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Heart palpitations at 17?
On friday the 6th, i started having this weird sensation in my heart, which i previously have only had occur once or twice after drinking coffee in the morning. I later learned these were called palpitations, which kept occurring throughout the day, in bursts of one or 2 a minute then I would be fine for an a couple minutes to hours later. Also I should point out that im 17 as of october, fairly good physical shape (i run cross country, play tennis, and bike). No history of heart disease or disorders that i know of.
That week was really stressful and I had lots of coffee and lack of sleep, which may have attributed to the palpitations. However the weekend came and went, I got lots of sleep and rest, not a lot of stress, still had a few palpitations here and there.
If I place my hand over my heart and apply a little pressure(which i did while trying to measure my heartrate/ pulse) I had no palpitations while pressure was applied. consequently, when i lay down on my chest, say, while using the computer, i would have no palpitations for hours. I have had no shortness of breath, however whenever i have a palpitation, i get a feeling of quick expanding pressure upwards over my heart, kinda like a balloon was being blown up inside of me for a brief second.
Today I started having a pain in the front right of my neck sort of where the the back of the bottom of your jaw connects with your neck (a little below that). Thought nothing of it till I got home and started poking around. I can now feel a small raised bump on my right side of my windpipe (i think thats what its called, if you squeeze your throat you can feel a tube, well the bump is on the right side and is hard a slightly painful). Still having the heart palpitations so im going to the doctor tomorrow to get it checked out.
I should also mention that I have been on nasal steroids for the past month combined with fexofendanine 2x a day. Please, can anyone help me? I have no idea whats going on. could the two be related? Is there something specific i should mention to the doctor tomorrow?
That week was really stressful and I had lots of coffee and lack of sleep, which may have attributed to the palpitations. However the weekend came and went, I got lots of sleep and rest, not a lot of stress, still had a few palpitations here and there.
If I place my hand over my heart and apply a little pressure(which i did while trying to measure my heartrate/ pulse) I had no palpitations while pressure was applied. consequently, when i lay down on my chest, say, while using the computer, i would have no palpitations for hours. I have had no shortness of breath, however whenever i have a palpitation, i get a feeling of quick expanding pressure upwards over my heart, kinda like a balloon was being blown up inside of me for a brief second.
Today I started having a pain in the front right of my neck sort of where the the back of the bottom of your jaw connects with your neck (a little below that). Thought nothing of it till I got home and started poking around. I can now feel a small raised bump on my right side of my windpipe (i think thats what its called, if you squeeze your throat you can feel a tube, well the bump is on the right side and is hard a slightly painful). Still having the heart palpitations so im going to the doctor tomorrow to get it checked out.
I should also mention that I have been on nasal steroids for the past month combined with fexofendanine 2x a day. Please, can anyone help me? I have no idea whats going on. could the two be related? Is there something specific i should mention to the doctor tomorrow?
I just came back from the doctor (for 16/17 years), who listened to my story, listened to my heart for about a minute and said that everything sounded fine. She told me to take only one pill a day as opposed to 2 (i was on allegra 30mg). I was googling online, at it seems the two causes of palpitations aside from everyday things like stress and caffeine, was arythmias and hyperthyroidism. I look at the causes of arythmias, and it seems like none of those would apply to me as I am generally very healthy and in good physical shape. I also looked at hyperthyroidism and thought about the bump in my neck, however it seems very unlikely that i would have that.
Is it possible that these recurring palpitations could just be from the medicine or stress and anxiety (or lack of magnesium which is a possibility as i eat very few vegetables and fruits). I'm not sure when these would be considered a problem, or at what point i should go back. I guess if i could ask a question it would look something like this: after ____ days should i go back to the doctor?
Is it possible that these recurring palpitations could just be from the medicine or stress and anxiety (or lack of magnesium which is a possibility as i eat very few vegetables and fruits). I'm not sure when these would be considered a problem, or at what point i should go back. I guess if i could ask a question it would look something like this: after ____ days should i go back to the doctor?
Over the years, I've gotten "episodes" of them. I might get a bad episode lasting 1 or 2 weeks, then months on end with none. In my late 30s they stopped completely for 4 years. Then in Jan of this year had my worst bout yet. This one in Jan was precipitated by about 2 years of intense stress at work, changing jobs, then being fired, then finding a new job, and I have a 7 and a 2 year old. I definitely think stress is a big trigger. certain foods are too.
Do some research on magnesium, see if you fit that profile. I think mag helped me a lot.
I'm working my way through it just fine. You will too.
Do some research on magnesium, see if you fit that profile. I think mag helped me a lot.
I'm working my way through it just fine. You will too.
Thank you all so much for your quick answers. On a few occasions I have felt my heart skip a beat and then the next is when i would get the "balloon feeling". Checking my pulse (on neck) while sitting gives me around 12-15 pulses per 10 seconds around 70-90 bpm, however my heart definitely feels faster once i stand. I've been off caffeine ever since this has started.
@ linda, I will occasionally feel very tired sometimes taking a nap once i get home from school, however i feel this is more likely because of a lack of sleep and just the work I get as a high school student. I usually have a soda a day (can or bottle) with my lunch, which i know is a unhealthy habit but i've been doing it for the past 4 years.
concerning my pulse, I'm not exactly an expert, however there seem to be differences if i take my pulse say 5 seconds apart, where the first time I will get say 78 bpm (13 beats per 10 seconds) and the next time ill get 90 bmp (15 bpm) with nothing much having changed.
@ itdood- first and foremost, thanks for the advice. Hopefully the doc will be able to sort everything out tomorrow. This has really been the first time in my life where I have felt these recurring palpitations, hopefully theyll be nothing more than stress/ anxiety induced issues and soon go away.
Once again thank you both for your quick replies, I wish the best to both of you.
@ linda, I will occasionally feel very tired sometimes taking a nap once i get home from school, however i feel this is more likely because of a lack of sleep and just the work I get as a high school student. I usually have a soda a day (can or bottle) with my lunch, which i know is a unhealthy habit but i've been doing it for the past 4 years.
concerning my pulse, I'm not exactly an expert, however there seem to be differences if i take my pulse say 5 seconds apart, where the first time I will get say 78 bpm (13 beats per 10 seconds) and the next time ill get 90 bmp (15 bpm) with nothing much having changed.
@ itdood- first and foremost, thanks for the advice. Hopefully the doc will be able to sort everything out tomorrow. This has really been the first time in my life where I have felt these recurring palpitations, hopefully theyll be nothing more than stress/ anxiety induced issues and soon go away.
Once again thank you both for your quick replies, I wish the best to both of you.
Itdood is right. No one will ever know your body better than you. So you do need to learn how to make healthy decisions now. I know it sounds like a lot of info to take in, but trust me, you want to be able to make informed choices pertaining to your health. Does that sound TOO heavy? If it does, I apologize. Us elderly people are way serious about our health.
Oh, another thing, I always check my pulse at the wrist, usually while sitting. The shortness of breath would only be felt if you are up moving around. Also if I were you, I would sit at a desk or table with the computer rather than the bed. It would be better for your neck and your circulation. Take Care, Linda
Hi Rich, let your parents know.
It doesn't sound like to me like you need an ER visit but let them decide.
The lump in your throat sounds like a swollen lymph node.
So it sounds like to me that you are coming down with a cold or flu. This could explain the higher heart rate too.
Heart Palpitations can mean so many different types of issues and sensations. Mostly feeling a flip flop or pause in your pulse, these are known as premature contractions. Or heart beat>100 per minute known as Tachycardia.
From your description, it sounds like premature ventricular contractions. or could be premature atrial contractions though I feel PACs are less common.
I get lots of PVCs and some tach just started for me recently.
One of the interesting things I find is that pressure on your chest suppresses what I think are PVCs, as that's the case for me too. Back a few months ago I was getting them while sleeping and I notices if I laid on my stomach they went away!
PVCs are usually benign, as I think is the case with you, but your doctor's visit will lay out the next steps.
p.s., stop drinking coffee now. No caffeine. I drank way too much over the years and I definitely feel that some of my issues are from using caffeine. I'm in my 40s now and wish I never touched it. I'm off it completely now. You'll be amazed at how time flies, you'll be in your 40s before you know it. So start making good health decisions now.
It doesn't sound like to me like you need an ER visit but let them decide.
The lump in your throat sounds like a swollen lymph node.
So it sounds like to me that you are coming down with a cold or flu. This could explain the higher heart rate too.
Heart Palpitations can mean so many different types of issues and sensations. Mostly feeling a flip flop or pause in your pulse, these are known as premature contractions. Or heart beat>100 per minute known as Tachycardia.
From your description, it sounds like premature ventricular contractions. or could be premature atrial contractions though I feel PACs are less common.
I get lots of PVCs and some tach just started for me recently.
One of the interesting things I find is that pressure on your chest suppresses what I think are PVCs, as that's the case for me too. Back a few months ago I was getting them while sleeping and I notices if I laid on my stomach they went away!
PVCs are usually benign, as I think is the case with you, but your doctor's visit will lay out the next steps.
p.s., stop drinking coffee now. No caffeine. I drank way too much over the years and I definitely feel that some of my issues are from using caffeine. I'm in my 40s now and wish I never touched it. I'm off it completely now. You'll be amazed at how time flies, you'll be in your 40s before you know it. So start making good health decisions now.
Palpitations can be a real nusiance. Now that you know what they feel like, you could be in for a long ride. A trip to your Dr.s office would be a good start. Like maybe a good physical to check for things like anemia, thyroid problems, blood sugar,etc. Then they will probably want a baseline EKG. I've had that baloon filling feeling you're talking about. I hate to say it but I usually feel that right before I go into an episode of atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat). Do you ever feel shortness of breath or very lethargic for no reason? Feel your pulse to see if it feels regular. Do you drink a lot of carbonated drinks? Your nasal steroids can contribute to the palpitations, I don't know what the fexofenadanine is but I know I can't take anything that has ephedrine or epinephrine-lidocaine in it. Be sure and take your list of questions with you when you go see the Dr
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