posted
Basically, I'm wondering about others' experience -- if anyone has anything similar....(not just palpitations or chest pain/costrochondritis sans EKG changes) or that requires this level of medical management...
I have inverted t and st waves on my EKG. I get crushing chest pain, pressure and shortness of breath when I walk a very short distance or around my apartment. I also have episodes of supraventricular tachycardia (caught one on the Holter monitor -- 183 bpm for 10 min until the valsalva maneuver kicked in). Also, some orthostatic intolerance (measured by doc). Crappy circulation in legs/arms (everything falls asleep super easily).
I am currently using a nitroglycerin patch (which helps) and today my doc added a calcium channel blocker, verapamil. In addition, I am taking coQ10 and taurine. Will start hawthorn shortly (those last three are care of my holistic med MD).
Now while the description of symptoms & EKG sounds like I should be a 68 year old sedentary person sucking on 20 cigarettes an hour in between bites of Micky D's super-duper macs w/ cheese and bacon, that ain't the case.
I'm 42 (well, on Sunday), 5'2", 110lbs, my cholesterol is 112 and my triglycerides are 42. Until recently, I was vegan. Am sedentary now but that isn't typical of my life when I don't feel sick. BTW, this is a (CDC poz) recurrence of Bb for me, not a brand spanking new infection.
I'm not on abx at the moment due to a variety of situations but will start again next week (mino & zith).
Anyway, anybody else with these symptoms (esp. chest pain/pressure/SoB with exertion), EKG changes, or using these meds (esp. nitro)? I'd sure appreciate hearing from you.
Posts: 689 | From western MA (we say buttER and pizzA) | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
GiGi
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 259
posted
Don't want to comment on your condition. Except to say: My doctor who is very successful fishing sick people out of the pond says over and over and over: "I have not seen a healthy vegetarian." He adds that in today's environment with toxic exposures of many, many types, a diet without sufficient proteins just will not do. He is adamant about it.
Maybe you want to research this a bit. His patients are no longer vegetarians - even though he himself prefers a veggie-weighted diet. But he does not, because he says it won't work today.
There was some discussion on heart, etc., and I posted on it. Probably the most important cause for heart problems today. I posted just a couple three days ago. You may want to read it.
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I hope this helps....I had severe chest pressure and pain..shortness of breath doing practically nothing!Noticed this was during bad cycles..face would break out in lesions...all symptoms popped up horribly..went to cardiologist all 8 tests & bloodwork and 3 cat scans NEGATIVE...MRI brain positive Lyme lesions and damage..WAHLAH now Cardiologist knows it was Lymes advanced and lucky no muscle damage noted on heart..yet still bad pressure and pain upon cycle.Antibiotics by mouth kept symptoms at bay off antibiotics all h--- started!Now starting IV will let you know if it knocks it out for good!So Lymes can hit a heart at late stage,they say it can get dangerous I wish you luck and healing ASAP!
Posts: 21 | From Alexandria,Va | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi duramater
If I am reading what you are saying correctly it sounds to me like Babs might be causing your heart problem--
I know it sure has me--
My heart has been all over the map--
Now after starting Babs treatment my heart has perty much smoothed out--
And it happened Quickly too-- so look into Babs and see if it is causing this for you--Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
have you had a cardiac cath/heart mri/ct done? have you had a stress test done? what is the cardiologis't assesment of the situation? are there blockages or is it heart failure/cardiomiopathy type diagnosis?
Posts: 109 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
I have all of your problems from 20 yrs. of untreated Lyme, while pushing myself to do tons of aerobics since I supposedly had "fibromyalgia". I needed a beta blocker in order to do the prescribed exercises without doubling over from shortness of breath due to tachycardia, but even that did not make them question their diagnosis. I am not a vegetarian, and I do not have Babs.
I have 3 leaking heart valves, inverted S-T waves, occassional Atrial flutter and fibrillation, and Paroxysmal SupraVentricular tachycardia with dysautonomia, including very high blood pressure spikes. My PSVT attacks last 1 1/2 hrs. wihtout the Verapamil. It has saved my life, because without it, I would have killed myself. As it is, the fear of the PSVT attacks keeps me from walking outside or driving except when I have really good days, which is not often. I have to carry a Mobile 911 phone with me everywhere.
BTW, research done in Australia at Univ. of Sydney and confirming research done in England at Univ. of Newcastle showed that 100% of those with the diagnosis of CFS have inverted S-T waves, and biopsies of 100 of these patients showed evidence of mild viral cardiomyopathy. As you know, Lyme can result in reactivation of dormant viruses. My doctor feels my reactivated CMV or HHV6a are the most likely culprits for my heart damage. This is more proof of my belief that CFS is mostly Lyme plus coinfections and reactivated, opportunistic infections.
Magnesium citrate, COQ10, L-carnitine, and Verapamil SR have helped me the most, as well as cutting my exericse routine down to a size and shape that fits with knowing I have Lyme.
If you have a leaking Mitral Valve, like I do, then you can help your dizziness by making sure you drink at least a quart of water daily per 50 lbs. of body weight. If you have low blood pressure, you might want to put some sea salt in that water, and sip it all day long. You might also want to read up on MVPS, a syndrome which can affect those with an MVP, which inlcudes orthostatic problems and other dysautonomic symptoms. There is lots of good info about this at the Vanderbilt Univ. web page and at many MVP web sites.
Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged |
Lydie
Unregistered
posted
My teenage daughter has supraventricular tachycardia attacks (up to 180) for 6-8 hours at a time. It was really easy to catch on the monitor. Now they say she has POTS/autonomic nervous system problems.
I have also had tachycardia bad enough to keep me on the couch. Have also had crushing chest pain, but, actually, that turned out to be either muscles or nerves- finally went to ER and it was not cardiac. This was reassuring. it sounds like you weren't so lucky.
My daughter and I both have Lyme. Sorry can't help more- just wanted to say some of us have parts of what you are suffering, in different .combinations. Your description sounds scary and very "life-impacting," and I hope you find an MD who can help...
IP: Logged |
thanks for comments. i do, of course, know that others have similar symptoms, however, i've not heard of others with the inverted t-wave stuff who required things like nitro & calcium channel blockers for vasospastic angina, you know? i've heard quite a bit about it (t-wave findings, chest pain/pressure/SoB) on the CFS fora, but not here, thus the curiosity.
while they did try to slap on the ol' cfs diagnosis a time or two, positive spinal taps for Bb and CDC positive wb's slapped that out of the picture...
hope the svt for your daughter & your own chest pain have abated.
Posts: 689 | From western MA (we say buttER and pizzA) | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic