What's wrong with my heart?

[SlowwHand]

Albert Speer

[chequita guevara]

It's a blackened cinder.

[Ming]

I see some people are just begging to be restricted

[chequita guevara]

Oh come on. That question was just begging for it.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Ming
I see some people are just begging to be restricted

Come on Ming. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw the Tin Man.

[MrWhereItsAt]

What happened to Dr Strangelove? Didn't he dish out Doctorly health advice at times? I'm SURE it was him.

[Cruddy]

Albert, having a fit heart and lungs isn't something that is your birthright - it is something you have to work at.

NOW DON'T go and run a marathon or something stupid to make up for lost time - but some vigourous exercise a few times a week should help.

I've had a fast heart rate for a long, long time - apparently the most effective way of CONTROLLING the sucker is Yoga, but personally I'm not prepared to spend 10 years doing stretches when a few hours spent swimming every week should sort it out.

Hope this helps!

[Spiffor]

Doc Strangelove only pops in from time to time, so he probably hasn't seen this thread yet.

I think Guynemer has medical knowledge too (if I'm not mistaken), but he doesn't spread it as much as Doc.

Speer: I'm no doctor by any means, but I have heard that people tend to have a roughly equal amount of heartbeats before their heart dies.
If it's true, you should find a doctor quite quickly, otherwise this problem may just lower your life expectancy in the long run. As others have said, ask questions until you have a satisfying answer. Don't take the "you're too stressed" or similar advices at face value: while stress does count, the Doc will require to examine you, and maybe to know how you live (dieb, daily efforts, sleep patterns, etc.), to make an informed comment.

[our_man]

From a physiological point of view:

Cardiac Output = Stroke Volume X Heart Rate

Therefore (apart from any pathological considerations) your increased heart rate could be due to the fact that your stroke volume isn't up to much and this is just your body's way of compensating. If it isn't (i.e. your stroke volume is normal) then an increased hear rate implies an increased cardiac output, which is bad because...

Mean Arterial Pressure = Total Peripheral Resistance X Cardiac Output

Assuming peripheral resistance remains constant, of course. So if your blood pressure has increased, you're a candidate for hypertension.

It probably isn't good to be maintaining such a high heart rate over a long period of time. Best advice: see if you can think of anything in your lifestyle that might account for the elevated heart rate. If you can't and are still worried about it, see a doctor. If it turns out that the problem is poor stroke volume, take up a sport that will enlarge your heart, such as rowing.

[Dr Strangelove]

Your heart is three sizes too small.

"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch........."

Given your age it is unlikely that there is anything wtong with your heart, and after all, a rate of 100 beats/ minute is merely the upper range of normal. Anxiety and the anticipation of pain, i.e., getting a needle stuck in your arm could easily raise the rate that high. If your rate is not quite 100 I'm surprised that they excluded you. Being examined by a physician, having him/her listen to your heart and getting an electrocardiogram would make certain that you're OK. Remember to tip generously afterwards.

[Al B. Sure!]

but i play an hour of basketball daily and i walk a full half hour just going to school, another half coming back, and then i got to go back later on in the day and so on. so it's not like i am not active at all. i get some cardiovascular exercise.

and about the doctor thing... i dont exactly got insurance... how much would just having a doctor check it out cost me?

[Stuie]

Are you still in high school or are you in college? If you're in college, go to the health services center on campus and see if they can hook you up.

If you're in high school, go to Temple U and let the students practice on you.

[SpencerH]

Is your heartrate that high when at home or just when someone else checks it ?

There's a phenomena called "white coat hypertension" that effects heart rate too. I've had it all my life. When I was 20 or so my resting heart rate was under sixty but would race during army health exams. Recently I had to buy a blood pressure monitor because my physician was (rightly) concerned about the fact that my BP was elevated during my occasional visits. After following my BP for months, guess what, no hypertension.

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by Spiffor


I think Guynemer has medical knowledge too (if I'm not mistaken), but he doesn't spread it as much as Doc.

For those that don't know, Spiffor is talking about Guynemer and his propensity for spreading the clap.

[Lefty Scaevola]

I am old, obese, and sedentary, with High colesterol and blood sugar, and my heart and arteries are in great shape.