Attn: Dr. Chung: Please Help
A Edwards
that may be relevant. I am a 5' 11', 155 pound 39 yr old white male with
no family history of heart disease. I ran cross country 4 yrs in high
school and had very good endurance. About 10 yrs ago, I began running
again, 10+ miles per week. At this time I was also doing boxing and
martial arts training. In short, I was extremely active. Unfortunately,
the only job I could find at that time was working nights. I developed a
sleep problem and found it difficult, sometimes impossible, to sleep
during the day. I probably averaged 3-4 hours of sleep a day, if that,
for well over a year. I then began experiencing drastically reduced
exercise tolerance, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath. I also
had many other strange symptoms/feelings/pains in my chest, throat, and
elsewhere.
I saw a cardiologist, had EKG, Echo, blood tests, and Holter Monitor.
The only findings were PACs. Regardless, I still had all of the above
symptoms and felt like my heart was pounding out of my chest. Just
walking up a flight of stairs would cause shortness of breath and
intense palpitations. Even at rest, I could feel every heartbeat (not
just the PACs) as a forceful one. I could feel my pulse throbbing
forcefully in my abdomen, neck, and fingers. After repeatedly trying to
convince the cardiologist something was wrong, he diagnosed me with
myocarditis, saying, "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt." When
asked to explain this statement, he replied, "We get people in here all
the time who swear their heart is beating out of their chest and we
can't find anything wrong with them." I was prescribed anti-
inflammatories which reduced my symptoms remarkably. After a week or
two, however, I could not continue them due to side effects, mainly
painful urination. Whenever I was not on the nSAIDs my symptoms returned
full force. This led me to believe that myocarditis was the correct
diagnosis. The cardiologist then said it couldn't have been myocarditis
after all, because the virus that would have caused it would have been
resolved by that time. I asked him why the anti-inflammatories had such
a profound effect if it were not an inflammatory condition
(myocarditis). He responded with "Anti-inflammatories do a lot of other
things." I found out from my own research there were such things as non-
viral and chronic myocarditis, but gave up trying to get answers from
him after he tried passing me off to a psychiatrist.
Over time, my symptoms grew less severe but were still bad enough to
completely change my life. I quit all forms of exercise and found a new
job working days. I began using natural anti-inflammatories on a regular
basis, mainly cayenne pepper and turmeric extract. These and any kind of
spicy pepper will usually temporarily lessen most of my symptoms. This
fact reinforced my belief that I must have myocarditis or something
similar. Ibuprofen also helps but I avoid taking it regularly due to
side effects. About two yrs later I married and eventually had 2
children. My symptoms still plagued me. About 4 yrs ago I went to the ER
during a bad spell with my symptoms. An EKG found nothing significant. I
told the Dr. my history and possible diagnosis of myocarditis. They did
a blood test, I believe C-reactive protein, and he told me I did not
have myocarditis. He seemed quite certain of this.
About 3 yrs ago, I slowly began practicing a wrestling-type martial art.
Since then, I have noticed an overall improvement in the severity and
frequency of my symptoms. In short, I feel the exercise has done me
well. However, my exercise tolerance is still nowhere near where it
should be. I never go 100% during practice, yet I get so out of breath
sometimes during sparring that I literally cannot talk. About a year
ago, while in the hospital for an unrelated matter, I told my Dr. a
brief form of the history I am relating here. He did a Holter, Echo, and
EKG, said I had atrial bigeminy (which I understand to be essentially
the same thing as PACs) and not to worry about it. My questions are
these:
1) Do you think there was/is any chance I have some form of myocarditis
seeing that anti-inflammatories have a marked effect on my symptoms?
What else could explain this?
2) During the cool-down period of exercise, or during a pause in
exercise, I will often get what I can only describe as an intense,
rapid-fire fluttering in my chest that lasts only a second or two but is
extremely distressing, especially with a high heart rate. I have on
ocassion gotten this same feeling while doing nothing in particular. Is
this likely just more PACs/bigeminy that for some reason feels different
than usual, or could it be something more sinister?
3)In light of the sensation described in question #2, should I be
worried about dropping dead while exercising?
By the way, I no longer have insurance and am thus unable to see a
doctor for any more tests.
Thank you very much for your time,
A Edwards
微笑
Sorry to chime in, but this sounds a lot like what both myself and my
father have, and we both contracted it in our early 40's. I have found
that absolute zero caffeine (including ANY type of energy drink like
RedBull et al) and lots of potassium (via low sodium V8, bananas,
raisins, almonds etc), along with high potency vitamins; multi, B
complex, C, & E, plus 15 minutes of direct sunlight per day for
vitamin D, and LOTS OF SLEEP, have made a big difference for both of
us. Like with you, no real diagnosis was ever made. Mine still flairs
up once in a while, but it's mild and doesn't last long. Dad seems to
have "outgrown" his.
微笑
BusinessAc...@gmail.com
> Thank you very much for your time,
> A Edwards
Be very leery of any personal medical advice. These groups can be a
source of general information.
No legitimate doctor is going to give any personal advice without a
full history and exam.
Just because someone else, with a user name and a email address, says
they have something similar, does not mean that you have the same - a
cough can be due to a cold, viral or bacteria or fungal pneumonia or
TB or lung cancer.
So what someone else did may not work for you and you may not be
getting the proper treatment you need.
In these groups - Caveat emptor
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
>
> I will try to keep this as concise as possible while including anything
> that may be relevant. I am a 5' 11', 155 pound
Your weight is ok.
> 39 yr old white male with
> no family history of heart disease. I ran cross country 4 yrs in high
> school and had very good endurance. About 10 yrs ago, I began running
> again, 10+ miles per week. At this time I was also doing boxing and
> martial arts training. In short, I was extremely active. Unfortunately,
> the only job I could find at that time was working nights. I developed a
> sleep problem and found it difficult, sometimes impossible, to sleep
> during the day. I probably averaged 3-4 hours of sleep a day, if that,
> for well over a year. I then began experiencing drastically reduced
> exercise tolerance, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath. I also
> had many other strange symptoms/feelings/pains in my chest, throat, and
> elsewhere.
>
> I saw a cardiologist, had EKG, Echo, blood tests, and Holter Monitor.
> The only findings were PACs.
Just based on what you have written, a stress test was indicated but
apparently not done.
> Regardless, I still had all of the above
> symptoms and felt like my heart was pounding out of my chest. Just
> walking up a flight of stairs would cause shortness of breath and
> intense palpitations. Even at rest, I could feel every heartbeat (not
> just the PACs) as a forceful one. I could feel my pulse throbbing
> forcefully in my abdomen, neck, and fingers. After repeatedly trying to
> convince the cardiologist something was wrong, he diagnosed me with
> myocarditis, saying, "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt." When
> asked to explain this statement, he replied, "We get people in here all
> the time who swear their heart is beating out of their chest and we
> can't find anything wrong with them." I was prescribed anti-
> inflammatories which reduced my symptoms remarkably. After a week or
> two, however, I could not continue them due to side effects, mainly
> painful urination.
This has been known to happen.
No.
> What else could explain this?
Angina from coronary heart disease.
> 2) During the cool-down period of exercise, or during a pause in
> exercise, I will often get what I can only describe as an intense,
> rapid-fire fluttering in my chest that lasts only a second or two but is
> extremely distressing, especially with a high heart rate. I have on
> ocassion gotten this same feeling while doing nothing in particular. Is
> this likely just more PACs/bigeminy that for some reason feels different
> than usual, or could it be something more sinister?
It could still be angina. However, this would not be something
sinister.
> 3)In light of the sensation described in question #2, should I be
> worried about dropping dead while exercising?
There is that concern.
> By the way, I no longer have insurance and am thus unable to see a
> doctor for any more tests.
Would suggest you still consult with a physician, who will likely
recommend a daily baby aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes in
your specific case. Printing this post to include with other
documentation of your medical history should prove helpful to the
physicians(s) you see.
> Thank you very much for your time,
> A Edwards
You are welcome :-)
Redirecting all thanks and praises to GOD so that we will both be that
much more blessed (hungrier).
Be hungry... be healthy... be hungrier... be blessed:
http://TheWellnessFoundation.com/BeHealthy
Prayerfully in the infinite power and might of the Holy Spirit,
Andrew <><
--
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Lawful steward of http://EmoryCardiology.com
Bondservant to the KING of kings and LORD of lords.
A Edwards
news:b3b60983-3731-4141...@f10g2000hsf.googlegroups.com:
> A Edwards wrote:
>>
>> I will try to keep this as concise as possible while including
>> anything that may be relevant. I am a 5' 11', 155 pound
>
> Your weight is ok.
>
>> 39 yr old white male with
>> no family history of heart disease. I ran cross country 4 yrs in high
>> school and had very good endurance. About 10 yrs ago, I began running
>> again, 10+ miles per week. At this time I was also doing boxing and
>> martial arts training. In short, I was extremely active.
>> Unfortunately, the only job I could find at that time was working
>> nights. I developed a sleep problem and found it difficult, sometimes
>> impossible, to sleep during the day. I probably averaged 3-4 hours of
>> sleep a day, if that, for well over a year. I then began experiencing
>> drastically reduced exercise tolerance, heart palpitations, and
>> shortness of breath. I also had many other strange
>> symptoms/feelings/pains in my chest, throat, and elsewhere.
>>
>> I saw a cardiologist, had EKG, Echo, blood tests, and Holter Monitor.
>> The only findings were PACs.
>
> Just based on what you have written, a stress test was indicated but
> apparently not done.
Yes, I had a stress test as well. Sorry I forgot to mention that. The
results of that test were normal.
My cholesterol is very low and always has been.
>
>> 2) During the cool-down period of exercise, or during a pause in
>> exercise, I will often get what I can only describe as an intense,
>> rapid-fire fluttering in my chest that lasts only a second or two but
>> is extremely distressing, especially with a high heart rate. I have
>> on ocassion gotten this same feeling while doing nothing in
>> particular. Is this likely just more PACs/bigeminy that for some
>> reason feels different than usual, or could it be something more
>> sinister?
>
> It could still be angina. However, this would not be something
> sinister.
How would angina not be considered sinister considering it could be a
precursor to a heart attack?
>
>> 3)In light of the sensation described in question #2, should I be
>> worried about dropping dead while exercising?
>
> There is that concern.
Why would that concern exist if angina is not something sinister as you
indicated above?
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
> Andrew, in the Holy Spirit, boldly wrote::
> > A Edwards wrote:
> >>
> >> I will try to keep this as concise as possible while including
> >> anything that may be relevant. I am a 5' 11', 155 pound
> >
> > Your weight is ok.
> >
> >> 39 yr old white male with
> >> no family history of heart disease. I ran cross country 4 yrs in high
> >> school and had very good endurance. About 10 yrs ago, I began running
> >> again, 10+ miles per week. At this time I was also doing boxing and
> >> martial arts training. In short, I was extremely active.
> >> Unfortunately, the only job I could find at that time was working
> >> nights. I developed a sleep problem and found it difficult, sometimes
> >> impossible, to sleep during the day. I probably averaged 3-4 hours of
> >> sleep a day, if that, for well over a year. I then began experiencing
> >> drastically reduced exercise tolerance, heart palpitations, and
> >> shortness of breath. I also had many other strange
> >> symptoms/feelings/pains in my chest, throat, and elsewhere.
> >>
> >> I saw a cardiologist, had EKG, Echo, blood tests, and Holter Monitor.
> >> The only findings were PACs.
> >
> > Just based on what you have written, a stress test was indicated but
> > apparently not done.
>
> Yes, I had a stress test as well. Sorry I forgot to mention that.
Would suggest you inform your doctor(s) about your memory
difficulties, which may be related to your other onging symptoms.
A Edwards
Sir,
I merely forgot to include the stress test in the list of all the other
tests I was given. There were many details to be recalled in my lengthy
post, relating a history involving several years, and the fact that I
left out this detail is regretable but hardly indicative of "memory
difficulties" as you put it. But you know that. I do not understand why
you would respond in such a condescending and insulting manner over what
was an honest and harmless mistake.
In any case, I am not a heart doctor, but I feel quite confident my
problems have nothing to do with coronary artery disease but rather a
rythmn disturbance of some sort (obviously PACs but possibly something
else as well) coupled with or the direct result of some underlying heart
condition which I am seeking to indentify and cure, if possible.
I do appreciate you taking the time to read my post.