Heart racing and shortness of breath

Okay, so it used to happen every now and then, but its getting more and more frequent.
Today I have had it happen three times already.

Ill be doing what im doing, whether its sitting down watching tv, or washing the car, and all of a sudden, my heart starts racing heaps quickly....like i can literally feel it beating VERY fast....and ill start having probllems breathing or getting a breath of air in.

It generally only happenns for about 30 secs-minute each time, as long as i relax and start really concentrating on getting a breath in.

Its very scary, and my DP thought it may have just been anxiety. But im not worried or anxious about anything, so im pretty sure its not anxiety.

Please help, what could this be??
I have booked into the docs for this arvo, but im just scared she will brush it off, and not really realise how scary it is.

just after some advice

i had the same thing, and it turned out to be anxiety in my first pregnancy, it's actually what led me to the hospital where i found out i was pregnant. pg hormones can really screw with your body, and your body may just react to them by becoming unconciously anxious. just make sure you concentrate on your breathing when it happens, and if it's anxiety, it will eventually settle down. good luck

I was gonna say the same as your DP in thinking maybe it's anxiety as i experienced something similar physically :rolleyes:

... I found when pregnant it was amazing all sorts of things i never experienced before physically even emotionally happened whilst pregnant ;)

Hope all goes well at the Doc :D ... Let US all know how you went !!!

Hugs from Lorelle :hug: xox

oh thankyou......
Ive been quiet worried bout it, as i dont seem too worried, so i was certain it wasnt anxiety.
I have had it more and more, so like you said...could just be my body worrying for nothing :)

Should it settle down after bub is born?
and how come i only seem to get it at the most unsuspected times.....like itll be while im concentrating on a task, and not even worrying about anything.

Im pretty sure low iron can cause a racing heart and some shortness of breath too.

I hope you can figure out what it is.

okay so i went to the doc, and she seemed concerned. Which was good, cause i was hoping she didnt just palm it off as anxiety without tests. she did the complete opposite and said she wasnt just going to assume it was anxiety, but she would do an ECG and othe monitoring to check if my heart is ok.

I did the ECG, but they only monitored it for like 3 minutes, and that wasnt very reassuring, as i dont have the problem all the time, i only happens 3 or 4 times a day.

The doc also agreed that the ecg was prob not enough evidence to pick anything up, so she has sent me to another practice to have special 48 hour monitoring done. that means ill have to carry a little heart monitor around in my pocket for 2 days, but hopefully it will detect the problem.:rolleyes:

I'm glad to hear that the doctor is not brushing you off and taking the time to check you out!

Have you had your thyroid levels checked? I think most doctors check this when you first
go in to get the pregnancy blood test. I suffered from Hyperthyroidism with one of the symptoms being quickening of the heart when I could actualy feel my heart beating (called tachycardia) which was very unpleasant and needed medication to fix.

Just a thought that maybe you could be experiencing something similar? If the doc has not checked your thyroid levels get them to do so, a simple blood test can find out if they are 'normal' or not.

Good Luck!

Oh that's so great your Doc has you doing that ... Let us know what the outcome is in what it turns out to be after wearing it ;)

while pg with Jack I had the same thing also have the same thing this time

with Jacks pg my dr did a ECG I was then sent to a specialist who put me in hosp overnight with a portable ECG like you going to have I ended up in hosp for a week only cause I kept setting off alarms with my heart and Ii had some pre term contractions to boot

anyway basicalluy i was diagnosed with ventricular bijimmines (spelling is wrong) nothing to be concerned about its uncomfortable and more noticeable in pg due to extra blood flow etc same thing has happened this time different specialist and he is not concerned

your OB and dr may decide during labour for you to be monitored again dotn be concerned it is purely precautionary on their part

anyway HTH...

first_time_mummy ... how you doing ?? ... Anymore happening ?? :rolleyes: