My daughter has dysautonomia that raised her heart rate and lowers her blood pressure (POTS).
My mother has leaky valves (and afib) and has breathlessness while exerting herself.
You sound more like my mother. She has been like this for decades.
One small thing: I had bouts of breathlessness with exertion and found that Zantac helped quite a bit. I don’t think this is enough but I wanted to mention it. You can get on asthma meds temporarily. Albuterol and inhaled steroids like Flovent.
The thing to bear in mind is, if you only have symptoms after exertion (even if only moderate), you may not get a valid diagnosis without simulating the problematic scenario.
Years ago I had electrical problems with my heart. Every EKG came back clean until I finally ended up in the ER with active symptoms - they hooked me up to an EKG and immediately were able to diagnose the problem. But it never showed on a resting EKG.
Get the xray as soon as possible, but the advice about more than one opinion is good advice.
Were you screened for anemia?
@Midwest67 “@SC Anteater Fe levels are well in the normal range and always have been.”
“my getting out of breath with only slight (normal) exercise”
I think that this could be a lot of things. However, it reminds me of how I felt for a few weeks before my heart attack. Fortunately someone called 911 on me and I got treated very quickly and had no long term damage. I now feel better than I have felt in years. However, this is definitely something to get checked out.
Also, be very aware of the symptoms of a heart attack, and the importance of calling 911 quickly if you think there is any chance at all that you might be having one. For some (including me), the symptoms pretty much were only indigestion, no energy, and a general really lousy feeling.
Hi! I have unfortunately more experience with lung conditions than I’d like. Where do you live? Is there a great Med center near you? Asthma does NOT cause oxygen saturation rates to drop, nor does being “out of shape.”
Especially since this is worsening, I’d definitely suggest a 2nd opinion at a teaching hospital with s good lung department. If you’re anywhere near Denver, National Jewish is one of the best places in the world for lung conditions.
The fact that your lung test was NOT normal and you MAY be having logs oxygen saturation rates warrants more attention than this lung doc gave you.
Send me a pm If you are interested in National Jewish, Stsnford or UCSF. I’ve been to all of them, as well as HI lung specialists.
Anyone can buy a GOOD medical quality oximetry to measure blood oxygen levels. They are $100 at nonin.com and the ones they sell for exercise enthusiasts are same high quality innards as the medical oximeters requiring an Rx. That’s what I use to decide how to adjust my supplemental O2.
By the way, the quality of lung specialists can vary greatly. I’ve seen a lot of them in HI and at other medical centers. I have also spoken with many patients and MDs. Folks really have to be the squeaky wheel to get the proper diagnosis and treatment.
An oxygen saturation at sea level below 95% in a healthy person is unusual and needs prompt attention and treatment.
Lung docs can do exercise oximetry testing to confirm saturation rates. Asthma generally does NOT cause decreased oxygen saturation rates.
@LeastComplicated Thanks for that link as that does sound like what this doctor is suggesting. The timing fits as does everything else being normal. Part of the reason I’m contemplating moving to a flat area is because I can almost totally forget about it when I’m in places like FL - except when we’re on the third floor or higher of a hotel anyway - or if I’m carrying groceries… I can (and do - daily) walk miles on the flat with no issues whatsoever. It’s nice to know it’s possibly addressable. The closest major hospitals we’re near are Hershey and Johns Hopkins (we’re between the two), so I’ll assume if local docs can’t handle it, they’ll move it to one of those. The guy I’m seeing now came here from Columbia in NYC so he ought to know what he’s doing one would think.
Considering my dad had his first heart attack at age 47 and what the rest of you have written, I won’t discount that possibility and it makes me glad he is having it checked just to rule it out, albeit at a slower time frame. I’ve put the order for the chest xray in my car so I’ll see it when I leave school today (otherwise, out of sight/out of mind happens way too often). Unless there’s a long line at the Urgent Care place, I’ll get that done this afternoon.
Pending what goes on at school today I might see if our Anatomy teacher has a “real” BO testing machine. He trained as a PA before deciding he prefers working with students teaching over clients in a clinic and does a great job preparing his students for futures in medical or vet careers using a lot of real equipment. However, TBH, I actually trust the App enough for basics - probably not exact numbers - but enough for the basics. It reads “normal” for both myself and others and only drops when it seems to fit my breathing issues. I don’t “need” exact numbers. I just like the peace of mind of thinking this doc is on the right track and that I’m not going through all of this for something that’s not really an issue. My brain tells me it’s an issue - no doubt - but I’m aware that brains can be fooled at times.
I doubt I’ll be online much today (technically one should work while at work, right?), but I appreciate everyone’s thoughts. I do much better knowing what’s going on and plausible possibilities rather than being surprised. That seems to be rare among people, but it works far better for me. It’s ok to gradually whittle things down. I don’t get stressed assuming the worst will happen. (I’m not a surprise party type of person either.)
What actually stresses me out is when doctors don’t believe something is going on merely because everything else is fine… That’s happened a couple of times in my life, including one doc not believing I see double AFTER I went through all the BT stuff. I’m not quite sure how one can prove such things if they won’t take one’s word for it (though the eye doc had no problem seeing it and at JH they brought med school students in to see what was going on). Considering my personality and job, I’m not used to being dismissed. Reasoned debate using facts, yes, but dismissed? That’s frustrating. I don’t get that feeling with this doctor at all and the change is appreciated (from being told a couple of times from other doctors that I’m merely out of shape).
Another note - some cardiac issues don’t have a genetic component. That was the case with mine. No history of cardiac issues on either side of the family except for a couple of heavy smoker/drinkers - neither of which I do. Always been healthy, active, eat reasonably well, do all the right things. Then I started having tachycardia. My heart would race like crazy. Doctor told me it was all in my head (panic attacks) since the EKGs he did were fine.
It got to the point where I started logging what I ate, how and when I exercised, sleep patterns and such to see if I could find a pattern when an attack occurred. Finally I went to the ER mid-attack and had to have my heart chemically stopped to break the abnormal rhythm. I was sent straight to a cardiologist, who immediately made a diagnosis and referred me to a cardiac electrophysiologist.
One of the first things I asked was if I needed to alert siblings/children to be screened. He told me that what happened to me was basically a short circuit in my heart’s wiring and was totally random. Nothing to do with genetics, lifestyle or another other actionable cause - just the equivalent of a frayed wire.
The good news is I had a cardiac ablation - outpatient heart procedure - that completely cured the problem. Six years later and I’ve not had another attack. It’s amazing what they can do for cardiac problems now.
Be persistent. Avoiding the problem is not a long-term fix. Eventually it will likely become an issue even without exertion - and who knows how much damage your heart/lungs or whatever the problem is could sustain. Find another doctor. Keep going till you have some answers. My mother was treated for 3 years for extreme reflux until she finally found the right doctor who diagnosed her - in her 70s - with asthma. Never had a problem before, but the right medications brought back her quality of life.
Those are pretty classic signs of heart problems in men as well. I’m surprised that they didn’t look at you much, much harder.
I have a fit bit (wrist watch) and it has a “Resting Heart Rate” feature…as someone with Asthma I can see when I get sick as my heart rate rises…or when I was in Hawaii and was at altitude/aroudn volcanic fumes I also saw it rise so I find it helpful as a long term tracker.
@CountingDown If you don’t mind my asking, what sort of jaw pain? I’d missed that part before (until it got quoted). Movement jaw pain (of which I have none) or upper jaw pain affecting teeth (making one think they should see the dentist)? The latter I’ve had for awhile too, constant though varying in intensity, but it’s blamed on trigiminal nerve issues and could be just that - never affects lower jaw, just one side, etc, but you’ve piqued my curiosity to know if more things tie together than I expected.
Otherwise, the xrays are done with absolutely no waiting at all. It seems a little crazy standing there for more radiation when the cause of it all could be radiation.
Today was a far better day than most - the type that makes me wonder if it is all real or not - but just now two delinquent yearling ponies briefly escaped and I climbed over a chain link fence after them (taking a short cut). It’s still there. I never had to even think about running - just the climb. Fortunately, once back on flat ground and walking all returns to normal within minutes. It makes me wonder what, exactly, the nuts and bolts are that are misfiring in the brain (assuming that’s it). Pulse increases and decreases as it should. (I hear it - no obsession - just another radiation side effect so I’m told. It’s pretty darn easy to know about changes as long as it’s relatively quiet.) What’s not working with the breathing or the blood oxygen transferring (if that’s it)? Do non-science types of people get intrigued with such questions or is it just me and my science minded friends/educators? I’d have loved to know what the BO reading was right after that climb, but getting the ponies was a wee bit more important and I don’t care to repeat the task just to find out.
One question that came to mind (aside from the nuts and bolts one)… I’ve always assumed this to be a lung issue due to the past, so kept pushing things with my everyday life - though skipped doing more “hard” exercise figuring there was no use. I suspect if it’s a brain and/or lung issue that’s still going to give me the longest working capacity - do a little bit more than I’m comfortable with like continuing stairs and farm chores, but nothing extreme like official workouts.
But if it were a vascular/cardiac issue my high school level Bio knowledge makes me pause to think about that - the flip side being it hasn’t killed me yet so… continue for six weeks or slack off a little bit (can’t slack off a ton)? Yesterday I quit watering plants after 4 or 5 watering cans worth of carrying water. Today I have no plans to replicate the fence climbing regardless of how curious I am about the phone BO reading. (Maybe tomorrow if I feel back to 100% normal.) Is that smart or using a wimp excuse? My physics/chem mind isn’t quite sure which way to go with it. If it’s brain function, I don’t want progression to be quicker. I picked up some exercise and stayed constant with it (rather than taking bad or busy days off) when they said I was merely out of shape - just to see. Maybe they were right. Nothing’s gotten better. Not sure anything is worse from it either - only in the moments.
Eh, I’m rambling. Time to get up and get back to my day. Sat for a bit post pony “surprise!”
I cannot speak for their accuracy, but you can buy a fingertip pulse oximeter to carry in your pocket for less than $20 at your local Walgreens or from Amazon.
I would say that if you have a cardiac issue, it probably won’t get better if you exert yourself more (although it might not get worse, either). At the least, stay aware of how you feel and if you start to feel worse, call your doc.
My overnight mind has decided to essentially keep with the status quo until after my lad’s graduation in a couple of weeks. I can’t see much changing between now and then if I stick with life as I’ve been living it thinking all that is happening is expected (and I haven’t died yet). After we return there’s a few weeks before the echo, official BO testing, and follow up. I’ll probably do a little more then just to see what happens.
FWIW, the chances of my actually going to an ER or similar for essentially anything short of an accident with injuries are very close to nil. Logically it’s not the right way to think, but it is how my brain works. I’m the evolutionary ancestor who crawled into their cave when they felt bad and only emerged once feeling better (or used to whatever is wrong). I’d be the college student who slept off meningitis thinking it was the flu (so was lucky to not have contracted it). Doctor appts are the only thing that stresses me out (well, coming across snakes by surprise does too), and when feeling ill, death seems preferable TBH. It’s only when things are going along ok that my thought pattern is logical - never “during” something health related. Actual bad times aren’t even shared with friends or family during the bad time.
It’s pretty tough to explain, I suppose. Some folks get stressed by public speaking. I never have. Such are our human differences.
“FWIW, the chances of my actually going to an ER or similar for essentially anything short of an accident with injuries are very close to nil.”
Yes, I completely understand. My family jokes that I will happily do my own stitches rather than go to the doc and were very worked up that I wouldn’t go to the ER when I broke my foot on a weekend. That being said, if you do end up with a cardiac issue, by the time it’s serious enough that you admit you need help you may be physically incapable of summoning help at that time.
So… from one doc avoider to another, let me offer a suggestion that preserves your independence while giving you the best possible access to help if you truly need it. When I want to increase my cardio fitness but am having issues with asthma/shortness of breath, I exercise in the actual hospital. It’s multistory, so I just drive down there and climb up and down the stairs. The first few times, the security guard came to see what was up but nobody has ever stopped me. Hopefully if I ever have an issue, I can make it through the door to get some help or if worse comes to worst someone will stumble over my body in the stairs and get me some help.
Just a suggestion from another idiot who will also just crawl into their cave to die rather than tell family or get help…
@nrdsb4, my dentist sent me to my primary after I went to her about the jaw pain. Primary sent me for an echo. I think a stress echo would have been more helpful in IDing the LAD blockage. I was on long-term daily chemo – fatigue is always an issue. Creekland – I had upper right jaw pain like I had an infection in a molar. Dentist said my teeth were fine but referred me.
@milee30 Love that line - and knowing there are soul sisters out there. I’ve done a good bit of my own medical basics since about age 9 when mom pointed to the bathroom and medicine cabinet after I fell off a pony and got dragged across a paved road and then some… That’s my first memory of it anyway. I lived.
Pretty much all of my exercise when not traveling comes from our property/farm. I don’t have high faith that the ponies will yell for help if something goes wrong, but they’ll probably sniff in curiosity.
How about a personal compromise? Vow to yourself to ask for help if anything happens in the next few weeks, so that you can survive until graduation.