next step for figuring out my health issue.. heart or ??

Saw a 2nd Cardiologist who is supposed to be very good. He basically said my heart is really clear and if it had inflammation there might be more muffled sounds. Since my Ct chest and echo did not show anything for my heart and my bloodwork I did back in April was very clean they seem to think my heart is fine.

Said he did not want to do a Holter monitor unless I felt like I was having tachycardia when I feel the palpitations. Also didn't seem to want to do anything regarding Blood Pressure due to my age and said if my BP stayed more in the 160 range versus the 140/90 range as it has been in the past couple months then he might consider meds. Also didn't want to do bloodwork- his thoughts are if it shows inflammation it doesn't show where so it's not that helpful...

So basically he did nothing and not even a new EKG. Told me to try and exercise again and so I have taken a couple classes at the gym as a student and I made it through both but I sure feel like something is off. I just feel like my pulse gets going much more easily that usual or at least that is my perception. I only feel about maybe 60 percent of my normal and not because I have take a month and a half or so off of the gym.

Would it be normal for BP in the range mine is in (142/92-98 seems to be the reading) to actually make me feel really weird, or could that be the reason I can't lay flat in bed to sleep still? I am pretty sure I had a panic attack back in April at the beginning of all this but even in a calm state I am still having the palpitation feelings and did try to lay flat in bed the other night and woke up on my side with my heart feeling like it was totally thumping in my chest within an hour.

Prior to this illness I always had normal BP up to my most recent Dr. appt. last year in May. So not sure if BP can make me feel so weird, not exercising and all the anxiety I have had worrying re do I have Pericarditis or not I am sure did not help and my grandma and aunt both got high BP at my age and other grandma and dad's brother have it too. So it is in my family.

I also still have a pressure feeling in my chest when I am sitting kind of at the bottom of my sternum area and the squeezing feeling when i take a really deep breath -really notice if i am leaning forward. I have a pretty sore spot on my upper ribs on the right side.. I just wonder if maybe it is costrochondritis that is giving me a squeezing feeling...since it feels like it is right under my sternum.

So all those things, squeezing/pressure feeling center chest, the high BP and feeling like my pulse gets up quickly, not being able to lay flat in bed and also the palpitations and just not feeling like my normal self still... two plus months after I was sick...makes me wonder...

I am quite frustrated by going to the Dr. as no one is helping me and I can't afford to keep going to the Dr. every week. If you think of any stomach/gallbladder other issues that this sounds like.. let me know..I have had no tests regarding stomach. lol. I don't even know what to do now or who to see, I am feeling like my primary care Dr. just thinks I have anxiety and doesn't know what to do with me anyways...

Amber

Amber, If you are taking Prilosec take a look at this thread in the Anxiety Forum from yesterday: https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=9&m=3100817 I am sorry to know you did not receive the work-up you hoped for from the new Dr. I wish I had more to offer.     Stress and palpitations are so common, and almost always benign. That said, I can't tell you specifically what is going on and you have not had any luck with your Drs. but do not give up.  Have you talked to your Dr. re anxiety as the culprit?

thanks Kitt, I did read her post last night as well as some other ones I find just searching on the interent...i know mine didn't start until I had been on it over a month.. who knows I have def been anxious...but I def also have some weird symptoms feelings I have never had prior to the illness... that are there all the time... ugh lol

well interestingly enough, my GP mentioned a beta blocker and the cardiologist basically said unless my BP was staying in the 160 range he wouldn't put me on meds at my age.. but I also said i had had anxiety regarding thinking I have pericarditis etc... mainly i really just want to know do I have it or do it not so I can move on or deal with it..I just worry that all the strenuous exercise I like to do and am trying to move back into would make it worse so that is my biggest concern. I want to workout strenuously like I always have and I actually don't feel like i can at the moment and I am not sure if it is because my BP is high now and its making me feel weird when i do or something else ....i did a couple classes in the past few days.. first cardio classes since April.. I just don't feel right and wonder if it is the BP making me feel that way... I was probably in the best cardio shape of my life prior to this because I had been teaching a lot this past year, more than I ever had in past 15 years. I made it through the classes to the end but I sure don't feel like I could go back to teaching my own classes which are harder... at this point.. and I just want to make sure I am not doing more damage to myself by doing so...exercise is my happy place so having it taken away made me a little crazy. lol. I have been to my GP at least 5 times since I got sick originally maybe 6 lol.... and was just there last week. He did mention beta blocker but I said I would wait to see Cardio since it was only 5 more days...I have seen him more in 2 months than in past 10 years lol

today I had 8 panels of blood drawn checking thyroid, cbc, sed rate, ck, metabolic panel, tsh, crp... I had one of the Drs. i work with order the labs so I will know soon if it shows anything.

No I have not Jdiane. Unless things wrong with it would show on the bloodwork I had last week. I don't know how you test for it. I have not even considered that too much as an option, but I am working my way there. lol. I will have to ask the Dr. I am going to a GI doc on Wednesday for the first time? I feel discomfort to lay in bed flat and when I do try to fall asleep that way I wake up very shortly after that within an hour. I feel like it makes my heart feel weird, and I can't lay on my sides either as it makes my heart feel weird. Not sure how to describe it. I have had to sleep sitting up or at least propped up on extra pillows for two months now.

I also continue to have a tightness feeling in my chest under my sternum when I inhale deeply and I notice it when I am sitting in a chair.. standing up continues to be the least noticeable symptoms for me. I have been off all medication for two weeks ( anti-inflammatories for the possible heart issue I don't seem to have and the Prilosec I took for my stomach protection. I don't feel any better and possibly my chest tightness feels a little worse. I basically feel like if you removed the center area of my chest I would feel 100 percent normal. The rest of me feels fine and I haven't noticed any particular GI symptoms so far though.

Arf007,

If you have  reflux disease there  are many ways to manage GERD, including diet and lifestyle changes, medications, surgery and alternative therapies. You may want to read over some of the posts by several of my friends from the GERD Forum.

Elevation of the head of your bed (because lying down can make GERD worse) and avoiding lying down for 3 hours after eating are some of the first things GERD patients are instructed to do if nighttime is hard for them.

I hope the GI Dr. discovers your problem - I am not dx, just posting some info so you have some ideas about what GERD is and how GERD can mimic heart pain. Link with general info from GERD Forum:

GERD Treatment Options !

• A doctor said that you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic disease that causes ongoing pain and burning in the chest and throat (heartburn). GERD is also called “acid reflux disease.”
  
• You want to know what research says about your options.
  
• Check out this link provided by Denise, one of our wise members.  Thanks Denise.

http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/search-for-guides-reviews-and-reports/?productid=756&pageaction=displayproduct

Hope your wife is doing well.

Kindly,

Kitt

 

now I am back on for GI dr next week on friday.... my friend's dad is ER physician and says it has to be my heart, espophagus with my symptoms as the most likely culprit.. unless I have some weird musculoskeletal thing.. but all I know is I have been completely off meds about 16 days and feeling more chest pains although nothing too severe at this point...I still lean towards its my heart because of my virus I had... but ... IDK..my co-worker had Pericarditis and she said her tests were negative and she was told she had anxiety and eventually had an effusion and needle drainage.. ugh

have you found some doctor who can explain what is going on with your BP, it could be anxiety, but You might want to find a doctor and cardiologist that can give you some peace of mind. are your daily BP reading lower than the one you posted? I wish you well

kamikazee, sorry I hadn't been on the site for a few weeks now . I will check in and definitely will post my whole story if I do indeed finally get a diagnosis to help others with their issues...=)

A lot of my problems for years where gi related so that's mainly what I focused on thinking that's what was causing all my symptoms. They have done every test possible and the only thing that shows up is a mild form of lactose intolerance and rapid gastric emptying. Which doesn't make any sense because I never had any kind of surgery. And I'm sorry but lactose intolerance should not cause the breathing problems I am having.

I'm 27 but about 5 years ago I developed a lot of new symptoms such as chest tightness/pressure, shortness of breath I can't walk up steps without getting winded and I'm not out of shape, headaches, feeling of faint I swear to god the first year these symptoms developed I constantly felt like I would pass out at any minute it was terrible, vision problems, hard to breath while laying down on back so I always have to sleep on my side, when it first started I had numbness in my extremities along with pin pricking sensations, nausea, extreme fatigue. In a nutshell it constantly feels like I have a 45 lbs brick sitting on my chest. And the worst thing is the fact that I feel like I can't take in a deep satisfying breath causes me to have severe panic attacks to the point where I feel like I'm going to pass out because I feel like I'm not getting adequate amount of air.

And after seeing numerous doctors they are unwilling to run any tests and they keep telling me its all caused from anxiety and stress. In which I refuse to believe especially after hearing a story like I shared above.

So thats my hell in a nutshell.

it's not anxiety-related at this point although I have definitely had some and some of my earlier symptoms were related to that. I am seeing Cardiologist tomorrow but they haven't been helpful so far, but my regular Dr. will order tests for me if they won't...I am basically demanding it at this point, whether it makes sense to them or not. I will let you know... I still think I am having a heart -related issue as originally thought. Anyways will update in the next week after I finally get someone to order some tests. Sorry kamikazee for all your troubles!! That is rough! hang in there!

AMber

I saw the Physician assistant to the Cardiologist yesterday and I will do a stress echo test on Monday since I have basically done most other tests already. Hopefully that will shed some light on something. I really like the PA better than the Doctor personality-wise. I was relieved that he was as pleasant and easy to talk to as he was. Will report back after I get the results. Also, my BP is back to almost my normal 124/76 so I now am sure anxiety and ibuprofen contributed to it going up so high for a couple months.