Slow ❤️

[jeeves19]

Hi all. I was quite proud of the fact that my resting ❤️ rate was about 60 ( convinced myself I was an elite athlete 😕) but recently discovered that this can be the result of Parkinson’s. I have a little shortness of breath at times, a sense of it slightly speeding up then slowing, and am wondering if anyone else has experienced this symptom and what if anything, was and might be done about it. Thanks in advance and a Happy Easter to all.

[Smokeypurple]

Hi jeevesI too have been wondering - resting rate of 55 and fit but not elite athlete! Where did you find information? Most I have found is linked to orthostatic hypertension.

I was intrigued by people on my spin cycle group (PD and non PD) sharing photos of their HR graph after a class - rates well above mine at all stages of the class and I was really going for it! (I know there's an age related difference but it seemed more than that)

My spin teacher sent me this link which is interesting .

apdaparkinson.org/article/h...

I asked the GP about it and about other chest sensations and had a 24hr ECG -all normal.

I have the added complication that anxiety and perimenopause are famous for the same feelings and things have improved since HRT. But not the slow resting rate though, that still puzzles me.

The other thing is of course, that not being an elite athlete I never knew what my resting rate was before PD (whenever that was! ) ...

Hope you are doing ok. Don't eat too much chocolate!!

[jeeves19 in reply to Smokeypurple]

Sadly I’m something of a chocoholic but will do my best! Thanks for getting back to me. Coincidentally I just read the article you offered. Quite well written I thought. I get fluttering and minor shortage of breath which concerns me a little. I’ll ring the GP and then will no doubt have to wait a year or so for a consultation with a specialist. 😕. Anyway, good luck 🤞

[gginto in reply to jeeves19]

The C/L drug def makes my heart flutter, especially if I don't eat something afterwards. .

[alaynedellow]

Hi Jeeves. I have a resting heart of 55 a min sometimes it goes lower and that is not nice so i can either small bit of exercise to raise heartbeat or 10 min nap will raise it. Doc says it coz i fit- i dont believe that but hv always had an issue witth gym equip registering my heart. The machines could never find pulse so gave up checking. So long time before dx . Interestingly i have a rdv with cardiologist soon as my brother has died from sudden heart attack. Not till June.

Hope this helps

[jeeves19 in reply to alaynedellow]

Thanks for that. It’s rather surprised me cause I’m pretty fit but then again I’m far too fond of cakes and shite like that. I get this weird sensation of like being in a lift as it goes up quickly? Not an exact replication but not far off. But it’s another concern to add to the rotten PD. I’ll get there in the end but life does seem predictably to get harder with age doesn’t it. Au Revoir.

[alaynedellow in reply to jeeves19]

Before dx when i still worked i went docs as having strong chest pains on seatin at desk but as she said i could run n not get pain it was stress. Dx in less than a minute. If only life was really that easy 😂😂

[Hidden in reply to alaynedellow]

Interesting about the gym equipment not registering your heart beat. I consistently have had the same experience since my 20’s. I’m 45.

[Kevin51]

Hi Jeeves! My resting heart rate is around 62 but then I am an old guy now! Went out on the ebike for four days last week and got it down to 59 so cycling is definitely the thing! I reckon I do have some slowness to get going which I attribute to PD.But I also have a heart arrhythmia called Afib which I am free of for now thanks to a cardiac ablation in 2017. Afib although not common (similar odds to PD) is easy enough to pick up from your pulse and is treatable. Its intermittent so often missed by an ECG. If you have a nice steady pulse then no worries. As it happens there is an AF Association community on HU with lots of info.

[jeeves19]

Thanks Kevin. Yes I think that I probably have a little more than PD affecting things. The minor shortness of breath is rather telling but curiously I often feel it when I’m just sitting down whereas I can get up to 130 bpm on the exercise bike and don’t sense any breathlessness. Can’t really figure that one but hopefully somebody with more brains than I might be able to. Cheers.

[Missy0202]

Hi Jeeves. I am 55 and am definitely not an elite athlete. Actually, I did little exercise prior to my diagnoses about a year and a half ago. I wear an Apple Watch and use two apps to help me understand my heart rates, and heart rate variability which really tells the whole story. One is called HeartWatch and the other Welltory. My resting heart rate rarely goes over 60, and when I sleep it can get as low as 47. It generally hovers around 55. The new Apple Watch has an ECG and can give you sinus rhythm results. Years prior to my diagnoses I had fluttering and what I described as skipped or extra heartbeats, but I wore a monitor for 24 hours and everything checked out as normal. Hope that helps. Happy Easter!

[jeeves19 in reply to Missy0202]

Thanks Missy. Very helpful 👍

[gaga1958]

Hi I too have the low heart rate and shortness of breathe at non-exercise times. My PT says the shortness of breathe thing is bcuz PD affects the muscles in chest/lung area too.

[pvw2]

Do you take a dopamine agonist: Activates dopamine receptors and helps in managing the disease.

Bromocriptine . Pergolide . Pramipexole . Ropinirole.

[jeeves19 in reply to pvw2]

I do yes 😀

[pvw2 in reply to jeeves19]

I suspect this medication as the cause, a side effect.

[pvw2 in reply to jeeves19]

Besides slow heartbeats are they also a little irregular?

[pvw2 in reply to jeeves19]

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

[gginto]

Hey Jeeves- once in a while I get shortness of breath.. I put it down to the Levodopa..My resting pulse is slowing a bit but I believe it's due to all the extra cardio I'm doing nowadays- So maybe you are becoming an athlete! Happy Easter buddy- keep well..

[park_bear]

My resting pulse rate is about 60 and have good exercise tolerance.

I sometimes have an illusory feeling of shortness of breath upon retiring for the evening. I know it is illusory because my pulse oximeter tells me I am properly oxygenated, and my airways are unobstructed. On those occasions I resist the urge to hyperventilate - deliberate conscious slow breathing.

I recommend getting a pulse oximeter so you can see how well oxygenated you are on those occasions. They are inexpensive - under $20 US.

[jeeves19 in reply to park_bear]

Thanks Park Bear

[jeeves19]

Good to hear from you Greg. Sorry I’ve not been in touch. Getting lazy 😕, but I’ll do my best to get to you this week. Happy Easter to you too fella.

[Missy0202]

the new Apple Watch captures blood o2 levels as well

[bassofspades]

60 bpm is normal. Jeeves my good friend , you could possibly have an issue with the valves in your heart. Parkinson's medication is linked to heart valve disease. Please see a cardiologist stat! Feel better buddy!!!

[jeeves19 in reply to bassofspades]

My man. Bout time I wrote properly. Will do so today matey. How excited must that make you?! Check your messages later eh?

[bassofspades in reply to jeeves19]

Yes ! Please do! We have a lot of catching up to do

[1TonyS]

I found your post interesting. I have an Apple Watch and my resting heart rate is 48, weekly and monthly 53 and yearly 51. I have hypotension of which post Prandial can be 90/50 about an hour after breakfast. If it is much lower I almost faint and go back to bed for an hour. I also exercise most days and try to play golf and cycle 2x a week and walk every day. I find it difficult to get heart rate above 110. I am surprised to find it is highest in golf! I have had 24 hour blood pressure monitoring and this confirms that my HR can drop to 43 for more than 10 mins. The docs don’t seem concerned. What worries me most is that I am very stiff in the morning and can hardly walk until I have done 20 press ups on the side of the bath and had a hot shower. I am 76 , diagnosed 6 years and take C/L 25/100 4x a day and 2 controlled release25/100 at 10 pm. Any suggestions for stiffness would be appreciated. For pain i take 2 codiene.

[jeeves19 in reply to 1TonyS]

Blimey Tony, if I had a solution to the stiffness I’d be a rich man eh? This is a big problem for me as well. I presumed stretching would help but after an hour of this the stiffness seems to return. I have bad backache during the night which is due to stiff muscles. A drag.

[Resano in reply to 1TonyS]

« The docs don’t seem concerned » ? Ask them to check how your pineal gland works at night. Levodopa-induced noradrenaline rise might be the definitive cause for low blood pressure in PD patients. A pineal gland brought back into balance might correct this as well as heartbeat.

[laglag]

Jeeves,Did you ever try Emergen C for at least 3 weeks every day. It has magnesium & electrolytes plus antioxidants. I've been taking it to for around 5 yrs, it definitely works for me.

[jeeves19 in reply to laglag]

Bought a bucket load Debbie! Use it every day but no discernible symptomatic relief as yet. How often do you use it these days?

[laglag in reply to jeeves19]

Just about every day. I miss a few days once in awhile. If I miss more than two days I can start feeling the stiffness come back. I wish it worked for you. It has for some, but as you know, everyone's different!

[kaypeeoh]

I thought I had a heart problem and was diagnosed with sinus bradycardia. I had to wear an EKG monitor for 24 hours. I copied this:

"Sinus bradycardia It doesn’t always indicate a health problem. In some people, the heart can still pump blood efficiently with fewer beats per minute. For example, healthy young adults or endurance athletes can often have sinus bradycardia. "

It just means a more efficient heart. I run a lot. Elite marathon runners commonly have a resting heart rate of 30BPM or less. At the neuro a few days ago my heart rate was 60.

[Motherfather]

good evening jeeves ,im typing with my left as my right is shaking and i have my right hand stuck down the sofa as it helps with the shaking .mmmm good job im not young anymore if you know what i mean.huuuurrmm,nuf said anyway sorry to hear your having problems.me im not sure about my heart rate as i never check it but im up bright and early take the dog for a walk,not 2 far as hes like me getting older every day anyway after that i go for a long walk we have a beautiful lake were i live.and i put my head phones on to have good music believe it or not some of the music while i find myself dancing as i walk.then a walk in the afternoon.so anyway i find my self feeling a lot better just going for a not fast pace but a fair one,hope you find out if your doing ok my friend.regards john,

[jeeves19 in reply to Motherfather]

Thanks John for that nice message and warm words. I too take my dog for a daily walk although the park is somewhat inundated with walkers who ordinarily would have gone for a coffee but have now to meet outdoors due to Covid. One day I’ll get my park back! 😂