I would be grateful to know whether anyone has had this experience and what they have done. I have had bad sleep patterns for years which I’ve put down to anxiety. I have no trouble getting to sleep but wake early.Over the last year have had medical issues (prolapse, eye surgery) that have added to my depression- not least because I haven’t been able to travel to see friends ( I have no family and friends are miles away. I need to move now I don’t work but health has held me back even looking).
I have been seen by paramedics /gp for several episodes of palpitations - rapid pulse and chest pressure over the years. First episode in 2012. Always happens when sitting . Echo found mild left ventricular thickening and tricuspid valve dysfunction but nothing to treat. I did a lot of exercise so reasonably fit.
Over the last few months have been woken at night with pressure feeling sometimes raised bp. But usually low pulse - last night it happened and pulse was 42 on my Fitbit. I have had lower than usual bp over last few months but not clinically low - around 110/70. Sometimes down to 90/80 after exercise.
my gp referred me in July for bp monitor but I’ve not yet been given an appointment. On basis haven’t passed out I stopped worrying but have started getting pressure in chest during the day some coughing but that’s worse in morning. I am better moving around.
After the latest thumping heart episode this year ( sitting in theatre totally relaxed) I was told to get ecg monitor which I did privately on basis I still hadn’t had nhs appointment. . The cardiologist ordered ecg monitor ( no bp monitor ) but said I may have gastric reflux ( but not be aware of it) and anxiety . So I tried esomeprazole for 4 weeks. I think it helped a bit - but was just a trial and am now waiting an endoscopy.
my ecg monitor showed ventricular ectopics and tachycardia. I have been put on bisoprolol but I am nervous as my resting bp during day is 55 sometimes down to 40 and at night it is all over the place from low to often high. I am concerned they will make my pulse too low and chest feel worse. Plus as I have no serious arythmias is it really necessary?
My endoscopy is in December so I could hold off. My main concern is not having these horrible sensations - which are worse at night. I have no doubt I have some anxiety but try to manage it through exercise and hobbies. I am now anxious about driving for fear of having these symptoms distract me driving and the slightest stress seems to cause the ectopics.
Has anyone been advised to use bisoprolol for anxiety? Has anyone discovered their chest discomfort and throat clearing etc was reflux ( without the acid)?
If anyone has read all of this then you are a star. I have been neglectful if the forum since my eye troubles and dozens of hospital visits has got me down. I am grateful for this forum and the very kind folk on it.
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Janouska
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First I have a resting heart rate of about 55 and this can drop to low 40s at night when I have worn a wrist monitor. When I discussed this with my GP he said I was fine. And I have had recent hospital visits when I was monitored over hours/days and no-one commented on my 'low' heart rate.
Next I can't comment on your heart conditions, however I very definitely do have acid reflux but it has been successfully managed by PPI medication and life style management for nearly 15 years. If you have untreated acid reflux caused by a weak valve at the inlet to the stomach, or perhaps a hiatus hernia, you may find there are trigger foods or drinks that give you problems. Bending over a lot, or being overweight or worse obese will also not help, as will large meals especially before going to bed. Also apart from 'indigestion' pains in your chest, you may get pain in middle of your back as I have done (apparently a less common symptom) and reflux of acidic stomach contents into your throat. Otherwise I suggest you research reflux disease to see if any of your symptoms match. The NHS sites are here
thank you very much for such a detailed reply. I felt so tough today I have spoken to GP who suggested I go back on the PPIs for a few weeks ( but come off before endoscopy) and not taking beta blocker yet or statin so as not to complicate my system at this stage. I yearn fir a night’s sleep so am put to the shed to see if I have some wood to raise the head of my bed. It weighs a ton so will have to be careful I don’t upset my prolapse or give myself a hernia doing it😂Thank you again
Two more tips. First if you believe your problems stem from acid reflux and are trying to get a good night's sleep, try to sleep on your left side if possible. Gravity may then reduce any reflux back into the oesophagus because the inlet to your stomach is on the right side. And second, avoid eating anything, especially meat, at least three hours before you go to bed to allow your stomach to move digesting food onwards.
thanks. I will do. I use extra pillows as well but am actually better sitting up. I managed to do that for 6 weeks years ago when I had vertigo so am sure I can do it again. I just want to get out and about again. I haven’t driven for a long time and thought changing my 16 year old car for a 3 year old one would inspire me and it does but only been 30 miles since August. My plan is to visit my 93 year old friend down in Folkestone and take her out but may end up on trains - it relieves my guilt on having a car but these scary heart things and lack of sleep have shot my confidence but I need to force myself. At least it’s taken my mind off my eyes😂You have to look at the positive. This time 6 months ago I thought I would lose my sight but only lost a bit in one eye. So grateful for what I have, So sorry and frustrated for all of those waiting for diagnosis and treatment.
Very good advice! I forced myself to sleep on my left side last night and I slept better. I also did not have my normal bed time drink of herbal tea just some water. I’ve already cut down on my decaf tea and coffee, stopped alcohol totally weeks ago, reduced carbohydrates to try to reduce my cholesterol. Whilst I have been on the PPI I have actually had acid reflux and can’t remember actually having heartburn for a long time. Think it was tomatoes or cauliflower! Only time will tell.
This is what I said in a recent post about groups of 'trigger' foods and reflux disease. Tomatoes may well fit into the third group, since they are acidic.
-those that create gas as they are digested and force acidic stomach liquids back into the oesophagus, typically onions
- those that relax the valve at the inlet to the stomach allowing back flow, apparently coffee and chocolate do this
- and those that irritate the soft tissue such as citric fruit juice, spirits and spicy food.
I suggest to anyone who suffers from 'indigestion' that they keep a food diary to help identify what causes them problems, with the objective of avoiding them.
We are all different and what causes problems for some people may not do the same for others.
Finally as far as foods to help reduce cholesterol the BHF recommend a 'Mediterranean' diet, details of which you which you will find on their site, including recipes. And in my view reducing carbs will do little to reduce cholesterol, unlike changing or reducing fat type from saturated to unsaturated.
I cannot comment with regards to most of your health issues however I was recently diagnosed with late onset asthma after being admitted to hospital via A & E with an asthma exacerbation. It came as quite a shock!
One of the questions I was asked constantly was due you suffer with reflux. My answer was no, thinking of heartburn. However upon discharge the consultant informed me that the night time coughing was in fact Silent Reflux (LPR) something I’d never heard of! I was prescribed Omprezole, which I think is helping (early days, I’ve since had another asthma exacerbation admittance to hospital and have gone from no meds to a whole load including 3 types of asthma inhalers, hypertension meds and presently a long course of steroids slowly weaning off).
I hope the silent reflux info gives you something to research with regards to that area and wish you all the best with all your other conditions.
Wow thank you for this. It’s amazing what we don’t know about our bodies until weird things happen. My mother had bad asthma but actually on autopsy it was her heart not her lungs that were the real problem. My brother has been treated for asthma for years and recently had what was thought to be heart problems - he had angiogram expecting blockages but drs were amazed to find his chest symptoms were not heart related. He is still a bit if a mystery but having cut down the pills he was on is virtually cured! I’ve not had angiogram because my chest discomfort isn’t made worse by exercise. It does sound like silent reflux. I will read up. Thank you so much
It is indeed interesting what we learn. I went to what I thought was a reasonably fit and active 60+ year old on no medication, no doctor visits in over 4 years to suddenly all of this. However, since my second asthma exacerbation I’m now being to understand when my body is telling me little things (for me I don’t think with hindsight I had actually recovered from the first hospital admission and the chest infection I had hadn’t actually gone away hence the second admission although GP visits in between the two and more steriods and antibiotics in that time didn’t clear it up) and coughing and mucus build up in the airways is definitely something I shall be more aware of. An additional asthma spray this time too (Spiriva Respimat) seems to be helping further.
When I read into Silent Relux it made so much more sense (I’ve just recently downloaded onto my Kindle a book entitled All about LPR: The Silent Reflux Story, and there are some very interesting points, a real moment of yes, that’s it! I’m sure there will be lots of info out there but if you have Kindle Unlimited it’s free.
Hi Jasia I am quite glad my gp has said let’s not take beta blockers at the moment and first try to sort out my chest symptoms. It’s only a month until my endoscopy. It’s all felt a long time simply because had over a year of one thing after another. I don’t think enforced retirement suits me! I wonder whether if I had not been made redundant in 2019 I would not have had all this. The eye problems would have happened but I would have had distraction of work and company of my colleagues who were great. I am independent,have hobbies and lovely friends I speak to on the phone but they are far away and I think 3 years rarely seeing anyone has not done me any good!
Hi Janouska, loneliness and disappointment in how life has panned out are hard to bear. I eased my problems by helping in a charity shop. It was so good, other volunteers were friendly and when I as on the till I had more contact with people. I still do it. I strongly recommend it.
I have bisoprolol as one of my heart meds, not for other reasons. I also have acid reflux (GORD), but don't have any arrythmias. Esomeprazole helps as long as I take it in the morning half an hour before meals. What I find is that it is hard to tell the difference between heart pains and reflux pains. The difference usually is that my reflux pains are worse that heart pains even though in the same place in the middle of my chest. GTN helps both.
The odd thing for me is that I would not call what I have as pain- discomfort yes and a feeling of pressure in my chest but no indigestion pains. When I went to a and e with the hard thumping in chest I had pressure but not sharp. I was surprised when they put on record chest pain and suspected angina. The cardiologist was relaxed about it on basis that exercise doesn’t make it worse - in fact makes me feel better. I guess because it gets everything back into rhythm and makes breathing regular.
I thought the same until cardiologist asked me whether I got bresthless walking up stairs and whether exertion brings it on. It doesn’t. It looks on my NHS app that my original referral for my drops in blood pressure has been cancelled. The private cardiologist didn’t bother with bp monitor because he thought I’d get that on nhs!
In his letter to gp he said he could do an angiogram if want it but obviously didn’t think it necessary at that stage. Mind you £590 for my brief conversation with him and ecg monitor , I dread to think what an angiogram would cost! It also took 5 weeks to get my results. Cardiology NHS or private is under such pressure. After all it’s the same consultants trying to cope with huge numbers of people. I am sure they can do without the likes of me!
There’s a lot in there to unpick but some comments. You say your bp is down to 40-50 - I assume you mean pulse, not bp? If it is bp it’s too low, but if it’s pulse it’s low but probably ok. You don’t say what dose of bisoprolol you are on. Maybe it could be reduced. Secondly a beta blocker like bisoprolol can make reflux worse. A less intervenionist treatment for reflux would be Gaviscon Advance which you can buy over the counter. Lastly do you drink a lot of coffee? Caffeine can bring on palpitations. So if so, you could try cutting that out. I was getting bad palpitations and cut out coffee and they’ve completely stopped.
hi Sorry I can’t always see what I’ve typed. That and just being stupid😂 yes I meant resting pulse generally low but bp goes low too. My GP has agreed to not start Bisoprolol yet - at least until had my endoscopy to see what - if anything - is going on, I have always drunk lots of coffee- always feel need to have warm drink to clear my throat but the last few years just have one caffeinated cup a day plus decaf during day. caffeine has never given me palpitations - but if I had a lot of very strong coffee I used to feel sick. It was the cardiologist I saw in September when I was referred for ecg who suggested the PPI - I think as bit of an experiment to see if it helped the chest feeling. Plus once he got the ecg results he said he thinks I have anxiety as well as the other minor heart things and that a beta blocker may help me relax.
Amusingly my friends have linked my palpitations episodes to watching productions of Richard III- happened on two occasions years apart - also had them when watching Blackadder!! Maybe a Tudor link! It doesn’t explain my Escape to the Country episode though. Very odd. The answer is to not sit too long I think.
Worth trying the Gaviscon Advance. It doesn't have a pharmacological mode of action, but rather acts like a physical raft sitting on top of stomach contents and preventing reflux. Because it's not pharmacological it won't confuse the picture.
HI, I had similar issue a few years ago, chest pains at night and sometimes when I felt stressed. I thought it was heart burn and took antacids for years until it got so bad I had to go to a doctor, I was sent for a endoscopy and they found out I had Barrett's esophagus, this is where the lining is damaged due to acid reflux. I should have gone sooner but that is what we do sometimes.
It sounds a scary condition but a lot of people have and do not know. In short I now take daily lansoprazole. A big change that helped is not eating late, so I have nothing eat after 8pm or 4 hours before I go to bed so there is no food in my gut and so less acid in my stomach.
Things are much better now and I have no night time reflux and that helps me sleep better and have a less stressful day.
Try looking at what gives you excess acid, fro me it was eating late, too much coffee and foods with animal fat in them like sausage rolls with the greasy pastery. My sister found out if was chocolate and wine for her so she cut it down and does not eat after 7pm, her reflux has stopped by doing that.
I am taking Bisoprolo and I have not had any issues.
thank you. That is very reassuring about pulse. I thought only athletes or people on medication had such low pulse!
Yes I didn’t mean diastolic at 80.My typing hasn’t improved. I can’t wait to get new glasses when eyes have resolved. Yes have anxiety - have suffered bouts of depression since 18 and tried a lot of things drugs and therapy . I know the reasons for it but that doesn’t stop it striking at unexpected times.
I felt my health issues were under control by June so did speak to gp about whether anything new around to treat depression but he didn’t know but referred me to some sessions with Mind. It was a shame it coincided with my other eye developing a problem as my anxiety was given a cause and I didn’t learn anything new.
I think the dips in blood pressure may have been tiredness/ depression related plus my bp is better overall since back on hrt ( as recommended to help my prolapse and it has!).
I did suggest to cardiologist that I coukd be getting these symptoms following period of chronic stress , even though felt relaxed at the time. He obviously agreed which is why he suggested the beta blocker.
Exercise is my thing and giving up the high intensity stuff was hard. But am trying and know I need to get back to art and writing . But probably need to push myself out of my comfort zone and divert myself . I want to do another skydive but think that’s a jump too far- although less nervous of that ( when injury would just be to myself) than driving my car where if I get I’ll am risk to others! But when I think logically I haven’t passed out sitting in my chair at home so why should I driving .
Hi Janouska,This is what happened to me.I fall asleep easily,sometimes wake with unpleasant sensations and have to sit up.
My heart rate is often below 50 and has gone down to 30 before.
They say I have enlarged heart on left side,I have aortic regurgitation and stenosis which now requires surgery.
They gave me omeprazole saying my symptoms could be gastri,they definitely aren’t.I stopped taking them because they made me constipated.
I was given bisoprolol and stopped taking them after discussing them with the doctor.
Do you get regular echo cardio grams?Ive been looked after by cardiology for 7 years and that is how they know I need a valve replacement,it showed on the echo cardiogram.
A lot of your symptoms might be arrhythmias they told me for a while they were benign.
I’m very relaxed and do meditation so it isn’t anxiety related in my case.
thank you Drummer. I had an echo back in 2019 as GP at the time (sadly retired) found abnormality on my ECG and spoke to a cardiac friend who said to get it. The echo showed left ventricular stiffening ( but said was just age related not serious) and ( as discovered recently as never saw written report) mild tricuspid valve regurgitation and some ischaemia.
My mother died of stroke after 10 years of nobody checking her heart and her autopsy revealed enlarged heart, damaged aorta and extensive atherosclerosis.
The cardiologist I saw in September said it was unlikely this will have worsened in 3 years. He hadn’t seen my ecg at that point and suggested I could have gastric reflux and anxiety. He suggested the PPI and statin as could have familial high cholesterol. I’ve not started statin yet - ( had bad effects from them in 2020 but have different one to try).
It’s true waking up at night with this strange feeling makes me anxious - or did at first but getting used to it! I get up and walk around for a bit and have a cuppa and listen to radio! I do meditation too - or try- I usually dose off!
I know drs are more likely to discount heart issues in women as anxiety but it’s a bit chicken and egg. Plus had a lot happen over last year that’s challenged me.
The recent ecg monitor report said I had some supra ventricular ectopics and trachycardia and benign arythmias . He suggested bisopralo. GP suggested I have my endoscopy first. It’s only 4 weeks away. My current anxiety is should I go on my 4 times cancelled trip to my 93 year old friend 200 mikes away. I have changed 16 year old car for a 3 year old and not driven more than half an hour in it yet ( well did drive for an hour round town after had flat battery the day after I bought it!!). I haven’t seen her since seeing her at her sons last Xmas although we zoom regularly. I may end up on trains - although wouldn’t be able to take her out or do as much for her. I’m guessing I’ve lasted this long so what is chance of falling ill driving. She has invited me for Xmas as well ( I am her unofficially adopted daughter and she truly has been a good friend over 40 years) so it would be good to do a trial drive now - I just wish my friends were closer. I need to move but not sure where to that I can afford that has good health services!
yes she lives in Hythe Kent. I am in the Midlands . I should do train I guess and order taxis whilst there. She dies still drive but has recently had cataract operation. I am 63 and exercise regularly but not the long walks anymore, I only ever did 10 mikes max but did love walking. Plus fencing, jogging, weight training. But did some damage doing it. I didn’t feel my age until all this. But tell myself actually you can get these things at any age and you shouldn’t stop doing stuff just because you reach a certain age or assume you will follow same health path as parents.
That is good news but I feel for you and all the others on here waiting. I think the waiting and uncertainty is hardest thing. I still haven’t decided whether to take my planned trip this weekend. On the one hand desperate to get away from same four walls but when awake coughing and in discomfort think it would be selfish to risk it.
Good luck . I hope you hear soon so you can get it over with. Keep us posted.
You are right I think it would be good for me . I’m not sure it would be fair on her. I can go by train. I’ve done it quite a lot in the past. It’s actually easy enough 3 trains and bus and just one bit at end that is a steep walk . In fact can be quicker than going on the 4 motorways. My worst drive there took 6 hours.
I stopped going by train as she is vulnerable and I didn’t want to purvey any germs to her. Plus I’ve got things I want to take. She has asked me there for Xmas anyway so not long to wait for that. I just feel guilty as this trip is one that has been delayed twice already- due to circumstances beyond our control. Fortunately she has lots of visits from family and good neighbours. In fact it’s hard for me to get booked in! Originally I was going in June and then July - much better time of year to be standing around in stations! Sorry I’m rambling. I really must get out more. Don’t anyone sit next to me in a train as I tend to fall into conversation with people if they appear open to a chat!
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