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very strange heart sensation followed by adrenaline rush and fast heartbeat - very worried about this
Hi. I'm a 26 year old female, neither fat nor skinny, no smoking, only occasional alcohol use. Prior to what I'm about to describe, the only heart issues I had were: occasional flip-flopping feeling which knocked the wind out of me but only happened maybe a few times a year, and a sort of flip-flopping or difficulty beating when lying down on my left side (sometimes, not every time I lay this way - started around age 13).
Background: Three years ago something happened to me that I still haven't figured out - my heart started beating very fast and my BP went way up (so high that with every heartbeat I could see the tiny capillaries in my eyes as an overlay on my visual field). Paramedics couldn't bring them down so took me to "A&E" (aka the ER - I'm American but live in England). Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happened (that I'm aware of) prior to this incident, except for insertion of Mirena IUD one week prior - I do still have it but now think I'll have it removed.
Thus began months of seemingly random 'attacks' during which I'd get varying combinations of tachycardia, high BP, tremors esp in left leg, lightheadedness, inability to fully inhale, feeling of not getting enough oxygen even if I could breathe properly, and the list goes on. I also had a terrible feeling of physical anxiety (churning stomach, agitation, etc) but with no mental anxiety as the apparent cause!!! Attacks could last minutes or hours and any combination of symptoms would happen. And in between attacks, my heart would regularly do many strange things - tachy, brady, irregular rhythm, extremely forceful beats, 'flip-flopping' feelings, etc.
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.
These incidents gradually decreased in frequency over time, along w/ the other symptoms, until after three years I was feeling mostly recovered from whatever got me. I viewed myself as not entirely back to normal, but almost there. UNTIL a couple of days ago, when I had another (random as always - I was just riding in the car reading, no stress) heart stoppage -> restart -> adrenaline event. This one was the second most severe one I've ever had and I thought I might die. Luckily the heart DID start pumping again so I'm still here. By now I'm pretty familiar with flip-floppings and extra-strong beats, etc, and this definitely feels very different and much more worrying. I am afraid that if it happens again, the heart might not start on its own.
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?
During the most severe incident in '06 or '07, my colleagues said I turned "white as a sheet" while it was happening. That time, I was clawing at my chest (reflex reaction, I didn't actually think that would help) and thinking "please start please start please start", knowing I'd die if it didn't. That time, it felt like the heart was quivering/fluttering but not pumping. All other times including the one a couple of days ago, it has sort of felt like the heart is contracting in extreme slow motion, or having some sort of muscle cramp.
I cannot figure this out and would welcome any insight anyone has to offer. After it all began in 06, I had a stress test (slightly above avg exercise tolerance), echo (normal), stress echo (normal) and many ECGs. The cardio said my heart was perfectly healthy. No evidence of MVP (which I thought I might have). He said the only thing to remark on was that the heart was smallish, but not abnormally so.
My GP diagnosed me w/ 'anxiety attacks' w/out finding it necessary to order any physical testing whatsoever. (The above cardio is a friend of my parents who saw me while I was on vacation in the US). GP put me on citalopram which I went along w/ just to be cooperative, and propranolol to help regulate what he viewed as anxiety-induced tachy. Did not seem to find it significant that symptoms did not occur during periods of actual mental anxiety. Said it might be pheochromocytoma, but that he wouldn't bother testing as that's so rare. Ashamed to say I didn't and still haven't actually demanded said testing.
All ECGs were normal except once at A&E when they caught random very hard beats interspersed w/ regular beats - v. hard beats could be seen as an extra-long downward spike on the readout. Of their own volition (as opposed to at my request), A&E sent this to a cardio (different one) who didn't bother to look at it and just told me not to worry. Thanks, buddy! So, not really knowing how to interpret these readouts, I still don't know if that was significant.
I'm currently seeing a neurologist for delayed sleep phase syndrome. After hearing all this, he very kindly volunteered to arrange for me to use the clinic's Holter monitor; he'll then send the tape to a cardiologist. Not sure when this will happen, though, as it's the NHS (meaning things do not tend to happen promptly).
At the time of the latest incident, I was on amoxicillin but no other meds continuously, although I have been taking lansoprazole at night only, for a week and a half to two weeks. A few days prior to the incident, I had taken myself off of the pramipexole that I'd been on for a week, as I was having trouble swallowing (for which the amoxicillin and lanso were prescribed - possible sinus/throat infection or gastric reflux - doc and I wanted to attack on both fronts in order to avoid the return of the laryngospams I'd had during recent respiratory infection).
Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to help...
Background: Three years ago something happened to me that I still haven't figured out - my heart started beating very fast and my BP went way up (so high that with every heartbeat I could see the tiny capillaries in my eyes as an overlay on my visual field). Paramedics couldn't bring them down so took me to "A&E" (aka the ER - I'm American but live in England). Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happened (that I'm aware of) prior to this incident, except for insertion of Mirena IUD one week prior - I do still have it but now think I'll have it removed.
Thus began months of seemingly random 'attacks' during which I'd get varying combinations of tachycardia, high BP, tremors esp in left leg, lightheadedness, inability to fully inhale, feeling of not getting enough oxygen even if I could breathe properly, and the list goes on. I also had a terrible feeling of physical anxiety (churning stomach, agitation, etc) but with no mental anxiety as the apparent cause!!! Attacks could last minutes or hours and any combination of symptoms would happen. And in between attacks, my heart would regularly do many strange things - tachy, brady, irregular rhythm, extremely forceful beats, 'flip-flopping' feelings, etc.
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.
These incidents gradually decreased in frequency over time, along w/ the other symptoms, until after three years I was feeling mostly recovered from whatever got me. I viewed myself as not entirely back to normal, but almost there. UNTIL a couple of days ago, when I had another (random as always - I was just riding in the car reading, no stress) heart stoppage -> restart -> adrenaline event. This one was the second most severe one I've ever had and I thought I might die. Luckily the heart DID start pumping again so I'm still here. By now I'm pretty familiar with flip-floppings and extra-strong beats, etc, and this definitely feels very different and much more worrying. I am afraid that if it happens again, the heart might not start on its own.
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?
During the most severe incident in '06 or '07, my colleagues said I turned "white as a sheet" while it was happening. That time, I was clawing at my chest (reflex reaction, I didn't actually think that would help) and thinking "please start please start please start", knowing I'd die if it didn't. That time, it felt like the heart was quivering/fluttering but not pumping. All other times including the one a couple of days ago, it has sort of felt like the heart is contracting in extreme slow motion, or having some sort of muscle cramp.
I cannot figure this out and would welcome any insight anyone has to offer. After it all began in 06, I had a stress test (slightly above avg exercise tolerance), echo (normal), stress echo (normal) and many ECGs. The cardio said my heart was perfectly healthy. No evidence of MVP (which I thought I might have). He said the only thing to remark on was that the heart was smallish, but not abnormally so.
My GP diagnosed me w/ 'anxiety attacks' w/out finding it necessary to order any physical testing whatsoever. (The above cardio is a friend of my parents who saw me while I was on vacation in the US). GP put me on citalopram which I went along w/ just to be cooperative, and propranolol to help regulate what he viewed as anxiety-induced tachy. Did not seem to find it significant that symptoms did not occur during periods of actual mental anxiety. Said it might be pheochromocytoma, but that he wouldn't bother testing as that's so rare. Ashamed to say I didn't and still haven't actually demanded said testing.
All ECGs were normal except once at A&E when they caught random very hard beats interspersed w/ regular beats - v. hard beats could be seen as an extra-long downward spike on the readout. Of their own volition (as opposed to at my request), A&E sent this to a cardio (different one) who didn't bother to look at it and just told me not to worry. Thanks, buddy! So, not really knowing how to interpret these readouts, I still don't know if that was significant.
I'm currently seeing a neurologist for delayed sleep phase syndrome. After hearing all this, he very kindly volunteered to arrange for me to use the clinic's Holter monitor; he'll then send the tape to a cardiologist. Not sure when this will happen, though, as it's the NHS (meaning things do not tend to happen promptly).
At the time of the latest incident, I was on amoxicillin but no other meds continuously, although I have been taking lansoprazole at night only, for a week and a half to two weeks. A few days prior to the incident, I had taken myself off of the pramipexole that I'd been on for a week, as I was having trouble swallowing (for which the amoxicillin and lanso were prescribed - possible sinus/throat infection or gastric reflux - doc and I wanted to attack on both fronts in order to avoid the return of the laryngospams I'd had during recent respiratory infection).
Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to help...
Hi...
Has anyone considered Mast Cell Activation Disorder/Syndrome?
For some of these it seems almost "classic." Many, many doctors are unfamiliar with the disorder and/or do not consider it.
Someone mentioned possible relationship between food and symptoms...good idea because often with MCAD, food can be a trigger.
Vasovagal issues have also been mentioned...also a good possibility.
However, if you haven't considered MCAD, I encourage you to research it and see if anything matches. Don't let some of the "extreme" forms of it freak you out...just try to stay focused on whether it sounds like what you are going through and remember that the treatment is as "simple" as antihistamines along with something like a leukatrine inhibitor (montelukast aka Singulair).
I with you all the very best!
Lonna
Oh, here is a website about MCAD (or MCAS...mast cell activation syndrome).
http://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-center/anaphylaxis/mast-cells/a/37978
Has anyone considered Mast Cell Activation Disorder/Syndrome?
For some of these it seems almost "classic." Many, many doctors are unfamiliar with the disorder and/or do not consider it.
Someone mentioned possible relationship between food and symptoms...good idea because often with MCAD, food can be a trigger.
Vasovagal issues have also been mentioned...also a good possibility.
However, if you haven't considered MCAD, I encourage you to research it and see if anything matches. Don't let some of the "extreme" forms of it freak you out...just try to stay focused on whether it sounds like what you are going through and remember that the treatment is as "simple" as antihistamines along with something like a leukatrine inhibitor (montelukast aka Singulair).
I with you all the very best!
Lonna
Oh, here is a website about MCAD (or MCAS...mast cell activation syndrome).
http://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-center/anaphylaxis/mast-cells/a/37978
Hi, im only 12 turning 13 very soon and ive had some type of feeling like everything is slowmotion every one is talking in slowmotion and my heart rate increases alot,i can feel my heart pumping almost like its comeing out my chest. I have had these occurrences for quit a while and they terrify me!! "Im a female"
I have the same thing ! It used to be once in a lo g time and not to bad at all but this year is had the most and it seems to get worst , and I'm only 16 went to emergency hospital so many times for my heart but they could never find anything wrong and also I went to get my heart monitord and cat scan also ECG the say everything is normal but deep down I know there's somthing I just know there is and it scares me , that's why I'm going to be a good person go to church a lot , and if it is somthing serious and I do die I want to know at least I'm not going down the wrong place , but I noticed when I'm hungover its the worst , like that feeling u diacribed about , it feels like not enough oxygen is coming through even when I'm taking a deep breath or breathing normal , that's exactly how I feel , and I think my lungs are going to calaps , but I mean drinking is part of are religon and I don't want to not drink but I mean its probably somthimg I should really concider stoping ...also iv been getting numb really fast to and random muscles twitching , I really worry about these things , like it could be a part of what u have and me , I feel like the only way the doctors will actually find out what it is ,is when its to the point when its really serious and its happening while ur at the hospital , like they'll be like 'oh well you have this disease or somthing ' and I would be like 'could u not have found that out or thought thats what it might be earlyer ' ugh ...
Your comment has helped me alot, I'm 22. Diagnosed with MVP right after high school. Didn't really no how to cope with it. All I new is I didn't feel the same as I used to or could do the same things. I didn't know why. I can't play ball anymore for My heart skips/flutters to point where I almost pass out then having a blast of adrenaline I guess is what it is pressure in stomach to ears and head. Doctors say I have anxiety. I can agree. Not taking anything for it though. I'm guess MVP cause the anxiety. Taking cardizem for skipped beats and stuff but not seeming to help. They happen constantly now. Not sure why they just won't calm down. I mean in high school I never felt this way. Constantly active. Now it's like my life shot down the drain. Any input would help me. Doctors blow me off thinking I'm to young. But I feel what's happening I kno it . Just want them to stop so I can be normal again!
It's a good tip for people experiencing these symptoms. That said, I haven't been.
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