Heart rate's relation to symptoms

[Andrew]

During one of my worst periods a few years ago, I had an awful feeling going through my body that I can't describe. I happen to see a different doctor who took my pulse (none of the others did). My heart was rate was well over 100. I wondered back then in that was a cause or effect of the body feeling.

Recently I bought a fingertip pulse oximeter. It is supposedly professional grade. During the first days of testing I unscientifically guesstimated that my resting rate is in the eighties. Last evening I was not feeling well. I got into bed and was there for an hour. I had that awful body feeling, but not quite as bad as when I went to the doctor that time. I took my pulse and it was in the nineties. I remained lying down for 30 more minutes, took it again. Still in the nineties. And over the next hour, every time I checked, it was in the nineties.

Now, today I am writing this, and just feeling my usual level of sick. My pulse is back in its eighties.

I guess my first question is if any of you has an awful body feeling that you find associated with a faster heart beat? And how would you describe that feeling? Does it have a name?

And my second reason for posting this is more general, and is to see if any of you have any symptoms you find related to pulse.

 

[SOC]

I don't have the awful body feeling, for which I'm grateful. I do, however, have a consistent pattern of HR increase with other symptoms, mostly muscle pain, weakness, and fatigue.

 

[Sea]

I get that awful feeling sometimes. I've tracked heart rate, blood pressure and glucose levels and haven't found any correlation with any of them.

I do have OI/POTS and feel awful when my heart rate is raised (100 -160) and that's not always predictable, but my heart rate settles as soon as I lie down (50 - 60)

 

[golden]

it seems from home tests and symptoms that i have oi/pots and have just discovered the bliss of lying down with my legs raised for 40 minutes or so and its really helped my body get some rest.

 

[leela]

Andrew, I just in the last month or so have developed what you describe. The awful feeling, elevated heart rate even lying down, and a big worsening of the POTS. Lying down does lessen the HR; it's just that resting HR appears to be
at least 20 points higher than before, and thus when I stand, going up 30-40 bpm or more means a much higher (and more unpleasant) range as well.

I dunno what it's about, but I have been under some stress, and even though mentally I feel really calm, my body appears to be acting as if it's under attack.

 

[xchocoholic]

I have this. I get POTS everytime I'm upright for more than 10 minutes so I expect to feel crappy if I stay upright. But those time when laying down doesn't solve it I look at my foods, etc and can usually find the culprit. For me it's either caffeine, chemicals, too much B12, P5P or Benadryl, etc that cause my hr to remain high after laying down to correct my OI / POTS.

I've never found a way to make it stop other than waiting it out. Maybe Theanine or Klonopin would help tho.

I was relieved also to find out that POTS was making me feel crappy and laying down would help. At least most of the time. Not knowing this kept me feeling anxious about what might be going on. tc ... x

 

[WillowJ]

do you have a blood pressure cuff, Andrew? sometimes an awful feeling can be caused by low BP, and the heart rate might raise to try to drive up BP.

I do get an awful feeling, but it's not always associated with high HR. Sometimes lying down helps. Sometimes drinking and eating something (particularly something salty, but starch, fat, protein, and a small amount of sugar help too.)

 

[SOC]

Andrew, I just in the last month or so have developed what you describe. The awful feeling, elevated heart rate even lying down, and a big worsening of the POTS. Lying down does lessen the HR; it's just that resting HR appears to be
at least 20 points higher than before, and thus when I stand, going up 30-40 bpm or more means a much higher (and more unpleasant) range as well.

I dunno what it's about, but I have been under some stress, and even though mentally I feel really calm, my body appears to be acting as if it's under attack.

That happens to me when I get an infection. It might be worth considering whether you might have a UTI or some such thing...?

 

[soxfan]

I get that awful body feeling quite often...in fact I have been writing about it on the post I started on mental exhaustion. Maybe I have described what you are feeling....It is one of the worse things about this illness. My doctor just diagnosed me with OI based on what I have been describing to him.
I can tell you that nothing I have taken helps with that feeling except taking my sleep meds and going to sleep. Even laying down doesn't help.

I don't know what my BP is at the time of this but I do also have a pulse ox meter which I used quite often. Even though I think my heart is beating fast it almost never is...only in spurts when I am standing up.
I am suppose to start taking my BP at work and since I work in a pharmacy we have one of those cuffs right in the store for the customers so it will be easy to do.

My doctor thinks it is adrenaline flowing from the stress of being on my feet. My heart pounds and I feel totally awful. I am not sure if this is what you feel also but it is wicked....

 

[Persimmon]

Andrew, Dr Klimas advises patients to take their heart rate each morning, and to cut back on activity on those days it is higher than normal/baseline. (This was covered in her recent disclosures on exercise.) Clearly she has observed a relationship of day-to-day changes in resting heart rate that feeds into levels of functioning.

Also, be aware that for many people their resting heart rate will vary predictabily during the day. For example, your morning heart rate (resting) might consistently be 8 beats per minute lower than your evening heart rate (resting). Comparing repeat observations of morning or middle-of-the-day readings to a single evening's readings might not be comparing apples with apples. That said, I think you're onto something.

 

[Andrew]

Interesting thing. When I first posted here I was talking about what happened after a trip to a periodontal appointment. It's about an hour ride there, an hour back, and the appointment is an hour. IOW, it puts a strain on me. Today I had the same kind of appointment at the same place. Only a little longer. I've been home an hour and a half, and I've been in bed now for 30 minutes. I have that awful body feeling and my pulse keeps going up and down between 101 and 105. I took my blood pressure and it was 150 over 90. I'm not usually that high. I have no idea what any of this means, except it is interesting that under similar conditions my resting heat rate is over 100.

 

[WillowJ]

sorry you are feeling so badly, Andrew

 

[SOC]

Interesting thing. When I first posted here I was talking about what happened after a trip to a periodontal appointment. It's about an hour ride there, an hour back, and the appointment is an hour. IOW, it puts a strain on me. Today I had the same kind of appointment at the same place. Only a little longer. I've been home an hour and a half, and I've been in bed now for 30 minutes. I have that awful body feeling and my pulse keeps going up and down between 101 and 105. I took my blood pressure and it was 150 over 90. I'm not usually that high. I have no idea what any of this means, except it is interesting that under similar conditions my resting heat rate is over 100.

The same kind of thing happens to me, too, Andrew. I saw a cardiologist yesterday who seemed to think he had some clues, but wanted an echocardiogram done before he was willing to draw any conclusions. I'll let you know if he comes up with something interesting or useful.

 

[Seven7]

Andrew try this: When HR goes up. Use electrolyte, my choice is pedialyte: a whole bottle. Coconut water or any electrolyte you can get your hands on. As you lay down or go to sleep the more dyhadrated you get. So when u lay down for crash you have to stay extra hydrated. When I get in my 90s = dehadration. Does not have to do with how much water I have taken, somehow the more activity the more dyhadrated I can get. Or maybe is the low blood volume they talk about and by doing the hydration I "trick" the body and it feels better.

You might want to see an electrophysiologyst for OI

 

[maryb]

Andrew said' I guess my first question is if any of you has an awful body feeling that you find associated with a faster heart beat? And how would you describe that feeling? Does it have a name?'
Andrew in reply to your question a definite yes - in fact I will go and take my BP and pulse rate when I get that awful feeling - I too would struggle to describe it- and my pulse is always about 10beatsPM higher than normal. I don't think I have OI - but with this illness who knows. You're not alone though.

 

[Seven7]

Describing my feeling: my first thought is if I don't lay down right now I will die. I feel head pressure. I feel like all muscles are heavier, like I wanna make it to the bed but muscles are starting to give out. If I raise my hand higher from my heart like to my hair, I feel very tired and out of breath, then I feel shortness of breath. Head buzzing. U name it. You know when you overexercise and u feel u are gonna pass out or puke or something. Like my body gave all it could give.