[sammy84]

Hi -

How high can your heart rate go and still be safe? In the last few days it seems like my hearts beating way too fast. If I get up to cross the room my heart rate shoots up to like 120. it's usually like 80 or 90. I'm starting to be in full on panic mode here and just need someone to tell me this is normal.

sammy

[jkfrench]

Hi sammy
Anything over 100 is considered tachy (at least that is what my doctor told me). My heart used to do the same thing. Sometimes if I just raised up my arms over my head it would jump to 120. I think my doctor called it innapropriate sinus tachycardia. It can really feel uncomfortable but with a structurally normal heart, it is benign. I take 1/4 of a 25mg of atenolol and it keeps my heart at a comfortable rate. Don't worry, but go see the doctor. 120 is not a life threatening rate but it can make you anxious which will just keep it higher than normal. I'm sure you are fine. It really sounds like exactly what I used to deal with back in my 20's.
Jodie

[tickertock]

Well I had my first bad attack of tachycardia this evening in over a year, since I been on atenolol 100mg daily in divided doses I rarely have inappropriate Tachycardia or PVCs anymore, I also been on lexapro 5mg daily & clonazepam 0.5mg twice daily as needed for panic disorder. I'd been doing so great this really threw me off balance this evening. I had just gotten under the shower when I felt a typical PVC feeling, then Bang my heart took off to I guess about 150bpm, really freaked out, slowly got out of the shower, and dry off looked in the mirror and my chest & neck was flushed , but my face appear pale. I tried to breathe normal and within less than 5 minutes my heartrate was back to around 70, I laid down on my bed for a about a half hour, went back and took my shower without any problems. I think raising my arms above triggered the event, I would not call this a panic attack, but the attack did trigger panic for about the first minute, I was actually trembling and shaking for about 20 minutes afterward, its been so long I almost forgot how terrible this problem can be. I still think I have a possible concealed pathway that triggers these episodes of tachycardia since all other test are basically normal, I know the only way to know for sure in an EP study, but for such infrequent & shortlived episodes for now I think the risks outweigh the benefits.

[jkfrench]

oh no Tickertock. I'm so sorry. They really are horrible and the problem is when you don't get them very often, you do forget. I get the PVC's daily but like you, the SVT attacks (or PAT) is very infrequent. Maybe twice a year. I hate that shaky feeling afterward. I think some of that is from panic. Now just don't think too much about it so it doesn't trigger more. YOu know the drill. You have always been so helpful to me so let me know if you need any additional support. You know how to reach me.
Jodie

[tickertock]

HI Jodie,
Funny I didn't let it bother me like before, I guess its probably the anxiety treatment that helped with that, so far so good, no more episodes, I'll keep you posted.

[Jeff]

Sorry about you're recent experience - and sorry it took me so long to respond. Not sure why I missed this post.

I've become a proponent of how those meds can help how you mentally approach these problems. For my very short bursts of PAT, I was in a state of panic, without a doubt. I would wonder if I should scream from help before I passed out, didn't want my kids to see my croak right in front of them...of course none of that happened, but I was a mess for the rest of the day.

Now when I feel it, I might get a little nervous, but it passes within a few minutes. And I credit that not to how well I've adapted to these, but to how my meds won't allow my brain to blow the episode out of proportion.

That Jodie's a good egg, isn't she?

[tickertock]

Thanks Jeff, this is great site to visit for reassurance and to listen to others with very similiar experiences, in fact Jodie and I seem to have a very similiar condition relating to the heart ,and man you're so right she 's one good egg and reflects true humanity at its core.

[Jeff]

I'm glad you like the site. I'm really looking forward to the future with this, as I've got a line on a few medical professionals, including an electrophysiologist, that I'd like to have here to answer questions every so often.

[Susie]

My heart rate resting us usually 65, but, it does not take much to raise it up past 100. One day, I was walking into the ER as I was having some issues with my tummy. Well, I could actually feel it going faster and faster like a train, and no matter how hard I tried to relax it just got worse. I even tried to go limp in a chair and take deep breathes, but nope, it went all the faster. Well, by the time the nurse called for step one, which is blood pressure and pulse, it was really sailing. She would not tell me how high, but my friend looked and said it was close to 130. When I was sent to the ER room, I was hooked up to the monitor and the blood pressure cuff, well, my pressure was 150/80!! I am always around 110/65 to even 94/60. The doc had the nurse give me a shot of some sort of sedative, it only made me a little drowsy, and I was able to feel a little relaxed, but, it did NOT make the heart rate go slower nor the blood pressure to drop. My original reason for going in was for bad tummy pains, but the doc was more concerned over my heart rate and B/P. Well, he then had the nurse give me a beta blocker, it did nothing. He finally told me to go home but I should look into seeing a psychologist as my problems were probably mental. I know the EKG was OK, he would not tell me about it, but, my friend heard him asking a cardiologist about it and the cardiologist said it was fine.
I am telling all this to show how anxiety and emotions can cause these fast rates and such. For me, drugs do not help at all. I have a strong constitution and I fight them as they scare me. What does help is having folks to talk to who do not think I am "mental" I have a great doc who is very caring and knows me like a book and that helps. I told her about the incident and she said that the doc would be having a heart attack and not me due to the fact that he was so hyper and uncaring. He DID have an awful bedside manner. She told me I am NOT mental, and that I need reassurance and support from friends and family. I am blessed to have these forums and others who understand my ways. All this happened 2 years ago, but the memory is still vivid. I am of course alive to tell about it, have since had the echo, holter monitor and other tests and they have all been super.
Amazing what our bodies can go through and survive and live to tell about it.

[jkfrench]

Susie, my heart does the same thing. It can change on a dime. My rate will be around 70 with a bp of 95/68 at home. I drive to the doctors. I feel it starting to beat faster. I sign in with it pounding in my chest. I sit down and wait to be called and check it and it is usually over 120. I simply cannot control it. I feel like I have to explain it to any doctor that doesn't see me on a regular basis and I have started to tell the nurse at my ob/gyn appts. not to even bother taking it or my blood pressure. I just bring the readings in from prior to leaving the house.
I have tried taking an extra 1/2 of the atenolol and that doesn't even help. 25 years of this. It still amazes me that I can't control it in any situation regarding doctor visits.