I am a 61 year old woman & last night I had had my tea and was just sat watching TV eating some chocolate when a weird sensation came over my body, I think my heart went a bit funny and everything went black and fuzzy. It was literally seconds but then my husband said I was waving my hands in the air and I remember feeling like someone was gripping my head. I felt okay after all this but was a bit shocked at what had happened. Getting hold of my GP is a nightmare so haven’t even bothered. I did start propranolol in July. Not sure if it could it could be connected to that at all? I have to mention that I’ve had episodes like this before I started propranolol but I can stop them before it starts if that makes sense by thumping my chest, coughing or doing star jumps so I don’t black out.
Weird sensation then almost blacking out - British Heart Fou...
Weird sensation then almost blacking out
I would try to get a GP appointment to discuss these symptoms. Do you know your resting heart rate and blood pressure after starting propranolol?
According to my Apple Watch my heart rate was in the 60s & didn’t change while having the episode. I’m not sure what bp was but GP said it was ok.
Your mention of doing star jumps to avoid fainting made me think your heart might be dropping to a low level but it remained in the 60s. Some people experience a drop in blood pressure when getting up quickly from a seated or lying position but you were sitting throughout. Propranolol affects the heart rate and blood pressure but there are many possible causes so you should try to discuss with GP. Try to think of any possible triggers (dehydration or low salt etc) and take a note of that to GP. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
The strange thing is it tends to happen when I’m more relaxed or sitting down & it did happen before I started propranalol too but have always been able to stop it before but not this time. Thank you so much for your help and advice.
It really sounds as if you have paroxysmal slowing of the heart. That is where for no disenable reason your heart just slows down & BP probable drops too to know someone would need to check it at the time but it is not good to just leave it. if you do feel "odd" between now and seeing your Dr not anything you were doing shortly before during and after. It is possible that it is the Propranolol it has a tendency to slow the heart rate or that it is just not the drug for you they can change it to something else. Phone the GP and tell the receptionist you are really not feeling well and need to see someone very soon. make a list of what happened (skip the chocolate though!!) it ios not your job to decide what is wrong that is what the Dr is for.
Thank you so much. I did my bp this afternoon & it was 99/55 which is low for me. And pulse was 66 which again is low for me.
This does sound alarming. Did you have this investigated prior to July - what's the result? Why did the GP prescribe propanalol? are you under a consultant?
I think if it happens again a visit to the A&e would get you fully checked and observed.
Kind Wishes
Michele
This did happen in 2008 when I was a passenger in a car and I was checked out then and everything was okay. Since then I’ve had a few episodes, but as I say, I’ve been able to stop them. I did have a 24 hour heart monitor in 2016 which was fine but that’s not really long enough because I can go days without anything happening. So I was prescribed propanolol for anxiety and migraines. I would say it’s done nothing for the anxiety, but the headaches have got better. I do want to come off it though. I think the GP just fobs me off with anxiety, but I am not a stupid person. I am quite a rational person and just feel that something is not right with my heart. I also explained to her that at night I have an almost dull like ache in my left breast and heart, but again didn’t get any answers from the GP.
I think with the next episode a trip to A&E would be enlightening plus ask GP for cardiac referral - you request has to be carried through - even if they try fibbing off - be firm.
Michèle
I have considerable drops in my BP that come on when standing ( postural hypotension) but think you can get similar effect after eating : postprandial hypotension….. so might be worth recording when/ what you have eaten ( there is a link to big meals and high carb too).
Ah ok, thank you.
I had a similar experience - just sitting at the table after breakfast and everything went ‘grey’, didn’t faint and managed to get myself upstairs to husband.
Checked out at GP and with hospital regarding TIA/ heart. Nothing definite was found except for tachycardia ( put on Bisoprolol 1.25mg) . In the end it was put down to pre syncope, had a couple of minor episodes which I felt it coming on again, both in the morning, but managed to ‘breath through’ and stopped them.
Cardiologist thought it might be dehydration so I have a cup of decaf herbal tea in bed and have a slower start to the day now!!
Hope you get it sorted out x
Oh thank you so much. I probably do need to drink more! Glad you’re okay x
Hi
Ive had the exact same thing too, you can almost sense them coming .
There not pleasant quite scary and like you saw the GP and hospital and had my bisoperol increased.
Yes! It’s just such a weird sensation. Normally I can stop them with the thumping, coughing, jumping but I couldn’t the other evening. Thank you for your reply.
Hope it all settles down soon for you x
I’d speak with your GP and if you can’t ring 111 for advice. It certainly needs looking into.
Thank you. I think I need to change my GP to be honest. I actually never go but I have been twice in the last few months but don’t seem to get anywhere apart from being put on propanolol which I really don’t like taking.
Yes that sounds like a plan as it could be the propranolol doesn’t suit you or the dose is too high.
I have had episodes before but nothing as bad as this one since 2008. so maybe the propanolol has made it worse. I’ve actually started halving my dose ready to come off!
You really do need medical advice . Do try to talk to your GP or phone NHS 111.Good luck
Henry
Thank you.
Getting the answers that you want in these situations can be a lengthy process. Six years ago, my wife had her first episode of temporary loss of consciousness (TLoC) whilst sitting on our sofa. She saw her GP; she had an ECG (normal) and she was referred to cardiology. Six months later she had a further episode (before her cardiology appointment) and I took her to A&E. After many hours of waiting, she was assessed for a TIA; had a further ECG which showed ectopic beats and 1st stage heart block. These were deemed to be of no consequence. She was advised to stop Atenolol. Her cardiology appointment confirmed that there was nothing structurally wrong with her heart. We were no closer to a diagnosis.
To cut a long story short, after 4 years, we made a private cardiologist appointment. He advised that these episodes were related either to the heart or to the brain. After taking a detailed history and listening to my wife and to me, he concluded that these episodes were pointing towards an arrhythmia. He suggested, and we paid for, a 14 day holter monitor. This provided further evidence of ectopic beats; 1st stage heart block; a brief period of paroxysmal AF and many thousands of missed heart beats. Logically, he felt that the next course of action was an Implanted Loop Recorder (ILR).
A month after the ILR was fitted, my wife had 2 TLoC episodes in quick succession: one at 9pm and another at 2am the following morning. I took her to our local A&E. The ECG was normal. We waited in A&E for a further 5 hours for the hospital’s pacing team. They pulled data from the ILR which showed that my wife’s heart had stopped twice for periods in excess of 20 seconds. She was immediately admitted to ACU and she had a 2-lead pacemaker fitted a few days later.
I post the above not to frighten you but to endorse the advice from others that you need to get checked out. The diagnostic process can in some cases though be very slow: particularly, for patients who have symptoms/events months apart. The NHS works on the principle of Occam’s Razor which can also lengthen the time to get a diagnosis. With hindsight, my wife could have had a diagnosis many years ago had she been fitted with an ILR sooner: that said, these devices are expensive.
Finally, treat Apple Watch information with care. My wife’s pacemaker is set at a minimum of 60bps. Her Apple Watch often records heart rates well below her pacemaker setting. The pacemaker team say this is to be expected given the way that heart rates are monitored by on wrist smart services.
Fingers crossed that you get some quick answers.
Oh thank you so much for this! I almost feel this is exactly what’s happening to me as my ECG’s have always been normal and they only ever fit a 24 hour heart monitor which is not long enough. Maybe I need to do the same route and go private as these episodes have been going on since 2008, but I was given the all clear back then! But this latest one has really shaken me up to be honest.
Could it be the chocolate? You mention you have migraines, chocolate affects mine. Also propranolol and chocolate interact.
I've had an implantable loop monitor (ILM) for a year now, following two episodes of syncope in 2023. As a second consequence, my driving licence has been revoked. Absolutely nothing interesting has happened in that whole year for the ILM to report.
I think the NHS acted quickly because I'm a previous bypass patient. However, to be fair, I've passed out randomly on two or three previous occasions in six decades. The first time I remember was as a teenager. I seem to have relatively low blood pressure and, the way that random events happen, two in a year is not necessarily evidence of things being worse or related to the operation (which was five years ago now).
I'm due a consultation to discuss the evidence and what, if anything, happens next but, since there isn't any evidence, I can see that the consultant will not have much to go on.
Hopefully everything is fine for you. Thank you for your reply.
I agree with others you definitely need this checked. If you don’t get anywhere with GP ring 111 as obviously somethings not right. Keep us updated good luck 🍀🍀😊X.
Thank you so much xx
Did your heart do a thump afterwards? I sometimes get palpitations where the pause between beats is so long that i feel everything is going black then there's a thump when it does the missed beat. I too thump my chest.
No I didn’t notice a thump. What I can’t work out is if the weird feeling I get before it happens makes my heart go funny because I start stressing or my heart goes funny which gives me the weird feeling.
chicken or egg? I think you need to mention it to your doctor especially since it's happened several times. It probably is just a late beat but it needs checking. When things only happen occasionally it can be really hard to pin them down.
Hi you’ve had some really good advice so I will be quick. If you get these blackouts have paramedics out! If it’s low heart rate and low blood pressure as I have and bradycardia I had blackouts and sometimes sick and a pain every time in the back of my head going into my neck which was unbearable. I was told to lye down with feet higher than my head and get someone to phone an ambulance to check you out. Since having my pacemaker I haven’t had any more which was just over a year ago. Good luck and hope you get somewhere soon don’t give up they are too quick to send people home saying it’s anxiety the gps and the hospital x
yes exactly what happened to me. In the end I had a private consultation with a cardiologist and he read my nhs notes on line and he said it’s anxiety nothing wrong but because we were paying I said I know my own body and could you at least do an echocardiogram as I know something is wrong. He said he would and when I went back for the results he couldn’t look me in the eye as I had heart failure with an EF35. With the pacemaker and tablets it’s gone up to 45 now and it’s taken a year but I feel so much better I go walking and I can do so much more. I’m 65 so I gave up my job and had early retirement and we bought a little miniature poodle who is adorable and I take her for long walks. Hope it gets sorted soon all the best. X
Hi
Has anyone mentioned Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation to you? I suffer from this and what you describe sounds like what happens to me when, having been out of Sinus Rhythm I have a reversion pause when I am going back into normal rhythm and have fainted a couple of times.
No they haven’t?? I will look it up now. Thank you so much.
You must report these episodes to your GP or health team. I'm sure they would want you to have outpatient cardiac monitoring for as long as it takes to record heart activity during one of these episodes. Were you started on propranolol because of PVCs? If you seem to terminate these episodes by thumping your chest or coughing, serious ventricular ectopic cardiac disturbances could be occurring as I've been told by a cardiologist that these maneuvers are sometimes effective in those cases.
This has been going on since 2008 when I had my first collapse and I had investigations and everything was okay. Since then I’ve had several episodes but not completely blacked out because I can almost stop it by doing what I already said I do. But the one last week I couldn’t stop & Im not sure if totally blacked out or nearly blacked out but I also had the tightness around my head which I’ve never had before & could hear myself saying what’s round my head! It only lasts seconds so like 10 seconds and then I’m okay again just a bit shaky. My GP is aware of it but just puts it down to anxiety. I did have a 24 hour monitor in 2016 but had no episodes. I was put on the propranolol in July for anxiety and headaches.
If a common denominator of these events includes palpitations, the team may still want cardiac monitoring for as long as it takes to record heart action during symptoms
to check for abnormal heart rhythm as a cause. I hope you get a benign and reassuring answer and wish you well.
Hi, sorry to hear of your troubles, my story is almost identical to yours, after several episodes and trips to A&E, only to be told everything was ok except a few ectopic beats. Like you I could get myself out of them, I finally went private and had an loop recorder fitted and was found to have 3rd degree complete heartblock and was fitted with a pacemaker as an emergency, get yourself checked you know your own body, and when somethings not right,I’ve had my pacemaker almost 5 years now and have never looked back. Take care
Yes go to A&E. They will see you quickly if they suspect heart trouble and do all the tests to rule anything out.
I recover so quickly though so would be fine by the time I get there??
Don't worry that's what they are there for. Say what you have been experiencing and leave it at that. I went with chest (I would call it ache rather than pain) back in January and by the time I got there it had gone off a bit. They stuck an ecg machine on me and said suspected heart attack, which it turned out to be, so best be careful.
I’ve had similar sensations when I was on a too high dose of bisoprolol bp would drop to 60/40 and heart under 50, once my dosage was corrected these episodes stopped
I hear time and time again. If you go dizzy or have blackouts then that is certainly pathogenic and you need to see a doctor. I can only recommend seeing a cardiologist.
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