mkoven Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 here i go again with another round of premenstrual ans symptoms. i seem to feel very short of breath, tired, tight in the chest. i've been wearing my hr monitor, and i looked down today, and as I was feeling crummy, I saw my hr drop into the low 50s, with each drop, corresponding to feeling crummier. anyone else notice this? I'll take my bp, but I think my symptoms are more confined to hr. any theories/explanations? excessive vagal tone? I feel best when my resting hr is in the mid 60s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjt22 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I've always had a very difficult time explaining that when my heart rate drops below 70 bpm I'm in bad shape. From previous monitoring, I know that when I'm sleeping, my heart rate often bottoms out into the 20's. I know this still happens because I dream of passing out when it does. I've often tried to make the case that this is what is causing many of my problems with edema. Evidently, I haven't made that case well enough because even the ANS savvy doctors will look at me and say, "but that isn't bradycardic"....no, it isn't for most people, but apparently it is for ME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat57 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 A heart rate below 60 beats a minute is called bradycardia.www.mayoclinic.com/health/bradycardia/DS00947 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjt22 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Oh, and as to cause? I've always thought it was as excessive parasympathetic response to excessive sympathetic stimulation. That seems to be the case for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkoven Posted July 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 just wondering why hormones have this effect. sometimes it goes into the 40s--and i always feel awful. anything below 55 and i feel unwell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brye Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I have bradycardia a lot with rates down into the 30's. I've had 2 EP doctors tell me that a pacemaker may actually be helpful. Why wouldn't it be? Several people now it seems have described symptomatic bradycardia. I know it won't help the tachy rates but if the feeling crummy is from bradycardia and the pacemaker kept this from happening why would that not help some of our symptoms. I've been agonizing over the pacemaker decision and I'm sure the only way to find out it helps is to have one put in. I just keep hoping the POTS will just magically go away and I won't need a pacemaker in the end. Any thoughts on pacers or has anyone else had one recommended for their brady rates. Down in the 20's is severe bradycardia right ... even if you're sleeping .Brye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat57 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I was offered a pace maker, but gained control over the brady with Norpace. Norpace is "for" tachy but has certain side effects that discourage Brady. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broken_Shell Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Hi,I am in the club of forum women who have a very difficult time with hormone fluctations and menstruation aggravating autonomic symptoms. As I am sure you know, changes in hormone levels can cause many symptoms and effect the balance of the our already dysfunctional autonomic nervous systems. Here is the only specific thought I can speculate about the bradycardia... progesterone is present in the week before a menstrual period, and progesterone is a natural central nervous system depressant. In healthy people, this might be related with increased drowsiness and fatigue, but since slowing of the heart rate would occur in the presence of CNS depression, I think it is feasible to hypothesize that in someone with dysautonomia, bradycardia could result. In fact, this might even occur in healthy women. I just think that the decrease in heart rate might not cause symptoms in a normal person though, but it certainely could in us. That's just my two cents worth and educated guess .~ Broken_Shell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Brye,I've had heart rates in the 30s for extended periods of time, and I had a pacemaker put in. I was very symptomatic and the pacemaker did help give me more energy. Plus, I don't worry anymore that my heart will just slowly stop beating - probably an irrational fear, but a fear just that same. I had just been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy/congestive heart failure, but not diagnosed with dysautonomia yet. I was diagnosed with that just a little over 2 years ago. I probably had it during the heart problems, though, which was 2 years earlier.The only downside for me is that you do have to replace pacemakers every 6-10 years, and you cannot get an MRI with one placed. Only CT scans can be done. If you want to PM me, feel free.Cheers,Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordellia Posted July 12, 2009 Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 ditto... my heart rate hovers in the low 50's---prior to menstruation. best, cordelia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkoven Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 the other night it dropped into 40s, and as it did, I got incredibly cold. Creepy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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