# My heart is acting up



## Chicane (Oct 8, 2015)

So I fainted again last night. I was unresponsive on the living room floor for two minutes according to my girlfriend. This happened after a couple of days of feeling out of breath constantly, along with a very irregular pulse that's been sky high at times, lately even moreso than normal.

I had been noticing for the past couple years that my heart rate jumps upon standing, and that it goes up pretty high even when performing only very minor tasks, but the last couple of days have been extreme. I climbed the 12 or so steps to my second floor apartment last night and my pulse went to 160 BPM. I passed out soon afterwards.

Once I came to, my girlfriend insisted I go to the Emergency Room. I really didn't want to, so I just shrugged it off and went to bed. But this morning I felt breathless (with a high pulse again) so I went to the hospital but changed my mind and signed myself out before I was seen. I'm really divided on what to do. I don't have insurance, so the financial side would wipe me out, but on the other hand, if this is serious (and causing/exacerbating my DPDR) then I absolutely need to get it checked out.

So I'm really not sure what to do. I've stopped smoking and am just trying to take it easy without taxing my heart, but I'm a little worried that it's so quick to jump to dangerously high levels. I've lived a very sedentary life for the past few years so I do feel like I'm playing with fire by postponing possible treatment, but it's the DP that's held me back so much. I'm also still paying off medical debt from 2015 ($3k to go). I'm really depressed about that, especially since I had hoped those tests would give me a medical/physiological reason for my DPDR, but turned up nothing.

I guess the obvious answer is to just get seen and screw the cost. I have been feeling extra spaced out and exhausted lately along with the heart rate issues. I mean, I know something's going on. I'm out of breath walking, talking, eating, anything. I just feel so aggravated that I'll be up to my neck in more debt and no guarantee regarding answers or feeling better.


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## dope (Aug 31, 2016)

Please don't get offended by my question but what's your weight? You see if your weight is unhealthy then that might be affecting your heart, and even more if you've been unhealthy for a couple years.

Anyway, if that's not your case, I *strongly* suggest you go check it. Your heart is very important, I wouldn't let this pass, really, I wouldn't. Please get it checked.


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## Chicane (Oct 8, 2015)

I am 238 pounds, but I'm also 6'5'' so I do actually look pretty skinny. And I'm only 33. Maybe the smoking + sedentary lifestyle? It seems weird to have these kind of problems this young, but you're right, I shouldn't ignore the signs here. I'm just so used to getting the all-clear from doctors and hospitals that I have no desire to get into more debt only to be told nothing's wrong.

On some level it makes sense to me as to why I'd always feel spaced out, dizzy, weak and foggy if there is an issue with my heart and/or circulation. I've had EKGs and the like in the past and they were always fine, but then they're just sort of momentary snapshots. Maybe I should request a holter monitor.


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## 106473 (Feb 7, 2017)

Go to the doctor and tomorrow! or A&E! Don't want to go further into shocking you into this but just do the right thing... if you had a sore leg maybe, but fainting and not being able to catch your breath, you can't go on like this either way... act now, life doesn't have a price


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## Alan (Jan 26, 2015)

Get it checked out, if you have to take a hit financially that's unfortunate but so be it, it's better than the alternative. This sounds different from straight panic attacks.

If it's something like hypertension or heart issues the earlier it's diagnosed the better.


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## dope (Aug 31, 2016)

Chicane said:


> I am 238 pounds, but I'm also 6'5'' so I do actually look pretty skinny. And I'm only 33. Maybe the smoking + sedentary lifestyle? It seems weird to have these kind of problems this young, but you're right, I shouldn't ignore the signs here. I'm just so used to getting the all-clear from doctors and hospitals that I have no desire to get into more debt only to be told nothing's wrong.
> 
> On some level it makes sense to me as to why I'd always feel spaced out, dizzy, weak and foggy if there is an issue with my heart and/or circulation. I've had EKGs and the like in the past and they were always fine, but then they're just sort of momentary snapshots. Maybe I should request a holter monitor.


The sedentarism could be a factor, but even if it isn't there's absolutely something going on. I'd completely quit smoking if I were you...obviously I'm not here to tell you what to do, but do you know what smoking does to you? Smoking could very well be the cause.

Really, go to a doctor and tell them your symptoms. For me, when I told them what I had, they firstly made an appointment for...well, I don't know the exact name but pretty much they put some wires all over my chest and back, and I had to run on a treadmill for a couple minutes at alternate speeds (first walking, fast-walking, running, etc) and after every speed they checked how my heart responded.
Also they listened to my heart in the "traditional" way, you know. And then I did a holter - thankfully I didn't have anything, only a little bit of a faster beat (that's normal for me, that's just how my heart is). I was born with a thing that clogs your arteries, but it's cured now, hopefully never to come back.
It was still important to check my heart, and my doctor will keep checking me to keep track of any changes.

Again, *please, please check it out.*


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## freezeup (Oct 1, 2016)

This is not something you should wait around to get looked at. Go to the hospital, have them do an EKG and blood work. It could honestly be from anxiety and lack of exercise, but don't risk that. You get it checked and you get peace of mind. The fact that you actually fainted is usually not a good sign, especially if it happened after physical activity.


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## Chicane (Oct 8, 2015)

Well I went back this morning. I got a full work up but they couldn't find anything wrong. They did also give me the heart monitor to wear for 24 hours. I have at times suspected that my unusual heart activity could be partly responsible for my DPDR but it's hard to tell for sure - the psychs tell me one thing, but then the medical side is possibly yielding some clues here at last. I do seem to display symptoms that are in line with heart issues - feeling faint, lightheaded, weak, no energy, brain fog, fainting, etc. So I don't know what to believe. Guess we'll see if the monitor shows anything.


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## freezeup (Oct 1, 2016)

Chicane said:


> Well I went back this morning. I got a full work up but they couldn't find anything wrong. They did also give me the heart monitor to wear for 24 hours. I have at times suspected that my unusual heart activity could be partly responsible for my DPDR but it's hard to tell for sure - the psychs tell me one thing, but then the medical side is possibly yielding some clues here at last. I do seem to display symptoms that are in line with heart issues - feeling faint, lightheaded, weak, no energy, brain fog, fainting, etc. So I don't know what to believe. Guess we'll see if the monitor shows anything.


I think mine may be heart related too. I had a really weird thing happen around the time I got dp, took around 4 ecstasy pills in one night, woke up the next day and the whole left side of my chest was inflamed (you could see and feel the puffiness) I never went to the doctor because "lol im17andthisisfine". After about a month it went away, but then 3 months later I developed DP. Ever since then I've had heart palpitations\chest tightness.fatigue problems and tachycardia randomly.

I kick my self to this day for never getting it checked out, even with getting a cardiologist to do an ultra sound\ekg of my heart and it coming back fine.


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## dope (Aug 31, 2016)

hm...this is weird you guys. All of us, and yes, including me, has developed heart problems around the time our DP first came...however, our exams don't say anything, which just leads me to believe that it all has to do with anxiety instead...I'm NO doctor, and you still should check your heart, but for us that have already checked...idk, I really think it's just anxiety


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## freezeup (Oct 1, 2016)

dope said:


> hm...this is weird you guys. All of us, and yes, including me, has developed heart problems around the time our DP first came...however, our exams don't say anything, which just leads me to believe that it all has to do with anxiety instead...I'm NO doctor, and you still should check your heart, but for us that have already checked...idk, I really think it's just anxiety


I would totally believe its anxiety if not for the fact that I physically had me chest swell up prior to DP. I hate it so much.. I don't think I've gone a single day in seven years without feeling some kind of worry about my heart or feeling some kind of palpitation .


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## Chicane (Oct 8, 2015)

Definitely not anxiety for me. If I'm sitting or laying my pulse is always 55-60 BPM but shoots up as soon as I walk around or do things, especially stuff like stair climbing etc. It's hard to know how much of the whole DP equation is physical and how much is mental. But I guess a high pulse could possibly explain some things, like my severe fatigue. I mean, I imagine if you're up and around just doing basic things and your heart is at 100-140 BPM the whole time, it's likely you'd pretty much always feel exhausted.


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## 106473 (Feb 7, 2017)

Chicane said:


> Definitely not anxiety for me. If I'm sitting or laying my pulse is always 55-60 BPM but shoots up as soon as I walk around or do things, especially stuff like stair climbing etc. It's hard to know how much of the whole DP equation is physical and how much is mental. But I guess a high pulse could possibly explain some things, like my severe fatigue. I mean, I imagine if you're up and around just doing basic things and your heart is at 100-140 BPM the whole time, it's likely you'd pretty much always feel exhausted.


I really don't know how to tell you gently, but you should be about 80, 100-140 is way way way way way too much, you NEED to go to a doctor, seriously, forget money, just forget it, you get one live, put yourself first. My friend is a champion weight lifter, i'll save his face, but his was 90's and the doctor told him to loose weight or he would live a very short life, 140 is way beyond, honestly, you might have a heart issue or even if it is anxiety, beta blockers will lower it, your heart makes you tick, don't ignore it for a second.

Seriously. If it comes to a JUSTGIVING page, i will happily try my best and I am sure some others to do what we can, but honestly money is paper, your health is YOU, no paper can replace that, it's just paper in a meaningless system, do yourself a favour, go to your doctor, get yourself well. WE care, at least I do, don't neglect it, catch this early.

If someone wants to correct me, please do, but 140 is way to high. I've researched and rare cases have 140 BPM on anxiety, but they treated it, because that high is dangerous, simple Beta Blockers might be all you need but they may save your life.


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## Chicane (Oct 8, 2015)

Oh guys, I did go, read back up a little, haha. Appreciate all the concern. I'm sitting here at home with all my wires hooked up to my heart monitor as we speak.

In any case, the doctor wasn't too nice about the whole thing, very rush rush, like everything I was saying was stupid or superfluous. I can't stand when doctors are like that. He seemed to think it was just dehydration and that the saline IV drip would clear it up, but I'm back home and recording very high pulse rates again doing practically nothing. It's a bit fucked up really, I don't know how I'll manage with DP/DR and now a possible heart condition on top of it. As if I wasn't a near-invalid already.


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## Marisa (Aug 28, 2017)

Do you have hypertension?


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## Chicane (Oct 8, 2015)

No I'm not, my blood pressure was normal measured over several hours. It really is just the high pulse/shortness of breath. Very strange.


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## 106473 (Feb 7, 2017)

Glad you are where you needed, i was in A&E once and they put me on fluids, seems like the first defence, i went in feeling faint and had low blood pressure, tell them it's not a once off, maybe it is sugar levels, but don't let them pass you off.

Side note, once you have "anxiety" in your notes, it messes everything up, i went to A&E with a temperature of 33.3 and they discharged me, my doctor the next day was outranged, said i was in hyperthermia and that my notes made them not take it seriously, i don't know the American system but it's unreal and highly stupid what they will put 'anxiety' down to. Good on you for doing the right thing


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