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health flutters, tightness of chest etc

Posted , 4 users are following.

sid78234
sid78234

didn't know where to put this - was going to put it under 'heart' but that isn't really the biggest issue. recently, I've been occasionally feeling heart flutters, it's never more than one flutter at a time and isn't incredibly often. I could have maybe 1 - 3 a day but the scary thing about it, is that I've never, ever, ever had this before, so I'm just curious as to what could bring it on. Currently, I've got a kind of tight chest and a bit of a lump in my throat too, it just feels like a small bit of food that won't go down, but I know it's not because it's just come out of nowhere. It's not sore or anything, just a discomfort and I feel like I have to keep swallowing and my chest feels quite heavy.

I do smoke (not very much though, I try to keep it around 5 a day, sometimes I go a day without) and other than that I lead a very healthy lifestyle.

Could anyone suggest any things this could be? aside from any 'heart attack' etc etc etc - I don't want warnings, just options to consider. I'm going to give up smoking and be as healthy as possible till the doctors, just to see if there is a change. I know that this could also be a really common thing, loads of people have this, but I just want to check it up as it's appeared out of nowhere. 

thanks

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • will24
    will24 sid78234

    Posted

    yeah i hear yah, couple years ago i started waking up in the night with rapid heart rate and arm numbness, spasming pain in middle of chest. for about a month when i was having the pain in chest i discorved i had a very high potassium level on mutple occasions, so i would have doc check potassium. Also if u can stomach it adding a pinch of cayanne pepper to hot water and drinking it is great for the heart and lungs.
    • sid78234
      sid78234 will24

      Posted

      thats really interesting, I could have a high level of something as my eating is not as good as it used to be (still pretty good though) and I now, more occasionally just pig out on snacks and stuff (this is all because my metabolism has suddenly sped up and I lost 8kg). Because of a change in diet I could check to see if there is anything like high potassium. I will definitaely try the cayanne pepper and hot water thing.
  • para_52094
    para_52094 sid78234

    Posted

    Sometimes chemical in foods can cause this. MSG causes these symptoms for me. Think of all the foods you eat and screen them for chemicals which may be affecting you. Also are there any chemicals in your environment affecting you. Do you have allergies? Do you drink a lot of caffeine. If yes, do you also drink plenty of water? Are you dehydrated. Some people who have slight heart valve issues are fine as long as they stay hydrated. Have you had your thyroid checked? Thyroid hormone imbalance could cause these symptoms. Have you recently had an infection? If yes, go to the doctor and have an EKG and they may also order an echocardiogram (sonogram of the heart) to check your heart valves. You may also need to have a chest x-ray just to check for any aorta irregularities or masses...which I SERIOUSLY DOUBT...but just thinking through my nursing books here...  If this continues, you definitely should find a doctor you trust to do a few checks as I have mentioned.  It is possible this is a temporary response to something in your environment, though better to have your doctor on board and aware of your symptoms. Sometimes when the heart races, it causes anxiety...and sometimes the other way around...anxiety causing heart racing as a result of adrenal hormone release. So take calming measures...what ever calms you, make an effort to consiously do those things at least three times a day and see if this helps. Often the body goes out of balance and it is not a medical issue. The body just needs us to give it the attention it needs to rebalance and function properly. Though it is best to seek medical attention if the problem is concerning you, alongside your self help, relaxation, and clean food and environment measures. Best of luck to you.
    • sid78234
      sid78234 para_52094

      Posted

      thank you so much, I'm generally quite a healthy eater but two things struck out to me with what you said: firstly, my metabolism has sped up LOADS. everyone in my family is confused as to why (I eat the same things I always have but now even more) I was 58kg and dropped to 50kg without trying at all. it's been like this for a while now, I doubt that's something to do with thyroid and maybe my body adjusting (I'm nearly 20 so it could be changing from being a teenager again). However, this has made me less cautious about food, as I used to struggle a lot with my weight and constantly watched what I eat, it's now an absolute blessing that I can eat whatever I want without gaining weight. So I do sometimes indulge in rubbish.

      This was something I considered though and I have been trying to just watch what I eat to see if anything changes.

      I also just want to add in something as I'm writing this exactly as I'm getting these feelings - aside from the occasional heart flutter, the main annoyance is having a tight chest, like I feel that I can't breathe very well or have to take deep breathes, kind of like my throat/chest is numbing. Ocassionally I get pain, sometimes just one light throb somewhere, sometimes on my right hand side for ages and the other night, suddenly really sore pain appeared on about a thumb sized part under my arm. It felt like a bruise, a really sore one and someone was pressing on it. I woke up with the pain still there in the morning.

      I will go to the doctors as soon as I can.

      Another thing, I have recently been under a lot of stress, some incredibly intense family issues and then I crashed my car last week (more like bumped the side of a small wall but it did write my car off). It wasn't a very bad crash and I wasn't shaken for long. No one was heart and it was quick and not very dramatic. Both of those things didn't phase me for long. I handle stressful situations very well and it rarely plays on my mind. So thats why I don't think it could be anxiety but do you think there is any chance that it played a part? 

  • will24
    will24 sid78234

    Posted

    even the slightes bit of stress, even if u don't even relise it could have big effects on your body, most specificly the adrenial gland, which produces different ammounts of cortisol depending on your stress, and when under stress for a long perioid the adrenial glands can become tired out and even start producing too little cortisol.
    • sid78234
      sid78234 will24

      Posted

      okay, I guess that really is something I could take into consideration. I've decided to track what I'm eating with an app to firstly see if 1) my eating improves these pains and 2) if I go to the doctor they can see if I'm eating too much/too little etc, if it's what's effecting my body. I'll also try different ways to de-stress and relax, even if I don't feel like I am stressed out, I'll take precautions to make sure I'm extra relaxed! If these two things don't begin to help, I'll go to the doctor and ask about it a bit more. 
  • sarah57502
    sarah57502 sid78234

    Posted

    Hello.. I know this thread is quite old but was wondering how you got on with your symptoms? I read the whole thread and have exactly the same as you described.
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