Heart Palpitations Forum

Heart Palpitations Forum
http://palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
Heart Palpitations Forum >> Symptoms and other concerns >> Racing heart after lifting or walking up stairs
http://palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1265370127

Message started by sazblack on Feb 5^th, 2010, 3:42am

Title: Racing heart after lifting or walking up stairs
Post by sazblack on Feb 5^th, 2010, 3:42am

Hi

I am a newbie here and just wondered if anyone can help.

I am a 28 year old mother of 2 children aged 2 years and 11 weeks.

I have been aware of ectopic beats for the last 6 years ever since I started having anxiety and panic attacks after my father passed away. I have had several ecgs and worn two 5 day monitors that monitored my heart continously for those 5 days I could also press a button upto 5 times over the course of wearing it.

The first monitor showed nothing but the second time a wore it I had lots of palps the letter from the cardiologist advised that "I was having extra beats with pauses most of the time but at other times my heart rythym was perfectly normal and that it was nothing to worry about.

I am used to these ectopics now I still don't like them but they don't cause me as much panic as they used to.

Recently on five occasions I have had a racing heart rate that I have never experienced before. The first four times it happened I was pregnant and then it has happened once since having baby 11 weeks ago. I do not feel anxious before the onset of it (I do feel anxious after) and it appears to come out of nowhere one minute heart beating normal the next bam its racing and does so for a couple of minutes.

It has happened on the following occasions;
Once when pregnant and walking to the car from work in slight rush as had to get to appointment once I sat in car it started racing

Twice when pregnant after walking upstairs then when I sat on bed it started racing

Once when I carried my daughter who is a large 2 year old upstairs to bed after she had fell asleep on me I was pregnant at the time

And then once a week ago when I got out of the car and a lady was trying to park next to me so I had to lift quite a heavy pushchair above shoulder level and carry it round the car to get out of her way and when I put the pushchair down heart started racing again out of nowhere.

Sorry this is so long winded I am just looking for reassurance as this is exactly the kind of thing that can set my Health Anxiety off and out of control.

I am more concerned as I do not appear to be anxious before it happens it seems to be more triggered by lifting something heavy and possibly holding my breath at the same time. I don't suffer any other symptoms at the same time except I can still feel like there are some ectopics in there while its racing.

Do you think this sounds like anything to worry about I am trying to stay calm by thinking that after two 5 day continous monitorings of my heart if there was something wrong it would have been picked up even though I wasn't experiencing this racing heart at the time. I wore the monitors in December 2008 and January 2009.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Sarah

Title: Re: Racing heart after lifting or walking up stairs
Post by RLR on Feb 5^th, 2010, 4:10am

Hello and welcome to the forum. I've read your complaint.

It's important that you deteremine a more precise rate because patients who experience tachycardia simply regard it as "really fast." If the rate extends to around 110 or 120 or so, then it's more likely to be from being recently pregnant and more sedentary, as well as mild fluctuations in blood pressure than can occur from palpitation events.

Depending upon precisely how fast your heart rate is, I suppose that the episodes could be due to paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, which is an infrequent but known presentation under such circumstances. We're speaking about heart rates of about 160-180 or so in such instances, however, so until you know the precise rate I can't tell you more precisely what it constitutes.

You're not in any danger, so you can relax. The palpitations are induced by the vagus nerve and do not constitute pathology. They are incapable of causing any type of cardiovascular event. They can cause brief downward influence on blood pressure, so the heart will often respond to feedback and accelerate heart rate and cardiac force to compensate.

You'll be fine. If you can tell me the precise range of the heart rate during the events, I can better inform you.

Best regards and Good Health

Title: Re: Racing heart after lifting or walking up stairs
Post by sazblack on Feb 5^th, 2010, 5:30am

Thank you for your quick reply.

I don't think it is as fast as 160 it is prob no faster than 140 but I can't be sure until next time it happens (which I am hoping it never does :))

It seems more like the heartrate you'd have at the end of an aerobic warm up session except it doesn't bulid up it starts out of nowhere. My resting heartrate is between 54 and 60 beats per minute so it might even only be as high as 120 when I feel it race but maybe I feel it's faster because mine is normally slower if that makes sense.

Please can you just confirm that if it is paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia that it isn't a major thing to worry about. I have no other symptoms - no dizziness - no chest pain - no shortness of breath etc but the few times it's happened it makes me worry what if I was to pass out and was out/in on my own with two young children.

Thanks again and when/if if it happens again I will def get back to you on here.

Sarah

Title: Re: Racing heart after lifting or walking up stairs
Post by RLR on Feb 5^th, 2010, 1:10pm

Okay, after examining your response I do not believe this is related to PSVT.

You do, however, need to measure the rate for it's near impossible for you to speculate in the manner depicted in your response.

You can relax.

Best regards and Good Health