Heart failure at 24?

[Oli_Amazing]

Hello my name is Oliver. I am 24 years old. I am worried that I may be suffering from a heart problem at this young age. It all started around October 2011. I started getting daily palpitations. Then one day I suffered from shortness of breath or dyspnea, later on in the day chest pains developed. I immediately rushed myself to the ER. when I finally got seen by the doc. He listened to my heart beat and my breathing via a stethoscope. He told me that my breathing is fine and that he doesn't hear any wheezing. He also told me that my heart rate is nice and slow. He compared my heart rate to that of an athlete. He also told me that he doesn't hear any heart murmurs. He then asked me a few questions about my daily life and diagnosed me with stress and anxiety. I felt better for a few days then the symptoms came back. The palpitations returned and I started being out of breath easily. No matter what I did I would be out of breath. If I walked up stairs I'd be out of breath. If I laughed too hard I'd be out of breath. I could no longer do physical activity. Running and jogging were no more :( then it got to a point that I would experience palpitations merely by standing. Naturally I became very conscious of my heartbeat. I can no longer take my mind off it. I can feel it beating in my chest when I lay down. One day I was late for the bus so I semi sprinted to the bus stop. After coming to a rest I automatically paid attention to my heart beat and started to focus in on it. I had a very irregular heartbeat. It felt like my heart would beat 2-3 times then stop then beat hard once then repeat this rhythm. I started to panic and began feeling faint and lightheaded. My arms started tingling and my hands felt cold. I could not sit still. I had to walk around and drink water. After that ordeal I avoided running completely. Now we fast forward about a month to present day. I can now stand without palpitations. I can do a light jog for a few feet without problems. But I am still very conscious of my heart beat all the time. ALL THE TIME. I suffer now from cold hands when in cooler than warm places. My house has cold air condition and my hands would be cold as long as I am active. The minute I lay down to rest my hands would warm up. This is a constant thing now. As of present I still fear physical activity. The minute I do anything too physical I start thinking about the bus ordeal and the irregular heart rate. I now suffer from muscle twitches in my calves, thighs, shoulders, eyelid and face, most frequently when I lie down. I have always suffered from dizziness upon standing too quickly since I was a kid. Sometimes if I do something to suddenly or abruptly my heart rate would jump up and it feels very uncomfortable. I have to do something lightly physical to try to balance this heart rate out. My heart rate is generaly quite slow. I don't suffer from a rapid heart rate when I am at rest. My resting heart rate is 56 bpm. Sometimes when I'm sleeping I jump out of my sleep. Especially when I'm just about to fall asleep. Over the last few days sleeping has been difficult because I can feel every heart beat when I rest. I figit around while lying down just so I don't feel my heart beat on such a conscious level. It is very hard to fall asleep while constantly figiting. When I finally fall asleep I dream about my heart. I just cannot escape it. I must admit that I'm stressed daily. Highly stressed. Especially since I worry about my heart all day long. I find hanging out with friends to be very comforting. Anything to take my mind off it. I used to be the happiest kid in the world. Now I am just a complete wreck. I hate life. I envy others who feel healthy. I am in tears writing this post. Someone please help me. I am a Male, 24 years old. 5 foot 8 inches tall and weigh a measly 128 pounds

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Your symptoms of hyperventilation, palpitations and cold sweat could be attributed to Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome. It is characterized by hyperventilation for no apparent reason, frequent yawning, palpitations, dizziness, sweating, fainting, depression, and cold sweats. Try yoga and meditation they have calming effects. Go for long stress free walks. If things are really bogging you down and you need help consult your primary care physician, he will guide you appropriately.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[striker_4u]

Hello,
I am a 20yr old male at 6"1.
I know how you feel since new years ive been conscious of almost every single one of my heart beats daily life has become very difficult because im paying attention to my heart every second of the day. Ive had various ekg's an echocardiogram a 24 holster test and all have been normal, blood levels everything normal. i used to be really active running and going to the gym almost every day, but this has changed due to my mind always keeping track of my heart when im sitting, while in class, when i walk almost everything. i know its difficult to keep your mind off it but i believe that if we continue to worry about our hearts every second of the day we will fail to enjoy life as some important moments pass by.throughout the day i get chest pains but i just try to keep busy so i wont think about it...we are on the same page and i hope this helps...

[Oli_Amazing]

Thank you so much for your opinion. I've been trying I keep my mind off these issues. About a week ago I was very preoccupied with fun activities with my friends for a couple days and I must admit that I felt pretty good during those days. Ofcourse occasionally I would think about my problems but very limited. I may not sound like much of a role model for this but when I go out to the club and I have a few drinks I completely forget about my symptoms. I will dance all night as if I was in an aerobics class and I would feel no symptoms at all mainly because my mind is somewhere else. I really think its anxiety because without a doubt my symptoms disappear when I don't think about them. I believe I have a strong mind because I would have symptoms throughout the later part of my life and I would tell myself that nothing is wrong and these symptoms would disappear eventually. At one point in my life about 2 years ago I suffered from constant headaches that lasted all day everyday. They would ONLY go away when I slept. They would come on about 40 mins after I woke up EVERYDAY. I refused going to te doctor. I kept telling myself that I'm ok and that everything is fine and they eventually subsided. I no longer suffer from these headaches. I get the occasional headache but who doesn't? So I believe my powerful mindset has its good and bad. Bad that when I worry bout being sick I actually start feeling that way. But like I said I believe it is anxiety. Because sometimes I get this feeling of aggravated reality and everything feels weird and "real". That may sound strange but that's how I describe it. I definitely need to find ways to keep myself occupied. I hate being alone now. When ever I leave my friends and go home for the day is probably the hardest part because that gives me too much time to think negatively. I would appreciate if anyone had some tips on how I can keep myself occupied positively. Thanks guys. God bless

[ed34]

Hi
   I do know that if you keep your mind on your breathing and heart, things can get a little strange. It's as though you are half in auto mode and half manual and when in manual mode your breathing becomes erratic. I remember when I was young and started cross country running to get fit. My first few attempts were a disaster because I would think "wow I'm tired, maybe I'm not breathing fast enough or something, I'll speed it up". I took over my breathing and soon became dizzy and nauseous. A friend recommended I listened to music while running to keep my mind off my breathing and it worked. So, one possibility is definitely the fact your mind is always on your breathing/heart and anxiety will step in.
If I was in your shoes, I would simply accept it as being anxiety and the symptoms will likely stop. If not, you can always go back and say they are wrong. My personal opinion is your mind is too active on your own body, trying to over analyse things. The strange beats you feel occasionally are felt by everyone, I get a couple a week that I know about, probably more but I just don't sense them because my mind is on other things.
If you want to ensure you stay healthy, use that active mind to ensure you eat healthy foods and exercise regularly. As Spock famously said "live long and prosper".