Heart rate question-- Quix?

[steph74]

The topic of breathing issues got me thinking about heart issues.  One persistent problem I've had is tachycardia.  I initially had this sx due to anemia, but that has been under control for well over a year.  I've had several heart tests (ekg, holter monitor, echo) and other than a slight (SLIGHT) murmur, nothing is remotely wrong with my heart (this is a good thing!)  But the tachycardia persists.

I have episodes where I'll just be sitting at my desk and my heart rate will go up to 100-110 bpm.  Very low level exercise (running 1/2 block to catch the bus) will cause my heart rate to spike to 160-170.  It comes back down, but this doesn't seem normal.

I haven't been exercising regularly since this latest flair, but I'm certainly not a couch potato.  I eat really well, am a perfectly normal weight (BMI 21), and walk as much as I can (this varies lately depending on how fatigued I am and how weak my legs are).

I am undx, but other than no visible lesions, my MS specialist says my sx are classic MS.  Could this be related at all?  I've gotten used to it, but it does make exercsise difficult.

Stephanie

[steph74]

Bump for Quix.  (Quix, I saw your post and completely understand if you don't have the energy to answer this, but I thought I'd bump it for you to see.  Sorry you're having trouble with a few falls, but it's great the progress that's being made on the renovation!)

[poorkid]

I just received the results of a heart monitor that I wore for 48 hours and it was normal.  My last MRI showed a brain stem lesion and my blood pressure has remained high despite 2 meds.  My heart rate, mostly at night, just takes off on me or feels very strong.  I can feel it through my back.  

I happened to have a neuro appt. the week before the monitor and mentioned it to him.  He said ALL other causes needed to be ruled out before he would even suggest that it may be brain stem related.  He said "possible" but let the other tests rule out anything else.  

I think I'm fine and am not pursuing any other answers on this.  In my mind, I feel it is related to the lesion.  This nasty lesion has caused lots of weird issues and I don't doubt that this could be one more!  I do however believe all other factors should be looked at first.  I think I did that.  I hope you get your answers!  

[CheeserNurse]

Interesting about the brainstem lesion, but it would make sense, for sure. Heat worsens my symptoms too, but when I'm laying down at night, or even sitting down at night, I can really feel the strong pulse and 'fluttering' it's so odd...

[Udkas]

Hi I found these posts very interesting.  I have never had my heart tested etc. and my neurologist believes I have a brain stem lesion but of late (settled down now) but when I had my tongue numbness and other sx my heart would skip or jump and go funny when I got hot (sat next to the fire), seemed to happen more when I was resting.  Heat worsened this symptom.

I wondered if I was having anxiety attacks or something, I didn't feel anxious but I didn't want to mention to my general Dr just in case then all my symptoms were dismissed as some anxiety problem.  It seems to have settled down now.  I think when you don't have a definite diagnosis you are afraid sometimes to seek help for things just in case you confuse the issue, although my Neuro is definite it's neurological and not anxiety etc. I am the one that questions everything.

The feeling I had was like my heart was fluttering and jumping, beating weird....at the worst when I was getting my migraines which my neuro also thinks is related to the brainstem stuff.  I'm confused.. but everything has settled down now...to what it was. Perhaps I should mention it to the Dr.?

Cheers,
Udkas.

[SickMomma_PDX]

I don't have any answers for you, but wanted to chime in that I have tachycardia too, which started out of the blue when I got sick two years ago. My resting heart rate is 100-110, and the slightest exertion gets it up to 150-160.

I finally got sent to a cardiologist (for fainting, not the tachycardia) and he says my heart is essentially healthy. I have no arrythmia that's been caught by a monitor, although I sometimes have palpitations and such. The cardiologist diagnosed it as inappropriate sinus tachycardia, which he says is a mild form of dysautonomia (which is also what he chalks my fainting to, although he says it has nothing to do with my tachycardia).

I'd be very interested in hearing if it's possible that this kind of symptom could be related to MS.

[Heather3418]

This kind of thing seems to happen more often than I knew about.  When I talked to the Neuro about it, she said that she sees it when a patient has a brain stem lesion, when she includes it as part of the picture of MS affecting the ANS.

There is a part of the heart that gives off the electric activity that causes our heart to beat.  If anything in this area goes awry, it can cause increases or decreases in heart rate for no apparent reason.  This is what happened to my father and he had to eventually go on to have a defibilator implanted in his chest and a pace maker.  He was having very slow heart rates, that made him faint and have no energy.  He also had a bad mitral value in his heart that was replaced with a pig's valve.

I hope that Quix chimes in, hopefully she knows what MS does that can cause symptoms like this, if they are related.

Hugs,
Heather

[CheeserNurse]

I should also add, that I've had every heart test known to man, even the echocardiogram and ultrasound of my carotids, and they're all normal. The tachycardia and STRONG pulse accompanies all of my neuro. symptoms nonetheless, so it does make you wonder if it's related to MS at all...

[steph74]

Sorry my post wasn't clear.  I never even mentioned the heart rate problem to my neuro.  My other sx are "classic MS."  (Or, as she put it, "it looks, smells, tastes, and sounds like MS.")

Didn't mean to be unclear.  I was just wondering if the heartrate problem *could* be another piece of the puzzle, like the breathing problems people have talked about (and I have, albeit in a minor form).

Hope that clarifies.

[Heather3418]

I disagree with your doctor, that the trouble you have been having with your heartrate is "classic MS."  If you had a known lesion on your brain stem that was messing around with the "automonic nervous system;" then I might agree with your doctor.

In the absence of anything wrong with the heart, the brain stem is responsible for keeping our heart beating.  It's responsible for our breathing without thinking about it, it's responsible for raising our blood pressure when we rise and slowing the heartbeat when we sit down.  Etc. This is why it's called the "auto"nomic nervous system.  It works without us thinking about it.

Whenever you have what you think is problems with high heartrate or blood pressure, it needs to be thoroughly investigated by your doctor.  Which it sounds like your doctor has done.  

I had the same thing happen to me many years ago and went through the proper testing, with no known case. I was put on a beta-blocker and I have had less and less trouble with sudden rising and falling of heart rate.  But being "classic MS," I have never heard of.

All the best and hope you find out what is causing this soon.  Feel better.
Heather

[jensequitur]

I don't know if it's related, but I have had weird moments where my heart rate goes up.  Usually it's when I'm sitting down, or lying in bed.  Fortunately this hasn't happened when I'm working out... at least I don't think it does.  

There's been a couple of times where it was 95 bpm or higher, for no reason at all.

[CheeserNurse]

I have tachycardia moments too and am still not Dx. I had these initially from the Vit. B12 deficiency, but they still persist, but not as often as I am taking Atenolol now.