What's wrong with me?

[Medmystery620]

I am a 26 y/o male who is about 60 pounds overweight.  I have high blood pressure (the highest it's been is 150 / 90)  I have been diagnosed with athsma, GERD, and palpitations (PVCs or something).  My family has a history of diabetes and heart disease.  I have experienced breathing problems recently.  There are times during a normal day where I feel like I cannot take a deep breath.  I try and try to take a deep breath but cannot.  After I do this, my hands, arms, legs, neck, face, and tongue get tingly.  It's gradual when it happens but it still scares me a bit.  I also have palpitations.  The palpitations are currently being viewed by a cardiologist who says I have leakage in some valves.  She says that it's not something to worry about.  I take advair and singulair for athsma (neither works...not even during an attack).  I also take Toprol 50mg, Diovan 160mg, and Protonix 40mg.  The protonix is for what another doctor thinks is GERD.  I take that and it doesn't help.  I get pains between my pecs under where my ribcage meets.  Sometimes, it hurts to take a deep breath when I can.  Recently, I have been feeling weak in my arms.  When I raise them up they soon become very weak.  All of the above problems have been happening since March of 2003.  I feel like I'm about to come to the end of my life here.  Can anyone help me out here.  I have no insurance and a hospital bill that is through the roof.  Please shed some light on the subject for me.  Please.

[National Jewish Health]

The difficulty breathing that you described sounds more like non asthma problems and may be related to your weight or even possibly the cardiac problems you are describing.  The tingling is a common symptoms of hyperventilation from trying to take the deep breaths and not an asthmatic symptom.  The insurance problem aside, you have multiple medical problems that are leading to you being afraid and uncomfortable.  Having a physician visit to address these problems is still your best next step.

[Bodyman95]

Get your thyroid checked-not just the run of the mill tsh, t3, t4, but also the thyroid antibodies as well which are the tpo and thyroglobulin antibodies.  I had all this and it turned out to be a failing gallbladder as well as an autoimmune thyroid disease starting.  Had the skipped beats-took prednisone for bronchitis and the skipped beats went completely away and haven't returned in 4 months.  Came to find out prednisone is used in the treatment of thyhroid disease at times.  Don't go to a regular doctor, go see an endocrinologist and be persistent.  The usual line of thought is that men don't get this stuff and especially young men.  Well, I'm a 35 year old male that had to figure this out for myself and then prove it to the doctors.  Good Luck.

[sunshinekitty240]

Hello, I am not a doctor or anything but it sounds like the problems you do have are diagnosed and being treated.  Is it possible you have an underlying anxiety disorder as well? Having a panic attack can sometimes produce those symptoms, and panic attacks often come out of nowhere and you feel like you don't know what's happening to you or like you're going to die.  Chest pain, tingling in the hands and feet, hyperventilation and racing thoughts are all symptoms of panic attacks. The thing is you're not dying but it's still really scary.  Well good luck I hope you feel better.