Heart symptom question, possibly pre-menopause?

[mom31257]

I have been having a problem for a couple of months. I am waking up in the early morning hours feeling like my heart is pounding, more hard than really fast. I even got up and check my heart rate one night and is was around 90, so not above normal range (60-100 is what I read).

 

I went to our walk-in clinic because of some ear pain and ended up letting them go ahead and do my pap smear because I was overdue. I told the doctor, he listened a while and said my heart sounded great with nothing irregular. He did blood work for cholesterol, thyroid, sugar, anemia, etc. He really didn't seemed concerned, but I realized after I left that he never told me what he thought it was. All my blood work was great, except slightly low "good" cholesterol, but total was only 147.

 

Is this possibly a pre-menopause thing or hormonal thing? I am 41, still having a period every month, but they are starting to become irregular in number of days (some shorter, some longer), and are heavier than they used to be. I don't really have cramping, though. Sometimes I realize I'm having a little pms, but not really bad.

 

I also sometimes have slight pressure feeling not pain, but I do have reflux and take zantac at bed. Maybe I just need something stronger for that.

The pressure does improve sometimes with moving around, that's why I think it's not heart related.

[mom31257]

bump

[Zelda]

Can you describe it a little more? Does is feel like a "skipped" beat precedes the racing?

 

Do you drink caffeine? If so, you might consider cutting back gradually (don't go cold turkey...not worth the literal headache). See if that helps. I do have some experience with this and after many tests it seems to be completely benign. But it is worth pursuing.

[Zelda]

Also, reflux can definitely feel like heart symptoms.

[RoughCollie]

To be on the safe side, I'd insist on an electrocardiogram (EKG). If nothing else, it would put my mind at ease.

 

Lots of things mimic heart conditions, which is why I thought I was having reflux, panic attacks, and laziness issues -- right until I had emergency bypass surgery.

 

My symptoms lasted for several years, and worsened during that time. They included: chest pressure, chest pain, pain going down my left arm (this does not feel like "normal" pain), extreme shortness of breath (I would be completely out of breath after climbing 13 stairs), suddenly blacking out for no reason (I had time to sit down first), infrequent heart palpitations (>200 beats per minute), and having absolutely no energy (I had to go to bed immediately when DH came home).

 

I finally mentioned all this to my doctor when the chest pain, pressure, & left arm pain frequency increased significantly. I thought he would tell me it was all in my head and that I was lazy. Talk about denial.

 

Your symptoms do not sound like you are in danger of having a heart attack, and indeed, given your age and gender, they probably are not related to a heart condition. I'd check it out to be sure only because if I knew back then what I know now, I'd have insisted on a cardiac workup even though I had no risk factors for heart disease.

 

Take into account that with my history, I tend to be a Nervous Nellie about these things.

 

RC

[Michelle in MO]

I have been having a problem for a couple of months. I am waking up in the early morning hours feeling like my heart is pounding, more hard than really fast. I even got up and check my heart rate one night and is was around 90, so not above normal range (60-100 is what I read).

 

some similar symptoms---sometimes lately I feel like my heart is racing and pounding pretty hard in my chest.

 

I'm not having the other symptoms you've mentioned, but I did make an appointment to see our family doctor tomorrow, and I may ask him to order an EKG.

 

I've also been under more low-level anxiety, which I think is mostly due to some changes in the family. We're not homeschooling this year; we've enrolled all three girls in a private school 30 min. away, and there have been some changes associated with that. Plus, I tend to be a worrywort :) so I've been somewhat concerned about them, how they're adjusting to their new environment, evening homework, etc. My symptoms started right around the time we started school, so I think they're related, but I want to make sure.

[kalanamak]

Hiatal hernia? Cold medicine or just getting too old for caffeine?

Learn to take your peripheral pulse. If I fall asleep and get suddenly woken in the next few minutes I felt I had tremendous hard, fast heartbeats, but on my wrist...slow, normal beats. Lots of the things in the chest mimic palpitations. I *think* mine is sudden adrenaline causing rapid bronchial dilation.

[Guest kacifl]

they discovered I have thryoid problems. It stopped once I went on Thyroid meds. K

[mom31257]

Thanks for all the input. I am feeling slightly out of breath on stairs, but only if I'm not careful to breath well. I can exercise, and if I breath well, I'm fine. On the day I went to the doctor, I did 30 minutes on the indoor bike we have and did 6.2 miles. I never had shortness of breath or chest pain. I think what is bothering is just that I can "feel" my heart more than usual. My mom was about my age when she started having heart problems, so maybe it's nothing and I'm just worried.

 

I do have a cup of coffee, but usually just first thing in the morning and it's the half caffeine kind, too. Most days, that's all I get, but occasionally more. I'll see if I tell a difference on days I have more, one of which is today. I could try to cut it out completely.

 

I had read somewhere that heart palpitations are a big complaint of entering menopause. Does anyone know if that does happen? I have been stressed some lately with a lot of family issues, so maybe it's that. My older sister has been disabled for about 4 years, my nephew has epilepsy and it's been getting worse, and just this week, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.

 

Maybe I'm just "old" and out of shape, which I'm trying to correct now. My goal is to exercise 4-5 days a week for at least 30 minutes.

[Parrothead]

If nothing else mom31257 and michelle, you two need to insist on a full thyroid screening. Something further than a basic testing. Make sure they check T3 and T4 levels.

 

Palpitations are a symptom of thyroid issues. A lot of doctors miss it because they don't do a full thyroid workup.

[GailV]

Common symptoms of menopause.

 

Number 2 on the list is heart pounding or racing.

 

That doesn't rule out another problem, of course, but you may well have nailed it when you thought it might be menopause.

 

BTW, my midwife commented that after age 35 or 40 you don't have any more aches and pains and symptoms, but you start to think they actually have some significance. I thought that was pretty funny. When I was 25 I wouldn't have cared about a pounding heart. Now? Yep, I'd want to check with a doctor.

[Zelda]

Do you remember having increased heartbeat sensation with pregnancy? Is it like that? Some people are more aware of heart beats than others.

 

I had the EKG and holter monitor routine which didn't find anything. Did give some peace of mind so its worth looking into. Sometimes, anxiety over palpitations can increase them. You get in a worry cycle. Palpitations are not that uncommon but check it out.