British Lung Foundation

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Possible Pulmonary Hypertension

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Hello,

I have been to 5 doctors who have all said that I suffered a severe anxiety attach while over seas. I had 3 normal ECG's, 2 normal x rays, and a normal ultra sound. All by separate physicians. I had 2 different lab results come back and all my numbers are normal. However, at night My heart beats really strong and my resting pulse stays in the 80's. I sweat pretty easy while I am out and about, especially if I am worried about my health condition. I am afraid that I have Pulminary Hypertension, second to a lung disease. I am not a heavy smoker at all, but do have smokes when I drink. I have since not smoked for 5 weeks now and have had half a glass of beer. I don't know what to do at this point. I have 4 beautiful kids that I am afraid I am going to leave behind. I am scared to go back to the doctor again and get any bad news. So right now good news is good news even though I am unable to sleep well etc. I would appreciate any support or feedback.

19 Replies

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Well you got off to a great start with the cigs rigcu1 so just keep following your Dr's advice and if not working keep asking..Ger

Thank you Ger. I'm good with smoking. I didn't even like the lifestyle in the first place. Now I am afraid of becoming another one of it's statistics.

Some of the other women and men on this site will probably respond to your post..and we're not medical people and no two people are the same but we probably have been bemused and somewhat scared when first diagnosed but in time with meds and advice we cope from day to day and yes sometimes are harder than others but TRY to keep calm to you you see your doctor again

ok ger thank you

The only way the doctors can really confirm pulmonary hypertension is by right heart catheterisation, but you would need to see an interventionist cardiologist to have that done. It may well be that your strong heartbeat and sweating are part of your anxiety. 80 is not a particularly fast pulse rate as long as it is regular. You seem to have had the appropriate tests etc, so perhaps some counselling would help. I hope things settle down for you xx

yes with my beta blockers I land in the upper 70's etc. I am definitely beyond stressed out right now and praying its my anxiety. Just feels stronger

why are you on beta blockers?

I am sorry that you so anxious about your health. That just makes everything more miserable. Where did you get the notion of pulmonary hypertension from? If there is no evidence of it from your echocardiogram (ultrasound) then there is little chance that you have it. Go back to your doctor and explain about your anxiety and get some reassurance.

All the best

Kate

Yes the ultra sound looked good according to the DR. she is not a cardiologist but I imagine she knows what she is looking for. Ill be heading back to my primary care in a few weeks for a follow up. Right now I am seeing a counselor and doing some therapy like reflexology and acupuncture. Just to help bring back the peace to my soul.

Im in the same boat had lots of ecgs xray and ct scans

My heart rate is around 80's when resting and goes to 200plus when active

Ive seen over 7 doctors in the last 2 years in 2 countries still not have a diagnosis

They all say it's stress and anxiety etc but you know your body better

Im convinced that i suffer from something that has not been identified yet.

As an advised don't give and try to see different opinions

Take care

Ps im only 36 years okd

At night my heart really pounds if I have had rich chocolate or caffeine drinks like tea, coffee or Red Bull. I now avoid caffeine generally, and especially in the evening.

A resting heart rate between 60 and 100 bpm is generally considered entirely normal. You mention in one reply that you’re on beta blockers, can I ask what for?

Palpitations, no matter how long you’ve endured them, are at best annoying and at worst can be pretty scary. However, they are not necessarily a sign of there being anything wrong with your heart in and of themselves and can occur regularly in people with perfectly healthy hearts. I’ve had a fairly minor heart condition for the last 9 years (I’m 34) that I take medication for, and quite often get palpitations. I’ve had loads of tests, and as they’ve all come back normal beyond my established diagnosis, I’m one of those who has had to learn to accept it’s just something that happens to me. Given that you’ve had normal ecgs, bloods and an echo, I’m not a doctor but I’d be inclined to suspect that your acknowledged anxiety is quite possibly a significant part of the issue here, and it’s entirely plausible that your symptoms are down to that. The anxiety triggers palpitations, which triggers more anxiety and a slightly higher hr, which only worsens the anxiety - it’s a vicious cycle. As an aside, did you seek medical help at the time of the major symptoms whilst you were away?

If it were me, as a first step I’d be trying to get the anxiety under control with the help of my gp (and the local mental health services if necessary), and take it from there. If the anxiety is well controlled and you’re still having symptoms, then it strengthens your case for requesting further cardiac assessment such as a halter test. As someone else mentioned, dietary changes might also help, regardless of the root cause - there are a number of things known to cause or worsen palpitations, the main ones being caffeine, ginger, alcohol, and white and dark chocolate. Caffeine can also worsen anxiety, so going completely caffeine free might be worth considering whilst you try and get to the bottom of what’s going on. All that said, don’t be afraid to seek medical help if you’re experiencing strong symptoms and feeling unwell with them - it’s always better to be safe than sorry, and half the battle with intermittent cardiac symptoms if it is your heart is actually catching them on tests when they occur.

Good luck, and I hope you start feeling better soon.

My resting pulse rate is usually over 100. I have Bronchiectasis and my consultant sent me for tests for PH. They were negative. Maybe you could find out more by visiting phauk.org/ the Pulmonary Hypertension website.

Hello everyone. Thank you for responding to me as you all know that it helps to hear rom others. I did sleep better last night, only woke up once! That has been the hardest part for me lately but I am working on a routine for sleep again. Yoga, deep breathing etc. I am going to see a professional counselor for the second time today, and I have an appointment for acupuncture treatment tomorrow. I am going to try and naturally help my body heal and to stop worrying about all the negatives. Charlie you are right my heart rate is not too bad, I just get concerned because I do work out and would hope it would be better. However today it is because I did get some sleep last night. I try not to take any meds, but I have been taking a small dose of ambien to help relax me from anxiousness until I can get my mindfulness back. Regardless I want to live healthy and happy for today and not in fear of tomorrow. Bless all of you and I hope you have a great day!

I was prescribed beta blockers from a cardiologist because my resting heart rate was really high on our trip to Europe. When we would go out and walk around I would jump into the 120's. The doctor said it was due to stress/ anxiety and due to the travel etc. I'm 38 years old and I had been exercising prepping for the trip so to me that was abnormal. now that I am back home I am still taking them just for security purposes. I still work out but its more of a swift walk right now, just to make sure my body is getting exercise etc. I don't want to over due it, I feel like right now my temple needs time to heal.

I have not taken a BB since last night. It's 10am in the states and my resting heart rate is 76. That is much better than it has been so I am happy with that.

I do have PH and it is not uncommon for me to have 100+ BPM at rest. From my experience I have COPD, RLD, Empyesma,AF,Tachycardia and PH. And it was the shortness of breath on the simplest things that eventualy made them look at ultrasound and it showed mild to start with but I am now High Class111 wich was confirmed at a PH centre in Sheffield.

At first I would look at trying Mindfullness plenty of info on the www to get the body to relax and see if that helps?

Be Well

Offcut thx for responding. Things have calmed down with my heart. It will now rest in the 60s sometimes 50s. I bought a pulse oximeter to have numbers on hand. Had a c.t cat scan that came back clear. Still have some symptoms but I'm just trying to give them up to God and stick with my doctors. I would imagine if I had any lung issues my ct scan would have picked them up rifht? It was with contrast as well.

Hey red sox good to chat again. So yes my heart has since calmed down altbough on exertion can pick it up. But it's doing a better job slowing back down to baseline. I still have concerns with my body etc. But I am putting faith in my doctors and everyone who has says that I'm good. I've been through enough tests that I need to be at peace and try and let my body and mind heal. Easier said than done some nights. Still haven't slept through a night but that's getting better as well.