Help!

[Superbob]

My 30 year old daughter, visiting for Christmas, is having rapid heart beat that seems to be like arterial fibrillation. Will this usually pass on its own, maybe just stress-induced, or when do you take to ER? I took her blood pressure and it was normal.

 

[Keithf]

My guess FWIW is that it's stress and/or something she ate or should have eaten. If you like you can drive out to the ER and wait a few minutes to see if it goes away.

 

[Superbob]

Thanks! She says it seems to be subsiding now. Pretty scary. Of course I meant atrial fibrillation or a-fib. Never had to deal with that before. Will make her get checked out ASAP.

 

[Keithf]

You're welcome. I think you should be able to take your time to make an appointment with a good cardiologist, who can tell you all the things this could be. Hopefully this will just go away and not come back.

For some reason I seem to think this can happen if you are deficient in whatever vitamin is in bananas.

 

[Superbob]

Thanks, Keith. Really appreciate your responses. Yes, I think I read somewhere in my quick education on a-fib that a deficiency of potassium, found in bananas, can be a cuplrit. Or it can be many things, which means she needs to go to a good cardio. She told me she just got checked out with her GP and I told her she needs a cardio. Will follow up.

 

[Keithf]

You're welcome. It may help the diagnosis if they were able to check her out now and see if it really is a lack of Potassium.

 

[Harrybaby666]

I get them too....

I get them too....

I get palpitations due to a deficiency in Potassium as well...Mine is from 1. being Diabetic, 2. Having Congestive Heart Failure....I lose alot of fluid due to my diuretic, and I have to take Potassium on a daily basis to keep from losing too much...you still have to be careful of this because having too little potassium can cause a heart attack as well. I hope this helps you. Merry Christmas...Harrybaby

 

[Adrienne]

Your daughter could have been having tachycardia without having a-fib (sinus tachycardia - the HR is fast but it is in sinus rhythm). She definitely should get it checked out, because tachycardia can lead to a-fib. With atrial fibrillation, the heart beat is totally erratic.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Do you or your daughter have a Stethoscope?
If not, it's a good idea to get one so that you can listen to the heart beat and provide a better explanation if/when it happens again.

MOST arrhythmias are benign, but not all. They MAY or MAY NOT resolve on their own. If they don't resolve after a few hours, it's a good idea to go get an EKG (GP office is OK if open) or ER if after hours.

STRESS, Caffeine, Nicotene(sp?), Low Potassium, are some of the possible causes (I've forgotten the others).

If it happens again, try to have it documented by an EKG. A Cardiologist may suggest wearing a 24 Hour Holter Monitor to capture 'events'.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Superbob]

Thanks Al and Adrienne.

It had settled down after a few hours and by the time she went home with her hubby she seemed stable. I took her bp and blood sugar (and they were okay) but I don't have a stethoscope. Will look into getting one. I think Christmas stress plus Christmas eating could be culprits but I definitely want her to get checked out.

I have read posts about a-fib on here, but I've never experienced it myself. From reading about it and hearing her describe her symptoms, I gather that's what it was. Would have expected it more in myself than in my daughter, who has never had heart problems. Coming just before Christmas dinner, it was a reminder never to take our blessings for granted.

 

[Natanni]

Some oral contraceptives today can cause disruption in potassium; I had a terrible run in with two of them, Yasim and Yaz which contain drospirenone; My heart rate (my hubby is the valve patient!!) is normally around 100, and after 3 months of these hormonones, I would run into the 130s-140s and BP would only slightly elevate.

 

[Nan]

Hi Rob, and Merry Christmas!

Glad that your daughter's heart arrythmia settled down, but I agree that she should have everything checked out by a cardio, and if it happens again it would probably be a good idea for her to go to the ER. If it is atrial fibrillation and it is diagnosed as such, the docs would probably say it is OK to wait a while. But as she doesn't know for sure that's what it is, should get it checked out.

Hope everything turns out OK.

 

[tobagotwo]

I didn't get home until a few minutes ago to offer my two cents, but my bet is that Adrienne nailed it with classic sinus tachycardia. This is very common when someone is overworked, overstressed, or overtired, which is quite common around the holidays. Using caffeinated beverages to keep awake or alert can seal the deal further, as can be the case if you're just beginning to come down with something.

Most people get brief cases of this on occasion, as it is really just an extension of the increased heart rate that occurs from exercise. The only differentiation is whether the body slows it down again within an appropriate time span.

If she's not prone to arrhythmias and not in any other ways actively ill (fever, etc.), this is the most likely scenario. A doctor would be unable to find anything in that case. Wouldn't hurt to check with the General Practitioner on General Principle, though.

Best wishes,

 

[Superbob]

That sounds plausible. Thanks. Appreciate all the responses.

 

[DebNord]

Tachycardia

Tachycardia

I get episodes with tachycardia with dizziness and fatigue along with palpitations and dr said it is supraventricular tachycardia.

 

[Nancy]

The cardiologists have told me that there is afib, aflutter, other rapid arrhythmias and ordinary rapid heartbeats that are triggered by ?? who knows, and are benign and go away.

I think an EKG is the only way to tell, but if they have gone away that's a good thing.

Have her call the doc tomorrow and let him/her know about the episode.