[mmert1]

I am a 46 year old male who recently started experiencing rapid heart rates. I've had days where I it was at 112 HR and some at 117, just walking around. My usual HR has been 74 resting. I spoke with my doctor and he had a ECG, EKG, and stress test done as well as a upper CT with contrast. All of these exams came back clean. The doctor informed me that I was just stressed and should take a vacation for a couple of days. My question is can stress cause all this or do I have something I need to worry about.

Please provide some feedback.

Thanks for your support.

[Jeff]

Hi mmert1,

Yes, I can tell you from personal experience that it is possible for stress to cause those symptoms. About 8 months ago I was peaking on my stress level, and my resting heart rate was often about 80, much higher than usual. Standing up and walking around it would spike up to 110 or 120. (I knew this because I had an event monitor on that displayed my heart rate, and like a fool I was checking it about every 30 seconds.)

When the stress went away, so did the fast heart rate.

I assume that by ECG and EKG you actually mean echocardiogram and electrocardiogram (ultrasound and rhythm strips) - if you've had those and your doctor is satisfied that you're OK, then you probably are. See if you can't find a way to de-stress (I usually need a week), and see if the problem doesn't go away for you.

Jeff

[jkfrench]

I can second what Jeff stated. Stress is my biggest trigger. The tricky part is to learn what type of stress triggers them. For me, I can be in a very stressful situation and not have any PVC's. Then one week later they start up. Then I have to think back to what started them up again. It is a vicious cycle but if your heart tests are normal, then you need to find some ways to relax. Hope and Help for Your nerves and Peace from Nervous Suffering by Dr. Claire Weeks really helped me. You can get the books on Amazon.
Take care
Jodie