Looking for Answers - dizziness

[Emilie19]

I've been struggling for 4 months now and have yet to receive a diagnosis, I'm sure many of you can relate to the long process waiting for a diagnosis from a cardiologist whilst struggling daily in the meantime. I'm just posting this here incase anyone else has had the same symptoms and may know what's going on and what can help.

I'm a 21 year-old woman, and was fit and healthy, until in September I started getting chest pain (it felt like fullness and pressure rather than a stabbing pain). I was ignoring it as didn't think it could be serious due to my age, and then two weeks after the chest pain started I had an 'episode' where my left arm went numb followed by the worst chest pain I've ever had and severe palpitataions. I was hot and clammy yet shaking, but those who touched me said I was cold. I went pale, my lips went white and my pupils were dilated. We called 999 and I went to A&E. My legs and other arm also went numb, so I had to be put in a wheelchair. Long story short, they were able to rule out it being a heart attack but unable to say what it was. My bloods came back fine, ECG & blood pressure a little high.

Since then I've had that exact episode another two times. I went down the GP route who thought I had SVT as I'd had caffeine before the episodes (despite having coffees every day for years) so I've cut out caffeine and chocolate for two months now and also barely drink alcohol anymore (a SVT trigger). Since then I've had episodes but nothing severe enough to need to go to A&E, so I do believe it is caffeine related.

However, I have felt unwell every day since October with debilitating dizziness where I have to lie down for hours. It's affected my university life where I cannot work and have to get extensions, as well as my social life where I often have to leave things early or miss out completely. I don't experience this dizziness with palpitations, so I'm starting to think this is not SVT, or may be something else as well as SVT. I have these episodes of feeling severely dizzy, sick and with hot flushes and a headache every day for two months and have no idea what it is. My GP was very dismissive suggesting it was anxiety. I am not anxious.

3/4 months since my first episode, I'm currently wearing a ECG heart monitor for a week which my cardiologist has given me so she can diagnose SVT with evidence. It's been a long process, as I'm sure many of you can relate, I was referred urgently to a cardiologist from my GP yet only seen a month later who said I needed a monitor, and then had to wait another month for it. I am grateful for this, but I feel if it is SVT I've managed it myself in the last few months with the lifestyle changes of cutting out caffeine. Yet this dizziness is what is concerning me as I cannot manage it and affects me daily. Now I've tried the GP, I don't know where to start with getting help from a cardiologist for it, or a different GP. If anyone has experienced similar symptoms and has a guess at what could be going on, what I should ask my GP/Cardiologist for, or any general advice in managing it - I would be extremely appreciative. I've felt quite alone in this due to my age and also felt like I've had to find the answers myself with how long waiting times are for appointments etc., so it would be great to hear from people who've experienced similar symptoms. Thank you.

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My Dear Emilie19

What a heartfelt story your is, made more heartfelt by the lack of answers you are getting to your condition.

I am not medically trained so I can’t answer directly to your problem, but it sounds like you have the beginning of a treatment plan forming and yes for obvious reasons there is a delay for that plan to be actioned.

Please believe me that you are not alone, we tend to think that heart problems are just for the older ones of us.

But certain heart conditions can hit at any age as I have witnessed on various hospital appointments.

Please get answers from your GP { yes I know the problems } your heart specialist/ 111 and if the worst get yourself to A&E.

Welcome to the forum and you now will never be alone with this problem as you have shared it with us.

You are in my thoughts

[Qualipop]

I'm so sick of GPs blaming everything on anxiety, especially in women and especially younger ones. Is there a different GP you could see and be really insistent hat they urgently find out what's causing it? Don't hesitate to call 999 if you have another episode.

[richard_jw]

Hi Emilie I sympathize with your probs

I have had symptoms not dissimilar to yours. It does sound like some sort of arrhythmia. I have worn a holter monitor for 3 days and it showed something like 140 PACs in each hour on average. I believe that's high

No afib though. So cardiologists seem disinterested because these ectopic beats are not life threatening

It maybe you have a lot of PACs and possibly attacks of afib as well

A holter monitor may not pick up the more severe episodes but pickup the more continuous PACs.

There are other monitors which pickup the former sort .

If a&e did their tests properly (ECG and bloods). The bloods check for troponin needs to be done twice there should be no question of a heart attack which makes some arrhythmia more likely given your age.

I read today about a trial of a magnesium compound which dramatically reduced the number of PACs. I don't have the link but it sounded interesting. Might be worth asking your cardiologist or I'm sure I can find the link to the article.

If it is afib it beeds treating since it can lead to a stroke.

Hope this helps

Richard