Irregular heart rate and dizziness when walking up steep grades

Can you wear a patch monitor? What do you mean by "irregular heartbeat" specifically? What do you feel?

Some people have low blood pressure resulting in a higher heart rate when standing up. But that is different from having problems going up a hill.

My irregular heart beat is a challenge to describe. If I take my blood pressure while experiencing the symptoms it shows a 20 point drop in systolic and about an 8 point drop in diastolic and an irregular heart rate. I might describe the feeling as heart beat that is so weak it can’t pump enough oxygen when walking on a 10% grade.

You'd be surprised at how much bowel gas can fool a person who has paroxysmal AF into thinking they have started a run of AF. The transverse colon runs parallel to the ground, roughly, but just under the diaphragm. When we sit, or stand, or bend, or belch, climb stairs, we can 'move along' some trapped bowel gas which has a distinct rippling sensation, and sometimes accompanied with noises.

As said above by another poster, the best indicator is either an EKG or a wearable device that can assess your heart's rhythm.

@writ1jam "irregular heartbeat" is imprecise! If out and about, maybe a SmartWatch could help or your doctor could order a patch monitor. If at home you could try a Kardia, which is what I use. It links to your phone and tells you what arrhythmia you might be having.

Clearly you are having a problem that is making you uncomfortable. Do you have a cardiologist you trust or do you want a second opinion?

ps @gloaming twice I used Gas X with an actual run of afib with heart rate 190+ and it stopped! I am super careful about positioning my body now after eating.

I was going to diff doctors with various complaints - lying down or walking my heart would start racing, standing up I’d get dizzy, nausea, etc.
I wore the Zio Holter monitor for a week.

I told my cardiologist and while lying on his exam table he checked my pressure - then I stood and he retook my pressure. Pressure should not immediate change more than 15 points and mine changed 30.
Dysautonomia/ POTS used to be uncommon but if you had Covid it’s more prevalent.
There is a tabletop tilt table test where you’re positioned in various manners but my doc diagnosed me without that test.

I’m about to start Fludrocortisone - I was hesitant bec I read you can’t have vaccines with it, but was told you can’t have LIVE vaccines and flu and Covid shots do not use live vaccines.
There are many interactions with other drugs so your doc might suggest other drugs depending on your current meds. I’m not suggesting you take this, but this is what I’m starting today.
I have ET and figure if I can get used to Hydrea I can handle almost anything!

See a cardiologist whose judgement you trust and have a list of all your meds and symptoms - you don’t want to forget something important.

I now have a pulse ox and blood pressure cuff. I once brought them to my doc’s office and checked my readings against the nurse’s readings on her machines to make sure they were accurate.

Good luck and remember you’re not crazy - you know your body best and can tell when something has changed. You might need to see several doctors till you have a diagnosis.

Perhaps also consider orthoscopic hypotension. My 90 year old dad displayed it with getting dizzy and fainting when getting up from a sitting position. Compression socks solved it.

With the tilt table or the exam for bp and heart rate after standing up, make sure the nurse or doctor waits long enough. There can be a delay in the bp going down and heart rate going up. My daughter had that test and I watched as the nurse turned her back when nothing was happening and the monitor showed a big drop in bp and rise in heart rate!

Thank you

I just had sepsis and pneumonia but no covid. I also have vertigo.
My blood pressure was lower when I laid flat. Then he made me sit up and my blood pressure relaxed a little better but when I stood up my Blood pressure went much higher than normal.
I went from 111/64 to 168/ 91so maybe just be the blood pressure. Metropolal brought me down on a constant level all day

Jim,
I was diagnosed with heart failure (HFPEF), AFib, and pulmonary hypertension after extensive Cardiology testing in 2022 at Mayo Rochester. My local doctors could not find a reason for my dizzy episodes, shortness of breath with exertion, low oxygen with exertion, and heart palpitations.

The type of heart failure I have, HFPEF, is also called diastolic heart failure. It was diagnosed by a right heart Cath procedure after all other Cardiology tests could not find a cause for my symptoms. The left ventricle of my heart does not relax enough to accept blood coming from the lungs causing the pressure to build up. There is no cure. I also have long Covid from a mild case of Covid in early 2020 and a bad reaction to the Covid shots in 2021.

My heart conditions now are stable. I know what triggers my symptoms and I have modified my lifestyle. I now walk/jog 3-5 miles a day indoors at a heart rate averaging 99-110, no hills. A heart rate at 120 or higher triggers AFib. I see a physical therapist for strength training and exercises for my back and shoulder, I eat healthy, organic foods, and I have medications to use if my heart goes into AFib. The quality of my life is good at age 70.

I have an Apple Watch, Lookee Tech Sleep Pro continuous oximeter, Lookee Tech ECG, and Omron Connect blood pressure device. All the data goes to apps on my phone.

Good luck to you on finding the cause for your symptoms. Keep searching.