What Should I do??

[chevy man]

Hey i have had all the tests(ekgs,echos,angiogram) the doctors keep tellin me i'm ok but i keep having dizziness, nausea,mild chest discomfort and very poor circulation in my left hand,i keep waking up to my heart doin weird things fluttering like stuff and bp goes up 141/114 the norm is133/83 or 85  i guess. The doctors wanna test for other things(non cardic) but i know my heart is doin somthing not rite what can i do? EVERY NITE I'M AFRAID TO GO TO SLEEP FEARING I WON'T WAKE UP,EVERYDAY I FEAR FALLING OUT SOMEWHERE!!!!

[darkphoenix]

Hi there

Have you looked into whether you may be suffering from acid reflux/digestive system problems.  A lot of digestive problems can be very similar to cardiac symptoms, such as chest discomfort, nausea etc.(sometimes people even report feeling palpitations with it)

Also with acid reflux, when you are asleep (especially if you sleep fairly flat) the acid travels up to your throat, and you can wake suddenly feeling both throat and chest problems from a deep sleep.

I am not a doctor, and could be completely wrong.  Just something that I felt like mentioning.

[chevy man]

I recently find myself tired alot and fall asleep at the drop of a dime some times. What could this mean

[jsuter69]

I agree, I know what "we" feel is real but to the "professionals"....it's easier to call it anxiety, prescribe "us" a magic pill and.....DUN TA DUN....we are all cured...I wish it was that easy....my life and I'm sure everybody elses would be hunky dory....lol

[chevy man]

Well "gives me this choking like pressure in my throat" i don't have that but the strange heart sensations that wake me up oh yeah. I agree with you on the anxiety i think when they can't come up with an answer they try to throw it off on something else instead of saying I DON"T KNOW

[jsuter69]

OMG! I think we're triplets....lol...I also awaken from a deep sleep because of strange "heart sensations"....and everybody seems to think I'm having anxiety attacks...I still say....WRONG! Let me ask you this....it seems like my heart..when it beats funny that it also sometimes gives me this choking like pressure in my throat...I can't catch my breath...feels like I'm getting strangled...my face gets real flushed...but I swear it's NOT caused by anxiety...it really feels like my stupid heart...any of this ever happen to you...or anybody else out there???

[chevy man]

Delta58
Yeah i have been down that road as well i get an HIV test every year.

scaredjo its hard for me to except this as anxiety when im awakened out of a sound sleep with strange heart rhythms

[scaredjo]

are you my twin? lol i have the same episodes as you, have had all the tests apart from the angio thingy (my doc refused give me an echo so i had pay private, cant afford another test just yet) anyway its been going on for years, apparantly i have anxiety surrounding my heart or as i like to call it cardiophobia, anxiety is crazy it can cause all sorts of symptoms - i have every single symptom you have and more!!!!
the key is to trust the docs and the tests and maybe get some therapy. check out my profile and journals jus see how similar we are.
give the anxiety forum a try we have a great guy on there who is also my twin, get advice from both forums it`ll help you relax
good luck and keep us informed

[Delta58]

Hey chevy man i been experiancing similar sympthoms, and ive had all those tests done for my heart as well and theres nothing wrong with it. I even had a STD test cause i was so scared. My stool has been greenish for about liek 3 months [just putting this cause i noticed it in one of your old post] and im coming to the conclusin it may be a parasite thats causeing these sympthoms. Im making an appointment this week  but im just throwing it out there cause of the similar sympthoms. hope this helps

[chevy man]

Hey guys thanks much bu in response to the monitor yes i have had both event and holter.One for 24 to 48hrs then one foe 30 days both came up with nothing but pacs and i was told i have early repolarization but was told "ITS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS PEOPLE GET" so i don't know what to do.

[SassyLassie]

Well, the reason I mainly focused on the anxiety end of his problems is because that is where I felt he needed the most help after reading his post. He did say he had all the cardio tests and the doctors said his heart was fine, and even they wanted to check other venues. Sure, wearing a holter monitor is great, I did not think of that mainly because of the other tests he had and they were "normal" Anyway, sure, ask the doc for a monitor, it just might be the "missing link" I wore one back in 2004, I only felt a few little flutters, but, when I went back to the doc and he later read it, they were only PAC's and just two of them, the rest of the reading was "excellent" so, I guess the other ones I thought I felt, were nothing.

I know that taking a deep breath and relaxing is NOT easy, I should know, I have tired, and at times, fail miserably, anxiety and arrhythmias are horrendous. I, too, have and am still undergoing acupuncture and their holistic treatments for my heart flip flops, now that I know they are benign, I feel safe to do so. I guess I own the lab, I have had soooo many test, I must have paid for part of it, and they ALL are normal, sometimes I do not see how they can be, but, they are, just the same.

Anyway, Chevy Man, we are here for you, we mean well, and we really DO want to help. Let us know how you are doing.

Susie

[Me967]

Hi there.  I have not seen you on here for quite a long while and was wondering how you were doing.  So sorry to hear what all you have been going threw.  I don't know if you have tried nerve pills or not; but, for me they only seemed to make it worse.  Everybody is different though.  It might help you out.  I'm glad that you had the test done.  I agree with RickDG on the monitor.  They found out with me that a lot of the issues I was having was related to my thyroid function along with calcium, iron and pot. levels being off.  So checking out everything helped me out with alot of the same issues.  I hope you get an answer soon my friend.  ;-)  Best of wishes to you......Amy

[RickDG]

Sassy, I know you mean well but: "...take a deep breath and calm down"?  Jerry, you too?  That's like telling someone with fertility issues they're not getting pregnant because they're trying to hard.  Heart rythm problems can be complex physiological issues; if it was as simple as "calming down" this forum wouldn't even exist.  

The first thing I'd ask Chevy is: Have you been put on a Holter monitor?  If you haven't, that's probably a place to start.  You wear the monitor for 24-48 hours and they track what's going on.  With arrythmias, especially if you have an otherwise healthy heart, unless you're actually in an arrythmia an EKG won't tell you much.  I go into sustained VTach - my heartrate goes into the 190's at rest, often for hours requiring medical intervention.  I have had three ablations since June.  It's an electrical malfunction but my heart is otherwise perfectly healthy.  I go to the gym 5x a week, acupuncture 2x a week, yoga on occasion when I can.  If I take an EKG or a Stress Test w/ Ultrasound (just had both a week ago my tests read 100% normal w/ no indication of anything.  When my heart is pounding out of my chest while I'm sitting down, the EKG shows classic right outflow track VTach.  Have been told by the docs that my VTach is not stress induced.

From the sounds of your symptoms, I'd definitely ask to be put on a monitor, this way when you wake up with symptoms you'll know for sure whether it's an actual pysiological problem or nothing to worry about.

[Jerry_NJ]

I can't add anything to the great input from SassyLassie who has experienced similar symptoms/reactions.  What she says makes sense to me.  Still if your doctor thinks some problem other than cardiac-based is possible, seems it is worth checking into. Keep working on relaxing, sounds like an oxymoron, but all I mean is force yourself to relax: breath, think positive/pleasant thoughts.

[chevy man]

hey guys feel free to add your two cents

[chevy man]

hey thanks for the comment because i don't know what to do any more

[SassyLassie]

First off, try to take a deep breath and calm down, I know, that is sooo easier said than done, but try. Next, if your doctors took all those tests and they came back good, that is a real good sign, those test would have shown something, they are really thorough.

I feel you are going through some massive anxiety right now, I speak from experience, I have anxiety attacks lots and get the exact same feelings you are describing, it is miserable. Having the heart flutters are very common in anxiety as is the chest tightness as your chest wall is tight due to you being uptight. So is the high blood pressure and fast heart rate.

Being afraid to go to sleep is common, when I first started my anxiety attacks, in my 20's, I was petrified, and, I, too, was afraid of going anywhere due to the fact I was light headed and afraid I might fall or create a "scene" This is called "agoraphobia" fear of open places.

There is a book out by Clarie Weekes, called "Hope and Help for your nerves", it has been invaluable to me, in fact, I have gone through 2 already, you can order it on-line from borders or amazon.com. It is easy reading and very helpful.

There is also an anxiety forum in MedHelp, I have just joined, and you will find lots of folks that are going through what you are. Also, scroll down the list of entries here, there are some by a well-versed man named "Greendave" and he has typed some great relaxation techniques.

I hope some of this has helped, you are not alone, and if you still are concerned and feel your docs do not know what they are talking about, by all means, see another, there is sure nothing wrong with a second opinion.

Susie