Hello, I was wondering what effects Lyme disease has on the heart, and what to do about it?
I come from a family of people with strong hearts, but I notice that my resting heart beat is rather high.
The lowest I've measured it to be in the last couple years is 61, but it usually hovers around 70-75 .... And I'm a 26 year old male!
Does this mean Lyme disease has weakened my heart? I eat really well and exercise regularly enough. I'm thinking of taking up a fairly hefty (but totally reasonable) jogging or biking regime to strengthen my heart. Anyone have any experience with this? I'm looking for recommendations
Also, am I worrying too much about it? Just how bad is a heart rate of 70-75 for a fit ( = not overweight) 26 year old male? I don't recall my heart rate before I got Lyme disease so I have no point of comparison.
Thanks!
Posted by jasek (Member # 12395) on :
That is about the only part of my body that's not affected,but I'm sure you will get some good advice. One thing, even though excercise is a nessesity there seems to be an invisable line a lot of us cross. We have a good day so we push it and next thing you know is your down. Took me a long time to learn my invisible line, and I still managed to cross it last week and was down two days. Good Luck, Jasek
Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
A resting heart rate of 70-75 is perfectly normal. And if you still have Lyme and are sickly, just having an infection may temporarily raise your HR on bad days.
And everyone is different too... some people have a higher than average resting HR, and that is normal for them.
Lyme most likely did weaken my heart, by the way, and my resting pulse used to sometimes get into the 90s. But even then, although higher than normal, it's not in tachycardia range. The way to check if Lyme weakened your heart is to get an echocardiogram and EKG. Echo is the one which will show how strong your heart muscle is.
Posted by Skinny Luigi (Member # 21839) on :
Thank you everyone for a couple relieving answers. I know I'm straying from the specific topic of Lyme disease, but whats the best exercise for strengthening your heart?
Also, I know palpitations are a symptom of Lyme disease, but how concerned should I be when that happens? It tends to happen when I'm nervous or stressed.. I know it might happen to everyone a bit, but it tends to take all day to go away, and it can get pretty high (90bpm, etc)
Also, by "stressed", I mean even little things.. Like when I have five errands to run on a particular day or something.
At least my energy levels have come up a bit lately, so I can muster the will to actually exercise. It feels really good, like an upwards spiral Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
You can ask your doctor for a holter test to check for palpitations. It's just a little device they attach to you and you wear it for a day. It'll measure any palpitations you get.
Most of the time they are harmless.
I think your best bet is to simply mention your concerns to your doctor and ask for some basic heart tests, like the ones I mentioned. Based on symptoms, I'd guess they are just normal Lyme stuff... but for peace of mind you can have your doc check you out.
Posted by ott70 (Member # 18237) on :
Although, be somewhat cautious in telling your doctor/cardiologist that Lyme may be causing heart issues for you. Most docs will roll their eyes unless you trust them to believe your opinion and they are open-minded. I am also assuming you don;t have an "official" Lyme diagnosis.
Lyme and co-infections cause neurotoxins to be released. Those toxins can travel anywhere in the body and cause symptoms. I have heart symptoms and the belief is the toxins irritate my heart muscle and give me pain and skips.
I have had all of the heart tests and checked out fine, but I still have skips and pain and shortness of breath. I don't get tachycardia too often, but an infection will definitely cause it.
Consider the link between gum disease and heart disease. Gum disease is bacteria releasing into your bloodstream and then possibly affecting your heart. Doctors and dentists will say that the bacteria is causing artery blockage, but it's conceivable that the muscle of the heart is also being irritated from the bacteria and any toxins they release.
Echocardiogram is a good way to go for heart strength. All three of mine have passed over the last two years, but I never have an echo on the days I'm feeling symptoms.
Holter test is good to for the palpitations and skips (PAC's / PVC's). My holter recorded a few PAC's, but nothing that alarmed my cardiologist since my other heart tests checked out.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I only WISH my heart rate was in the 70's!!! I've had tachycardia for about 10 yrs now and I've been on meds for it for that long.
Even now it is sometimes above 100 with meds. I can't take more because then my BP gets too low. I also have A-fib now but I'm not sure if it's from Lyme or just hereditary. I've had lyme most of my life.
Sounds like the symptoms you have are very "normal." If you continue to have palps you might want to get checked out by a cardiologist just to be safe... but listen to "ott" on this one!!
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i have started walking and try to do a mile each day. still my resting heart rate can be 90-100.
i've tried everything and it seldom gets down into the 70's.
when i'm stressed tho it can reach 135.
i've had all kinds of tests and apparently they say it's ok.
Posted by gwb (Member # 7273) on :
I had this same problem until I started taking Neuro-Toxin ll Cardio by Jernigan Nutraceuticals. My doctor did BRS testing http://www.hansacenter.com/brs.php and found that I had high levels of ammonia in my heart, brain and liver.
I'm not suggesting that your palpitations are caused by ammonia, but if it is you might want to consider doing some detoxifying to see if this helps with your palpitations. I rarely have palpitations now that I've been treated with Neuro-Toxin ll.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)