Resolved question:
I've never had any heart problems until 4 months ago. I was overall very healthy and felt wonderful, happy and upbeat. Unfortunately, I went in for my annual flu shot and because I had turned 65 they gave me a stronger one than I had ever had (Fluzone 4x). I hadn't a clue they were giving me this type of shot and even my PCP had never heard of it until I reacted about 10 hours later with severe neurological symptoms which have not gone away to this day 4 months later. I have had many tests but no diagnosis or relief as of yet. I do not function well anymore, am depressed and cry a lot and cannot lie down or sleep much.
Along with the neurological symptoms I got what I consider a strange heart condition. The shot went in my left arm and the symptoms spread from that point around my body but have always been worse on the left side closest to the flu shot. I've had a lot of chills and vibrations and tremors in my left chest but I presume they are neurological. The heart symptoms are the following: my resting heart rate went from 75 to 92 overnight and has not gone down since; when I lie down my heart skips and thumps a lot; and my drugstore blood pressure monitor keeps indicating that I have an irregular heartbeat. The doctors don't seemed concerned but I am very concerned because these symptoms are completely new to me since the flu shot and I feel terrible. Do you know what caused my resting heart rate to jump so much overnight and never return to its former value? Why do all my symptoms get worse when I lie down, including my skipping, thumping heart? I feel best (most normal) when I am working out at the gym! It's when I'm sitting still or trying to sleep (which doesn't occur much anymore) that all my symptoms seem to get worse. At the moment I am not on any prescription drugs except levoxil, which I've been taking for 30 years and my thyroid hormones are at the right levels. The neurologist has tried me on a number of drugs - various brain drugs (benzos) and others - but they all made me feel worse so I quit all of them. I go in for an EKG sometime this week but I'd like your thoughts about my heart symptoms.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Cardiologist
Hello
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.com
It all sounds like you have an episode of anxiety following the neurological problem. Heart rate of 92 is still normal and can occur due to anxiety. A feeling of increased force of heart beat can also occur in anxiety. Please relax. You dont have chest pain or breathlessness.
An ecg and 2d echo is required and it should help us reassure you.
Feel free to discuss further,
Regards
Dr Vivek Mahajan
DM Cardiology
Well, that's reassuring. When I try to relax (lie still, try to meditate) I get these waves of body vibrations, tremors and chills from the neurological symptoms that make it impossible to relax. I have to get up and walk around to alleviate those symptoms - they are still there but when I walk around I don't notice them as much. I use to be able to meditate to relax very easilty but now it doesn't work becasue the neurological symptoms get in the way. I'll lie down and not feel the vibrations at first but when I start meditating (or after just lying down for 5 minutes) they get really, really intense with chills and tremors too sometimes. Also, the tinnitus is really loud so it's hard to meditate with with my whole body - especially my ears - ringing and vibrating. I did get up around 1 AM this morning and had a somewhat high (for me, but not abnormal) BP but my pulse was 75 with no abnormal beats detected so maybe you are right about the anxiety. I will have the ECG tomorrow and will then write you back with the results. My doctors have prescribed several benzos for my symptoms but after trying them for a while I quit and said "no more benzos!"
Hello
It still sounds like anxiety. When you are busy in activities your mind may be diverted and so those symptoms may be prominent when you rest and are idle to think about it. Still objectives loke ecg and echo may be done to say woth surety there isn't any organic cardiac pathology.
Regards
Dr Vivek Mahajan