Heart problems?

[musicgirrl]

I am an 18 year old female and I've been having some problems since July.

Back in July, in the middle of a movie, it felt like my heart all of a sudden stopped. Everything got really hot. I thought I was about to faint. Then, not 5 seconds later, my pulse started to race and I got cold. My sister and I left the bathroom early, called my uncle, and he took me to the hospital. There they gave me an EKG, and took a bunch of blood, but nothing was found wrong. It happened again in August, so I went to see the doctor. I told him I'd been having ocassional chest pains, sharp, stabbing ones when I breathed, for a couple years, but he was more concerned about my headaches. I went to the neurologist and he told me I was having migraine auras. It happened a couple more times, and I had more blood work, EKGs, and even an ABG test, but everything kept turning up fine. I just went along with the migrain aura idea.

Well, after a couple months of freedom from this weird occurrance, it just happened again. It always happens when I'm not doing anything, like watching a movie or laying down or watching tv, but this time I had about an hour and a half of chest pain before it. My heart felt like it stopped, I felt my pulse and I didn't feel one, then I got hot, my heart raced, and I cooled down. The chest pain is still here. What could be going on?

[cindy707]

I am sure that the doc must have told you that it would be highly unusual for someone your age to be experiencing major heart problems.  Anything could cause this...stress, anxiety, panic attacks that sneak up on you.  The chest pain could come from anything at all and alot of it not having a thing to do with your heart...if it were me i would take my index finger and press it between the ribs in the upper chest area all over and if it hurts you are looking at something that is not doubt muscular could be from exercising, sports, running in an inappropriate bra....alot of things.  As far as you experiencing this situation when you are relaxed it may be something as simple as your blood pressure dropping because you are so relaxed.  In order to go into syncopy or fainting your oxygen level would have to really drop fast for that to happen which is possible but trust me your heart is not stopping at all.  If you are having trouble catching your pulse take it at the side of your neck to the right or left of the windpipe in the center of your neck and press two fingers in at the sides and you'll catch it....i really wouldn't worry too much about what is happening with you...you've gotten a clean bill of health from the docs and i would personally look for a diversion so when this happens to you that you don't think about it.........good luck music girl and love your post name

[Jerry_NJ]

I don't know, but you didn't mention seeing a heart specialist, a cardiologist.  That may be a good next step.

However, it the symptoms are very rare, it will be very hard to record them for medical analysis.  The normal approach is to have a person wear a 24 hour monitor, that is almost surely not going to work given you history, even a 30 day monitor, a lot of aggravation to have to wear that long, but that may be the only way to catch and record the symptoms.

You haven't mentioned what your normal heart rate is, nor am I convinced that you can (anyone less than a medical expert) find and feel you pulse quickly... that is check for a heart stop that exists for only a second or two.  Any stop more than a second or two is a real problem, I think.  I don't know how long it takes a stop of heart beat for a person to pass out, but I think it isn't very long.. only a few seconds I'd guess.