scary heart trouble

I have heart pain & palipations that came out of nowhere for about two weeks now. I'm 23 year old female. The pain sometimes wakes me up in the middle of the night. It comes and goes, but when it is there it lasts around an hour. I have problems several times a day. One day I didn't have any trouble until I that night while I was sleeping. It isn't when I get mad or scared. My sister has heart pain and palipations, she has been on beta blockers for a year or better. I don't know if her problem has a name, and we aren't on good enough terms for me to find out. That's the only history in my family that I have for heart problems. I went to the E.R. when it first started but haven't had a follow up because I don't have any money for a doctor and I have no insurance.

I have been under a lot of stress. My s/o is very sick, money trouble, school just started for the kids (and trying to get them clothes & shoes), Monday I started a job after being a stay at home mom for 5 years, before I was looking for a job, which is stressful.

THE HISTORY: (and the one E.R. trip.)
It started the day I took my daughter to a denist about 2 hours away. It was an early morning appt, so after staying up to late and getting up early I drank some energy drinks. (wait there's more) I had two "rip it's" and 2 dr. peppers over the course of the day. (I am sensitive to caffenine, it makes me jittery if I drank to much) Well, then I got REALLY MAD, because my s/o is having health problems and the doctors were giving us the run around BAD, so I went up there and confronted them and wouldn't leave until they helped us out. I guess I'm not the best at confrontation. No heart problems at this point. I go home and basically relive the day on the computer (message boards) then I notice my heart felt like if flopped over or something. (VIEW IMAGE that is the feeling I had) after a few minutes I started getting pain. I tried to ignore it but it wouldn't go away. Finally, I called the hospital and they said if it didn't go away in 30 minutes to go up there. So I go up there and they put me on a 3 lead heart monitor and have me one there for an hour. They do one chest x-ray and put me on a 12 lead ekg for literally for only a minute or two! They give me anitvan, send me home with a E.R. paper that says "treated for palpations and excess caffeine intake" "follow up with local m.d. if problems persist" and they sent me with four more antivans. I would have asked more intelligable questions except the antivan knocked me out!! I am also very sensitve to any medicines and alchohol. I don't know why. I don't do drugs or drink. I have always been healthy. I am a healthy weight but I am pretty sedentary. I also can't see a doctor because of finacial reasons. I will try to save the money for it though now that I have a job. The only doctor I have seen in the past has been ob/gyn for my two pregnacys, and the tubal surgery I had. I have two girls. VIEW IMAGE


Any ideas would be appreciated. Also a question, should I just ignore this? Reason I ask is because I am so young, and although it sounds silly I really can't be sick or unhealthy. I have to help other people... So far the pain isn't incompassitating. *spelling

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WOW-that must have been very scary! Do try to see a doctor as soon as possible to be checked out completely.

 I certaintly don't know what you were experiencing but I can take a guess. It sounds like palpitations which are premature heart beats that can feel really scary. It sounds like your parasympathetic nervous system is sensitive and that you were pretty worked up that day and had alot of caffeine (not a good thing for palpitations and a sensitve nervous system). In my own experience once my heart gets "jumpy" with these premature beats, they can take on a life of their own and rear their ugly heads any old day and at any old time. Being anxious or worrying about them or thinking about them will certaintly prompt their appearance even more.

Good news is that you are very young and do not seem to have a history of early heart disease that runs in your family. That is on your side. It would be good to know what your sister is dealing with but it sounds like it might just be premature hearts beats also.??? They are called PACs or PVCs depending upon where they originate. If you heart is healthy and structurally sound, they are only an annoyance. If they are really bothersome, there are some docs that give you a beta blocker is see if that lessens the sensation of them and makes you feel better. Beta blockers help some people. In other people it makes the beats even more frequent. Those people choose not to take meds.

That is why you need to see a doctor to be checked out and make sure your heart is healthy and structurally sound but with your age and absence of strong family history for  heart problems you will probably checked out just fine. However it is your heart so get checked!

Really the ER is only good for making sure you are not going to die on their watch. You need a good family doctor to check into your health and make sure all is OK.   God Bless