Could i have a heart arrhythmia?

Question

i am in my early 20's. for the past five years i have been experiencing something strange with my heart. sometimes when i do any physical activity, such as raking leaves, all of a sudden my heart will start pounding really hard and fast, then i will get lightheaded and feel some pressure on my chest. if i stop what i am doing and lay down it will go away quickly and then i will be fine. This does not occur too often but i was just wondering if i should be concerned. also when i give blood or have blood taken, immediatley i will have the same sympoms and i actually have passed out before when i have had blood drawn. i dont know if those things could be connected somehow.

Answer 1

It is good to listen to every one the forum, but as a doctor I will recommend that you consult a cardiologist immediately, to sort out your problem if any. No time to waste.
It could be simple or exertional angina.

Answer 2

Hi Kelly,

All of these folks are giving you good advice. Tachycardia (fast heart rate) and syncope (passing out) should not be overlooked. It isn't clear if they are related or not, but you are certainly right in wanting to find out!

My wife had many of these types of symptoms when she was your age, but didn't have it checked out until she was 44. At that point, she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, thus explaining her difficulty with exercising and low energy level her entire adult life!

Now, I'm not saying you have cardiomyopathy. I'm just saying you need to press to figure out what is wrong.

I'm not a doctor, or even a nurse. So take what I have to say with a grain of salt.

I would expect that your doctor might do three different things. First, they would perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check that the rhythm of your heart is OK. Next, they might order a 24-hour halter monitor to see if you have any arrhythmia over the course of a day. They might also perform an echocardiogram to confirm that your heart is pumping at full capacity. All of these are non-invasive tests. If they don't find anything, then you can have more confidence that your are OK (you might just need to cut down on the caffeine, for example). And if they do find something, they can then treat it appropriately.

Good luck and take care of yourself!

Answer 3

No a heart attack is what is called a myocardial infarction, caused by a blood clot in your heart's artery, depriving your heart of oxygen. An arrhythmia can be any of hundreds of problems with the circuitry of your heart, when the electricity either stops, or is a rhythm that is random and spastic, not producing a pulse, called pulseless electrical activity. On TV when they shock people, they are interrupting the "bad" rhythm, stopping the heart for a few seconds, and hoping it starts again at Normal Sinus Rhythm.

Answer 4

Because you are young and usually very healthy,you really need to have your MD check this out,and soon. Keep a little diary or scribble down exactly when ,where and what brings this on,and what happens,and the duration of these "spells",and how it was resolved etc Several things could be the cause,the symptoms are not "normal" for anyone.. Take care. SW FNP

Answer 5

It could have something to do with your blood pressure. BP goes up with physical exertion. You may have an increased BP with blood draw too. Next time you are at you MD's office, ask about it.

Answer 6

My advice to you is to go to your family Dr. and ask to have
EKG,Blood Test and a Stress Test done, this way you will know for certain if you have any medical condition.
Good luck and God Bless

Answer 7

call your dr. everybody else is right, it could be any of those things, it could also be SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) - basically that means a rapid heartrate originating from above the ventricals. your dr can tell you better what's going on....good luck!

Answer 8

you may want to read up on Prinzmetal's angina, and I would see a cardiologist for a full work up.