Stress Echo & High Heart Rate? Anxiety? Thoughts?

Hi Friends,

I had my stress echo test done today. The doctor showed me all of the findings and everything was "normal." This was great news, and very encouraging. The only part of this that was discouraging is that my heart rate was at 180 within 5 minutes of walking, never even got to jogging. :-/ The doctor at hand couldn't/wouldn't speak to me about that because he was only there to read the echo and stress. :(

Does anyone know anything about anxiety and high heart rates? My heart has never behaved this way before having my 3rd child, and I am just so darn confused about what is happening to me. I used to be able to run, jog, do flips, whatever I wanted. Now I am stuck in this cycle of not doing much because my heart rate spikes up so quickly.

What should I do? :(

Thanks SC!

That is great advice and that's exactly what was happening. I even started crying, and closed my eyes while I was walking during the stress-echo. The nurses felt so bad about this. But they were so caring and sympathetic afterward that I greatly appreciated them. It really inspired me to volunteer some time at one of the local hospitals so that maybe I can help others who are in tough situations. :)

As for exercise, I started walking / slight jogging around a month ago. But then this recent scare has stopped me from doing that. But I am going to try and start back with it this evening.

The problem is I used to be so fit, that it's really hard for me to understand how after my latest pregnancy I can hardly start a jog before I am in the 180's+. I have not done cardio since pre-pregnancy, but I was super-active before, so I guess I figured I could just pick it back up post-partum. Apparently not. And apparently size is not a definition of physical fitness. I am back to my pre-pregnancy size, but not in my pre-pregnancy physical condition.

One step at a time, right. Thanks so much for your support and encouragement.

Lol! Yep. I bet if I had a chance to try that test 3 times, the 3rd time my body would figure out how to get the heart rate at a lower pace. Jumpy hearts are tricky. But yes, I passed. I'm trying to hold onto that for the time being.

And the doctor called this afternoon to say that I am cleared for exercise, and to start slow and condition. He'll see me again in 6 months to see how I am doing.

:)

Mam, i think your heart rate has more to do with your current physical
fitness than anything else, start slow and work your way up, Peace

Larry ***

brendaboo-Thanks for the encouragement! Way to go on getting to the gym too!

Larry-Thanks for calling me Mam, now I feel awesome! :) And thanks for the wisdom too. :)

Rn1987- Wow, sounds like we had the same experience. Isn't it soo scary! I just started crying when I saw numbers that high, because I thought, wow, I really am going to die. I didn't die though. Why did you have a stress echo done? You're young too. I'm 32, btw.

Awe, that's so scary. :( No fun at all! I was very anti-med in the beginning of this crazy journey, but only because I am nursing a 9 month old (she was 2 months old at the time). After 3 months of completely suffering without medicine, I decided to take an extremely small dose of Lexapro (2.5mg), coupled with an extremely small dose of Ativan. It changed my life. I was able to function again. My anxiety was still there, but it wasn't debilitating like it was before I started the meds. I am sure that if I took a clinical grade dose of 5 mg or 10mg, my anxiety would likely disappear. *wishful thinking, right. :)*

I believe it was around 2 weeks after I started taking Lexapro that I noticed a huge difference in my quality of life. I eventually started breaking the 10mg pill into 3's and so now I am technically taking 3.3mg of Lexapro and no Ativan. I would recommend to give it a try, but to start at a low dose, especially if you are afraid of it. It helps to ease your way into it, instead of starting at the higher dosages.

Okay, from the perspective of someone who was a personal trainer for....let's say a veerrryyy long time (!) let me share my personal perspective, okay?

Larry brings up an excellent point. When someone is deconditioned, their resting heart rates are generally on the high side. As you exercise (gently at first), the lower that rate will get. The key is not to go in and give it your ALL and do it 1-2 x week (that'll backfire mighty quick).

The KEY is to exercise frequently, be consistent, and for the first couple of weeks, always leave feeling like, "yeah, I could've done more!" ;)

Plus, you got the Doc's OK so,...sounds good!





M.

TMA. Thanks for posting that as this could have been my post. Everytime when I went to the ER because of chest pain, they would hook me up to a heart monitor and I noticed that when I raised up my heart rate would jump from 80 to 140. Just from raising myself off the bed! My doctor gave me a med to help control my bp and hr. I don't know if it has helped because its a huge trigger for me to check my blood pressure and pulse. Big baby I guess.

TMA,

Sounds about right. Again if you're deconditioned, then even small bits of activity will cause your HR to elevate fast and hard.

But keep a log (or just use your observation). If you choose to walk the stroller every day as your anxiety take the same path.

Yes, going up to 130's as you're walking along is within normal ranges.

Even going into the 170's walking up a hill is not uncommon to see numbers like that.

Tell me,....after the hill...did your HR come back down? :)

In the early stages it probably came back down slowly, but it did come down. The more fit you get, the quicker it will come down.

IF when you're walking up that hill you feel faint or dizzy, stop....rest...resume when you feel better. Drink water along the way (pack a bottle of water for you!). It's not a race....Breaks are okay. Slowing your pace up that hill is okay.

Biggest, super-biggest, utmost-biggest factor will be........how consistently you do this! :)

(You're doing fine!)





M.

Yea i think it will be fun cuz its hard to find someone else dealing with similar stuff and its easier to undestand and encourage each other ,when i try talking to my family members they say you gotta get over this its all in your head 😔, so it would be nice to talk to someone that gets it , How you do I exchange emails with our everyone else seeing it ?😳

Tma,

Thank you so much for posting about your experience with Lexapro! It is nice to see a positive post for an AD, especially on such a low dose. I am prescribed 5 mg of Lexapro and the day after I got the prescription filled, I started seeing improvement in my condition. So I actually haven't taken it yet. But your experience has made me less anxious about possibly having to take it! Thank you:)

Got it :) ill email you soon