Palpitations and Chest Pain

[becca]

I am 25 and have been diagnosed with neurally mediated syncope.  It is believed that the syncope is caused by rapid tachycardia (170-180bpm); however, my normal resting pulse is in the upper 40s and will periodically drop into the high 30s (measured before I began taking a beta blocker).  I will more than likely have a pacemaker implanted in a few weeks so I can take a high dosage of beta blockers to combat the syncope.   Anyways, 8 days ago, I had a pretty bad tachycardic episode in which I did not faint, but my heart all of a sudden started beating +150bpm and lasted for about 20 min.  About 5 minutes after the tachycardia ended, I have began experiencing palpitations that have intensified over since the attack.
   Two days after that tachycardic episode, chest pain developed along with the palpitations. This feeling of pressure in the center of my chest is always accompanied by the palpitations and will sometimes last only 3-4min and other times for several hours (especially in the evenings).  I do not have SOB with the pain, but I do have some difficulty catching my breath after doing anything like walking up a flight of stair.  The center of upper left back burns which is especially noticeable when I wake up in the morning.  My neck has been bothering me, and there has been a lingering tingling sensation in my upper left arm.  And in general, I have been pretty much consumed by fatigue since that tachycardic episode.  The fatigue, of course, is not being helped by the fact that at night I am not sleeping well and will sometimes wake up with these intense palpitations and a slightly tachycardic heart beat. It has finally stopped getting worse, but it does not seem to be improving.
I finally called my cardiologist after 3 days of this, and all he told me to do was to increase the dosage on the beta blocker I was taking.  However, even with 3 times the dosage of the beta blocker, my symptoms are only temporarily allievated. I went to the ER after the 5th day, and they completely disregarded my complaint because I am only 25 years old and simply sent me home.  
My FH does include Coronary Heart Disease and high BP but only in relatives 60+ years in age. My cholesterol and BP are low and before I began having syncopal attacks, I would exercise daily.  Considering my age and life style, I seriously doubt that AMI or related ischemic disorders could be the problem.  However, I do not know how to interpret these symptoms.   This is very uncomfortable, and I am getting very discouraged because no one seems to take me seriously.  Could this be pulmonary or musculoskeletal related? (I do not any have congestion, and I can't remember doing anything to cause injury to a rib or any surrounding tissues.) Could some damage have been done to my heart during that initial tachycardic episode 8 days ago that could have caused all of this to happen? Could this be MVP?    Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[Victoria]

cut and paste from carol:  

I've read with interest everyone's comments. I have palpitations fairly regularly but have recently started to wake up at night feeling quite strange and as if my heart isn't beating at all, then it starts to race and I feel like I'm going to faint.
My pulse feels very faint, skips beats, then starts to bound


sleep apnea?

[Jill]

I've read with interest everyone's comments. I have palpitations fairly regularly but have recently started to wake up at night feeling quite strange and as if my heart isn't beating at all, then it starts to race and I feel like I'm going to faint.
My pulse feels very faint, skips beats, then starts to bound.
I also get chest pain that comes and goes. I've had an ECG as my Dr thought I might have pericarditis after a virus but the
ECG was normal. As the symptoms are vague, and now and then, it's difficult to get them taken seriously. (I'm 37).
Even I wonder if it's anxiety, although it happens mostly at night.
Any thoughts out there on this??? Thanks.

[Victoria]

keep us updated

[Jill]

Thanks Carol, I have suspected this also. Could be central sleep apnoea or mixed obstructive.
Sometimes I have these symptoms through the day so it is baffling, but I am fatigued alot of the time (another sleep disorder symptom.)

[Beth (to Betty)]

No stress test....In brief, a chest x-ray was done and found enlarged heart (LV hypertrophy). The Dr. then listened more closely to my heart and heard the MVP/MR.  With a family history of MVP and sudden cardiac death and personal history of syncope and palpitations, an EKG and echo followed and both indicated MVP/MR.

[Beth (to Betty)]

For anyone still reading this question/forum, I thought I would further comment about my situation.

Anyways, the chest pain got really bad a few days ago and I was having increased difficulty breathing, so I went back to the ER, even though I was hesistant after my last journey to the ER. It turns out that I do have Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) and that it has been causing moderate mitral regrugitation which explains the angina.

I am a bit infuriated at the moment because I first complained of this kind of pain (though fleeting at the time) to my cardiologist back in June, and he disregarded it.  Then, when it started to get really bad a few weeks ago, he again disregarded it and so did the ER doctors on my first trip there.  Presumably, this is all related to the fact that I am only 25 years old.  So, I am a bit frustrated because I don't feel I can trust my doctors.  I'm NOT a doctor, but I do think that it would have been hard to miss such a problem, especially because valve replacement has now been suggested.  I do not plan to seek compensation for these errors, but I do hope that one day, doctors can have a little more confidence in their younger patients and not always assume that problems are "in their head."
  I would love to hear any comments or advice from anyone else.   BEST WISHES TO ALL ---becca