Episodes of rapid heart rate &worried about nerve damage

[sproggle]

Phases of rapid heart rate

I have phases/episodes of rapid heart on a daily (or every other day) basis. It always starts with needing to lie down and no longer being able to listen to the radio or concentrate on anything. I get numbness and tingling but the worst thing is my heart rate can reach 166 beats per minute!
I've been having this symptom for a long time but I'm worried that although I've had general symptom improvement in the past few months this symptom is as bad as ever. I breath very heavily with it and it takes me a long time to recover.

It's only recently I've been able to measure my heart rate and realised it was so high. I measure it in intervals whenever I can and have become worried about it frequently exceeding 160 bpm. I have alot of muscle pulling/twitching etc with these episodes and is it a bit like hard exercise my feet twitch quickly and I have muscles pulling hard in my thighs, arms and shouders and even my face, so I'm basically squirming and writhing about! The highest readings I've taken were while I wasn't having muscle symptoms though (usually after) and I don't know if it's a dangerous level to keep having daily. I'd say it will be 150+ for 10/20 minutes aday with bout five minutes of around 160bpm

Also, this always happens before a bowel movement (sorry for the info!) so I basically wait for the worst to be over then drag myself to the loo. The only way I can decribe it is that whatever messages are sent down my spine to my "bowelly bits" to get things moving go wrong and the signal goes haywire. Recently I don't get the total paralysis I use to get and the tingling and spine pain isn't as severe but I still have ALL my mucsles working hard, (instead of just the appropriate ones for this function!) and a very high heart rate.

I am wondering if this is a sign of nerve damage and possibley permanent? :worried:

I have often also thought it feels like toxins are being released into my bloodstream, so I did wonder about leaky gut, but then I havn't heard about such episodes relating to it?

Hoping some of you more knowledgable folk might shed some light...

Thanks

 

[Dreambirdie]

There is a thread somewhere about rapid heart beat--heart pounding... something like that. Sorry... too tired to look it up for you.

What's helped me, and others, with this kind of thing is magnesium. It's on that thread. Check it out.

 

[Hysterical Woman]

Hi sproggle,

Sorry to hear that you are having such awful problems! As Dreambirdie mentioned, there is another thread that might give you some helpful information.

My heart palpitations disappeared after starting magnesium therapy. In addition, numberness in my arms, leg pain, leg cramps, eye twitches, noise sensitivity, light sensitivity, and my blood pressure improved.

If I come across the other thread, I will try to post it for you here.

Take care,

HW

 

[CBS]

Sproogle,

Have you talked with your doc about this? HR and bowel motility are both controlled by autonomic neural function. The two could definitly be connected. I don't know much about magnesium. Traditional approaches to HR and motility issues are going to be to deal with each separately.

Best of luck,

Shane

 

[Victoria]

Definitely see your Dr, Sproggle,

She/He may refer you to a cardiolgist. I had a dobutamine stress echocardiagram which revealed a couple of things, one being myocardial ischaemia (where not enough blood gets to the heart).

Many people do not realise that constipation also has an affect on your heart. You say the heart symptoms happen before a bowel movement. If you're not having regular bowel movements OR, you have to strain to produce one, consider adding more fibre to your diet (soluable fibre that is).

Low potassium can also cause heart arrythmia (so that's another one to get checked - as well as magnesium levels).

Some drugs can also cause heart symptoms (eg amitriptyline).

Lots of things to consider, so, rather that worry (which can exacerbate your symptoms), see your Dr.

Even if there's nothing specifically wrong, at least it'll clear your worry lines.