heartbeat too fast with congestive heart failure

Hi @corjianne ,

If you wish, you could post your concerns in this older discussion on Connect, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/flecainide-and-digoxin-drug-for-tachycardia/ You may be able to re-ignite the conversation with @laurenstedman, @topaz and @useless.
I'd also like to invite @woodieryan @darrellb @slearwig @martishka to share their insights about Digoxin.

@corjianne Hi, corgianne. I went through a lengthy period of 153 bpm, sometimes for hours, a few times off and on for days. Tried several drugs, and finally ended up on metropolol. I still get occasional 153, but it only lasts a few minutes or even seconds. I can usually stop it by consciously squeezing my heart with my chest muscles. It is frightening, but nobody else will do it for me. Even the doc told me I was lying to him, until it occurred in his office.

The Vagal maneuver is a known way that can stop a racing heartbeat, although medication might be necessary for long term, as others have said:

Vagal maneuver and Valsalva maneuver (options, not all 3):

Strain as if having a difficult bowel movement

Rub the neck just below the angle of the jaw (which stimulates a sensitive area on the carotid artery called the carotid sinus)

Plunge the face into a bowl of ice-cold water

dear ladies i forgot to add to my last post that my heart was beating over 130 at rest BUT; WHAT I DID NOT ADD WAS; THE BEAT OF 130 WAS CONSTANT 24/7, if i exerted myself then the beat went higher. peach

That's interesting, @soloact. I've never heard of this. Thanks.

@peach414144

Did you go to the ER to have that checked out?

Teresa

@consuela72 Actually, this is not too uncommon. My heart was doing this at 153, EF around 30, for a long time before I went on metropolol tartrate. I now know it is a symptom of, among other things, various forms of Cardiac Amyloid LiteChair. The Bindings FreeLiteChain(c) assay is a good place to start. Also, it is not a valve problem, but a nerve and muscle issue. There may be other caukses, but I don't know of them.

Hello @oldkarl

Could you talk a little more about this nerve/muscle issue?

Teresa

@hopeful33250 Sure, Teresa. The nerve/muscle issue is not difficult to understand. Amyloidosis is a matter of genetically mis-formed protein particles. Form many people, this process begins at conception. For others, it is available, beginning at conception, but does not operate until triggered by something like radon, 2-4D, 2-4-5T, Roundup, radiation from nuclear testing, or some chemical. There are many triggers to actually start the protein to mis-form. In any case, the pieces of protein, usually produced by the liver, float around the body to do their necessary work. But the mis-formed pieces create more mis-formed pieces in the liver, but should be filtered out by the body, especially the kidneys. But the kidneys get plugged, so the pieces then deposit themselves in any tissue in the body. Nerve, muscle, bone, fat, whatever. Each mutation has its special place to deposit itself. Just like me cat has a special place it likes to sleep at night. Anyway, some forms are fibrilogenic, meaning they get into a tissue, then make little tubes of water called fibrils. These fibrils push the cells of the nerves and/or muscles apart, interrupting their ability to work. The muscles get weaker, not able to tense up. The sensori-motor nerves cannot pass the signals from the brain. So the heart cannot beat, the lungs can not breathe properly. The skin tissue is not able to reproduce itself smoothly and colored properly. Some dead protein is deposited in the bottom of the cerebellum, and is called Alzheimers. My form of dementia is deposited in the top of the cerebellum and is called cerebral cortex Amyloidosis. It all stems from mis-folded protein particles which float around the body. They are like several children's jacks laid out to make a layer of them, then another layer on top of the first can be laid down, but will only fit a certain way, and another, etc., until it makes a chain of protein. If they do not fit, one layer on another, the layers die, and form fibrils. So you get a test, developed by Bindings of UK, called "Serum FreeLiteChain@ Assay, and do a 24-hour Proteinuria assay, to discover whether your kidneys are filtering out all the misfolded or unused protein. If the sFLC number is 1.8 mg/dl, or the 24-hr Proteinuria is 0.500 G/24 hour, you have some form of Amyloidosis, and must be tested to determine the mutation of your over-abundant protein. I know this is a lot, but maybe it will help.

@oldkarl

Yes, it does help. I take it that you have been diagnosed with this? If so, how did the DX come about?

Teresa