Aa
waking up gasping for air?
I have a ventricular aneurysm. EF 48%. So I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air. I feel like my heart has stopped, I feel a warm sensation in my chest, I can't breathe, I begin to lose consciousness, then I feel a sudden release and my heart beats fast for awhile and I have a huge hangover-like headache for awhile after. And I certainly can't go back to sleep. This has happened a few times during the day too. What kind of arrythmia is this? Is it life-threatening? What is the treatment? Thank you!
Best Answer
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
From what you describe, its hard to tell if it is an arrhythmia. It is possible that an abnormal heart rhythm can cause your symptoms. Another possibility is that may be having symptoms of congestive heart failure. A common symptom of heart failure is shortness of breath that wakes you up from your sleep, and is worse when you try to sleep flat on your back. We would need more information to figure out what exactly is going on. You should see your cardiologist. An EKG or Holter monitor would provide information about your heart rate and rhythm. A physical exam and possibly an echocardiogram would tell us whether or not your are in worsening heart failure. Of course, the specific treatment would depend on the results of a thorough evaluation.
Just a suggestion here that might help in the interim. Trying sleeping on one of those wedge pillows so your head and chest are elevated some and sleep on your side. If it's apnea or CHF that might help a little bit
Thank you so much for responding. I turned in a 30-day event monitor early this week and will be seeing my doctor next Tuesday. I had an echo a month ago and it showed no changes from six months ago when I was first diagnosed. Could something have changed in the last 30 days? I've felt a change since last Sunday; I've felt very fatigued and had headaches all day. What are these persistent hangover-like headaches symptoms of? How is congestive heart failure diagnosed -- should I be at the ER right now? How can I prevent the apnea or whatever it is while I am asleep?
What is your resting blood pressure like? If it is too low it might be that your adrenaline is kicking in as a survival mechanism, which is a great thing to have. That would be my guess since I've had something similiar however, it is something you probably need to ask your doctor about.
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