r/askCardiology

I’m trying to learn everything I can. I have paroxysmal afib for about a year now and have not gone to Er yet however I’ve come close. Seems at first to be triggered by being overmedicated on Synthroid. I’m now on a different med and my thyroid is more under control but seems food is triggering now. I have histamine intolerance and possibly MCAS (thinking based on symptoms but tbd by testing.). I also have crappy genes

. MTHFR C677T +/-
• COMT V158M +/+
. COMT H62H +/+
• VDR Taq +/+
. MAO-A R297R +/+
• MTRR A66G +/+
• BHMT-02 and BHMT-04 +/-

I have episodes maybe twice a month triggered by foods and possibly over exertion the previous day. But foods for sure as Afib starts pretty immediately after trigger foods/meals. Have a Follow-up with cardiologist (not EP as I went to a women’s specialist cardiologist) in March. Previous Echo was fine. So I’m unmanaged and quite lost in what to do. I wonder why people go to er for cardio versions when others live with constant afib? Had one triggered from pizza today for 3 hours. Highest heart rate about 145. Average during the ep was 120-130. Any thoughts are welcomed. Thank you 🙏

Did anyone else finish their diagnosis conversation thinking, “Well, that was a weird call,” and only realize weeks later that their life had just taken a hard left? 💔📞

Five weeks ago, I answered my doctor expecting to hear that my echocardiogram looked great.

Instead, she opened with:

“Scott, I want to start by saying this isn’t necessarily a death sentence.”

And I thought… Well, that’s an unusual way to deliver good news. 😳

I heard the words.

I just didn’t understand them yet.

Now I’m beginning to grasp how serious heart failure can be.

Looking back, it feels like I was watching a car crash in slow motion… while somehow still asking if anyone wanted to stop for coffee. Never realizing I was the one in the car! 🚗💥☕️

Then suddenly, I had a handful of medications, a whole new collection of potential side effects, and a LifeVest.

Which brings me to the part where I’m literally sitting here in a very unglamorous bra… tethered to a powerful battery… and relying on the whole contraption to help keep me alive!

What is this, a medical device or the world’s least fun fashion accessory?! 😳🔋👙

And yes, I know it’s there to protect me. I’m grateful for that.

I’m also allowed to look down at myself and think, “How did I go from conquering the world to being dressed like a phone that needs charging?” 😂❤️‍🩹

Until that call, I thought of myself as a healthy 55-year-old who could take on just about anything. I was a big strong grown a$$ man that generally operated under the assumption that I was the main character in an action movie. 🌎🏃‍♂️🪂

Now, almost overnight, I feel fragile and I’m trying to make sense of a future I never expected.

I know recovery may be possible, and I’m holding on to that hope. 🙏

But I’m also trying to be realistic about the things I love that may never look the same again:

🍻 Late nights drinking with friends
🎶 Music festivals
🪂 Skydiving
🤿 Scuba diving
🏃‍♂️ Marathons
🏋️ Bodybuilding
⛰️ Climbing mountains

And the rest of my personal “activities that apparently require a much more cooperative heart” list…

Even a substantial recovery may change my life in ways I’m only beginning to understand.

That realization hit hard.

At 55, I already cherished the time I had. I just didn’t expect to start appreciating it while wearing a battery-powered bra and being terrified that it’s not charged. 🔋😅

I had no warning. No symptoms. I didn’t know the last time I did one of those things might be the last time it was safe for me to do it.

So I’m trying to take this one day at a time… keep some hope… and admit that this is frightening and sad, even when I can still make a joke about the outfit. ❤️‍🩹

If you’ve been through a diagnosis that turned your world upside down, how did you cope? What helped you find your footing again?

And sorry for the "trauma dump". I know my story may not be as difficult as many others here, and I really appreciate how positive and supportive this group is.

I’m just trying to figure out how to carry all of this… preferably with a little humor, a lot of hope, and a fully charged bra. 🙃🔋❤️

i am so stressed i am on day 7 of covid and all my symptoms are gone other than increased heart rate. i have MVP and MR along with POT. my heart rate increases when im walking around and standing up and im so stressed because i need to go on holidays today with my family and they’re very “covid is just a cold” but im so scared its going to make my heart condition worse. idk what to do im so anxious

I'm a pilot and pretty worried about my ECG. Attaching leads II, III and aVF. As I understand it, I have early repolarization in the inferior leads with a prominent J wave and horizontal ST segment, which is considered the highest-risk variant. Am I reading this correctly or not?

Age:21

18,5’2 , female, 44kg, taking: sertraline 50mg, amitryptiline 10mg, cerrezette. vape. diagnoses: pcos, asd and adhd, heavily suspected fibromyalgia and/or me/cfs.

i get these weird palpitations at random intervals, most commonly after standing up OR lying down but also will happen constantly randomly.

a few days ago my heart rate spiked to 185 simply from sitting up from lying down. i always have tunnel/dark vision when standing up, my iron is fine.

i went to a&e twice at the start of september for severe panic attacks that came on with no trigger, i just got chest pain and tightens all over. ECG, bloods and Xrays were all fine.

i have a lot of pain all over my rib/chest/back area and it’s difficult to know if i ever needed to go to hospital.

Hello All !

Thanks to this sub I was able to see substantial differences in my reported cholesterol numbers. If you're interested this was my first post and I'm back after six months with an update while seeking some advice.

I'm a 31 yo male, South Asian. Father is on medication for Cholesterol (never had any heart conditions)

Here are my older numbers 👇

I. Numbers from March 31, 2026 :

- Cholesterol, Total 247 mg/dL

- Cholesterol, HDL 61 mg/dL

- Triglycerides 230 mg/dL

- Cholestrol, LDL (calculated) 149 mg/dL

- Cholestrol / HDL ratio = 4

- LDL/HDL ratio = 2.4

- Non HDL cholesterol = 186

And then below are my more recent numbers 👇

II. Numbers from Oct 4, 2026:

- Cholesterol, Total 191 mg/dL

- Cholesterol, HDL 59 mg/dL

- Triglycerides 163 mg/dL

- Cholestrol, LDL (calculated) 109 mg/dL

- Cholestrol / HDL ratio = 3.3

- Non HDL cholesterol = 137

Additional Numbers from Oct 4, 2026 to evaluate risk:

- ApoB 91 (Optimal <90 and Moderate 90-129) so seems like I'm at the borderline

- Lp(a) 99 (Optimal <75 and Moderate 75-125k)

- Ldl particle number 1548 (>1409 is high)

- Ldl small 291 (>219 is high)

- Ldl medium 384 (>301 is high)

- HDL large 6436

- Ldl paattern A (Optimal)

- Ldl Peak Size 219 (Moderate)

After seeing these results purely based on diet and exercise (daily sustainable routine) and no medication, I was hoping for my PCP to give me a pat on the back and suggest that I continue with this approach.

However, they reached out saying that seeing the risk factors he'd suggest a statin and that he'd reach out for a consult about the same. This has me confused and deflated and so I'm considering a second opinion from a cardiologist (I'll ask the PCP to refer me) but I was wondering if anyone out here would know why they'd suggest so ?

Especially since in April they gave me the option of aggressive lifestyle changes or statins and I chose the former which I think worked but now in October they only recommend the statin option (even after such a drastic reduction )

I'm not against statins but i would wanna go on then if there isn't a dire need at my age.

Would love to hear thoughts on the same especially since I'm very new to this.

i feel my heart in a very detailed manner where it feels like it is too slow i have to cough to fix it? it’s like opening up your fist slowly then after that i cough to ease it then over again like a cycle, I cough when it feels really really slow or i feel it very detailed. last occurrence lasted for about 30mins but back then it was just for short amount of time like 1-3mins. Intervals are long like 1-3 months apart so idk what check ups do I need to do. Anyone experienced the same?

Hello all. I'm pretty active in the sub helping people answer questions, but this is my first time posting. I wanted to get some opinions from those who may know more than me.

I went to the cardiologist for a couple palpitations I've been having, which turned out to be normal PACs and PVCs. But during a routine ECG he found a delta wave. So he ordered me a heart monitor, 14 days, and they caught 600 PACs, and six PVCs. So under 1% burden, which is great. But they also caught 24 short runs of SVT, the longest one being 23 seconds. The rest were 3 or 4 seconds. I didn't feel any of them.

I've never had an episode of WPW. The highest heart rate that was recorded on my halter was 140 bpm and it was sinus rhythm. I've also had multiple ECG's in the past, and this current one was the only one to show a Delta wave.

And last year I had a stress test, which noted that fusion beats went away with exercise, and then returned at rest. I've also had an echo, ejection fraction 65% and everything normal.

Because of the SVT and the Delta wave, my cardiologist is sending me to an EP.

I've never been to an EP before. So I'm just wondering what I should expect? Do you think they would just wanna ablate immediately? More testing? A study? Or possibly throw me in the low risk category and just want to monitor?

Sidenote. I was very drunk before my stress test, so I'm wondering if that threw my heart rhythm out of whack and caused fusion beats. No delta waves, fusion beats or wpw was mentioned in my holter report, but I'm not sure if they would in general.

Thank you!

Hi guys,

I'm a 26-year-old male, and I've been dealing with ectopics and palpitations for 4 years now. I had SVT as a kid, which I got ablated for, but now my issue is that I get hard thumbs and palpitations every now and then, which really scares me. I've been taking anxiety medications because of it, because it really makes me think that I'm going to die. Whenever I'm far from the hospital, I trigger my anxiety.

I've had multiple Holter monitors and electrocardiograms. My heart is normal, and nothing major has been caught in the Holter monitor or the PVCs. My doctor says it's nothing to worry about, but it's easy for him to say.

I've gained weight during this time and been really unhealthy. I want to get to the gym and get leaner, but I just can't make myself to.

Are there people who have dealt with this for a long time and who have an active lifestyle? How long have you had it for, and how did you overcome the fear of it?

I’m a man in my early 60s, and I’ve been dealing with a very noticeable, forceful heartbeat for about six months. I’m already seeing a cardiologist, but I still don’t have a clear explanation for the ongoing sensation.
The main issue is pounding, rather than necessarily a fast heartbeat. It’s especially noticeable when I’m resting or lying in bed. Sometimes it feels strong enough to shake the bed, and it interferes with my sleep. I’ve also had occasional mild lightheadedness and a feeling of chest pressure or difficulty getting a comfortable breath.
I’ve had separate episodes of a suddenly racing heart described as SVT. Those are different from the persistent pounding I’m asking about.
So far:
I’ve worn two month-long heart monitors. I pressed the symptom button when I felt the pounding, but I was told the results didn’t explain it. No AFib was reported.
During a stress test, there were a few PVCs, with more during recovery.
I’m taking metoprolol succinate 50 mg daily. The racing episodes have improved, but the forceful heartbeat remains.
I’m frustrated because the sensation is very real and disruptive, yet I don’t understand what rhythm was recorded when I pressed the monitor button.
Has anyone experienced something similar? For those with medical knowledge, what would be useful to ask at my next cardiology appointment?
In particular:
Should I ask to review the exact rhythm strips from the times I marked symptoms?
If those showed a normal rhythm, what could explain such a forceful heartbeat?
Would an electrophysiologist consultation be useful given my history of SVT?
I’m open to discussing whether stress or anxiety contributes, but I’d also like to understand what the testing actually showed. I’m looking for experiences and useful questions to bring to my doctor.
Appreciate it!

Had PVCs for 3 years, had ecg, holter that showed 295 in 18 hours, blood pressure is usually normal. Just now I was sat gaming and got ehat felt like 6 pvcs back to back that only stopped when I leaned forward and took a deep breath. Can someone please tell me what that was and if it was dangerous?

Earlier today I was on the way out the door to go to work and suddenly I felt these palpitations come on, it felt like a thick flipping sensation in my chest. Within 10 seconds I started feeling like there wasn't proper blood flow to my brain and it was kinda tight almost, and at about 20 seconds I was so lightheaded it hurt- I was certain I was about to pass out so I sat down. It ended within 40 seconds luckily but it was easily the worse 40 seconds of my life. I had two more episodes since then that weren't nearly as bad and only lasted a few seconds. Every heartbeat was painful, like it was in reverse(almost like the palpitation came in the second half of the heartbeat) and made it hard to even talk with each palpitation.

I want to say that I've had heart palpitations/episodes of irregular heartbeats nearly every day for 4 years due to pots + sinus arrhythmia and take beta blockers for them. This was ENTIRELY out of my normal and I've never felt anything near that level of horrible in the 4 years I had those conditions.

Anyways I went to the er, and they didn't find anything wrong besides my left atrial on the ekg being elevated and my blood pressure being wide (120/57 & 125/64). They insisted what happened was anxiety & sent me home without a referral too. I'm certain what happened wasn't anxiety though and am going to talk to my doctor about it Monday. Quite concerned of it happening again tbh but not freaking out over it or anything, I'm mainly just confused and would like to know others thoughts 0-o

I’m a 20-year-old male who doesn’t smoke, drink, or abuse any substances. For the last year, I’ve been dealing with chest pain. My first memorable episode was a literal stabbing pain in my heart about a year ago, but after that, it sort of went away. I would barely have any chest pain, and if I did, it was very rare and mild.

Fast-forward to the last 4 months (June 2026). It has started to progressively get worse, with me being at work and feeling like at any point I’m going to have a heart attack or something. This has also been followed by tiredness, even after getting a good night’s sleep, and I haven’t been feeling like myself at all. I’m usually very active and go to the gym. I’m not overweight; I’m 5'9" and 170 lbs, and I’m very active. My heart pain doesn’t get worse when I do activities like playing soccer or going to the gym. To my knowledge, my family doesn’t have any history of heart disease. My family does have a history of diabetes, but that’s about it.

Around the same time (4 months ago), I also started experiencing pain in the testicle area. It would be a sharp pain every so often, whether I was resting or doing activities.

I went to my primary doctor, who gave me referrals for both testicular and heart exams. For my heart, I had a stress test and an echocardiogram. Everything came back normal, as did my blood work. For my testicular pain, they found a right epididymal head cyst. They said it’s normally harmless and usually doesn’t cause discomfort, but since I’ve been experiencing pain, they sent me to get another test to verify that everything is okay, and I’m waiting for that appointment.

A couple of days ago, I went to the ER because the tiredness was getting worse. I could literally fall asleep standing up and had zero energy. They took an X-ray and did blood tests, and everything also came back fine. I’ve noticed that a lot of people online who experience pain say that doctors overlook it and send them back home without answers.

I’ve also recently started noticing veins showing up more prominently on my arms, legs, and stomach area. I pointed this out to the doctors, but they didn’t seem concerned.

I’ve tried experimenting to see what causes my chest pain. Is it stress? Is it after eating a big meal? I’ve noticed that it just happens randomly. The only time I usually don’t get chest pain is when I’m lying down.

Could all of this be anxiety? I’m not going to lie, I am a very anxious person. I hate waiting. I literally stopped going to the gym because I would get anxious with the amount of people there, and I would blame the gym “air.” I hated taking the bus because of how many people would be on it, and I would rather walk 30 minutes. I cope by saying I’m just an introvert.

The moment I leave work, I have to get home immediately. I start stressing if the train is delayed. If the bus is 5 minutes away, I would rather walk 30 minutes than wait for it.

But with everything I’m experiencing, I really don’t believe anxiety alone can cause all of this, even if my anxiety is pretty bad.

doesnt anyone have any clue what it could be or any reccomdentions of what docters i should visit. i stay in nyc