Palpitations, lightheadedness, dizziness

[abhidwarakanath]

Hi Everyone.

I have had a weird problem for the past year.

I came to Germany in Oct 2009. End of December 2009, I had had dinner one day with my friend with a lot of coffee. At one point at night, my heart rate went up to 120. I went to the ER, they said it was just Sinus Tachycardia and sent me back home.

I had a 24 hr EKG after that and nothing turned up. I ended up in the ER once more for that after that. Then one day I felt strongly a lot of skipped beats and ended up in the ER again. They were again only Premature Ventricular Contractions. Blood test, Echo, EKG everything was normal. I had a stress test, lung function test...nothing came up.

In the summer of 2010, nothing much happened. I was very happy and went about my University life, enjoying Munich in the summer, swimming, playing cricket and football, working in the lab - It was nice.

In september, I visited Berlin where I again had one of those tachycardia attacks. That was after a night of a lot of alcohol. I came back to Munich and had a 7-day Holter ECG. Apart from a few instances of "skipped beats" (extra systole), nothing came up.

September I was working a lot in the lab, and one day I had these skipped beats again, where the ER doctor gave me a Potassium solution to drink and it abated. But I continued to have a little dizzy feeling, feeling like my body was rocking with my heart-beat etc.

I then relocated to Berlin as a guest student there. In the first month, once after a party, I had the tachycardia again. Again at the ER they found nothing. Then till December, everything was nice, hunky-dory. In December once I had a feeling like something was being squirted below my diaphragm and my body was still rocking to my heartbeat, so I went to the ER. They measured my BP at 170/100. I was alarmed. But everything else was normal.

From November through to February, I used to drink 2-3 beers a day with friends. All through January I felt very bad, with a ringing in my ears, pulsatile tinnitus, weak legs, body rocking to heart-beat etc. In the beginning of february till March, things felt fine again.

But mid-March onwards this has started again, and the symptoms have worsened, i.e. when they appear. I have periods of perfect good feeling interspersed with feeling miserable. I also have thoughts of death, like I wil die, never go back home again, see my parents again etc. It is really miserable.

My symptoms as of today are these -

1. Hear races/beats strongly only during AFTERNOON sleep - Heat beats really strongly sometimes. Can feel heartbeat everywhere. Can strongly feel skipped heartbeat (extra systole, PVC) sometimes in chest cavity

2. Body vibrates before going to sleep sometimes

3. Buzzing in left ear

4. Lightheadedness some days, some days not

5. Really low pulse after waking up, or when at complete rest - lowest measured at 53 bpm. (possible thyroid problems?)

6. Increased body rocking - Shifting in frame of reference - meaning my visual frame shifts laterally and comes back.

7. Nervousness and jumpiness - gloominess. not too cheerful nowadays…

8. Irritation and anxiety to loud sounds - this is very strong

9. Heaviness left side of chest - Goes away after drinking hot tea or after taking beta blocker.

10. Increased tremor in digits.

11. Muscles constantly tensed

12. Increased dizziness

13. heart/body jerk while falling asleep to wake up?

14. Jolt in chest while falling asleep

15. Dizziness after sports, heart keeps beating fast even 1 hr after sports.

16. Rushing sound in ear, synchronised to heart-beat - pulsatile tinnitus

17. Pressure in head, dizziness with rushing sound, especially after sports or a lot of walking. Feels like someone is pushing me down from the head. This is accompanied by a strong sense of anxiety.

All symptoms progress as day progresses. Feel perfectly good after a night's sleep.

I've had 4 Echos, 3 24-hr EKGs, 1 7-day Holter EKG, multiple blood tests. Nothing ever seems to be wrong in them. I've had a neurologist work-up, an ENT work-up, they reckon everything's fine and I don't need a brain MRI.

I'm at the end of my tether. I have no idea what might be causing these symptoms.

If anyone could throw some light, I'll be very grateful.

[abhidwarakanath]

I also noticed that when my body rocks considerably, it is always when my heart slows down, i.e. I think two quick beats and then one after a little longer. Could this also be due to anxiety/stress, or thyroid?

[abhidwarakanath]

Thanks. I will ask my doctor to do that test too!

[Lavge]

I'm not an expert, but if I were you I would have my thyroid checked.