"Palpitations" for years with no diagnosis
Posted , 4 users are following.
So let me set the backstory here,
I'm 16 years old, 200lbs, I wouldn't say I'm fit but I do try to eat relatively healthy
I've been getting what I can only describe as heart palpitations(feels like my heart skips or doubles up a beat) for about 2-3 years now, about a year ago I decided to ask my doctor and they referred me to a cardiologist.
I got a 24 hour heart monitor put on and when the results came back they said the heartbeat was slightly abnormal, they scheduled an mri, a stress test and an echo-cardiogram just in case something was wrong and the monitor didn't pick it up, nothing came back from the mri, the stress test or the echo-cardiogram.
Now the weird part is is that as soon as I was done with the heart monitor I stopped getting the palpitations for about 6 months, I thought nothing of it and resumed life normally, they did have another heart monitor scheduled in that time and it came back clear.
Recently though(past 2-3 weeks) I've been feeling the palpitations coming back, sometimes they're really strong, stronger than they used to be and its making me worried
I do want to note that I have major anxiety, which might be further complicating things but I still would like some sort of explanation since I haven't gotten one
Does anyone have any clue what could be happening or what condition I might have? I haven't gotten any answer from any doctor I've gone to (Two cardiologists and an mri specialist)
0 likes, 4 replies
MattM_
Posted
(I also want to note that I dont think its the anxiety since I can physically feel the palpitations in my chest and throat sometimes)
Nin7 MattM_
Posted
I've been in the same boat for about 7 years now. Been to several cardiologists and the only answer I've gotten is "your electrical system seems to be sensitive" and to learn to live with them
There are things to try, like beta blockers and ablation, they work on some people.
It is hard to live with them as I have "seasons" where they feel stronger and more frequent. During these times they affect my mind and lifestyle. I'm probably seeking psychological counseling next.
jx41870 MattM_
Posted
Matt, me too. It's very frustrating, but it turns out there are a variety of minor arrhythmias that people get, PVCs and PAFs and this and that, and they are more or less harmless in reasonable numbers, and most doctors are apparently trained to just shrug and send you home rather than to even tell you about them. "Oh, everyone gets those" they say. One cardiologist I went to literally said, "I'm not going to worry about it!". Great, doc. At the time I took that to mean there's nothing going on, it was something else or nothing at all. When I realized what it meant, I decided not to ever go back to him. But they virtually all do it, it's what they're taught to do, apparently.
You can try various dietary and supplement approaches - magnesium is often mentioned, and taurine, and coenzyme q10, and fish oil. If you're drinking a lot of coffee or tea, cut back. If you're overweight, well you know - lose it.
There are a couple of drugs that can help, beta blockers the most common, but they are not a cure. Blood pressure drugs if you also have high BP.
And as you experienced, sometimes they just go away.
But also, anxiety can cause them too, can cause the physical symptoms to occur. Anxiety makes you tense up muscles, and various stress hormones are released, and these have real effects.
Oh yes one more thing - it's often suggested that these little arrhythmias can be caused by crosstalk (or something) from the vagus nerve that controls digestion. So sometimes just eating or drinking a bit can either trigger or calm the problem.
Hope that all helps.
kathleen65757 MattM_
Posted
Look at your thyroid. My daughter has had this plus other symptoms and it went undiagnosed until she changed GPs and fresh tests including blood tests and thyroid scan with drinking something to highlight the thyroid. The blood tests take two weeks so not ordinary ones. We find out the results next week. She already knows she has hyperthyroidism but her symptoms outweigh the diagnosis hence the further testing. She was very active before this and never got sick.
She had also been told to go home and have a happy life by a few doctors.
We had many visits to ER and nothing was found out not even the hyperthyroidism.
It is more than anxiety but you get that as a result of no diagnosis.
Special blood tests need to be done looking for obscure illnesses.
Even assume what the symptoms point to as that has happened with our daughter and go from there.
People often get no answers until they get proactive and find a doctor who has experience and knowledge beyond the average GP.
From there you go to a very good specialist.
You will get answers hopefully.