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I am suffering from a mystery illness. Please help me.

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Mohan_Drey
Mohan_Drey

I went to multiple doctors but they don't know what's wrong with me. I have multiple tests done all have shown normal results but I'm not sure if those tests were enough. So here's my symptom. I have been suffering from this for two months. I have a rapid heart rate with minimal exertion. Just by standing from seated or lying position my heart rate would jump from 80 to 130 real quick. Walking slowly would make my heart rate go to 130. Just going to the toilet races my heartbeat and makes me feel tired all of the time. I could not tolerate exercises or sports anymore. I tried a 10 seconds sprint and I stopped because my heart raced so fast that my chest and back was hurting. Prior to this 2 months I was able to play basketball. I went to the doctor and told them my problem. I had resting ECG, resting 2decho, chest xray, thyroid panel, CBC, and electrolyte panel. All went normal except for chest xray. They found a really small coinsized inflammation in my right upper lung field and the quickly dismissed it as the cause of my problem because it is so small that it does not cause any symptoms. I am currently on tb treatment even though i am asymptomatic. Still, my fast heart rate with minimal exertion was not addressed and it's making me depressed. All of my cardiac tests were at rest so I think my condition will not be detected because it happens when I move. What do you think is this mysterious illness? I am going to an electrophysiologist for holter monitoring in hopes to bring a light to my situation. I am 19 yrs old no history of cardiac problem and have a structurally normal heart. I think my heart's electrical wiring is at fault here. Tell me what's your opinion 

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • lyn1951
    lyn1951 Mohan_Drey

    Posted

    Halter monitor is the right way to go, if you have electrical issues it will pick it up.

    ?ECG takes place for a few minutes, and if you don't have an episode of racing heart beat, they cannot see it.

    ?Cardio Electrophysiologist is the specialist my husband is in the care of, he has a major heart failure that he has had for the last 7 years, about 2 years ago they finally installed a pacemaker and his general health has improved out of site.

    ?From what I understand he had left branch bundle block, and then later developed right branch bundle block, all this on top of dialated cardiomyopathy, but his right branch bundle block did not happen suddenly, for 15 months he was reporting at times he felt weird, and had pain in his left bicep and left arm weakness, and even when his heartbeat fell to 30BPM, issue was dismissed by junior cardiologist, told us it was his heart tablets, they were withdrawn and 15 hours later his heartbeat dropped to 23BPM.

    At that point the senior electro cardiologist was called in, I growled at him, and told him his junior staff were idiots, remember the 15 months of symptoms, reported to the heart hospital, and not taken seriously as they could not see on ECG, pacemaker installed later the same day.

    ?His dialated cardiomyopathy ejection fraction was in the low 30% range, is now back to 56% at last echo.

    • Mohan_Drey
      Mohan_Drey lyn1951

      Posted

      I was convinced that I had some heart muscle problem or heat failure but my echo results was normal. No structural abnormalities and my ejection fraction is 67%. But I find it alarming that my right ventricle is 3.68 cm which is normal but the standard measurement of a right ventricle is 2.2-4 cm. Maybe my right ventricle is in the process of enlarging that is why it is almost 4 cm? I really don't know what's wrong with me. Good thing that your husband is getting better.

  • moon53540
    moon53540 Mohan_Drey

    Posted

    Are you having any pain, if you are what type? Also how is your breathing?
    • Mohan_Drey
      Mohan_Drey moon53540

      Posted

      I assume that you think I have PE right? I was also convinced I have PE too. I have chest pain in my left center and right where the inflammation is located. The pain in my left center is dull that lasts only for seconds. The pain in my right chest where my inflammation is located is hard to explain but it's not really painful and lasts only for a few seconds and doesnt happen everyday unlike my left center pain. Sometimes my breathing is labored because I am prone to hyperventilation. Sometimes I wheeze too when I exhale. I have told everything to my doctor but she is not convinced that I have a major pulmonary problem.

    • moon53540
      moon53540 Mohan_Drey

      Posted

      My doctor was convinced I had nothing wrong with my lungs because of that pulse oximeter thing said my oxygen levels were normal, and my chest X-ray came back clear but I had multiple pulmonary emboli, which can cause inflammation. Have you had a D-dimer blood test? Most of my blood clots were on my right lung but there some on my left as well and when my heartbeat sped up all the pain was in my left side. I am not saying this is what you have, but it can’t hurt to rule it out. Have they offered you a CT scan?
    • Mohan_Drey
      Mohan_Drey moon53540

      Posted

      No they didn't offer me any CT scan. Does your heart rate also increases rapidly with movement? Can you please explain what pain you experienced? I am going to convince my pulmonologist to have me undergo d-dimer test so that she can offer me a ct scan if it is positive. How long did it took for your PE to be diagnosed?

    • moon53540
      moon53540 Mohan_Drey

      Posted

      I had multiple PEs for years before I was diagnosed. I was perfectly healthy before, normal weight with a healthy diet, I did have polycystic ovarian syndrome though. I was on a contraceptive pill called Dianette on and off for about 12 years. The last time I was on them I got this crushing chest pain when I lay down so I stopped taking them. The crushing pain went, but then I started getting palpitations for no reason. My heart would speed up and not stop for hours sometimes. The pains came back and I couldn’t sleep and I kept getting breathless. I had to sleep sitting up which is hard. I went to the doctor who sent me to accident and emergency, they gave me ECG and blood tests and said I needed a 24hour ecg. That didn’t show anything up. I was put on paroxetine for anxiety and depression. That actually helped my symptoms but I put on 2 and a half stone in 5 months so I stopped it. I had an echocardiogram which came back normal. I went on beta blockers on and off to help the palpitations but I could feel my heart being really irregular. I became really hot and sweaty in the heat and really shivering and teeth chattering in the cold. I was dizzy, nauseous and I became really unwell. After the doctors doing more tests that came back clear, I looked my symptoms up on line and decided I needed a chest CT scan with contrast. That is when they found loads of blood clots on my lungs. They put me on blood thinners immediately. My pain at the beginning was crushing and restricting and towards the end it felt like I was coming down with a chest infection. Every time I had a virus I got a really gravelly pain when I coughed. I had sharp pains like electric shocks going through my chest, sometimes they would wake me up. I also got pins and needles in my hands at night and cramp in my leg and feet. When I go from sitting to standing there is a massive difference in my heart rate especially when I go upstairs!
  • janetn
    janetn Mohan_Drey

    Posted

    Sorry to hear. I have a low heart rate and will be going to see an electrophysiologist in a few weeks. My cardiologist thinks it is the electrical system - sino atia -

    If this is the case, I my need a pacemaker. I am 65.

    Hope you get some answers to your situation.

  • Scotgal
    Scotgal Mohan_Drey

    Posted

    From what you've described you may be correct as far as it being a possible electrical disturbance, however it was an electrical disturbance I would tend to think it would occur at rest or with motion.  I recently had a 24 hour holter and the results ( prior holters only showed occasional disturbances) were alarming, a total of 2,920 abnormal beats

    were recorded, but you have to keep in mind the human heart, at 60 bpm would beat approx. 86,000 times in a 24hr period, so my abnormalities only made up 4% of my total beats.  I have bradycardia (heart rate typically runs

    48-52 beats a minute) therefore my heart beats less than 86,000 in 24 hours.  I recently developed a second degree heart block as well.  There will be a pacemaker in my future.  I'm 65 years old, no spring chicken.  I hope you get some solid answers to your dilemma.

    • Mohan_Drey
      Mohan_Drey Scotgal

      Posted

      If it's a heart rhytmic problem, wouldn't be my rapid heartbeat episodic? My tachycardia is not random and does not come in episodes. It is triggered by any slighr exertion. Maybe this is Inapprioprate sinus tachycardia but we can't assume tjat because we have to rule out other serious illness.

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