52 yr old,non-smoker,non drinker,having palpitations for over a year. ecg,lung function,stress test,all normal

Question

the least little thing causes heart to race and thump.i am not overweight.am on a good deal of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis for the past 14 years.i am female.example of racing heart,when going to clothesline,climbing stairs,drying myself after shower. cardiologist says my heart is very healthy but why am i feeling like this? was still feeling this way when i was exercising regularly as in aqua aerobics.any help much appreciated or i will think i am going mad.

just to add i suffer from hypertension which is under control with cardura and diovan.cholesterol is high even tho' i use lowfat products and eat plenty fresh veg.don't take anything for high cholesterol

Answer 1

Hi Carly...

You are not going mad. Something is happening with your body, it just doesn't have a name yet.

At the age of 45 I went through something similar. I was experiencing symptoms that led me to believe I had a heart condition. I went to my family Dr and told him and he ordered a stress test. I passed it with flying colors. So it was believed that all was alright and life went on. The symptoms never went away and picked up in frequency and intensity. A few months later I ended up in the emergency room with what *they* diagnosed as an angina attack. Went back to my Dr again and he sent me to a cardiologist. I had another stress test which I passed. The symptoms were still presenting themselves and I told the cardiologist. He said not to worry about it and to "stop dwelling on it". He did tell me if it would make me feel better he would order a heart catherization to alieviate my fears but he was sure I was fine. He felt I was too young to have a problem and in too good of shape, and... a woman. I went home and thought about it and called back and told him I wanted the heart cath. It was performed the following week and he found one blockage and put a stent in. I continued to have symptoms and called the cardiologist to tell him. His receptionist reassured me that everything was alright, they had found my problem and taken care of it and told me that he was on vacation and wouldn't be able to see me for 3 weeks, that was the earliest next open appointment. I hung up and decided the next time I had a problem I was going to travel the 50 miles to the nearest city that had a heart center. The following week I had another bad night and my husband drove me to one of the major heart centers 50 miles away. They admitted me on a Saturday evening and on Monday performed another heart cath and found 4 major blockages and a 5th that wasn't very bad. I had open heart surgery the following week. Four bypasses and another stent.

Carly, for a while I thought I was going mad too. It was a battle getting the Dr to listen to me. He was just sure that I was fine and that I was imaging the symptoms. Thank goodness I knew better and didn't stop until I found a Dr that would listen. Carly, if you feel you are having a heart related issue don't stop. This is your life and not the Dr's. Find a Dr that will listen and will perform whatever tests are necessary to give a name to whatever it is that is ailing you. I did and I am happy I did. Had I just taken the word of my first cardiologist that everything was fine, I would be dead right now. I am not saying that your cardiologist is not a good Dr but I for one do not trust stress tests. They may be a sufficient first step but they are not infallable. They don't always tell the full story.

Sorry for the book but I wanted to give details so that you would get the point I was trying to make.

Answer 2

Palpitations and arrhythmias are very common, especially in people over 50. You're doing everything right so far though!!
There are so many different types though that it really would be best diagnosed by someone who specialises in this area.
Examples of different arrhythmias are:
Ectopic beats, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, atrial tacycardia, junctional tachycardia, paroxysmal tachycardia...So if there are this many of them then surely some doctor should be able to help you!
Examples of medications that can help the different types of arrhythmias are:
flecainide, digoxin, beta-blockers, verapamil, digoxin, amiodarone.
It sounds like it is an everyday occurrence for you which is why I mention all the different types and the medications, if it was a once-in-a-blue-moon thing then it mightn't be a big problem but I would suggest talking to your doctor or a specialist and asking them about these things.
After all (and not to worry you!), if you are already on 2 different types of anti-hypertensives and have high cholesterol then you probably need to be extra careful when it comes to any heart problems.
Hope you get it sorted! :)

Answer 3

I told you to stop eating at McDonald's! Either that or maybe you are in love!? Also I know how everyone that knows you knows how you have difficulty gaining weight but you might be surprised to know that going on a water only fast is the first step to turn that situation around. [You will lose some weight initially but that situation will turn around.] I know that that is hard to believe but it seems to be true. You need to flush out all the bad stuff in your system and then reintroduce healthy only nutritious foods and you will gain weight. However, fasting is not for everyone and many should not do it without a doctor's supervision. Finding a doctor who is familiar with this as a health treatment can be a challenge in itself. You need to read the book. Also get the book, Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease by Joel Fuhrman, MD. See chapter 15 of the book, The Miracle of Fasting, by Patricia and Paul Bragg, which discusses: How to Gain Weight by Fasting •Miracles Happen With Fasting! •Fasting is a Weight Normalizer

Answer 4

Have any of your medications been changed lately? Some medications can cause that to happen.

Also, I was sick with the flu, followed by pneumonia over the holidays and had some problems with both high blood pressure and palpitations while I was sick. It is all back to normal now. Any chance you could be coming down with something?

Talk to your doctor again, tell him you are worried. If he's insensitive to your concerns maybe look for another doctor.

Answer 5

try eating more foods that reduce heart palpitations. I hate this racing heart thing. I think bananas are good for this also drink lots of water and take time out in solitude for deep relaxed breaths.

Also try lying down on the floor on a flat surface with you head right back on the floor, 8 times out of ten this stops any heart palpitations for me.

Answer 6

Ask your doctor if he will do a holter monitor which is basically a 24 hr ekg on you it may help to shed some light on your symptoms and put you at ease about your health.

Answer 7

keep the excersise up, you might just be getting more aware of your heart as you get older as a mental thing, if the cardiologist says you are good trust him, just get your blood pressure and all that checked regularly.

Answer 8

It could be side effects of your medication.Some times pain can cause use to panic It also you could have a fast pulse .You should go back to your GP to get a second opinion

Answer 9

52 menopausal can have palpatations [i do ]as long as youve been given the all clear dont worry its a fact of getting older and you are more aware of your heart good luck .

Answer 10

I was exactly the same so I cut out caffeine and codeine and my palpitations have now ceased....hope this helps