Lots of Tests...

Hi everyone. Very new to all of this and was looking for some insight. I am a 38 year old Male, pretty healthy and exercise a few times a week. For the last 6 years or so I have been having what seem to be palpitations and have sought extensive medical help for these issues. I have never had a diagnosis other than normal and have always continually had the same issues.

Over the last 6 months, my lifestyle has been somewhat hectic and stressful at times. I got married, we found out she was pregnant, had our baby early at 28 weeks and She has been in the NICU for the last 6.5 weeks and we have about another month of NICU before she comes home. She is very healthy as is Mom.

I have no work stress as I am retired. I sold my company two years ago and have been spending a ton of time with my other two kids and family and making up for lost time. I would say that I am not stressed out at all and live a pretty clean lifestyle. I quit smoking about 4 months ago as well and have been eating pretty healthy.

Two weeks ago I was looking into my daughter's isolette in the NICU and my wife looked at me and said I looked pale. My heart started racing and I became lightheaded. This is the normal occurrence for me but this time I had very sharp chest pains that radiated through my torso center. Needless to say, I ended up in the ER hooked up to a EKG and IV and stayed there for a few hours as they tested everything out. They said other than a very low heart rate, there was nothing wrong. They injected some pepcid into my iv and sent me on y way with orders to follow-up with my PC.

The next day I met with my PC and he said I needed a stress test and ECHO. They came back Normal. My cardiologist did state that my heart rate was really low (High 30's, Low 40's) but didn't chalk it up to anything and sent me on my way. My PC however, didn't like the low Heart Rate numbers and has now referred me to Electrocardiography for more testing.

My wife and I have been doing some research online trying to see if my conditions have been felt by others around the same age as I and she came across Bradycardia. I am never one to self diagnose but the symptoms seem to all match up with mine and there are some others that aren't listed as well. I am frequently exhausted even after after taking out the garbage. I need multiple naps on a daily basis and am pretty tired after anything cardio related.

Is there something that my doctors haven't figured out or should I keep searching for answers? It's concerning to me to feel this way and I firmly believe there is an issue, I am just not sure what it is.

Does anyone have a similar story? If so, what happened to you and how was it corrected? I am just curious as to what I should expect. I'm not looking for a medical diagnosis but just some insight for others that may have been in a similar situation.

5 Comments

diagnosis

by Tracey_E - 2013-06-03 03:06:21

Have they mentioned sick sinus syndrome? Bradycardia is a symptom, any heart rate under 60 is brady. If you passed the stress test, that implies your rate gets up with activity and you aren't in av block so that means the problem is most likely coming from the atria (sinus node). When the sinus node gets lazy, it's called sick sinus.

If you have symptoms- and the fact you are tired all the time is a symptom- I don't understand why the cardiologist wrote off the low heart rate. Under 60 is abnormal but many people get by in the 50's feeling fine. 40's and 30's, not so much!

St Judes has some excellent animations that explain how the heart beats and the various things that can cause a low heart rate.
http://health.sjm.com/arrhythmia-answers/videos-and-animations
Some thyroid problems and medications can lower the heart rate. If you've ruled out both of those, if you don't feel well, then yes I would absolutely pursue the ep. My guess is you don't need any more tests, you've had the big ones.

There are no medications that can reliably keep the heart rate up long term, the only solution is a pacemaker. Some drs are hesitant to do them in young otherwise young patients. Imo, this is really dumb and it's one of my pet peeves. If we have a problem, if we are living with symptoms, it's pretty crazy to ignore the obvious solution because we don't fit the stereotype. I got my first pm at 27, my heart rate was in the 30's at that time. I should have had it a good 2 years before but I had a dr who didn't want to do it on someone young, so instead I slept away 2 years of my life. Now it never goes under 60 and I feel terrific.

one more thing

by Tracey_E - 2013-06-03 03:06:32

Electrical problems of the heart are very different from structural or arterial problems. Most of us with electrical problems have healthy hearts. They're structurally normal and arteries are clear, we just have a short circuit. Nothing we did caused an electrical problem, nothing we could have done differently could have prevented it. Sometimes they're caused by medication or infection, but more often than not they just happen and we never know why.

Sick Sinus?

by akelly262 - 2013-06-03 03:06:33

Nope. No one, other than you has ever mentioned that to me. I ran a search on it and the description is pretty amazing to say the least. I am now looking forward to my appointment on Wednesday. Maybe this will shed some light on the last six years for me. Tired of all the tests. How has life changed for you now that you have the PM? Do you notice it or do you just overall, feel a ton better?

paced life

by Tracey_E - 2013-06-03 06:06:21

When it comes down to it, you have a slow heart rate that is affecting your life. It doesn't much matter what label you put on it or even what caused it which is why I'd say no to any more tests. You've already established you are otherwise healthy. Whatever the cause, if your heart beats too slowly, the pm adds beats. The minimum lower rate is programmed, usually 60 bpm, or 1 beat per second. If your heart goes a second without beating, it kicks in and makes it beat. Very simple fix.

I was a whole new person! The first year or so it felt like my heart was racing all the time and I was very aware not so much of the pm itself but the faster rate but the feeling went away. I don't notice it at all now. I went from tired and dizzy to full of energy. My eyesight got better, my brain was more clear. I'm different than you in that I was born with my problem so for me I never felt good enough to be active before. As soon as I was cleared for activity, I bought rollerblades, took tennis lessons, learned to swim, joined a gym. That winter, I skied for the first time. I got addicted to hiking the next summer. The next two years, I had 2 babies. They're both driving now, that's been the hardest thing on my heart so far! lol Two years ago a friend dragged me to boot camp. I thought it would be too much but I'm still going 5 days a week and get cranky if I have to skip a day. Most people don't even know I have a heart problem, it doesn't keep me from doing anything I want to do.

Still sorting through issues.

by akelly262 - 2013-11-07 06:11:01

Well, we relocated recently and I have had to get all new doctors. Last week, I had my Primary Doc appt and as part of the new patient deal, they did another EKG. 51 Beats per minute. She got nervous given my history over the last year and referred me to the Cardiologist without me even getting to that point about needing one.

Today, I head to my appointment, another ekg - 58 beats per minute. Cardiologist reviews my history with me, I add some new issues. New issues are that I wake up in the AM, get up out of bed and am instantly dizzy and lightheaded. I have to immediately sit back down and wait for my body to regulate before getting up and moving around. I have very sharp chest pains all day long and always feel short of breath.

His short term solution - One more stress test. I am really at a loss here and told him that today. From everything I have read, everyone I have talked to, even a buddy of mine who sells PM's for a living for a major medical company, I really think that the PM is what I need to get back to living life again.

What do I need to do other than telling my doctor to just do it? He said he would be open to putting one in but doesn't want to do it for the sake of doing it. I feel like no one is really even listening to me. Isn't it my body? Aren't these my symptoms? I am starting to feel like a hypochondriac but I am actually feeling all of these symptoms. Anxiety is setting in. Argghhhh!

You know you're wired when...

You trust technology more than your heart.

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