Looking for Answers Please Help

[26scared]

In December of last year I started having chest pain and then couple of weeks later I had  2 episodes of tachycardia during one episode my heart rate jumped up to 170.  The ER doctor told me to follow up with a cardiologist, I did in January and he ordered a heart echo and made me wear a heart monitor for a month.  In February I had a follow up with him where he said my heart looked great and that I should excersise more and that the rapid heart rate was not something to worry about that it was probably anxiety.  I finally stopped having "episodes" as i call them around the middle of last month, but last week I woke up during the night with my heart racing and having chest pain, this time around the chest pain is worse, but my family doctor think its anxiety, but I have never had anxiety.  I have had every test you can imagine done, have had my thyroids checked evrything.  Has anyone experienced any of this?  I was always in perfect health until last year around April when I found a spider on my head later that day I got a real bad headache, and for a week after I had pain in the side of my head, could the spider have bite me and is causing this?  What is wrong with me?  Please help I am desperate for answers I am so scared cause I don't know what is wrong with me.

[26scared]

Yes many events were captured on the heart monitor but according to my cardiologist sometimes when I felt as though my heart was racing it actually wasn't.  And Tom thats exactly how mine dones one minute its beating normally and then all of a sudden it will start to race.

[is_something_wrong]

Please, someone give Tom the 5th star after his name:) great guy with great answers, you are an asset to the community!

[tom_h]

I can tell you from 54 years of "heart issues", that I know the difference between an elevated pulse from stress and an elevated pulse from SVT.  However, because I had a concealed condition, my doctors and cardiologists would pronounce me a " excellent physical specimen" and pass it off as anxiety.  Not since I was six years old had anyone actually seen an EKG of my heart while I was in SVT. It was only 54 years later, a new cardiologist (and even he was skeptical at first), and a 30 day monitor was several significant events captured, and then everyone was a believer!  I have awakened several times in my life to a racing heart....it wasn't anxiety.

What you have to look for is a feeling like a switch was thrown; one moment normal, and the next BAM! your heart is racing.  The same can be said for conversion to SNR.

You can have a normal, healthy heart and still experience episodes of SVT.  Monitor it, log your events, and report it to your doctor.  In most cases they are not life threatening, but they are a pain, and they do interfere with your normal lifestyle.

[is_something_wrong]

Hi, as you know, we're just community members and not healthcare professionals, so we can't diagnose you, but we can give suggestions.

I really doubt the spider had something to do with it, especially not the racing heart, but it depends on the spider, of course. All spiders in my country are benign, to use a funny word, not sure if this is the case with you and your spiders.

Most important question: Did you have a racing heart while wearing the monitor? If you did, the diagnosis is certain. If you didn't, you should continue wearing a monitor until you capture a run of racing heart.

With a normal echo and normal test results, you can rule out dangerous heart rhythms. This leaves two options, runs of supraventricular tachycardia, or runs of normal sinus tachycardia.

If you are "so scared" and desperate for answers, I doubt that your statement of no anxiety is correct. Anxiety may be a manifestation of the fact that you are afraid of heart diseases.

It's fairly normal to wake up with a racing heart. It's also normal to have elevated heart rate but the setting is important. If you just sit there, nice and calm, with a heart rate of 170, supraventricular tachycardia is almost certain. If you were stressed and sudden fear appeared, a heart rate of 170 is normal. If the high heart rate just started and stopped instantly (in a heartbeat) supraventricular tachycardia is certain.

This isn't dangerous, but really upsetting and should be treated. I can't say anything further until you answer my questions.

I hope you feel better.