Tachycardia during pregnancy

[DMK1981]

I am 27 years old and have three small children. I am at my 10th week in pregnancy and not for sure if I physically go on for 7 more months.. About a month ago I started experiencing shortness of breath. Then 2 weeks ago, I started experiencing shortness of breath with a rapid heartbeat! I thought that my heart was giving out on me. I first went to the ER in the next county over and he told me I was having a panic attack. I do have painc attacks but this is NO PANIC ATTACK! Panic attacks come and go. This is not going away. He wrote me a precription for Buspar 15 mg and told me to take 1/2 a pill in the morning a 1/2 at night. I have been doing this and it has seem to help. When I went to my PCP, he did a walking test and hooked me up to the heart mointor. My heart rate jumped from like the 80's to the high 120's. So then I just start crying and called my stepmom to come be wtih me. It was a scary feeling not knowing why my heart is just wanting to race everytime I get up. I was also waking up having this attacks. So he puts the mointor on me and I wear the mointor for it 24 hours.He comes back and says I have a slight case of Tachycardia. The same day I took the mointor off, that evening I got to feeling worse and had to go to the ER in Cookeville, TN. I basically walked in leaning on my mother and out of breath. My mom goes and checks me in while I'm trying to catch my breath. They come over check my blood pressure & heart rate. The nurse says "Honey, everything seems to be good!" I said, "Oh yeah, watch it when I stand up!" They took me straight back to a room and hooked me up to every kind of mointor you could think of. They really did a good job in making me feel calm and safe. Because quite frankly, I was scared to death. My EKG came back good! So I thought well thats a good sign. They did a ultrasound on the baby and it??? was healthy and doing good. How ever, my blood work came back showing that I was low in my potassium and sodium. He said that could trigger the high heart rate. I explain to him that I have been under alot of stress at home. He said with the low potassium and the stress that was more than likely what triggered the tachycardia. He made an appointment with my OBGYN I went the next day. She didnt seem worried at all but she was more worried about what was going on in my head. I completely broke down and cried on her. I told her I was having to stay with my mom because I was unable to take care of my 3 kids. I felt like a horrible mother. That I was afraid and I felt like I was going to die! I can not imagine watching my kids grow up, it makes me cry every time I think about it! She reassured me everything was okay and they would get to the bottom of it! She also did the walking test on me and hooked me up to the pulse mointor. Seating it was like in the 80's when I stood up and started walking it leveled out at 136. I was taking deep breaths to try and get it to go down but it didnt work. When I sat back down, you could watch it go back down to the 80's???? My appointment with the heart doctor is not until another week and I am scared/worried what they are going to find. I know that I felt out of breath and had no energy with my other pregnancy's but it never started this early or this bad! Has anyone ever started having this problems this early? If so, how did you deal with it emotionally? I am scared to death that when I do go into labor that my heart will just give out on me! It just makes me feel better knowing that other women have gone through this. This is the scariest thing I have ever had to deal with. I would love to talk to some one who has gone thru this, my email is: ***@****. Thank you all so much for listening!

[mosley89]

This is way late, I know that. But, I'd love to share with anyone else finding this thread in 2015. I was DX with inappropriate sinus tachycardia a year ago. (I think I have afib, however, tests supposedly show otherwise.) I was also DX with Reactive Hypoglycemia (dangerously low sugar within 4 hrs of eating). I unexpectedly got pg with my 4th child & have suffered immensely. I was in class one day (college student late in life) & just started spinning, dizzy horribly. I thought "GREAT, one more thing is going to start happening to me!??" Any who, I found out I was pregnant a week later. I'm now 12 weeks & miserable. The deep, intense nausea, tension headaches,extreme fatigue, low blood sugar & HR of 110-120 for no reason are killer. I haven't really seen a doc for it because I had my third holter monitor in February. I've had two echo's & two stress tests. I guess I could ask for iron etc again, although I did it in Jan. Any who, pregnancy can definitely intensify anything already going on. I have csection deliveries, so I don't have to worry about pushing. But, surgery is major!

[marimar1980]

HI I'm 29 and I got IST after my pregnancy I had my dughter two months early because I developed pre eclampsia the worst expirience also I too thought I was going to die and still think soo! Now I live with IST and on Atenenol which has helped but I am still trying to get over this anxiety....but you are not alone I thought no one had heart problems before or after giving birth nice to know I'm not alone God Bless

[DMK1981]

Thank you all for all your stories. I just got back from the heart doctor and he assured me everything was okay. They don't want to put me on any med's just yet. The good news is, I am doing better. For some odd reason the Tachycardia has slacked off quit a bit! THANK GOD!!!! It is still doing it but just not as bad!

[emma141]

I first experienced a fast heart rate when i was about 12 weeks pregnant, everytime i sat up, stood up or walked about my heart would pound and i would feel dizzy and strange. My midwife kept telling me i was fine, the maternity unit implied it was all in my head and made me see a pshychiatrist and a community pshychiatric nurse. I begged with people to believe me that i felt ill and something was wrong. I was told it was anxiety and panic over and over again. Unfortunately once one person labels you, your done for. However 6 years on after continually suffering with tachycardia i had an svt episode. Finally it was caught on ECG, My heart rate was 180 and i honestly thought i was dying, i then went through having 2-3 attacks a week where i would go by ambulance to hospital. The one good thing that has resulted from this is that i finally proved everyone else wrong, i have a medical condition not a physchological one. It is an unpleasant thing to live with but i at least now have a diagnosis. My pregnancy was horrid but be reassured my labour was a piece of cake in comparison. I had a shot of pethidine which relaxed me and my heart rate, along with gas and air. It lasted 5 hours with no complications. However my cardiologist has suggested that i can have a c section if i wanted next time. Please be reassured that there are many of us suffering from the same thing. It is scary and you feel alone but your not, you will get through it in one piece with a lovely baby at the end of it all. I too thought i was going to die, i even wrote goodbye letters during my pregnancy in case. I can now look back and realise that the not knowing exaccerbated my worries and i can now see the funny side of it. Hang on in there take each day one at time and you'll be fine. Thinking of you Emma

[amiey2217]

I had a similar problem with inappropriate siuns tach (which would cause your heart rate to shoot up just by standing up) and SVT during my pregnancy. I did not take any medications for it though. It was very scary and frustrating. I cannot stand when people or medical providers tell me it is a panic attack. I have a known cardiac condition and yet they tell me its a panic attack. There is a huge difference. I am sorry that you are experiencing this, but do know that it gets better. Another thing I can offer is that although I was very nervous about labor and delivery and the stress of it on my heart, it all went perfectly. I didnt have any issues with it at all. I know this is much easier said than done, but try to relax and know that things will improve.

[DMK1981]

Thank you all for your reply's! Has anyone else had any trouble with this!

[kyrela]

I am with you totally, I am currently 23 wks pregnant and at about 6 wks pg, my shortness of breath and tachy started and even PVC which I didnt have but once a year before started happening, it was the worst time and I still struggle to keep my mind sane. I did have all the tests and they all came back normal, I am however anemic and hypothyroid and this is my 3 child and I feel the same way of not being able to be there for my children..
Also, I moved in with a friend for 2 months during this time to get some help with my kids, so your not  a bad mom, your a good mom realizing that you cant do this a lone and its best you dont, no knowing how you will react. I pray it gets better for you as time goes on, keep us updated ok....

[jkfrench]

Yes, yes yes!!  I started having innapropriate sinus tachycardia early in my pregnancy.
I was scared to death.  They did everything your doctors did.  I was told not to worry that my heart was fine.  I know exactly how you are feeling, but I really think you will be okay.  So much of this we bring on ourselves and you have hormones to help so that is why you can't seem to get it under control.  AND, my heart was over 150 when I stood up.  Even if I was sitting and just raised up my arms it would beat well over 100.
My doctor gave me atenolol and I took 1/4 of the pill.  Just 6.5 mg.  It kept my heart slow and steady for the most part and really helped me because I stopped worrying.  It didn't hurt the baby at all.    Try to stop worrying!    I'll send you an e-mail through medhelp.
Frenchie