Heart troubles for a 26 year old.

[Thibideau]

So the other night after dinner, I sat down at the computer. I was sitting for maybe 5 minutes when out of no where my heart beat kicked up to probably over 200 beats a second, I couldn't breathe, and my chest felt tight it lasted for about 3 minutes. I went upstairs to tell my parents that I might need to go to the emergency room but before I could get the words out I blacked out.

I then had to spend the night in the ER insisting to the nurses that I wasn't on drugs, that I don't drink, I don't take any health supplements, I don't even drink pop. In fact the only thing I had taken all day that would be considered a vice was 3 cups of tea spanning roughly 7 hours. Even after telling them this they still kept insisting that I had to have taken something to cause this. I end up getting home VIA cab at 3am, a referal to a caridologist and I had to set up a time to wear a halter monitor for 24 hours.

A halter monitor just records my heart beat non stop for 24 hours(which I'm currently wearing right now actually). But I don't need the halter monitor to know my heart doesn't feel right since this happened. It feels fluttery and weak. I know it sounds crazy and I shouldn't self diagnose but I honestly think something is wrong. I can't tell my family because I don't want to scare them but I sort of know in my heart(Pun intended) that something isn't right.

I'm 26 and not supposed to have heart problems. No one in my family has died of a heart attack. My grandpa died of congestive heart failure but he was 82.

Anyways I was just wondering if anyone had some first hand knowledge of heart conditions that can cause this and maybe I'm over reacting. Or maybe I'm just looking for piece of mind that everythings ok. Either way I hope someone can give me a little advice or insight because I'm actually pretty scared.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

There are a few genetic conditions that can lead to young man having physical health problems. They are so rare that most health professionals would not consider them in a typical ER visit, unless the patient has had previous heart related issues.

More typically it is a drug involved that leads to health issues at that early age.

The more usual 'problem' is mental/emotional - being a panic attack or 'anxiety disorder'.

IF it is anxiety related then you can easily slip into an anxiety driven circle that can lead to black out, passing out and various other things. The reason being is because your heart starts to flutter (due to anxiety) you get more anxious out of fear that something bad is coming, leading to greater heart 'symptoms', thus more anxiety, the circle going faster and faster.

The doctors are not going to rule out heart issues 100%, thus they will strap you to monitors and other things. However I would strongly urge you to discuss anxiety as a potential cause with your doctor.

Anxiety can have many symptoms that the patient isn't even aware of, and many usually end up not knowing they have anxiety issues until their very first major panic attack.

http://www.ask.com/web?q=panic+attack+fe...&o=0&l=dir a list of sites where people discuss how anxiety attacks feel like heart attacks.

Thus it is by no means 'rare'.

[LateBloomer]

I've been living with "cardiac sinus arrhythmia" (sinus refers to the bundle of nerves that serves as the natural pacemaker) since I was about 17 or 18. It's nothing serious. But every time someone takes my pulse or I have a physical examination of some sort the health professional will mention it to me.

In more extreme cases, I understand some people need artificial pacemakers in order to force the heart to beat correctly.

I will admit, sometimes I do feel a "fluttering", shortness of breath, etc...maybe twice a year this happens.

I do drink 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day and I know caffeine is not good for arrhythmia.

But this is what I thought of when I read the original post.

Good luck, try not to worry. Stress is not good for the heart either. Keep us posted on what they find out. And if your doctor doesn't bring it up, you should mention the possibility of arrhythmia.

[Drew]

Pharmacist specializing in anticoagulation medicine here.......

Very rapid heart beats, or arrhythmias, can be caused by a number of things, but it is unusual for someone in their 20s to develop them suddenly. It could be a flappy valve, a genetic predisposition, or just nerves. The halter monitor (and possibly other tests, like an echocardiogram) should tell the doctor more. Often times arrhythmia can be asymptomatic and go unheeded until something like what happened to you happens.

Hopefully it's nothing serious, but if it is, like atrial fibrillation/flutter (where the atrium of the heart is pulsating rapidly but not properly pumping blood), it could be life-threatening (i.e. stroke risk). At that point antiarrhythmic drugs and a blood thinner (like warfarin, yay, the drug of my trade!) may be prescribed to reduce this risk. Routine testing would be required for the latter drug.

I do have some younger patients (my youngest is 22), but it's usually a genetic predisposition that causes their blood to thicken, and not a cardiac problem. I believe one, around 32, has had a mitral valve replacement when she was younger. Again, rare.

Good luck, hope it's nothing serious, let us know how you do!

[Thibideau]

Well thank you all for the advice and the knowledge. To be honest I can't rule any of what's been suggested here out. I'll have to wait for the cardio doctor to call to set an appointment(I have the number for her office incase she doesn't).

I turned in the Halter monitor today. Hopefully it picked up what ever it was supposed to because I hated wearing it. Made it really hard to sleep with that many wires stuck to me :p

[LateBloomer]

Well thank you all for the advice and the knowledge. To be honest I can't rule any of what's been suggested here out. I'll have to wait for the cardio doctor to call to set an appointment(I have the number for her office incase she doesn't).

I turned in the Halter monitor today. Hopefully it picked up what ever it was supposed to because I hated wearing it. Made it really hard to sleep with that many wires stuck to me :p

I hope it's nothing serious. Please update us when you know something.

Good luck.

[ManicReptile21]

oh Thhib, i hope you are all right, your much to young! I read this and felt really sad for no reason. I'm not the sort to feel any emotion when reading! if you are fine, just please diet- or cardio work out- or do whatever it takes to keep it from happening again!

[pellaz]

I'm 26 and not supposed to have heart problems.

everybody's body is sooo different. like anything else this difference reflects areas where we have an advantage and areas where we are lacking.

you might consider diet and exercise changes. not even considering your health concerns; a good exercise plan starts up slow.

[Thibideau]

everybody's body is sooo different. like anything else this difference reflects areas where we have an advantage and areas where we are lacking.

you might consider diet and exercise changes. not even considering your health concerns; a good exercise plan starts up slow.

Well that's the thing, if anything for the past 5 years I have been eating healthy and exercising. Since it happened of course I'm too afraid to exercise because I don't want to stress my heart. I've slowed down on my tea drinking and switched to a 'lighter' tea. Aside from that I'm going to have to work up the nerve to exercise again.

Thanks again for your concern everyone.

[colinmackay]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm guessing that whatever it turns out to be, they'll have caught it before it becomes too serious.

I was born with heart failure and I'm still here. (Actually, had I been born 10 years earlier, I'd have died in infancy). I had a corrective operation when I was 6 months old and I've been on medication, ACE Inhibitors, since I was 26 and that's about it.