difficult to exercise

[den2094]

i have been an athlete for many years, i was bodybuilding and was very strong i could work out 4 times a week for 2 hours.

but then for some year my heart went into some arrhytmia that never got cought and i had all tests done.
but i feel like i cant exercise anymore, because my heart start skipping beats and race. i was trying to understand what it could be but cant find an explanation yet. this of course has caused much anxiety.

i would really like to know if i have something, atleast something wrong so i can start exercising again.
i am just worried that if i start working out i might drop dead.

i was thinking about if some of you had this happen to you too?

as i said, i had many tests but they cant find anything wrong yet. this of course confuses me because i know something isnt right. the question is..

how hard is it to capture arrhytmias?

and what is the best tests to do to see if you have a structurally normal heart.
i am 23....

[tom_h]

If this is a repeatable event, a 24 hr. recorder often referred to as a Holter Monitor will capture the arrhythmia.  If it's an occasional event, a long term monitor Often referred to a the King of Hearts Monitor is worn for up to a month and will capture the events when they occur.

As explained above, the heart can be structurally normal and robust, yet have an anomaly in its electrical system.  I know this only too well!  These can develop over time as you age, or can even occur at birth as mine did.  Weight lifting creates huge and abrupt internal pressure variations. There is something else you probably unknowingly do when lifting called Valsalva which can exaserbate the arrhythmia.  Valsalva is often used to halt a rapid heart rate condition called SVT by causing an abrupt rise in pressure.  But it can also create skipping and arrhythmia as well.

I looked back and see that you've complained about the this before.  It would be wise to get to a cardiologist to have his check you out.  Your heart under normal conditions will most likely appear quite normal.  this is why a monitor or a treadmill stress test are valuable tools.

[is_something_wrong]

Usually, an ultrasound of the heart is done to see if you have a structurally normal heart. It's a simple, cheap and effective test. If anything suspicious is found, further imaging tests (cardiac MRI, cardiac CT or angiography, etc.) are done.

However, most arrhythmias in young people happens in the absence of structural heart disease. What you describe is very common (I had the problem myself), and usually stress/anxiety reduction and possibly a small dose of beta blockers will do the trick.

You will probably not drop dead during exercise, but I would recommend asking your doctor for a stress test. If that's not enough to provoke the arrhythmia (often we feel calmer in the doctor's office), wearing a Holter monitor while exercising can be helpful.

I would, just to be sure, get a diagnosis before doing heavy exercise. It's probably nothing dangerous, but why take the chance?