and more heart palpations. It has now gotten so bad that I am unable to sleep well at night, I am woken up by rapid heart beats and a "popping" heart and shortness of breath, I get tired just taking a shower or climbing the later to my loft bed in my dorm room. I am writing to you now with great pressure in my chest after having tried to go to bed for about an hour. The last cardiologist told me that there was nothing in his tests that showed it was anything serious and there was nothing more that he could do. I am writing to you now to see if you know anyone who could help me. I am a 20 year old trapped in an 80 year old body. I can't sleep, I can't run and play sports with my friends, I can't go out, I can't even laugh for long periods of time because the palpatations start and the horrible feeling I get takes over. I am so tired and so scared and I just want it to stop.
Please help me.

[chayepetty]

Hi. I am having chest pains that start on the right and progress to the middle then the left and down in my stomach. Im 20 years old overweight and recently stopped smoking in march. this problem is starting to bother me. when it happens it starts n stops for about 2 to 3 hours at a time. sometimes long. i havent saw a doctor my grandmother says its just indegestion or gall bladder related. but im really worried because my father died at 43 from his main artery to his heart being 98% blocked. i know 43 is a long way from 20 but it worries me because heart desease, cancer, and pretty much every desease that kills you over time. diabeties high bp and colestorol. hopefully someone has answers. n i dont have insurance so id like to go to the doctor with some ideas of what it could be.

[nataliee22]

Hi ppl I'm 21 n 22 in may , I also feel the same ! Just my heart starts when ever it feels n where ever I am! I feel drained just running up the stairs! I've quit smoking n gotta have a heart monitor on for 24 hours on monday , my anxiety seems like its gone down n I don't feel as bad sometimes yet I'm getting more pains like in my head or down my left arm and in my chest n mainly the left side , its a really sharp pain n hurts n shocks me n as if it takes a breath away! N I also feel my heart beat pacing up n down when ever n where ever even if I'm lay in bed or just chilling watching tv!! Can someone please email me so I've got someone to talk to!! ***@****

[mariapo1]

Im 30 active but over weight. I have hypothyroid disease gerd n asthma:( i have horrible heart palpations light headed m also at times a very low heart beat. Had echo ekg holter monitor n a internal scope of my heart. All were nomal cardiologist says my heart looks good. My mag n potassium were a lil low. Im suffering slowly daily anyone have any advise??

[Sherri90049]

Miqsmom is right. They have to check you out for everything else besides cardiac causes. I was in a similar situation when I was about 18 in college with heart palpitations and dizziness. Fast forward 24 years later to today, still having a variety of different problems but all cardiac tests were normal. Come to find out recently I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis with hypothyroidism (have likely had it all along), which can also cause issues with irregular heartbeats, chest pain/tightness, shortness of breath, among tons of other symptoms.

So ask to have your thyroid checked as soon as possible. And if you can find a dr that will check your adrenals, too, that's a good idea, as there is a connection between the two. Best of luck to you! Hope you'll be feeling better soon! I know it's miserable feeling like that. If you have a good dr, great. If not, keep looking until you find one. I'm still looking after seeing four endocrinologists! Don't settle for one who either won't treat you or doesn't know how!

[Miqsmom]

Hello. I came across this post in looking up some other health issues I am having and even though it was posted a year ago, I am hoping that anyone else who sees it who is experiencing the same symptoms, sees my comment. I, too, had the same symptoms starting in my early twenties and going on and off for many years (I am now 42). I saw cardiologists too and had holter monitors, echocardiograms, was put on Beta Blockers, etc. I URGE you to ASK YOUR DOCTOR OR A HEMATOLOGIST to do a COMPLETE BLOOD WORK-UP including THYROID (be sure it is WITH Thyroid Antibodies), POTASSIUM/MAGNESIUM LEVELS, BLOOD SUGAR, AND ANEMIA. (FERRITIN LEVELS)
For example, I found that my irregular heartbeat was due to an unknown Potassium deficiency (which can cause chest pain, which I had too). In addition, I currently suffer from iron deficiency anemia (from heavy periods...but you can be anemic for other reasons) which also causes irregular heartbeat, weakness/fatigue, chest pain (due to lack of oxygen in your blood). Also, hypoglycemia and blood sugar issues can cause irregular heartbeat and fatigue. Many women have thyroid issues that go undiagnosed for years (hyperthyroidism causes rapid heartbeat and Hashimoto's disease, which I recently was diagnosed with after many years of suffering, can also cause irregular heartbeat with the fluctuation in hormone levels or the thyroid releasing too much hormone). There are MANY other  conditions that can cause heart symptoms as well.Please do not give up in finding answers or just let doctors drug you without finding the underlying cause. Know there are others out there who support you and understand (like myself) and be an advocate for yourself.Good luck to you and wishing you hope and healing :-)

[macaylla]

Hi there,Ive been haveing heart flutters now for a year, since i had my son a year a go.... the docs told me it was stress and also at that time i was stressed and also worried because i had it in my head i was gonna die for some silly reason, I see my doc again as they said it was NORMAL .....They then told me it was a heart MURMER and sent me for a HECO SCAN ..... They said my heart was working fine and all was ok and also put this down to ...anxiaty attacks and also panic attacks...... When i see the heart doc they also told me its NORMAL and they also see a lot of this in people age 20-30 ..... years old ..... Its worrying when this happens i must say and also it can go off and start again ..... if i feel cold it happens then ..... i also go heavy heads and some times light head ...... i hate going out in case i get took bad and also got it in my head i have bad heart and im gonna have a heart attack.....But the doc and also the heart docs say im fine and to try and keep chilled !!!!!  This as made my life hell to tell you the truth im worried to drink tea or coffee now because it does happen a lot if i do so ... and also if i go out of my home town i panic and also start to get 1 then and it will go off when i chill out .......I was just siting o the sofa not thinking of anything bad and i got one then it was like my heart had stoped and then just a bang and started again and then like little butterflys going over my heart .... really worrying !!!!! But as im told dont worry try and chill move !!!!!! EASY FOR THEM TO SAY HEY !!!!
P.s racing heart also makes you lose a lot of weight because its working ur fat off your body.......

[tiffywayne]

i have the same problems as u. i'm 20 years old also. all of mine started back in june 2009. my heart started racing so fast that i thought it was going to beat sooo fast and hard it would pop out of my chest. i went to the er and they said my patassium was low and i was dehydrated. so i started drinking nothing but gatorade and staying away from caffeine. but then it happened again about 2 weeks later. went to the er again and the suggested me to go to a cardiologist. the doc said i was stressed (at 20?) so i had a stress test and an echo done and everything came back normal. i lost 10 pounds from all of this *stress* that i was having. but then i felt like it was just getting worse. i couldn't sleep at night, short of breath.it's effecting everything i do. i feel like i can't exercise cuz that will be bad. i was a regular smoker, but i recently quit cold turkey. so i went to the doc and he said everything seemed fine and gave me metoprolol also. i don't have high or low bp but i do have a racing heartbeat. i took this medicine for about a week and ever since i started taking it i became lightheaded. so i quit taking it on my own. i can't even take a shower without feeling like i'm going to pass out.i would love to have some answers!!!