Heart fluttering (palpitations), tight chest, fast heart rate, etc. What could it be?
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So a few weeks ago I was in class at college and I noticed my breathing was a little off. I seemed to be easily exerted and I kind of had to force myself to take full breaths. when I was driving home it seemed to be getting a little worse so eventually I went to the ER but they said my lungs were fine, my EKG was fine, they couldn't find anything abnormal other than that, for my age, my blood pressure was a little high (157/90 at the highest, I believe) but they said that could be due to nervousness of a medical setting. A few days later I found myself back in the ER for the same reason, but it had gotten a little worse. I was trying to be a hypochondriac but I've just always heard that trouble breathing and chest pain/tightness should always be seen.
Again: EKGs, blood work, ultrasounds, MRIs, and still nothing. I think they chalked it up to my acid reflux and/or indigestion although I had no other usual symptoms of that.
I finally went to see my PCP and they did the usual tests too. Other than a bit of a fast heart rate and, once again, slightly elevated blood pressure, everything else seemed fine (lung sounds, EKG). She even gave me an anxiety test but I only scored a 3 on the scale which led her to believe that's not what this is (I also don't believe I have anxiety, apart from a couple scattered "panic attacks" over the past year or so).
I have always gotten heart palpations where my heart feels like it literally skips a beat, but haven't really had any other issues so I never thought anything of it. All of this leads me to where I am today and why I'm posting this.
I am having constant fluttering in my heart at the moment and have been for a couple of hours now. I can breathe IN fine, but breathing out when I'm talking seems to be forced (as in, when I'm talking, I run out of breath and exhaling feels labored). I even had a flutter so intense that I jumped a little. I'm not really experiencing any "pain" other than it sort of feels like someone is poking my chest ever-so-lightly with their finger (it's dull, not sharp). If this were a heart issue, wouldn't it have shown up on the several EKGs I've gotten recently?
I'm posting on here for other ideas/opinions and I would really rather not end up going to the ER again because it's not much of an emergency but I thought I'd see what others had to say! Also I didn't know what forum to put this in. I'm new here.
0 likes, 2 replies
bearpuns
Posted
FORGOT TO MENTION:
I forgot to mention (and I'm not sure how to edit/if I can edit on here), but last night, when I was lying down to go to bed, I was lying on my side watching a video when all of a sudden my heart started pounding really fast for about 15-20 seconds. And I realized that that actually happens every so often, I just always ignored it.
lyn1951 bearpuns
Posted
Can you arrange for a weekly halter monitor, I know they are a nuisance, and uncomfortable to wear, but it may record your heart issue.
You need to catch a recording of your heart during one of these episodes, maybe when they did the ECG you were not having an episode.
?Does a deep breathe and hold seem to put a stop to the feelings.
?It might be electrical issue, hard to catch, and sometimes even Dr's don't recognise what it is, or dismiss as non-worrying.
Cardiologists seem to pick up, husbands case in point, left branch bundle block, dismissed as nothing to worry about by regular GP, cardiologists disagreed and admitted him to heart hospital for 8 days, found he had serious heart failure, still do not understand how this happened, but at least he is now well, even if living with heart issues.