actually really scared about this...can you please help?

[shep88ner]

well...alright, im going to tell you something i havnt discussed with anyone before. over christmas break i might say somthing to my parents and maybe get to a doctor or something. i just want to ask all of you this because this is something im really scared of.

 

alright...the thing is, i think there is a possibility i might have heart disease or something like that. i'll tell you why i think this then you can tell me what you think.

 

first off, let me start by teling you i used to be REAL active in all kinds of sports like football and baseball. and in those sports i ran my off and i had to do a lot of running to the point i couldnt run anymore. when i got to highschool, i picked up golf and tennis. golf required very little running, but tennis required some. well...i could do the conditioning alright, i got really out of breath really quick and i was dying most of the time. then i graduated and didnt have any sports or anything for awhile. now im in college and i just feel like there's something up with my heart or w/e. like, i walk up stairs, maybe 4-5 floors worth in my hall and im breathing REALLY hard and my heart is racing like a million miles an hour. and when i lay down at night, i sometimes feel like i have a slight shortness of breath. another thing, its like i cant eat nearly as much as i once was able to, i just feel slower and like i have less energy sometimes. i get heartburn from time to time, most times after i eat penn station or something.

 

i dont know, there is probably more but right now i just want some feedback on what you guys think. i really want to think im just really out of shape for the first time in my life and ive never experieced what it's like to actually not be as active. but sometimes i really dont know. im so scared to talk about it to anyone.

 

also know that to my knowledge there is no family traces of heart disease or anything. but my dad does have high blood pressure the past few months. the last time i had a physical they took my blood pressure and listened to my heart and i guess it was all ok, because they didnt write any "abnormal findings" and let me play.

 

i mean, is heart disease something that a doctor could be tiped off about by listening to the rythum of my heart beats?

 

just please, someone who might know something please help me out here, ive been really scared about this for a long time now. about a year or so maybe...

 

any help is appreciated, thank you!

[gfein347]

How long ago was your last physical? It seems that if you were once active, and now you're unable to walk up 5 flights of stairs without shortness of breath, that's definitely a red flag. People tend to know their bodies fairly well, and if something truly seems wrong, it probably is. I would seek out a doctor.

[need2bme]

I can't tell you anything about heart disease from personal experience. I do have an irregular heartbeat, but so do most Americans.

 

Get to the doctor. Worry about it after he tells you what it is. In the meantime, just rest.

[shep88ner]

my last physical was...maybe a year ago in july or something. i dont remember, because i may have and another one before tennis which would have been around a year ago in march.

[CarnelianButterfly]

It generally sounds like you're out of shape. I know an avid soccer player that is more out of breath than me when we walk up a couple flights. As for the reflux, Penn Station isn't exactly health food, greasy foods can cause reflux. If you really feel you aren't right, go to the doctor. They can listen to your heart and run some blood tests. Do you smoke, even a little or have friends that do? Smoking greatly reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen so it makes you need to move more air through your lungs and your heart to work harder to get blood to your body. It may not even be heart related, it could be a lung deficiency, like asthma.

[shep88ner]

no i do not smoke, i drink though

[kermit]

If you are 18 why wouldn't you just go to a doctor? Ignoring this issue won't make it go away, you're an adult now....

 

Why tell your parents and cause them to worry (likely needlessly). I think that at your age you might be able to predict their response. i.e. they'll send you to a doctor.

 

In the meantime you might consider taking your resting heartrate and then actaully taking your heartrate after climbing five flights of stairs. Then go on the internet and check the ratio, or post them here. That's something you could do tonight, if you wanted to.

[CarnelianButterfly]

How much do you drink? That's empty calories that can build up fat in no time, ie beer belly. Do you drink at a bar?

[Juliana]

Don't panic. A friend of my sister's actually had a problem with her heart that from time to time made her quite breathless. Alot of doctors missed it, but the one who found it was able to get it fixed with just one surgery. You're young and healthy and it's likely any "defects with the machinery" will be fixable. Just something to bring up with a doctor -- and get a referral to a specialist.

[shep88ner]

How much do you drink? That's empty calories that can build up fat in no time, ie beer belly. Do you drink at a bar?

 

i dont drink much at all no. maybe 2-3 times a whole month if that. and i have no beer belly, im 6ft tall and i wiegh 140lbs...im very skinny

[Axel3sRoxas]

High blood pressure sounds likely. Visit your doctor again, as soon as you can and explain to him/her everything you've told us.

[Survictor]

It could be so many things! You may have a virus or the remainder of one. You could just be out of practise. A friend of mine had a form of Glandular fever and felt really awful and yet couldn't say they felt terribly ill, you know?.. just out of sorts.

 

The only way to tell really is to go and see your Doctor and explain how you feel and allow him/her to run some tests to put your mind at rest.

 

Hope you feel better soon.

[p_fred]

You might just have anxiety.. it makes your heart beat faster and then you worry about it.. repeating the cycle. I thought the same thing and so far all the checks show me as being fine.. only a little acid reflux and muscle strains causing chest pains (and I'm twice your age!) I do have anxiety and am a little paranoid too I'm sure your probably fine.. I don't think people have heart problems until their 30's and 40's.