Heart Palpitations

[puppythreads]

Does anyone else have problems with breathing and/or heart palpitations?  My most recent flare up was preceded by rib pain then palpitations which led to a cough (this has been going on non-stop for 6 months now) Holter monitor showed that I have multiple PVC's.  My stress echo was normal so my heart is fine, but clearly something is causing it to go haywire.  I have runs of bigeminal pvc's (normal beat, skip a beat) which last off and on all day.  Now I wake up gasping for breath from naps and at night.  

I googled heart palps and MS and there seems to be some evidence that MS can cause disturbances in the autonomic nervous system, but there is not much out there or I am looking in the wrong places.  My Neuro didnt seem to disturbed by it, but he was more concerned about the other MS problems I am having and I didnt get a chance to tel him just how bad it is.  Any help you can give me would be appreciated.

[poorkid]

Yes!! My last flare came with rapid heart rate.  Of course, everything else was ruled out.  I knew it was MS related because when I became overheated, this was one of the old symptoms that appeared.

I saw my neuro in Aug and as we were looking at the MRI, sure enough there was a lesion on the area of my brain stem that can effect your heart rate.  It was smaller than the previous MRI so I'm sure that is why this problem has gotten better for me.  My blood pressure is also very high dispite my meds.  

It is really nothing to mess with.  Don't take these symptoms lightly.  

To be honest, my neuro still isn't convinced that this is what caused my symptoms.  I don't think any good doctor is going to commit to saying heart symptoms are only MS related.  No one should ignore that type of symptom.  

If it is MS related, I think it's usually a brain stem lesion???

[puppythreads]

That sounds almost exactly how it started for me with previous and this current exacerbation.  My neuro listened to my heart yesterday and  said "You are nervous today."  I said "If you are referring to my tachycardia, that is normal for me."  At one visit to my rheumatologist, the nurse thought the pulse meter was broken because my pulse was 109 and I was just sitting chatting with her.  I told her "it's not broken.  It is just me."    At other times my pulse is as low as 60 which is borderline bradycardia.  No rhyme or reason.  

You might consider talking to your Dr. about your heart rate, in case there is a connection to MS.  Please let me know what you find out.  I am not sure cardiologists have any answers, because it seems they are concerned with diseases and defects of the heart.  If the palpitations and rapid heart rate are MS related, it seems to me it is some sort of problem in the "wiring" which controls the heart.  But I am just a lay person with MS.  Then again, who knows how we feel better than we and our fellow sufferers do?  

Karen

[puppythreads]

Thanks for the input!!  I wonder if there are more of us experiencing this in one form or another, but not making the connection to MS unless the symptoms get severe.  

I am going for a BAEP today which from what I have read can confirm brain stem lesions.  I have so many lesions, however, that I guess I would not be surprised if I have one there.  I am glad your symptoms are getting better.  I am glad you mention getting overheated, however, because I have found that my palps get worse after exercising, when exercise is supposed to make them better.  I also am fine in the morning with most of my episodes happening when I am tired or at night.

Karen

[momto2grls]

Hi,
I have experienced just what you describe for just over a year now.
I am not diagnosed, but absolutely could have written your post! I had the same tests done - echo, holter, event monitor, stress test. All normal, just showed pvcs and episodes of tachycardia. Doc couldn't tell me the cause and said everything is normal. I am very suspicious that this could be connected with all other symptoms I am having. I have pvcs so frequently throughout the day and it is so disturbing. I went from having tachy. maybe 2-x's/month to almost daily. More than one doc told me they did not want to put me on meds for it/meds not necessarry (that's easy for them to say). My blood pressure also runs very low - has for years.
I had a period of about 3 months within the past year when all of my "MS" symptoms subsided, including the heart symptoms, so this makes me very suspicious about the link between the two.

[Lulu54]

Just like we search for neuro's until we find one who listens and takes us seriously, we also need to do that with cardiologists.  Not all of them are the same and definitely don't take *nothing wrong* for an answer when you know there is a problem.

I still find no scientific connection between heart problems and MS, everything I read falls in the anecdotal area.  I wish there was a way to really study this and find the connection, because in my heart I know my heart attack was caused by my MS spasms.  Its the only thing that makes sense.  Both my neuro and cardio indulge me when I talk about it to them, but there is no evidence to prove I'm correct in my thinking.

As for the irregularities in your heart beat, if it gets bad enough, you may consider having an electrophysiology test done.  This will check your heart rhythm for irregularities, by provoking your heart.  You can learn more about this test at the Heart Rhythms website -

http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/heart_tests/electrophysiology_study.asp

Don't settle for no answers -

my heartfelt best,
Lulu

[Lulu54]

I should have added you can have a structurally sound heart muscle, and you can pass all the EKG's, echocardiograms, and holter tests and still have electrical problems with your  rhythm.