#1 ·
They actually caught an accelerated heart rate during my routine checkups back in elementary school, though I didn't really have any other symptoms at the time. By high school, the tachycardia had become much more pronounced. I went through several cardiology evaluations—my VA ultrasound was normal, I had a Holter monitor test where my heart rate hit 92 while resting in a hospital bed, and they even noted palpitations during an exercise stress test. The specialist over at the Mayo Clinic basically told me just to avoid heavy physical activity.
Things took a turn for the worse once I started college. On top of random spikes where my heart rate would jump to 140, I began feeling constant palpitations. I sought out a second cardiologist, but their take was that this was all psychosomatic and that I should go see a psychiatrist instead.
After some time passed, the situation became quite dire. After eating anything at all, I’d struggle to catch my breath for nearly an hour. I was also dealing with daily sharp pains in my chest. Eventually, a cardiologist saw me urgently and ran a Holter and an EKG. Based on those results, he prescribed Bisoprolol 2.5 mg. While that has allowed me to function somewhat normally, I still experience palpitations for at least half an hour every single day. The most unsettling part is the shortness of breath; it gets significantly worse right before my period and can last for hours. A recent Holter test taken while I was on the medication recorded 36 supraventricular arrhythmias, an average rate of 87 bpm, and a peak of 144 bpm during a walk. My doctor mentioned I need to undergo another stress test, but I have to wait six months for that. Given how things are going, I'm starting to feel a sense of panic and fear, especially during those moments when I feel like I'm running out of air and might actually collapse. The anxiety often keeps me from sleeping, and if I happen to forget my morning dose, everything falls apart. I'm only in my early twenties and don't have massive amounts of stress in my life right now. Does anyone have any advice? My doctor insists it isn't anything serious and tells me to just enjoy the summer, but it's incredibly hard to ignore what my body is doing.
Things took a turn for the worse once I started college. On top of random spikes where my heart rate would jump to 140, I began feeling constant palpitations. I sought out a second cardiologist, but their take was that this was all psychosomatic and that I should go see a psychiatrist instead.
After some time passed, the situation became quite dire. After eating anything at all, I’d struggle to catch my breath for nearly an hour. I was also dealing with daily sharp pains in my chest. Eventually, a cardiologist saw me urgently and ran a Holter and an EKG. Based on those results, he prescribed Bisoprolol 2.5 mg. While that has allowed me to function somewhat normally, I still experience palpitations for at least half an hour every single day. The most unsettling part is the shortness of breath; it gets significantly worse right before my period and can last for hours. A recent Holter test taken while I was on the medication recorded 36 supraventricular arrhythmias, an average rate of 87 bpm, and a peak of 144 bpm during a walk. My doctor mentioned I need to undergo another stress test, but I have to wait six months for that. Given how things are going, I'm starting to feel a sense of panic and fear, especially during those moments when I feel like I'm running out of air and might actually collapse. The anxiety often keeps me from sleeping, and if I happen to forget my morning dose, everything falls apart. I'm only in my early twenties and don't have massive amounts of stress in my life right now. Does anyone have any advice? My doctor insists it isn't anything serious and tells me to just enjoy the summer, but it's incredibly hard to ignore what my body is doing.