Q:
Hello, I am a 35 yr. old. male. Been having irregular heartbeats for about 10 years now. Seem to be getting worse. I have been to 6 different cardiologists. Cannot find anything. Have wore a monitor for 2 weeks. Had echos, ekg’s, tilt tables. Just recently had a trip to the ER with rapid heart and high blood pressure. Currently taking Verapamil and Lisonopril. It is just getting hard to live a normal life. It seems to be getting worse and worse. I have been exercising 30 minutes daily. Used to smoke, quit in Jan. 2009. Just for no apparent reason my heart will start racing and blood pressure spikes. 180/110. Can this be a panic attack? Also the irregular beats make me feel like my heart is going to stop working. Do you have any advice for me? Thank you very much.
A:
From your various trips to your doctors you already know your heart is otherwise normal – with exception of these arrhythmias. As I see it, you have two options, the second one following option 1:
1) To increase your meds. It certainly sounds you don’t get a therapeutic dosage if your blood pressure can go up to 180/110.
2) To see a cardiologist who specializes in EP studies, and consider an ablation:
Normal heart conduction
Electrophysiology study (EPS) – This test is performed at a hospital or clinic. A specialized cardiologist (electro physiologist) studies the speed and flow of electrical signals through the heart, identifies rhythm problems and pinpoints areas in the heart that may be the sources of abnormal electrical signals that trigger arrhythmias:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-information/heart-arrhythmia/cardia
It seems to me you are progressively disabled, and that it is time to fix your problem. You may need to go to a major center where doctors specialize in this sort of thing.
Hope this helps,
Dr T
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/