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Heart palpitations and tiring easily

Posted By Ryle (Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines) on 07/17/2012

Hello! I wanted to get someone's opinion, seeing as to how helpful this community seems. It's about my mom's condition. She's 44 years old, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, and isn't overweight. She always seemed fine before- couple occasional migraines hit her hard, as they do everyone, and palpitations sometimes.

However, last week, her palpitations began to get fairly severe to the point that she almost couldn't breathe. She went to get a check-up and had tests done- ECG, 2D Echo, blood chem, thyroid exam, chest X-ray. They all went pretty fine. Heart and lungs were clear and of normal size, thyroid was okay, cholesterol wasn't of concern, potassium level was okay. I can't remember if she has slight anemia. I don't know if it would be correct to assume that, since my brother and I have it, she has it as well - please correct me if I'm wrong. The 2D Echo test revealed that she had irregular heartbeat and that a valve in her heart was thick (I'm not sure which one). She had a stress test done as well but she was stopped after no longer than 10 mins because her heartbeat was already spiking.

She's taking prescription drugs right now and her Holter monitor test results won't be out until next week. I've noticed she's beginning to tire more quickly now and her palpitations & dizziness have become more frequent and out-of-the-blue. She drinks coffee but the doctor told her to quit it cold turkey so she did, though she always gets headaches when she doesn't take her usual one cup a day. She does housework which can be very hard to do especially since we have no house help, but we've told her to not force herself to do all of it everyday (she's a bit OC when it comes to cleaning).

I'm really worried because I've never seen her get tired and dizzy so quickly and frequently. And she says her palpitations have become more frequent and sudden too. Our family, especially her side, has heart disease history. Her dad and all of her dad's siblings died from cardiac arrest. I'm positive she won't be in the same boat because, like I said (and unlike her dad and uncles), she doesn't drink and isn't overweight. I'm just really concerned as to what the cause of this all is since her tests are pretty okay (I guess) except for the fact that she has irregular heartbeat and the thick heart valve. I don't know, I guess it would be helpful if someone with a similar experience can tell me what their diagnosis was or how they dealt with it or if these are symptoms for something more serious. My mom tells me not to worry but I can't help it since I'm not always around her and I live at the university. Please, if anyone can just give me a clue or something. Thank you.

Replied by Sugarboo (Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States) on 08/20/2012

If you have insurance or can afford it, get your mother to an "Interventional Cardiologist". They can do a cardiac catherization on her to see if the inside of her arteries have any blockages. They will have to put her in the hospital for the day and push a thin tube into her groin vein and then they release a dye and take pictures to see if any of the arteries are getting clogged. This kind of heart doctor can put a stent in or do balloon angioplasty right there as she is on the table. If you go to a different kind of cardiologist, they can do the cath test, but they will have to call another Dr. to do the procedure. All the other kinds of tests showed nothing for me, and my doctor just blew me off.. I went to another Dr. (cardiologist) and he believed what I complained of, and did the cath and he had to put a stent in. All my short of breath went away the next day! I also found out I was anemic and and started getting monthly iron infusions.. It is hard to find a Dr. And a place that has the facility to do this, but they are well worth it. My iron level was 8 and it should be between 13 and about 150.. I get the iron infusions once a month now for the last 4 years. My body is kind of allergic to the iron, so I have to take a benedryl tablet an hour before I go, and they also give me a 1mg shot of Ativan to keep me calm and drowsy. The iron infusion drip takes about one hour to completely drip into my vein. It is well worth it though.. Hope your mom can get the cath test. I am 48 and got the first cath at 44.. With no history of heart trouble, and no smoking and a healthy lifestyle.. So you never know.. But find a Dr. that will do it for her..

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