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Tachyarrhythmia Event
I had an attack of tachycardia last night that lasted
for hours and hours and was very scary. L It was the
worst one I’ve had in years, and left me over- exhausted, heavy-chested and
frightened. I did not get to bed until
after 3 AM, and did not sleep for a while after that.
In some
ways, it was worse than other tachycardia events, and in some ways, less
bad. It was worse by lasting longer than
“normal” and also by seeming more irregular. The latter part was better because it slowed
down some (though still irregular and more rapid than usual) and wasn’t as
painful.
A couple
weird things: during the event, I had to
keep peeing, and peed a lot. As it
subsided I drank well over a quart of water. (I was desperately thirsty!)
Dr. John,
my cardiologist, wants me to go to the hospital if a tachyarrhythmia event
lasts more than 20 minutes and ask to be put on a heart monitor so that they
can pinpoint the electrical malfunction that causes it.
I am
concerned about why I suddenly had it and if something I did triggered it—I don’t
want another!
Of course I
was wracking my brain for possible causes:
- · Sex? But we have sex fairly regularly, and I don’t normally respond with tachycardia. ©©©
- · Something I ate? Ginger? I didn’t eat anything particularly unusual.
- · Dehydration? I didn’t drink much yesterday as I ran around doing stuff.
- · Stress? I was feeling a little stressed-out by the day, particularly because I’d had several bad sleep nights immediately preceding and was tired.
- · Overtiredness? But I am always (often) overtired.
- · Some combination of factors?
- · Sleep apnea? I’m wondering if I fell asleep right after peeing and had an apnea event. I wasn’t aware of one . . . But I often wake up from apnea events in a panic with rapidly beating heart. Apnea events can cause heart attacks! L
o
“Cardiac
arrhythmias are common problems in OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and (SDB) (Sleep-Disordered
Breathing) patients, although the true prevalence and clinical relevance of
cardiac arrhythmias remains to be determined. The presence and complexity of
tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias may influence morbidity, mortality and
quality of life for patients with OSA.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841803/
o
“We frequently encounter patients who experience
symptoms of acute heart failure, unstable angina or arrhythmia occurring
primarily at night, due to apnea. These patients often have a difficult time
losing weight despite trying various weight-loss methods. In these patients a
significant portion of their weight is fluid that accumulates due to their
sleep apnea phenomenon.” http://oregon.providence.org/our-services/p/providence-heart-and-vascular-institute/forms-and-information/apnea-can-cause-patients-to-lose-more-than-sleep
o
“Obstructive sleep apnea can cause arrhythmias,
as it aggravates autonomic nervous system imbalances.” Steven Y Park, MD,
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Sleep-Apnea---Disorders/Sleep-apnea-cause-of-tachycardia/show/1101553
o
“Presentation of arrhythmias: Some patients
truly are asymptomatic – the arrhythmia is usually discovered during a routine
physical examination. However, most patients are symptomatic in some way when
an arrhythmia occurs. Patients having paroxysms of arrhythmia may have symptoms
of palpitations or out-right heart racing. Other symptoms may include chest
pain, pulsations in the neck, dyspnea, light-headedness, fatigue, sweating etc.
After a spell of arrhythmia, the
patient may have frequent urination (due to release of atrial naturetic factor,
a polypeptide released from the atria that stimulates diuresis) or feel
fatigued for hours to days. Other arrhythmias may cause syncope with the
attendant risk of injury. More serious arrhythmias may result in a cardiac arrest or death. In the
United States alone, about 400,000 sudden cardiac deaths occur annually, which
approaches the total number of deaths from all forms of cancer. (Emphasis mine.) http://www.heartracing.com/physicians/cardiac.arrhythmias.asp
My hypothesis is, from the evidence, that I had an arrhythmic
tachycardia (tachyarrhythmia) event triggered by sleep apnea, triggered in turn
by obesity. And that I
seriously NEED to lose weight and need all the support I can get. Positive
support. (I did weight less this morning, the least I’ve weighed since December
23rd, 2014. Of course, I had no lunch).
The sleep apnea event (if indeed, I had one and that’s what
triggered it), could have been caused in part by some of the other factors (super
over-tiredness, for example).
