Increase in Heart Rate upon Standing

[MRG]

I get it. Physical issues without a firm diagnosis is frustrating. All I can say is you're your own best advocate. Be relentless. Doctors are trying to help but sometimes it can be the one thing that they miss. I know you're looking for support which I hope you feel you have. I wish the best for you.

+1

I've fought "dizzy" for years. First a PCP OD'ed me on beta blockers and that took a couple years, multiple doctors, to finally be resolved. Then I had persistent dizziness that balance therapy finally resolved but walking naked through hell might be more fun. After a couple years of freedom a different kind of dizziness presented itself and it was a over a year before an ENT suggested a gram and a half of niacin to help my inner ear self level.

Dizzy, heartrate, and falling over are not any fun at all.

 

[PatrickA5]

I get it. Physical issues without a firm diagnosis is frustrating. All I can say is you're your own best advocate. Be relentless. Doctors are trying to help but sometimes it can be the one thing that they miss. I know you're looking for support which I hope you feel you have. I wish the best for you.

Thank you.

 

[PatrickA5]

+1

I've fought "dizzy" for years. First a PCP OD'ed me on beta blockers and that took a couple years, multiple doctors, to finally be resolved. Then I had persistent dizziness that balance therapy finally resolved but walking naked through hell might be more fun. After a couple years of freedom a different kind of dizziness presented itself and it was a over a year before an ENT suggested a gram and a half of niacin to help my inner ear self level.

Dizzy, heartrate, and falling over are not any fun at all.

When I first started having symptoms in 2014, I was fairly certain that it was inner ear related because I'd had had a severe vertigo attack in 2012 that was caused when one of my ears went out completely. I was "out of it" for weeks after that attack. I got better and didn't have any symptoms until late 2014. I passed all of the ENT tests including a VNG.

Most of my testing I had done in 2015. I plan on another round of doctors and tests this year including revisiting the inner ear possibility with a new doctor.

The problem with neurological problems is most of the time they are just making educated guesses. There's only so much they can do when it comes to figuring out what's wrong with your brain. I had one Neurologist tell me he thought I had MSA (Multiple Systems Atrophy) and to come back in a year after I got worse. Fortunately, he was wrong as I probably wouldn't be here if he were right (average lifespan is 5 years after diagnosis).

At this point, I just want an answer. I think I can deal with whatever it ends up being.

 

[Ronstar]

I can't imagine having one of those things on for a month. I couldn't stand it for 2 days.



I've read they have a new devise that is really small that they insert under your skin that is suppose to monitor for 3 months.

Yes, in MIL’s case, the Dr is considering an implanted device.

 

[Kwirk]

Have you researched hyperventilation?

 

[donheff]

I went through something similar. For a long time I have experienced occasional bouts of dizziness when I get up or go up stairs. I suspected orthostatic hypo-tension but my blood pressure doesn't seem to go down or maybe pops back up too quickly to catch. About 10 years ago I had a more serious episode on my bike and stopped to lay down - I ended up in the ER dyhydrated. About six months later I had a similar epsisode but this time I was thoroughly hydrated. I learned that an alpha blocker I was taking for BPH can cause such symptoms so I stopped it but the problem recurred about six months later. My cardiologist wasn't too concerned because I was otherwise in great shape and he didn't see any signs of problems. A bit later my brother experienced something similar (but longer lasting) and turned out to have aFib. That alarmed the cardiologist who cautioned that we needed to rule out aFib (stroke risk). The Holter Monitor mentioned above was of no use because the episodes were rare. They finally implanted a monitor that would phone home to the master ship anytime I had an episode. About six months later I had one and it turned out to be supra ventricle tachycardia. SPV can be rather benign or serious enough to warrant intervention. Mine is on the benign side so I don't take drugs and it seems to be lessening over the years. I think the lesson is to discuss your situation with your cardiologist to evaluate whether you need to pursue the cause in earnest or whether it is reasonable to engage in watchful waiting. These things can be hard to track down and even if you find a cause there may be little you can do. I know correlation is not causation but I still suspect that the alpha blocker caused the whole problem.

 

[PatrickA5]

Have you researched hyperventilation?

No. I'll look into it. Thanks.

 

[LOL!]

So this thread started with yesterday after lunch with partial information, then we learned last night about more symptoms, more doctors' visits, and more than a 5-year history of this. I would be asking my doctors for referrals to other cardiologists and other doctors.

I'm one those folks with bradycardia (resting heart rate around 40) and an abnormal EKG that happens in about 5% to 10% of healthy folks. It is also interesting to see the EKG tech go strangely silent when the chart rolls off the device flagging that I should be dead. I tease them a bit: "So how do I look? My heart is healthy and normal, right?" It is fun to hear them make excuses for not agreeing with me, but also not telling me that the EKG is abnormal.

 

[PatrickA5]

So this thread started with yesterday after lunch with partial information, then we learned last night about more symptoms, more doctors' visits, and more than a 5-year history of this. I would be asking my doctors for referrals to other cardiologists and other doctors.

That's the plan. I think my new neurologist has some good connections to other specialties that I'll be looking into.

Speaking of referrals, it took a month just to get my PCP office staff and my new neurologist office staff to sync up the referral. Every week I'd call the new doctor to see if they got the referral. Nope. Then I'd call my PCP to see if they sent it. Yep. After a month of this nonsense, I insisted that they actually pick up the phone and talk to each other about it.

 

[LOL!]

I'll toss this out there (I am not a physician):

Hiatal hernia where your stomach protrudes sometimes up into your chest cavity. Perhaps impinging on heart, vagus nerve endings, and other things in your thorax, but only sometimes.

 

[PatrickA5]

I'll toss this out there (I am not a physician):

Hiatal hernia where your stomach protrudes sometimes up into your chest cavity. Perhaps impinging on heart, vagus nerve endings, and other things in your thorax, but only sometimes.

Thanks. I'll look into that.

 

[JustCurious]

That being said I don't think I'd ask for medical advice on a financial forum. Just sayin'.

I've always thought of this forum as a lifestyle forum, Bogleheads is a financial forum.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Anybody else have events like this?

yep, when I was going through my pulmonary embolism my heart rate jumped every time I stood up

 

[Big_Hitter]

That being said I don't think I'd ask for medical advice on a financial forum.

this is a financial forum? I thought this was a FIRE forum - the F is just one word

 

[Peter]

Anybody else have events like this?

Yes, in my case a result of taking Flomax. Getting out of bed in the morning resulted in dizziness, shortage of breath, and rapid heart beat. Took a while for me to realize that it was a Flomax side effect.

I still get slight symptoms, but they are gradually getting back to normal.

The Flomax didn't do much for getting up in the night, either.

 

[PatrickA5]

Yes, in my case a result of taking Flomax. Getting out of bed in the morning resulted in dizziness, shortage of breath, and rapid heart beat. Took a while for me to realize that it was a Flomax side effect.

I still get slight symptoms, but they are gradually getting back to normal.

The Flomax didn't do much for getting up in the night, either.

OP here. This is exactly why my doctor wouldn't prescribe Flomax to me. I don't need anything else making me dizzy!