Heart Palpitations - have I MTFU too much?
Discussion
Over the last few weeks I have been pushing myself quite hard and seeing good results, lots of fixie riding with longer rides on the road bike. I have increased my weekly mileage to about 150 Miles per week.
On Friday I went out and did 60 miles around the New Forest, with the last 35 miles into a head wind. I managed to average 18MPH which is pretty good for me over that distance. After I got home I started getting a slight pain in my chest, accompanied with burping and hiccups.
At the time I assumed that the problem was indegestion and assumed it would go away...
Since Friday I have had a thumping heart and some discomfort/a slight ache in the centre of my chest.
I spoke to a doctor yesterday, he made some checks and has schedules an ECG test for Friday, in the meantime he said I should be ok to cycle so I am planning a ride at lunchtime.
Has anyone else experienced chest pain/discomfort after a long ride?
On Friday I went out and did 60 miles around the New Forest, with the last 35 miles into a head wind. I managed to average 18MPH which is pretty good for me over that distance. After I got home I started getting a slight pain in my chest, accompanied with burping and hiccups.
At the time I assumed that the problem was indegestion and assumed it would go away...
Since Friday I have had a thumping heart and some discomfort/a slight ache in the centre of my chest.
I spoke to a doctor yesterday, he made some checks and has schedules an ECG test for Friday, in the meantime he said I should be ok to cycle so I am planning a ride at lunchtime.
Has anyone else experienced chest pain/discomfort after a long ride?
jesusbuiltmycar said:
Over the last few weeks I have been pushing myself quite hard and seeing good results, lots of fixie riding with longer rides on the road bike. I have increased my weekly mileage to about 150 Miles per week.
On Friday I went out and did 60 miles around the New Forest, with the last 35 miles into a head wind. I managed to average 18MPH which is pretty good for me over that distance. After I got home I started getting a slight pain in my chest, accompanied with burping and hiccups.
At the time I assumed that the problem was indegestion and assumed it would go away...
Since Friday I have had a thumping heart and some discomfort/a slight ache in the centre of my chest.
I spoke to a doctor yesterday, he made some checks and has schedules an ECG test for Friday, in the meantime he said I should be ok to cycle so I am planning a ride at lunchtime.
Has anyone else experienced chest pain/discomfort after a long ride?
Personally I'd be heading off to my local A&E or walk in centre to be checked.On Friday I went out and did 60 miles around the New Forest, with the last 35 miles into a head wind. I managed to average 18MPH which is pretty good for me over that distance. After I got home I started getting a slight pain in my chest, accompanied with burping and hiccups.
At the time I assumed that the problem was indegestion and assumed it would go away...
Since Friday I have had a thumping heart and some discomfort/a slight ache in the centre of my chest.
I spoke to a doctor yesterday, he made some checks and has schedules an ECG test for Friday, in the meantime he said I should be ok to cycle so I am planning a ride at lunchtime.
Has anyone else experienced chest pain/discomfort after a long ride?
Palpitations and central chest pains aren't normal and should be investigated, when the ECG is done on Friday it can rule out many issues but not all potential cardiac problems, ideally you need blood tests as well to rule out everything.
Hiccups and burping can be symptoms of cardiac problems, if I remember correctly an inferior MI.
I've actually dealt with a patient at work about 18 months ago who was complaining of feeling 'not right' for a couple of days and had noticed that she was burping and hiccuping a lot. She put it down to indigestion and tried Gaviscon which did not help at all. Mid way through our conversation while we were waiting to carry out an EGC, she collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Luckily for her she had CPR from the second she hit the floor and after a couple of shocks from the defib was rushed to a specialist cardiac unit as she was having a massive heart attack due to a severely blocked artery.
Obviously this is an extreme case but after witnessing it first hand, I'd advise anyone with similar symptoms to get themselves to A&E and get checked, don't mess around waiting for GP's to carry out ECG's.
Palpitations are probably more common than you think. The danger all depends on how fast and how long they go on for. Next time you have one measure the heart rate. I used to get them regularly at 180bpm + and if they persisted for about 15 minutes or more I would have to go into hospital.
If you have one when you're cycling then you definitely need to stop the ride. Try stopping them by lying down, taking some long deep breaths and then holding one in and push hard inside. That used to stop mine.
Hope they get you sorted out if they persist. I had a cardiac ablation for mine and have been 100% ever since.
If you have one when you're cycling then you definitely need to stop the ride. Try stopping them by lying down, taking some long deep breaths and then holding one in and push hard inside. That used to stop mine.
Hope they get you sorted out if they persist. I had a cardiac ablation for mine and have been 100% ever since.
I occasionally get a something similar. No pain or anything like that just a slightly peculiar rhythm. It doesn't effect me in anyway other than a distraction (It's almost always when i'm playing squash). I find coughing often sort it out.
Never had it when cycling.
I sometime notice my heartbeat if I lay in a certain odd way on the sofa but I figured it was due to my resting heart rate being lower now (40 odd).
If it's still causing you concern or any symptoms I'd be popping up to A&E
Never had it when cycling.
I sometime notice my heartbeat if I lay in a certain odd way on the sofa but I figured it was due to my resting heart rate being lower now (40 odd).
If it's still causing you concern or any symptoms I'd be popping up to A&E
I had similar symptoms to Viperzs and my heart rate would show as over 240 on my HRM. Ended up having an ablation about 7 years ago and had no problems since. It did take quite a few visits to the doctor, ECG's, Stress ECG's, 24 and 48 hour HR and blood pressure monitoring amongst other things before they found anything though.
They reckoned it was some sort of electrical short circuit in the heart that would just stop and start for no reason. They couldn't really say what had caused it but did suggest that doing very strenuous exercise with a cold or a virus could have been a contributing factor.
They reckoned it was some sort of electrical short circuit in the heart that would just stop and start for no reason. They couldn't really say what had caused it but did suggest that doing very strenuous exercise with a cold or a virus could have been a contributing factor.
Dixie said:
I occasionally get a something similar. No pain or anything like that just a slightly peculiar rhythm. It doesn't effect me in anyway other than a distraction (It's almost always when i'm playing squash). I find coughing often sort it out.
Never had it when cycling.
I sometime notice my heartbeat if I lay in a certain odd way on the sofa but I figured it was due to my resting heart rate being lower now (40 odd).
If it's still causing you concern or any symptoms I'd be popping up to A&E
That sounds very similar to what I've been feeling since Friday. I did 30miles at lunchtime, only pushed for a short amount of time and didn't have any problems whilst cycling. My heart rate was between 135 and 179 on the ride, averaging at 149bpm.Never had it when cycling.
I sometime notice my heartbeat if I lay in a certain odd way on the sofa but I figured it was due to my resting heart rate being lower now (40 odd).
If it's still causing you concern or any symptoms I'd be popping up to A&E
Now I'm sat at the PC it is at 42bpm, which I can feel....
Guess I'll just have to see what the results of the ECG are, which is on Friday.
OP - Surely f you're not sure what it was then stay off the bike until you've been examined properly by a Doctor!
Potential issues with the heart can be worrying. I suffered with pericarditis just over 10 years ago. It has symptoms like a mild heart attack (quite frightening in the middle of the night and you're thinkng "im way to young to be having a heart attack!"
Im not suggesting this is what you have. I was cycling a lot back then but more off road than road biking. However, I had to rest totally for many weeks to fully recover. Ever since then quite often i can feel my heart beating which is a weird sensation and not all that pleasant. However after loads of tests with ECGs and a visit to a heart specialist I was declared fit for purpose. He told me it was nothing to worry about and it was time to get out on the bike again.
Hope it turns out to be nothing problematic OP.
Potential issues with the heart can be worrying. I suffered with pericarditis just over 10 years ago. It has symptoms like a mild heart attack (quite frightening in the middle of the night and you're thinkng "im way to young to be having a heart attack!"
Im not suggesting this is what you have. I was cycling a lot back then but more off road than road biking. However, I had to rest totally for many weeks to fully recover. Ever since then quite often i can feel my heart beating which is a weird sensation and not all that pleasant. However after loads of tests with ECGs and a visit to a heart specialist I was declared fit for purpose. He told me it was nothing to worry about and it was time to get out on the bike again.
Hope it turns out to be nothing problematic OP.
!! Doom monger alert !!
I am glad you got it checked out. When I was younger a close friend (a fellow MTBer) kept having heart palpitations after big hill climbs. No particular pains but felt very sick and unable to catch breath.
A few months later he collapsed on a squash court and was revived. (He was training to be a nurse so luckily he was in the right place). Four weeks later he collapsed and died on the squash court at 21 years old.
It was diagnosed as a heart irregularity or SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome)
You should not put yourself through too much exercise until you have a diagnosis. It is rare but it can happen.
Mike
I am glad you got it checked out. When I was younger a close friend (a fellow MTBer) kept having heart palpitations after big hill climbs. No particular pains but felt very sick and unable to catch breath.
A few months later he collapsed on a squash court and was revived. (He was training to be a nurse so luckily he was in the right place). Four weeks later he collapsed and died on the squash court at 21 years old.
It was diagnosed as a heart irregularity or SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome)
You should not put yourself through too much exercise until you have a diagnosis. It is rare but it can happen.
Mike
Had a chat with the doctor earlie. He told me that the blood test came back fine - low cholesterol etc. He has recommended that I have a 24 ECG as my resting pulse rate is a little low - 39bpm on the ECG.
It willo probably eb a couple of weeks before this is scheduled and I have the results...
In the meantime the palpitations/heavy heartbeat have stopped - I have ridden 90 miles this week without problem.
It willo probably eb a couple of weeks before this is scheduled and I have the results...
In the meantime the palpitations/heavy heartbeat have stopped - I have ridden 90 miles this week without problem.
Very slow resting heartbeat can be hereditary as well as depressed by fitness. My grandfather had this.
It can also be caused by doctors screwing the drugs up - my mother, who is in her sixties and not very fit, had her cardiac tests analysed remotely by a specialist - "is she an athlete?" was the response, which made her laugh. The drugs she had been given were slowing her heartbeat and lowering her blood pressure to the point that she was fainting. There was a recent report suggesting that over-aggressive treatment of high blood pressure in elderly patients may be killing or hospitalising more people through falls than it is saving by treating cardiovascular disease.
It can also be caused by doctors screwing the drugs up - my mother, who is in her sixties and not very fit, had her cardiac tests analysed remotely by a specialist - "is she an athlete?" was the response, which made her laugh. The drugs she had been given were slowing her heartbeat and lowering her blood pressure to the point that she was fainting. There was a recent report suggesting that over-aggressive treatment of high blood pressure in elderly patients may be killing or hospitalising more people through falls than it is saving by treating cardiovascular disease.
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