Myocarditis & unstable hypertension

Hi..thanks for your reply..I have another cardiology consult tomorrow Thursday. My blood pressure was down yesterday when I went to my primary, but that is probably due to the increase in my Losartan. I sure do have the symptoms of myocarditis. When I went to the ER last week, the Dr. would not do any imaging, not even a chest x-ray. I have shortness of breath after I do anything physical and the heart palpitations . I just want to sleep and rest. Thanks for this information, sure appreciate it. When I do stairs , or when I am at work, even some walking I feel it. I hope you are better, hope we can stay in touch. Kitty2

I am improving but very slowly. I am also on increased meds to have my pressure stabilize. Ur BP readings r very high. I hope ur consultation tomorrow yields something that is treatable. Ur also having symptoms of a heart attack. Doctors don't believe woman...they think it's due to anxiety. Well I would have lots of anxiety & fear w/ ur blood pressure readings too. Ask them to run some tests, an echocardiagram & possible cardiac catherization to rule out any heart vessel blockage. Good luck. Let me know what MD says. Feel better!

Hi..thanks again for your notes..what did they do to diagnose your myocarditis...was it your echo or something else? Continue to feel better..what blood pressure med did they put you on. My shortness of breath and fatique are causing alot me to feel pretty crummy . If you say anything about Covid causing this stuff, they do not want to hear it. Thanks for all your input..much appreciated..

I suspect I too had Covid myocarditis. Four weeks post 1st infection I developed atrial fib after a month of fatigue, poor exercise tolerance and getting short of breath after bending over. My previously normal heart had severe left atrial enlargement and moderate mitral regurgitation along with other issues. In Oct, three months after atrial fib, my regurgitation was gone and my left atrium had a 15% decrease in volume. My BP was not as wild as yours, but it was pretty bad. I had a 220/110 with my failed stress test but I usually was around 160/80 to 130/74. Stress and poor sleep always increased it to around 170s. Weirdly I took a single 25 mg hydrochlorothiazide and my pressure was less than 110/70 for 5 days. I’m on valsartan 160 mg now, I was on lisinopril 30 mg. My pre breakfast sit for 5 min BP has been ok this past week. . I’ve been bradycardic with resting HRs in the 40s and upper 30s since Covid. My exercise tolerance has been slowly improving. I’ve stalled on getting an ablation, I’m hoping my atrium shrinks some more. I think Covid screwed up my sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. I think my heart is still healing. Mentally it has been a drag, to go from being able to exercise for 6 hours to now being wiped out by a 90 minute walk is bad, but I know a lot of people have it worse. Interestingly, 3 months after Covid I got Novavax, I had a big bump in exercise tolerance a week later. My 2nd shingles womped me for a week. I hope your body heals quickly. I’ve found sleep, magnesium, less sweets (wah!) slow long walks and time are helping. My post election despair has been a big problem.

Hello,
There is a lot of info u have given me. I'm sorry u r going thru all of these cardiac ailments. U had afib b4 covid & myocarditis? Diuretics can also cause mycarditis...I was taken off of them immediately. I'm still exhausted & very depressed. I eat very little sweets & lots of veggies. Also the election scares me...our future seems bleak.
Interestingly u mentioned getting novavax & it helped u feel better. These is a lot of scientific medical evidence that the covid shots r very beneficial 4 long covid b/c if u get sick w/ covid there will b less covid circulating in ur body & less to stay in ur body after u recover ur covid illness.
It makes me angry when people say covid is a simple cold. For some yes but 4 others the complications r life threatening. We need more empathy in our society.
What is ur prognosis? A full recovery? A lifetime of cardiac problems? I'm unsure what mine is.
Most importantly, I'm keeping my BP low so as not to harm my other organs, like my kidneys, brain, heart, eyes, etc. Make sure ur cardiologists keep ur BP low & stable.
Keep well!

I had the myocarditis. My heart rate went up to 117 while sitting for 3 days when I had covid. Heart and blood pressure better now but not like before covid. I have high blood pressure and chest pains now, doc says it's most likely permanent.

When I had chest pain & severe headaches, it was b/c my pressure was so high. Now that my pressure is low w/ 2 meds, entresto & Coreg my BP is stable as of today. My heart rate was normal throughout the myocarditis of 60-65. So sorry u r still having chest pain, it hurts & is very scary. I can empathize. Keep ur pressure low. Take it 2x/day & if not stable, 120/80 or lower, call ur cardiologist. High BP can cause many unwanted side effects: damage to ur heart, kidneys, brain, eyes. Did they mention that u have tachycardia. A beta blocker can bring it down.
This covid is not a simple cold. It's deadly!
Hope u feel better! Keep in touch!

You are so right we need more empathy! I did not have afib prior to getting covid. It was a huge ugly surprise. I've had three episodes of fib so far, I'm very symptomatic when I get them. My BP was stable on lisinopril 10 mg a day prior to Covid. I have no idea what my prognosis is. I am grateful I'm mostly functional and getting better, but I sure get exhausted and depressed about this too. I doubt my left atrium will ever return to a normal size. I really want to avoid bad heart failure, I'm sure I have some now but cards isn't interested in giving me meds for it yet.

I have a feeling a mRNA covid vaccine would have been hard on me. I always feel bad after them for about 36 hours. The novavax is really easy. I did get an itchy bump on my first novavax but this last shot I just had a sore arm for awhile. No fever or aches. I need to get a flu shot, usually I don't have any problem with them. I'm wondering if it will send me into a tizzy like the shingles shot did.

Speaking of BP, I fired my internist because he told me his target for my BP was 140 systolic. My target is 120, which is supported by a lot of the new literature. My BP in his office was over 170 and my at homes were all over 140 the two weeks prior and he didn't want to change my meds. So frustrating!

I'm glad you have a good diet. I wish that was the easy fix. From what I've read a lot of covid complications are improving by 6 months. I'm hoping next month will be a lot better. It is a slog.

Ty for the reccommdation on Novavax.

Afib hurts. It feels like ur heart is going to explode. I'm so sorry. Maybe lower BP isn't good 4 ur afib? I don't know. If ur above the age of 65 the literature used to say keep ur BP 140 for brain perfusion. Recently the medical literature has revised that # to 120. Hypertension isn't good 4 ur other organs. Keep a log of ur BP readings am & pm & take to MD. For some, It can b
higher in the office ( white coat syndrome).
I've heard of many people during covid getting afib. U have long covid, i think. I hope u continue to get better. U know ur body the best, don't let a MD tell u how u feel. U r ur own boss & most likely have studied much more about long covid than he has.