Episode of heart racing at 100bpm, palpations and bp shot up to 140/90 for about 15 mins. Ambulance called!!

[theonethatgotaway1]

So had some waiting fun in AnE yesterday after my heart decided to do the long jump, the shot put and the 800m sprint all in one go.Been getting back from a usual walk, my heart just all of a sudden started racing to 100-110bpm (usually sits at around 65-75) and BP was 140/90 (usually 100/70).

I felt awful. Aniexity kicked in. Bowels emptied. Laid down. Tried to stay calm. Tell myself im ok. Heart is good. Stable. Heart was skipping beats, trying to catch up with itself. My hands were shaking. Went a little cold. Partner rang 111.

This went on for a good 10-15 minutes before it started to slow.

90bpm...another 10 minutes. 85.

Went to AnE after the ambulance was a 3 hour wait. ECG all clear (few ectopics) bloods all clear. Felt ok at AnE after i had a 5 minute nap.

Anyone had this before? I have heart failure with 35%ef rate. On dapa, entresto and the usual cocktail. Hadnt had much sleep the night before and i do get health aniexity. Have had panic attacks in the past and was thinking it may have been that but it did come out of no where. I am hoping it was just aniexity as the heart has seemed to be stable lately. Thougts?

[Cavalierrubie]

Your numbers that you had are pretty normal albeit them raised to what you normally have. I have had numbers much higher (and lower) and have lived to tell the tale. It sounds as if it could be anxiety and panic attacks can come on suddenly from nowhere. They make your pulse and blood pressure rise. They also make you feel very ill. I have health anxiety so know how scary it is if somethings not right. Probably because you didn’t sleep well. See how it goes. Take care.

[theonethatgotaway1 in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Yes thank you. i am starting to think it was panic attack . It was just that it caught me off guard and when i checked my bp monitor that the readings seemed so high at that point. Thanks for your advice

[theonethatgotaway1]

Thanks for your advice. Yes i think it was aniexity. I will speak to the doc if it continues but other thsn been super tired today, heart seems fine.

[Suebedoo]

I am a therapist by trade and advise my clients who have panic attacks to eat an extra strong mint, you know the type that are unpleasantly strong. This usually shocks the brain into forgetting about the panic. If you don't like mints then try a sour sweet or a piece of lemon. If after doing that, your heart rate is still high for you and your blood pressure higher than normal then perhaps get it checked out.

[Smitty1956 in reply to Suebedoo]

I love the idea about the mint! I haven’t tried that, but I will give it a go. I usually buy Altoid mints so those might work.

[Suebedoo in reply to Smitty1956]

Or Fisherman Friends - they make my toes curl without even having to eat one

[Smitty1956 in reply to Suebedoo]

lol! 😂. I will definitely give it a try. I wish that I had some for tomorrow since I am seeing a cardiologist for the first time in over a year.

[Suebedoo in reply to Smitty1956]

Good luck

[Smitty1956 in reply to Suebedoo]

😊❤️

[Smitty1956]

Hi,

When I first started reading your post, I could literally feel your anxiety. Plus, that caused my anxiety to kick in. Lol 😆

Some of the answer may be in how you described the issue. Your phrasing of “usual walk” and “usually sits at.” You focused heavily (as we all tend to do) on what is the usual heart rate and usual BP after your walk. This “unusual” heart rate and “unusual” BP may have sent you into a panic, and then anxiety made it all worse. That is just my thought—won’t buy a cup of coffee.

To be honest, I thought that 100-110 bpm was not that bad after taking a walk. That would seem to be a fairly normal number after exercising. Yesterday, I was working in my front yard area cutting some bushes, etc. for about 30 minutes. I was bent over picking up debris and bagging it for the trash pickup. Anyway, when I stopped, I noted that my heart rate was at 116. I got a little concerned as I felt a little off, but I sat down and my heart rate began to slowly drop. Finally, after about 10-15 minutes, I was back to 78 bpm. I have anxiety disorder, and my first go to is to slightly panic when my heart rate goes over 100, but I also know that this can be normal depending on activity level, how much sleep I had the night before, air quality, etc. Yesterday ( I didn’t realize this when I was working in my yard), we had unhealthy air quality due to the forest fires in Canada. I probably should not have been out in my yard at all. Lol 😆

I am not a medical doctor so I can’t speak to your actual medical condition. And, when you have serious medical concerns, it is best that you seek medical help as you did yesterday. I can say that I know that I worry a lot about my heart and about having another HA, and I do keep an eye on my heart rate, etc. My anxiety often does make things worse for me. You might also want to speak with your doctor about getting some counseling/help for handling your anxiety.

I wish you the best! 😊

[theonethatgotaway1 in reply to Smitty1956]

Love your reply! Yes i think and hope it was just the aniexity. Tbh i thought my heart was going far faster than 100 after i checked on a bp machine. It was skipping and couldn't catch up with itself. I mean i have felt it at 80-90 and that was no where near as fast as it felt that day. So not sure really. I do however think the panic made it worse. My brain deciding to dump a load of adrenaline onto me for fun.Anyways the tests came back all clear. I may need to push myself more and get my heart working during exercise instead of just walking each day. Thanks for reply. Take care