Heaviness in Chest/slight shortness of breath/PVCs - Could symptoms be due to meds?
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A little history and personal info, sorry it's long, I just want to give my entire situation to fully grasp what I've been going through this past year:
I'm currently 52, I've been healthy most of my life, rarely get a cold. Fitness could be better. Gained 30lb during the pandemic. Was between 140ish and now steady at 170.
to Mar 2020 I started noticing a heaviness sensation in my chest while taking my daily walks. It was not consistent. Sometimes it would feel like a slight shortness of breath. As I spoke, at the end of my exhale getting ready to breathe back in, it felt heavy and slight ache/or short of breath. It's very hard for me to explain. Also, I was having heart pulsing sensations when I was laying down for bed on my back. It wasn't fast, it was actually slow, but it felt like every other beat it was beating like a thump in my chest. I Visited my Primary Care Dr. in April 2020. He did a chest xray, took some blood, and did an EKG. He said the xray turned out good, the EKG showed I had some PVC issues and my blood showed a Vitamin D deficiency along with B. Prescribed me 50kunits of D and I purchased a daily VitB. When I went for my follow up the next month, I still had PVC issues and still having that heaviness in my chest. He sent me to a Cardiologist. My 1st visit with Cardiologist, my heart wasn't skipping like it had been so the EKG turned out ok. I explained my breathing and heaviness as much as I could, but she kept saying not sure why you're here. She put me on a low dose beta blocker and I went back the next month. EKG this time did show the the PVCs issues. She raised the beta blocker to 50mg, and the next visit to 100mg. The next visit, she said she thinks I need to see an Electrophysiologist. Next visit, he put me on Flecainide 25mg next visit 50mg and next 100mg. He talked about an ablation if the 100mg did not settle the PVCs. NOW meantime, during this entire time, I'm still having the heaviness in my chest... Last month, when I went to my followup, the PVCs went from 20% down to 5.5% which told him the meds were working. I'd mentioned to the PA I began feeling occasional numbness on the top of my leg at night about 6mon. The PA said to do some stretches that comes from your spine. Well, within the last 3 weeks from my appt, the heaviness in my chest has gotten stronger and lasting throughout the day while I'm sitting working. I find that when I'm having a normal conversation with someone, I have some shortness of breath and the thumping has started back up. On top of that, the numbness/slightly achy sensation has gone to my entire right leg. My foot feels like I've been on a 20mi hike and it needs stretched and messaged. It's also occasionally gone to my hand. This sensation had me go back to my primary care last week. He wants me to do a Nerve Test which I'm no lie freaking out about! I don't understand why they can't order an MRI? While I wait for the Neurologist to call me to make an appt, I looked up my medication (Flecainide) to review the side effects. Most common is shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, and less common, numbness... but still I find it odd! I left a call with my cardiologist to call me back to find out if possibly it's my medication that has made these symptoms more prominent. While I wait I would love to hear from someone who's possibly gone through what I've gone through, or tell me if I'm not giving them the right info? Should they be doing a CT scan of my lungs due to the heaviness and breathing? Thanks for you help!
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