Aa
Sudden Heart Racing Attack/Sudden drop afterwards - Please help
I'd like to first thank anyone who can give me some clarity and thank you in advance. Because I'm scared out of my mind right now. I'm 23 year old male, normal shape and good weight. Good blood pressure.
I've had this issue before, and I usually get them 1-3 times a year, usually at night.
Well not this time, and this was possibly the worst one yet. Earlier yesterday at school I got it. I felt like I was going to die because of how my body was reacting. It starts with a tough time breathing. And not that I was struggling to suck in air, it was just like my throat or maybe the chest was constricted in some way, but didn't 'feel' like it if that makes sense. After a little while of the breathing problems, I suddenly get this odd feeling come across my body. Almost as if the blood had been drained out of me and it's just so difficult to describe what this feeling is. This feeling like the previous times, results to the next stage. And that is HUGE heart beat increase out of no where. This last maybe a 45 seconds to a minute and half( the max speed of it ) then it slows down big time, almost to point where I feel like it's going to stop since it's so slow. Then it goes back to a regular, but still elevated heart rate. I then feel very weak after it, I have some problems being able to speak as I feel so drained and my hands are shaking a bit ( I assume from the adrenaline being pumped as I am panicking of course. )
And that is usually it, I will recover, feel very odd like I just suffered a heart attack or something as my body has this feeling like I just recovered from some severe trauma ( which it basically it did ).
This time was quite worse as after the initial attack, and my heart rate slowed down, it started to raise again and I got the same weird feeling inside my gut almost as if it was going to give me the same attack twice. It luckily didn't. After that I started to recover, still feeling odd inside and my pulse still a little bit elevated. At home 45min later, feeling a tad better. My pulse is still a tad high, not much and I feel bit strange inside still, but I'm better. By now, I feel sore in my chest internally, almost as if it's bruised.
Is this just panic attacks or anxiety? Or are these signs of something else? I wen't in before ( many years ago ) about this issue and my heart checked out alright and I've had ekg monitor once years ago that showed nothing. Things could show different now, who knows. But does this sound like Anxiety/Panic attacks or is it something else?
I recently read about Supraventricular Tachycardia, and quite upset as this seems like it is what I'm having. I really hoped it wasn't serious, but these are so traumatic I can't possibly think it's something as simple as panic attacks.
Any help to ease my mind, I'd so greatly appreciate it.
I've got a GP scheduled in a few days but I just wanted to get some opinions or thoughts from anyone. Greatly need it.
I've had this issue before, and I usually get them 1-3 times a year, usually at night.
Well not this time, and this was possibly the worst one yet. Earlier yesterday at school I got it. I felt like I was going to die because of how my body was reacting. It starts with a tough time breathing. And not that I was struggling to suck in air, it was just like my throat or maybe the chest was constricted in some way, but didn't 'feel' like it if that makes sense. After a little while of the breathing problems, I suddenly get this odd feeling come across my body. Almost as if the blood had been drained out of me and it's just so difficult to describe what this feeling is. This feeling like the previous times, results to the next stage. And that is HUGE heart beat increase out of no where. This last maybe a 45 seconds to a minute and half( the max speed of it ) then it slows down big time, almost to point where I feel like it's going to stop since it's so slow. Then it goes back to a regular, but still elevated heart rate. I then feel very weak after it, I have some problems being able to speak as I feel so drained and my hands are shaking a bit ( I assume from the adrenaline being pumped as I am panicking of course. )
And that is usually it, I will recover, feel very odd like I just suffered a heart attack or something as my body has this feeling like I just recovered from some severe trauma ( which it basically it did ).
This time was quite worse as after the initial attack, and my heart rate slowed down, it started to raise again and I got the same weird feeling inside my gut almost as if it was going to give me the same attack twice. It luckily didn't. After that I started to recover, still feeling odd inside and my pulse still a little bit elevated. At home 45min later, feeling a tad better. My pulse is still a tad high, not much and I feel bit strange inside still, but I'm better. By now, I feel sore in my chest internally, almost as if it's bruised.
Is this just panic attacks or anxiety? Or are these signs of something else? I wen't in before ( many years ago ) about this issue and my heart checked out alright and I've had ekg monitor once years ago that showed nothing. Things could show different now, who knows. But does this sound like Anxiety/Panic attacks or is it something else?
I recently read about Supraventricular Tachycardia, and quite upset as this seems like it is what I'm having. I really hoped it wasn't serious, but these are so traumatic I can't possibly think it's something as simple as panic attacks.
Any help to ease my mind, I'd so greatly appreciate it.
I've got a GP scheduled in a few days but I just wanted to get some opinions or thoughts from anyone. Greatly need it.
If you are having pacs or pvcs that is considered an irregular heart beat. As well when you are in an svt episode your heart, though likely pumping normal, isn't pumping efficiently. That said, unless you have some sort of heart disease, which at your age would likely need to be hereditary, what is going on is very likely something your heart can handle. I will say when I am having a higher number of pacs and pvcs than just a couple a day it does feel as though my heart is off somehow. Like the signal is stuck or off somewhere. Not really sure what that is but just making the point that heart rhythm issues can make you very aware of your heart but it doesn't mean they are a big danger to you. It is important to get this address but it is also important to keep level headed about this issue because stressing or panicking will make the situation worse for you.
But to address your question, certain pacs and pvcs when they hit at certain time can cause you to fall into tachycardia if you have the accessory pathway kind especially. I would feel some sort of fizzle feeling as best I can describe it and my heart would then take off into the 200s. It would make it very hard for me to breath and I had to sit down for fear of passing out though I never did pass out. They are however, two different issues, ectopic beats are the trigger, svt is the response. If you have an accessory pathway svt then that can easily be fixed. But just so you are aware I am now in my 40s and others have even been older with these heart rhythm issues our whole lives and your hearts are still fine so just try and calm yourself as best you can when your heart starts to act up because you really will be fine and the calmer you can remain the less intense these things will feel. Well do keep me posted when you are finally able to get into see someone. I know the stress of not knowing what is going on can play tricks with your mind but really do take some comfort in the fact you are young and likely very healthy so what you are experiencing is more of a nuisance and distraction than anything else. Stay strong and I do hope you get to the bottom of this very soon.
But to address your question, certain pacs and pvcs when they hit at certain time can cause you to fall into tachycardia if you have the accessory pathway kind especially. I would feel some sort of fizzle feeling as best I can describe it and my heart would then take off into the 200s. It would make it very hard for me to breath and I had to sit down for fear of passing out though I never did pass out. They are however, two different issues, ectopic beats are the trigger, svt is the response. If you have an accessory pathway svt then that can easily be fixed. But just so you are aware I am now in my 40s and others have even been older with these heart rhythm issues our whole lives and your hearts are still fine so just try and calm yourself as best you can when your heart starts to act up because you really will be fine and the calmer you can remain the less intense these things will feel. Well do keep me posted when you are finally able to get into see someone. I know the stress of not knowing what is going on can play tricks with your mind but really do take some comfort in the fact you are young and likely very healthy so what you are experiencing is more of a nuisance and distraction than anything else. Stay strong and I do hope you get to the bottom of this very soon.
Thank you for the reply! Oddly enough I found a post almost identical symptoms that you even posted on:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Rhythm/very-strange-heart-sensation-followed-by-adrenaline-rush-and-fast-heartbeat---very-worried-about-this/show/1010248
What is fascinating is that she put these feelings into better words than I ever could. Mainly this part:
"I also sometimes experienced a sensation of the heart stopping and restarting - immediately after the restart I would feel a MASSIVE, uncomfortable surge of adrenaline and the heart would beat very fast for a little while. I could never figure out if I was getting an adrenaline surge that caused some odd heart behaviour that I felt before I actually felt the adrenaline, or what. Sometimes my heart would also start beating EXTREMELY fast from resting for no reason at all - it was literally immediate - this was also accompanied by an adrenaline rush but no preceding feeling of the heart stopping. "
"I should also say that when I say it 'stops', I mean it seems to stop pumping blood...I get the impression there is still activity going on in the heart but that blood is not being circulated. Could it be ventricular fibrillation, or ...? Maybe adrenaline is not causing this, but rather my heart goes into an abnormal rhythm and my body releases adrenaline in an attempt to self-shock into proper rhythm? "
Like you were saying, it might be pumping fine just not efficiently. What is odd is that the original event I posted about, which was a more severe form of the 1-2 similar ones I got yearly before that I brushed off, these events now seem different. The odd feeling of perhaps blood not pumping properly and my brain and other body parts start to feel foggy, then a rush of a adrenaline and heart racing. So these are similar to the original event but more or less, lesser versions occurring (heart racing wise, but still fast) and more emphasis on the original odd feeling.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Rhythm/very-strange-heart-sensation-followed-by-adrenaline-rush-and-fast-heartbeat---very-worried-about-this/show/1010248
What is fascinating is that she put these feelings into better words than I ever could. Mainly this part:
"I also sometimes experienced a sensation of the heart stopping and restarting - immediately after the restart I would feel a MASSIVE, uncomfortable surge of adrenaline and the heart would beat very fast for a little while. I could never figure out if I was getting an adrenaline surge that caused some odd heart behaviour that I felt before I actually felt the adrenaline, or what. Sometimes my heart would also start beating EXTREMELY fast from resting for no reason at all - it was literally immediate - this was also accompanied by an adrenaline rush but no preceding feeling of the heart stopping. "
"I should also say that when I say it 'stops', I mean it seems to stop pumping blood...I get the impression there is still activity going on in the heart but that blood is not being circulated. Could it be ventricular fibrillation, or ...? Maybe adrenaline is not causing this, but rather my heart goes into an abnormal rhythm and my body releases adrenaline in an attempt to self-shock into proper rhythm? "
Like you were saying, it might be pumping fine just not efficiently. What is odd is that the original event I posted about, which was a more severe form of the 1-2 similar ones I got yearly before that I brushed off, these events now seem different. The odd feeling of perhaps blood not pumping properly and my brain and other body parts start to feel foggy, then a rush of a adrenaline and heart racing. So these are similar to the original event but more or less, lesser versions occurring (heart racing wise, but still fast) and more emphasis on the original odd feeling.
To be clear it is not likely you or the other poster has had Ventricular Fibrillation. You would die from that pretty quickly without medical intervention. It is also very rare even in cases of people who have ventricular tachycardia. I can maybe see VT being a possibility but depending on when our ectopics happen they can feel differently so it could also just be run of the mill ectopics or svt. They can all feel pretty dramatic. Until it is actually recorded we are only guessing but do not fret that it is VF because that is the one thing we can pretty safely rule out. In any event when you go to the doctor make sure you describe what exactly you are feeling to the doctor.
Thanks, I was definitely thinking it wasn't vf either.
I'm starting to wonder if I'm having severe anxiety attacks along with this.
Just now, I started having a very odd feeling. It may be adrenilane being pumoped into my body.
It is a very sickening feeling and I notice I started to shake. My legs and arms shake, my jaw felt time and jittery and my chest was having odd contraction, tightning and loosing like a twitch you'd have in your eye lid.
This to me seems quite odd and non-heart related or electrical, but I realy don't know.
I'm starting to wonder if I'm having severe anxiety attacks along with this.
Just now, I started having a very odd feeling. It may be adrenilane being pumoped into my body.
It is a very sickening feeling and I notice I started to shake. My legs and arms shake, my jaw felt time and jittery and my chest was having odd contraction, tightning and loosing like a twitch you'd have in your eye lid.
This to me seems quite odd and non-heart related or electrical, but I realy don't know.
Forgot to mention that large increase in heart rate during the above episode. Something that makes me feel adrenaline related as well.
Write is all down if you can. The more information you can give to the doctor the better.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Heart Rhythm Community
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Salt in food can hurt your heart.
Get answers to your top questions about this common — but scary — symptom
How to know when chest pain may be a sign of something else
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
