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Avatar universal

Racing heart beat

Hi all,
   I am 45 years old male, I am not a smoker and not over weight.
One year ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I am sleeping using a CPAP nose mask but it seems my mouth is dropping open when I am asleep which causes air to escape from my mouth potentially compromising my treatment. I Have ordered a chin strap to keep my mouth closed.

I had a sleep study 5 weeks ago and my sleep study doctor told me that everything is ok. Oxygen level is ok and my AHI is below 5.I told him I wake up destroyed in the morning he said  I might need to check my blood pressure it might be dropping at night.

So the last weeks there was additional stress due to the corona virus situation. I had  5 episodes of rapid heart rate accompanied with high blood pressure , the first was due to stress from home and work 4 weeks ago than I had the next one under the shower. The next two came out of the blue. The only and last Panic attack I had before that was 3 years ago. I was at my doc and cardiologist they did an ECG blood tests and heart scan and everything came normal.

I will have a 24hrs ECG blood pressure monitoring next week, but my cardiologists says it is all in my head there is nothing wrong with my heart I already did a stress ECG last February and was ok. She said I need to see therapist which I did.

I am using an Apple Watch to track my heart rate, I am not sure how accurate it is but I see some times isolated single spikes in my heart rate either below 50bpm or above 100. and I noticed my Panic attacks occur after an episode of low heart beat. I am curious if this is caused by arrhythmia.

Now I am feeling so miserable, all my docs say it is in my head it is because of stress, but my mind keeps insisting something is wrong about my heart or something else impacting my heart rate, my wife is getting tired of the situation, we called the ambulance two times the last 4 weeks after getting the panic attacks. I m feeling hopeless, I really need your help and advice...
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Avatar universal
I got a 48hour ECG and a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. They told me my blood pressure is a bit elevated bur i need to eat less salt do more exercise and get it checked in 6 months. Regarding my ECG the doctor has seen some episodes of increased heart rate but he said it is within the normal ranges and no Treatment is needed.
When I Insisted he gave me a low dose of beta blocker but he said your heart does not need it this more for your mind.
   I have not taken the beta blocker yet but I removed salt from my diet and I noticed my blood pressure is back to normal, however I get episodes of extreme sleepiness and fatigue specially after eating or after going for a long walk...
Helpful - 0
4 Comments
That’s good. Give the beta blockers a shot. If you did have an arrhythmia they can help. And it will have the added benefit of keeping your pressure under control.

A clean 48 hour ecg really helps rule out a lot of what we’d be concerned about.
My docs are suspecting https://adrenals.eu/basic-info/primary-hyperaldosteronisme/  My Hormone levels came back elevated. I am going for a CT scan next.
That would make sense. Hormonal/regulatory issue not a heart issue.
My CT Scans came back normal, my doc said the n  hormones tests were border high he insists it is stress related and that I am in a very bad physical conditions and I need to do more sports. I am back to case 0 :(
Avatar universal
I have called my mother today and interestingly enough she told me that she used to have such episodes of heart racing and she could avoid them by avoiding foods like Linsen beans raw onion or cucumber, she said it was related to her large intestine and bloating and that was causing pressure on her heart. Does that make any sense ?
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
No. That sounds like terrible mom advice.

You should get a holter.
Just google “sleep apnea afib”
20748650 tn?1521032211
COMMUNITY LEADER
Well. Anxiety Is possible.

However with your history of sleep apnea arrhythmias are also possible. There is an association between the 2.

The good news is that it doesn’t sound like a fatal or life threatening arrhythmia; so you can rest easy there.

ECGs and apple watches are pretty useless for the type of thing we’re concerned about here. Only the 24 hour ECG (Holter) will give any answers.

All your pressures and such sound normal. But I wouldn’t just assume anxiety here. Anxiety is a diagnosis of exclusion. We haven’t excluded all the options yet.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Specifically the concern given your history of sleep apnea, male gender, age and description of heart rate variability would be Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

I don’t remember how sleep apnea relates to ectopics. Would have to check up on it again but it’s certainly a very relevant bit of history to have to arrhythmias in general.
973741 tn?1342342773
Your bpm is normal, your top number of your blood pressure is great and your lower number is right at normal.  I'd be happy with your last reading of the day.  Try not to obsess over this as that might be part of the problem.  Your heart is likely fine.  Try to stay calm.  Do you practice any breathing exercises?  
Helpful - 0
973741 tn?1342342773
Such a tough situation.  I will tell you from an outsider looking in, you seem highly stressed.  That can affect heart rate.  While most people would find reassurance from what your doctor has stated, you feel they must be wrong.  I am a proponent that we do know our own bodies and have to take every step to make sure we are actually alright.  So, I understand where you are coming from.  You just want to be sure.  I do think the apple watch is not always super accurate.  I have one myself.  The thing tracks things in an odd way at times between the heart app and the fit info it gives me.  I will just say that wearables are helpful but not always completely reliable. You are having further evaluation done next week.  That's great.  And do you have a home bp monitor?  I got a good one on Amazon.  You are to take your bp several times a day and just chart it.  Over time, you see what your normal is.  Outlying readings here or there can be discarded. And remember to think calming thoughts, keep your feet flat on the ground and arm heart level when you take it.  It will likely be different at different times of day which is normal.  

But if all checks out from the point of view of your cardiologist, I think it is time to look into health anxiety. It's real.  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/health-anxiety/  And also, anxiety untreated and panic especially feels terrible.  It can feel heart related.  Treatment for anxiety often involves medication which today's meds are effective and well tolerated and also with talk therapy.  So, this maybe where you end up if the cardiologist keeps coming up with nothing heart related.  good luck
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thank you for your reply. I woke up destroyed again today, went to the hospital emergency , I got an ECG and blood work which all looked good within the normal ranges... they still recommended the 24 ECG and gave me some homeopathic neuroxan to calm me down. So I went home in a good mood I took a shower ate and took neuroxan and then I felt so tired I was
Laying on the sofa for an hour... one hour later I started to feel dizzy and pressure in my head I checked my blood pressure and it was round 150  90... which a unusual for me... now I am laying in bed to sleep and my blood pressure is 113 59 and bpm is 71... isn’t that too low ? Is it normal to have such variations in blood pressure...
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