Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Constant, Rapid heart rate.

Hello Doctor,

I have a strange situation.  I've seen 3 doctors and 2 cardiologists and nobody can figure this out.  

I'm a 44 year old male.  For most of my life, I'd been sedentary.  A year ago I decided to work out for the first time. I did the treadmill.  One day I tried a stair master.  Within 30 seconds, my heart was POUNDING, but I didn't stop.  I pushed myself for three minutes.  I got off, but my heart continued to race for at least 5 minutes.  On my way home, my chest experienced very sharp pains.  After that, the SLIGHTEST bit of exercise caused my heart to race.  Especially inclines.  Going up one flight of stairs got my heart rate beating hard and rapid.  This NEVER occurred before the stair master.  There was also a slight pressure in my chest that was dull, but CONSTANT.  

I had an EKG, Stress test, sonogram, and a 30 day heart monitor.  It all came back normal.  FYI:  I do have slight valve regurgitation (98 to 99%), but that was discovered 4 years ago, before all this happened.   I was also tested for a thyroid condition - negative.

It took a year to "get over" that, and I decided to exercise again, but take it very slowly and gradually.    Over several months of moderate exercise, I got my heart rate into the mid 70's, and all the pain went away.   I felt great!   I now do cardio twice a week, and I've taken up karate.  It can be fairly intense.  3 weeks ago, I was pushing myself during a work out, and the SAME EXACT thing happened as with stair master.  A dull, pressing pain in my chest, and now a constant, rapid heart rate - mid to upper 90's bpm.  Also, I have intermittent hot flashes with sweating.  

Bottom line:  HOW & WHY can over excretion cause my heart to act this way on a CONSISTANT basis?  I can see this happening for a day or so, but it's a constant thing.   Have I somehow damaged my heart, or is there something else that's causing these symptoms?   What can I possibly do "correct" the situation?

THANK YOU!
9 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Constant Heart rate average of 111bpm was started.
Helpful - 0
230125 tn?1193365857
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
electrophysiologists are cardiologists that specialize in heart rhythm disorders.
good luck with your work up.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

Blame me for not being clear :-).  Resting is now in the mid 90's, when before this latest incident it was in the mid 70's.  I have no idea what it is when I excerise because I don't have a monitor.  Maybe I should check it out.  It just seems I "damaged" something from over doing it, and that's not making any sense to anyone.  

Thanks for your post!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello Doctor,

Well, I guess part of me was expecting that :-(.  Thank you for your time, though, and I DO appreciate your comments.   I'm not sure what electrophysiology is, but I'll look into it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

Well, the response from the doc is disheartening :-).  I guess even a GUESS as to what is happening would help.  Something...

THANK YOU for your posts!  It's good to know there are other folks out there dealing with this.  My main issue is that I can pin point the exact moment this happened (The stair master).  If this was something I always had, I think it would be different.  But the fact that I NEVER had this problem before that incident (Or this most recent), is really the issue for me.  No one knows how a single, physical incident can cause a change in my heart beat, or cause my heart to act the way it does now.

I do have days of feeling "weird" or "funky" or just plain off.    The thing is, is that before any of this, my normal resting heart rate was always around 82 or so, and I could run up a flight of staors without feeling myheart pund or race.    After that ONE episode on the stair master is when all this happened.  I guess that's what's puzzling everyone, including the doctor here.  After gradual excercise, like I wrote, my bpm was down to the mid 70's.  I DID feel great.  But 3 weeks ago, one incident doing cardio and all of a sudden my chest pressure is back and my heart rate is in the 90's.  Just doesn't make sense.  Anyway, enough of my yappin'.  

This IS something I'll have to learn to live with, or just be aware of, because I continue wth the cardio work out and the karate.  Maybe I should tone it down a bit.

Thanks again.  And good luck with you as well.  In some way, it's comforting to know there's someone out there who KNOWS what I'm actually talking about.

Helpful - 0
84483 tn?1289937937
I just realised you wrote 90s also, hell 90 -100 at rest would be considered high normal resting heart rate for most. Some people can feel as though their heart is racing as Ive experienced also when their heartrate is only slightly elevated say 90-110 or even 120 yet it can feel as though its around 150 -160, I still think it all boils downs to one's own perception and heartbeat awareness in my personal opinion. What is completely completely normal can same very abnormal for people , their symptoms are way out of proportion to the actual findings at the time. Like I wrote before sometime you have to learn to live with these symptoms and move on, it took me nearly all my life to finally come to terms with this and accept it as "normal " for me. It can almost amount to a lost of enjoyment in life if you let it. This forum has helped tremendously in learning they are others out there with very similiar complaints and their diagnosis and prognosis is essentially the same.Good luck.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am kinda confused.  You say your heart rate goes up to a rapid rate in the 90's while exercising?  Is that the rate your heart is when you say it is racing?  It is normal for the rate to increase while exercising and 90's isn't even high, especially if you are truly pushing yourself.  I don't know what the chest pressure is but I certainly wouldn't worry about a rate in the 90's.  Some exercising get their rates up to 190's.  Am I missing something here?
Helpful - 0
84483 tn?1289937937
I have a very similar situation as yours I can't walk up one flight of stairs without a pounding fast beating heart, I'm 42 soon to be 43, Ive had this problem all my life with a racing and pounding heart of which I'm super aware, yet I can do and pass a BRUCE treadmil stress test with the words written below "Good exercise tolerance" yet the least amount of exercise will cause my heart to pound and race. I can't say it has ever disabled me but made life miserable at times when you feel like ahorse is galloping in your chest all the time( the beta blocker atenolol has worked wonders in relieving most of my symptoms though, I also used to suffer with lots of PVCs which I rarely have anymore, I still prefer the pounding to the PVCs, yet I know some persons that their hearts even beats faster than mine with even less exercise or exertion and they don't feel a thing"weird", I think its just a part of an individual's anatomy as to why they are so in tuned to their heartbeat, it hard for doctor and both patient alike when all the test turns out normal to understand their symptoms and what causes them, they are just some things that we have to live with though uncomfortable and non life threatening that probably will never be fully understood.
Helpful - 0
230125 tn?1193365857
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I do not know the answer to this one.  Electrophysiology is a very humbling specialty for both the physician and the patient.  There are some questions that we just don't know the answer to.  If  all your tests are normal, I would encourage you to move on the best you can and hopefully it will stop soon.
Sorry I cannot be of more help.
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Heart Rhythm Forum

Popular Resources
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Salt in food can hurt your heart.
Get answers to your top questions about this common — but scary — symptom
How to know when chest pain may be a sign of something else
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.