Weird Episode

[valliali]

i had a weird episode of symptoms today, unlike any other that i have ever experienced, and i'm hoping someone may help to shed some light on this. i am not really sure what is going on, as i felt like i have been improving, and i haven't seen new symptoms in like a year. now things are going haywire.

everyday during my lunch break, i exercise for 40 minutes. the sheer fact that i am able to do this is a far, far improvement from where i was a year ago. exercising is not usually comfortable to me, but in the end, it makes me feel better. i take a beta blocker an hour or so before i exercise, which keeps my heart rate around 160-170 during exercise. i'm happy with this since without meds, my hr would be around 220 or so.

so today i was doing my usual exercise, and my heart rate, as always, was around 160. the gym that i go to is usually a little warm, so like always, i was feeling pretty hot and sweaty. at around 33 minutes, i all of a sudden started feeling really cold both internally and externally. then i started feeling incredibly tired, like a tired i haven't felt before. i was really checked out, couldn't focus on anything and my vision was quite blurred. my heart monitor said that my heart rate was at 123. i haven't seen it that low during exercise but once, which happens to have occurred only a couple of weeks ago. so very unusual. i kept going because i thought i needed to "up" myself, but it only got worse. the tiredness was unbearable, and i just felt really really bad. i looked at my heart rate again and realized it was around 110. i stopped immediately because this is just plain freakish. i hadn't slowed down or anything, and my heart rate doesn't get down to 110 after exercising for like hours afterwards.

my boyfriend, who wasn't far from me, came rushing over because he said that he had noticed that i was like white as a ghost. he said he could tell something was wrong from across the room.

i went and sat down, and just felt so horrible. i had a panic attack which i also haven't had in over a year. when i left the building i continued to feel just so unbelievably tired. my muscles felt incredibly weak, like i didn't have it in me to even take a step. i also felt really nauseous. i was sure i was going to hurl, but didn't. this all lasted for another half hour or so, and then i started to feel more myself, albeit still very exhausted.

has anyone experienced anything like this? i don't even know where to begin in understanding this. it is so new to me, and unlike any of the symptoms i have experienced. when i exercise, my greatest fear is my heart rate taking off, never have i worried about it slowing down or feeling like my body is shutting down. my symptoms sound similar to those listed under exertional syncope, but i didn't feel like i was going to faint at all. and the feelings lasted quite awhile. i have had presyncope before, and this was very different. i just can't imagine what else could have gone on. heart arrhythmia? do i see someone about this? do i wait and see if it happens again? if i can even bring myself to exercise again. do you guys have any thoughts?

thank you so much for listening.

[kayjay]

YESSS -I have had this exact problem... for me it happened after a few weeks on YAZ and I was on my eliptical. I also get "sheet" white and panic. In my case, I think this happens when i get an extreme adrenal surge. The yaz also dehydated me. I now take Klonopin if I feel the panic or turn pale.

I also have had this same reaction drinking coffee outside on a hot day and having an allergic reaction to a drug. I am sorry for you I know that they feel awful.

I was misdiagnosed with pheochomacytoma which also makes you go "sheet white" and causes pots-like symptoms so make sure that you don't have that... I didn't exercise for 6 months and now I am sorry. You may want to cut back on the cardio for a little while or at least use a bike so you are sitting. Good luck to you I am sorry that this happened to you... Make sure you are hydrated! KayJay

[Mrs. Burschman]

I had something similar happen a few times.

I recall one time when I was out for a run (really slow -- my husband calls me "Swift Turtle"), I started going really cold. I noticed that I had goosebumps, and the hair on my arms was all standing on end. Keep in mind that this was in the middle of summer. There's no way I was cold. I don't know what my blood pressure was doing, but I sure felt like crap.

Another time, I had a disturbing incident after a 5K race (in not-record time). I had run hard -- probably too hard -- and at the finish line, it was like my muscles all just gave out. I almost fell over. It was pretty scary. My doctor thought that I might have been low on potassium and suggested that I start drinking Gatorade before races.

Other times, such as after climbing stairs, I'll just feel so exhausted, I have to lie down for a bit. Once again, I don't know what my blood pressure is doing at those times, but I do know that my heart feels "tired" then. That's the only way I can describe it.

Amy (Mrs. Burschman)

[Mrs. Burschman]

Oh -- I was checked for a pheochromocytoma. Because I had tremors. The very experienced endocrinologist thought that MUST be what I had. Nope. Normal.

[valliali]

Thanks guys. Did your heart rates also drop when this happened? And did it feel like a really strong "episode", like an accumulation of symptoms suddenly?

I am also sorry you have experienced this because it is quite uncomfortable. I have done a bit of reading about exertional presyncope, which sound like a lot of the symptoms that I had (cold sweat, blurred vision, lowered heart rate), but at no time did I feel like I might faint. I didn't even feel dizzy. It was just the extreme tiredness.

I am concerned that it could have been my heart, like a heart arrhythmia that I haven't had yet. But my cardios have been pretty worthless, so I am hesitant to go through all that again. Especially b/c this is the first time it's happened, I doubt it would be captured on a holter. Just very scary, and I wish I knew what was going on!

[valliali]

I was also tested for a pheo, twice, negative. I rarely turn really really pale like this. It was like my whole body was just shutting down. I honestly thought I was just slowly dying.

[Mrs. Burschman]

Thanks guys. Did your heart rates also drop when this happened? And did it feel like a really strong "episode", like an accumulation of symptoms suddenly?

I am also sorry you have experienced this because it is quite uncomfortable. I have done a bit of reading about exertional presyncope, which sound like a lot of the symptoms that I had (cold sweat, blurred vision, lowered heart rate), but at no time did I feel like I might faint. I didn't even feel dizzy. It was just the extreme tiredness.

I am concerned that it could have been my heart, like a heart arrhythmia that I haven't had yet. But my cardios have been pretty worthless, so I am hesitant to go through all that again. Especially b/c this is the first time it's happened, I doubt it would be captured on a holter. Just very scary, and I wish I knew what was going on!

I don't know. Sorry! I didn't check that.

I forgot to mention that I also couldn't hear very well all of a sudden. Like my ears were inside my head and didn't quite reach the outside.

[Maxine]

I'm sorry this happened, I know how scary it is when something outside your normal happens.

I hope it's just a one time thing, maybe from the heat-----maybe your vasodilating too much from that.

Do you get regular cardiac echos done----------------a full echo checking everything including aorta from abdomen all the way up through thoracic, and also the cartoid arteries? Just a thought. It does sound like the heat hit you pretty hard. Right now I could never think of trying to exercise to that extent.

I'm trying to find a pool that isn't too warm, so I can at least do that.

BIG HUG,

Maxine :0)

[valliali]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I actually don't think the heat was an issue, as I tend to do WAY better in the heat than in the cold. Dry heat that is. And after the episode happened, I felt a lot better sitting in the heat. Wierd huh?

I had an echo done a year and a half ago, it was totally normal. It did say "upper normal PA pressures" on it which made me nervous about pulmonary hypertension but my cardiologist told me not to worry about it and my levels were normal.

I believe I have a PSVT and most of the time my heart rate is way too fast. When I exercise, I usually feel jittery and on the verge of a panic attack, if you know what I mean, because my heart rate is high and I am sensitive to adrenaline. But today it was like my body systems were just shutting down and everything slowed. The coldness and paleness, it's just creepy. I suppose I should see my cardio again, but I am sooooo tired of hearing, "well, we don't know, maybe it's stress." I sure hope this is a one time thing, but I have just been feeling "off" since then.

[Janey]

I USED to have this when I exercised at the gym.. the slow down in heart beat, going sheet white, feeling really, really, really nauseous.. not knowing what to do with myself. I STILL get this on the odd occasion when I wake up at 4,5 or 6am and have exactly the same symptoms. It's a shock because I've done nothing to trigger it except be asleep but it's just like something in my body or circulation has been released and I'm not going to be able to rest until it fades out. And yes, it does give way to panic attacks - do you think that's something to do with the adrenalin?

Janey

[futurehope]

Valliali,

I'm so sorry you had to experience this. Just remember, our bodies are not functioning normally, so even if you exercise, pay attention to symptoms and DON'T PUSH through. Stop. Recover.

Sometimes, in the middle of feeling okay, we forget that our bodies have problems. So, my suggestion would be not to discontinue exercising, but to moderate your workout. It seems obvious to me that you were trying to do too much.

Unfortunately, some days we can handle more than others. If you are coming down with something, or the outdoor heat/humidity changes, or if there are stressors such as lack of sleep, dehydration......all of these and more can adversely affect us. We get more affected that normal people, in my opinion.

The inconsistancy of our symptoms makes it difficult to adjust. Let us know how you are doing, okay?

[kayjay]

Valliali, I really think that I have the same EXACT problem (my husband thinks so too). If it makes you feel any better.. I should tell you that I hate hospitals and I went to the ER the first 4 times this happened. I truly believed (as did my husband)that I was going to die. I know when I was exercising, my heart rate went high then low and I felt like something was horribly wrong. I also AM NOT A FAINTER but I think my BP may have gotten very low, then the adrenalin kicked in and I then had rapid heart rate and high BP. The panic feeling is so hard to describe... I just really thought that I was going to die and on top of that the vision things were scary. The good news for me is that after about a month on Lexapro, a beta blocker, and Klonopin I no longer have these huge surges. I went unmedicated for years and only had a few of these attacks - (once drinking coffe outside in the heat, once after running up the stairs, and also when my son was born) This past spring I had a "surge" that would not go away and my heart rate stated in the 150's for a week ( I was in the hospital at the time).

Anyway I want to assure you that if things settle down for you in a few hours (or less) you are probably ok... but if not you really need go to the dr's. Good luck and again I am sorry for you, even if I never have this problem again... I will never forget how awful it feels! If you do go to the ER try to have the person with you explain that it is not mental anxiety.

I was given an ativain (like valium) in the er the first time and the Nurse kept telling me to "calm down". My husband wanted to smack her... Sometimes with our symptoms and as a young woman... the er dr's will treat you as though you are having a "mere panic" attack. Of course the ativan made me sound like a drunk when I called my mother, but it did nothing to help my hear rate or blood pressure. KayJay

[potsgirl]

If this occurs again in the next month or so, you may want to consider getting an exercise stress test. Another option would be to wear a Holter monitor to see how your heart is reacting to different stimuli...exercise, rest, etc. Make sure you're really hydrated before, during, and after your workout, preferably with a Gatorade/electrolyte product. Also, a lot of times the HR on exercise machines can be off quite a bit. For those of us who exercise, I think it's worth the money to invest in one of those monitors you can strap around your wrist to get a better picture of what your HR is doing. Write odd experiences down, so you can tell your doctor how you were feeling during that time, and what your numbers were.

Hope this helps, and that this was just an isolated incident. I'm going to echo most people on this post and encourage you to keep exercising, just at a more moderate level, and to stop if you start feeling sick.

Cheers,

Jana

[valliali]

Thank you all so much. I have considered a stress test before, but I have found all these tests I've done to be basically worthless. My symptoms are so sporadic and isolated, it's impossible to predict whether or not they will occur. Then, of course, when I'm actually wearing the holter or on the machine, I'm fine. And I end up looking like a crazy person insisting to my doctor that my symptoms are real. Ugh. I know you ALL know what I mean.

The episode I had yesterday was the first time anything like that has happened. Never did I think I'd be worried about my heart rate DROPPING! It's always the other way. So I'm not sure I'm ready to pursue the docs yet, since who knows if it'll ever happen again. Hopefully not.

I really appreciate you all sharing your similar stories. Though I am sorry you go through this too, it makes me a lot more comfortable to know I'm not some freak with these problems, though I often feel that way.

I have read up a bit about it, and it sounds most like perhaps I, maybe we, were having some kind of vasovagal presycope. Though I didn't, during my episode, feel like I was going to faint, nor did I feel dizzy, other patients have wrote in to these internet doctors with similar complaints and were told it sounded vagal. And in fact, one doctor even said that it means that the patient has strong vagal tone, which is good. Ha! To think that feeling like that is a good thing! But, the dropping heart rate, cold sweats, turning pale, blurred vision.. all part of it. So that's a possibility. I am not really sure why it gave way to a panic attack, other than the fact that I am very sensitive to adrenaline and perhaps my body was shooting some out to compensate for the slowing down.

I am definitely in some kind of flare right now. My right hand joints are swollen again, which hasn't been the case in like over a year. Not really sure what's going on!

[Mrs. Burschman]

"well, we don't know, maybe it's stress."

I would say what I think of this comment, but this is a family website.

[iheartcats]

"well, we don't know, maybe it's stress."

I would say what I think of this comment, but this is a family website.

I'm with you.

I haven't had the funny feeling that extreme, but I've had a lesser version of it. It's not a panic attack. I know that much!