Heart Goes Thumpity Thump

ahava

Alright a few notes about this.

I am not a complete novice at medical anything. I have been raised in a medical household and do know my way through medications and things.

Family history: About 13ish years ago, mom had an anxiety attack and was given instructions to stay away from caffeine, red wine, and dark chocolate in order to help her control the heart palpitations.

Situation: About four days ago, or so, I had a day where I drank a lot of caffeinated tea. More than my usual dosage of a mug a day. I had 4 large mugs. And no, I can't really give a good guess on amount, although I would say probably about 750ml each mugful. at least.

that night, i got heart palpitations. bad enough that I could not sleep. My heart felt like it was in my throat and it was the only thing that I could hear or feel. And every so often it would skip some beats or flutter a bit.

I called my mother in the states (a registered nurse with a background in pediatrics) and she told me that it was most likely a reaction to the caffeine. To hydrate myself with tons of water and try to have a few good coughing fits. Which was easy enough because the whole feeling makes you want to cough. A lot.

Fast forward a few days and I've cut down on my tea intake considerably. I had one cup yesterday with breakfast and then some chocolate after dinner. About two hours after the chocolate, my heart goes back into this weird rhythm. Not as badly as it had the night before, but bad enough that it was disturbing. I drank down more water, had a few good coughs and then did some meditation thing that I thought would help. And it did.

I mentioned this to my parents today (dad's a Nurse Practitioner) and they didn't seem too concerned. They chalked it up to both the caffeine and possibly even the stress that i'm under.

Pause for situational stress background: I have recently (last month) uprooted my entire life and moved halfway around the world from the US to New Zealand. I have been looking for a job, but have so far been unsuccessful and I am starting to feel a bit like a guilty drain on economics, even though i have been told that I'm not.

Back to reality: Other than the anxiety and the caffeine, both of which make sense, does anybody else have any other ideas? Or suggestions? Possible relief? I've been switching over to all decaf tea slowly since the first night, but I'm just wondering if anybody has any known relaxation techniques that they use to get themselves out of what feels like a panic attack.

Thanks guys.

Corvus

Honestly, the stress and unaccustomed caffeine intake probably explain it. I'm a regular tea drinker, but if I have say, a full energy drink, my heartbeat gets a little too fast for my liking. My system just can't take that much caffeine at once.

Also, I don't know what the rules might be for you as a migrant, but I believe NZ has socialized healthcare like us here in Canada, so why not see a Doc if you are worried?

For dealing with it, try some light exercise, maybe some stretching or yoga? If you have things that are worrying you, or keeping you up, writing them down and yours to fix them can help.

ahava

i'm not worried enough for a doctor yet, although the thought has crossed my mind.

the light exercise is where i'm leaning towards, didn't know if anybody had any good suggestions other than like light yoga (my body cannot bend like that, i'm trying but ouch).

I guess I'll just take the hits on the caffeine intake and see where I go from there.

soxbox

Yeah, get out of your U.S. "not bad enough to see a doctor" habit. You've got residency? Doctors should be cheap and easy.

If you're worried about it at all see a doctor - especially if it's stress related, as compounding a stressful life with stress about your health is just a path to chronic stress-ville.

I'm not sure if NZ is the same as Australia in this respect, but walking up to the front desk of your GP and saying "I'm having chest pains" or "I'm having heart palpitations" will usually get you seen by a doctor almost instantly (they don't like having people die of heart attacks in the waiting room).

ATIRage

Well, heart palpitations can be very scary and you might want to see a doctor. You can see if you have a serious problem by doing light aerobic exercises. If your heart problems come back, doctor time If you have stress maybe try a nice hot bath at nights where you just soak (Helps me relax the day away)

ceres

My husband gets this when he takes in any substantial amount of caffeine. A doctor will probably tell you the same thing, but I definitely think you should see one about this anyway, just in case he doesn't.

Fantasma

You need to see a Cardiologist. Have you checked your blood pressure?

Asiina

I get these all the time and they freaked me the hell out when they first started. After many doctor's visits and a trip to the cardiologist they told me to stop worrying, it's just a thing that happens.

Actually take your pulse when you are feeling this and at some point when you're not. It may FEEL like your heart is beating fast, but likely it's not actually any faster than your normal rate. It's just louder. I get that it's really scary and can induce a panic attack, but try to remember that it's probably no big deal.

I find exercise that causes your heart rate to go up or to generally become noticeable helps. Then when you feel it, it's associated with a positive healthy feeling rather than panic. It's hard to say "stop stressing" but it's very, very likely that unless you are experiencing some other symptoms it is just stress related and not a big deal at all.

ahava

Yeah, I took my pulse the other night and it came out fine. Took it this morning, same thing.

Blood pressure (last I checked which was a month ago) was 119/78. which for a 5'4 280lb girl is pretty good.

Got a little bit yesterday while applying for jobs (stupid work thing) got up and did some exercises and they went away no problem.

so I stick to mostly water, toss in a small thing of tea, very diluted, and then go from there. if things get worse even under those conditions, then i'll go to a doctor.


Oh, and soxbox, thanks for the advice, but i don't have residency and I don't have a job right now so while going to the doctor here is still cheaper than in the states, it's still money we don't really have to burn. Besides, my dad is basically a GP and I know how to take my own pulse and things.


Thanks guys. I was mostly panicked when i wrote this up. I'm just glad to see that some people know what i'm talking about and have gone through it too.

Super Stach

You should still get it checked by a Dr. I had a friend with similar symptons who ended up having a short in the electrical circuit of her heart causes it to beat incredibly fast.

That was fixed easily by a surgery but was definitely something she ended being very happy ahe got checked out.

Kate of Lokys

Switching to herbal tea might be a good idea for you - the vast majority of it is naturally caffeine-free, and it does a pretty good job of satisfying the innate Commonwealth resident craving for plant leaves steeped in hot water. I'm a big fan of rooibos, which tastes more like an especially interesting black tea, and less like the stereotypical "chamomile and potpourri from grandmother's house" herbal blend.