Blood test/A&E

[chutneysauce]

Hi

I've been suffering with chest issues for 2 years + now and no one knows what's wrong (plus having to wait 3 months each appointment).

I get a weird plunging sensation in my heart just when I'm about to fall asleep and also the last few days I have got constant palpitations. I have other symptoms too and just feel really unwell.

I've had ECG, ultra scan, 24 hour ecg, blood tests. All fine.

Anyway 2-3 weeks ago I had a really bad night where along with the chest sensation I felt faint and my legs were shaking. I went to A&E after trying to shake it off at 5am.

I had an ECG and bloods and they said I'm fine and sent me home.

Obviously I still feel awful but just duly waiting for my next appointment now.

However today I had a look at my blood test results and can see both my C-Reactive and WBC blood test were quite high above range!! That's alarmed me and now wondering why A&E didn't at least mention it and instead told me I was fine?!

Has anyone else got similar experience on that? Or know why they'd say I was fine and send me home. I get they only deal with emergencies and only really check I'm not dying but should they not be at least mentioning this and advising I go to my GP re: the blood test results?

How high? Have you been referred to cardiology? I'd ask your GP for a referral if not. lots of things can raise crp and wbc like a slight cold or sore throat.

Thanks for your reply,

WBC was 12.3 (range is 3-10)
C-Reactive was 5.6 (range is 0-5)

So I guess not hugely high.

It's just I've been so unwell for such a long time.

Yes I've been referred to Cardiology 2 years ago but everything is taking ages. So I've had an ECG, 24 hour ECG, blood tests, ultra scan, nothing coming up. They will next schedule me for a stress test (monitor whilst walking on the treadmill) and another 24 hour ECG. More Blood tests as well.

I did suffer extreme trauma around 3 years ago and while I'm fine now I wonder if that left some physical damage. The sensation I get in my heart is so weird, never felt it in my life before this and not palpitations.

(I think it may also be linked to my 3rd covid vaccine because of the timings but who knows)

Both those results are borderline so unlikely
to cause concern- CRP would be in the hundreds if there was a lot of inflammation.

Thank you StressedCats

I had some weird whooshing sensations affecting my heart earlier on this year with some horrible palpitations that were slow and strong. Accompanied by left shoulder and arm pain I took myself to A&E but all was ok. Followed by 24 hour ecg - again only a minor issue found. I noticed that my potassium was at the end end of normal and normally it’s quite a bit lower so I made a couple of adjustments to diet and actually the palpitations dropped right off.

‘End end’ should read ‘high end’

Has anyone brought up the possibility of anxiety with you?

I had very similar and was backwards and forwards to the drs for various tests, all of which showed up nothing. Eventually I was prescribed sertraline, which fixed it.

I did extensive googling and found a forum with hundreds of posts about this, including the heart dropping feeling and palpitations - it’s so difficult to get your head round this being anxiety and not something physical.

Thanks Wildspace. I definitely need to moderate my diet and am working on it. It's the worst feeling for me, like my heart is plunging and only when I'm literally about to fall asleep. Been two years of it now. Some nights I can't sleep as it keeps jolting me awake.

May be completely unrelated but I used to get this heart palpitations and weird heart rate, felt really faint like I was going to pass out etc and it was due to me being anaemic. Once I got on top of it my heart was fine again and palpitations gone and no more lightheaded faintness. Can you get your iron levels checked?

I hope you get some answers and feel better soon. Have you had a heart scan done at all? I had one to check all my heart was pumping OK and the valves and Chambers etc all looked fine.

Yes definitely and I did have bad trauma three years ago so it could be linked. If I'm honest this whooshing plunging heart thing happened the night of my 3rd covid vaccine for the first time so for ages I convinced my self it was that.
But then I figured the cause of my previous trauma (bad ex, family court, false allegations) has stopped so I felt less anxious.
The other night was the worst when the heart thing happened, quite violently and my legs were shaking quite a bit.

I had an ultra scan if that's what you mean and they said it was fine.

My vitamin D is low but I think my iron was ok.

I even thought I could be peri (i am 45)

Crp was 5 or6 ? I haven't seen 5.6 but anyway that's virtually normal. WCP slightly up but could be viral/ non specific

They've checked your heart and all's well. That's what you need to tell yourself.

It could be blood sugar related. I’ve worked with people who get similar symptoms when they have low blood sugar.

Did you have your blood sugar or insulin tested?

Are you on any medication?
My heart was playing silly buggers a few years ago and the doctors couldn't find a cause. ECGs always came back abnormal but everything else was fine. It turned out it was caused by my ADHD medication so I can't have it anymore.

I had episodes of palpitations and legs shaking last year. My ECG and chest x ray were fine but CRP was over 100. They said it was costochondritis and sent me home.
Two days later I was in resus in fast atrial fibrillation with a heart rate of 170.
I've had several recurrences and despite beta blockers and anti arrythmics and even HRT, problems persisted and I had a cardiac ablation last month. So far so good, although weirdly still get occasional odd cardiac sensations and leg shaking on occasion. It's like an adrenaline rush, very unpleasant. All other bloods ok.
All started before a Covid vaccine but escalated massively after.
I would ask for a cardiology referral, I ended up going private due to horrendous waiting lists.

Sorry, can see you are under cardiology. The waits are frustrating.

Thanks everyone.

Lots to take on board. Whatever the cause has taken over my life for over 2 years and when my symptoms I have no sleep. Last week was a bad week and as a result I was living on 4 hours sleep a day. Its horrendous especially because I know something is wrong and I have had no treatment for it.

I'll keep perceiving and try and get it sorted.