Fear of Congestive Heart Failure..please help.

[AYKM]

I am a 36 year old female, and about 12 lbs more than I would like to be. Around 2004 I started getting symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue and night sweats. I started gaining weight and just felt sluggish. At that time I had blood tests and CT scan of chest and abdomen and nothing was found. Then, in 2006, my blood pressure started to go up and fluctuate. Sometimes it is normal, below normal and above normal. It does tend to respond with xanax, but I still get rapid heartbeats, etc. Then, in 2008, I had an EKG and echocardiogram, all normal. Blood test have been normal since then as well. However, I have swelling in my hands every morning, that used to go away during the day, that doesn't now. I also have slight swelling in the ankles and I can feel it in my legs sometimes too. It's like when I walk, I am jiggly. I try to check for fluid retention when I push into the skin on my ankle, but it doesn't stay indented for very long. I have seen a cardiologist, but that was back in 08, and I think I saw her again this year, but no tests were run. She wanted me to do a sleep study to see if I have apnea, but I declined. I asked her if I should get another stress test, and she said she didn't think it was necessary but I could if I wanted to. I am so worried about CHS, and I googled....I can climb up stairs and walk to where I need to get, but if I over extend myself just slightly I am out of breath, dizzy and exhausted. I am fairly sedentary, so I know that makes a difference, but the swelling and rise in BP has me freaked out.

I also just don't feel right. My heart seems to beat to fast at times for no reason, and I will lose and gain up to 3-5 lbs in a few days which I know if water weight. Lately, it seems like I can't get the swelling down, where before it would. I get extreme pressure feeling in my head, which causes me to sleep better sitting up (which was a symptom in google), and I also seem to be coughing lately. Not like when you get something stuck in your throat but more like I have to because I feel loss of breath. I am so scared. My dad has heart issues (pacemaker, hole in the heart, etc) and I have high cholesterol, so I feel like this has to be something.

Sometimes I will be doing nothing and all of a sudden I feel a loss of breath, or feel like I need to catch my breath. Would they have seen heart issues with those tests that long ago? Could it have developed in the last two years since I had the stress test? It seems to be getting worse. I can't remember if I had the swelling issue when they did the test or not? They also did a holter monitor which was an average reading of 116/64, but I didn't do much that day, I just laid around. Really need your support guys. Thanks.

[AYKM]

I just pushed on my leg, and I get a white mark but it doesn't really stay indented and the the white mark disappears in a few seconds. So, is that considered edema? Also, most of my weight is in my abdomen from underneath my breasts to my belly button. This sounds weird, but when I pull the skin away from my body, it seems like it is easier to breath. I am not sure what that means, but almost like I have an undo pressure on my diaphragm or heart? I am trying to stay cool, but I am seriously freaking out right now!!

[marc]

At your age, the odds of having congestive heart failure are almost non existent. For you to have
CHF, you would either have had a heart attack or very severe coronary artery disease. Sometimes when
I press my skin, it also turns white. You are really not that overweight and you have youth on your side.
Your blood pressure is excellent and it really does not matter if you were laying around all day or not, it was
still excellent. Your symptoms are most like due to anxiety, fatigue or something of that nature. I would try
not to worry, although I worry too at times.

[mgray]

Sounds like anxiety to me, now as far as the swelling you might be retaining water for other resons, like too much salt in your diet or other factors. Have you had your thyroid checked??? Honestly most people who suffer from anxiety will feel anxious at any weird sensation that our body produces. I have been there many times! The big thing that helped me was, no caffiene, low salt, low sugar, and 30 min of excercise every day. I would also check to see if you have gout (spelling) something is making you swell and that is not your heart or anxiety. A very good friend of mine who has anxiety recently started swelling at her hand and feet and she went to the MD and he told her she had gout and out her on a fluid pill. She feels much better. Hope this helps.

[AYKM]

Thank you all for your responses, that does help. I suppose it is rare with my age, but as we know, all reality goes out the window when we are freaking out. Since I would only have CHF if I had sever heart disease, I suppose they would have picked that up when I had my tests a couple of years ago. I am trying to have a better perspective on this, but my mind keeps running away with it!

[Grandma]

marc - you said "For you to have CHF, you would either have had a heart attack or very severe coronary artery disease". 

Where did you get this information?  It is not what I have read on the Mayo Clinic web site.

AKYM - this is not intended to send you into a panic.  If you are seeing your doctor for regular check ups, and expressing your concerns to your doctor, I wouldn't worry if I were you.  And if you haven't been to the doctor since your last round of tests, I still wouldn't worry if I were you, but I would schedule an appointment.  I think that everyone should have a complete physical yearly.

[Orange44]

Dr google strikes again.

[AYKM]

Recently I went to an exercise class, and I could barely get through it. I had to stop constantly to catch my breath and felt like I was going to pass out. I also get head pressure and feelings like my BP is high. I can feel my pulse all over my body and sometimes when I bend over to pick something up from the floor, it feels like my head is going to explode. I don't get alot of headaches (I already suffer from migraines), but haven't had other headaches. I used to be able to go out and dance all night, now I am scared to even dance a little. At my age I should be able to still move around and over extend myself, but I can't. This is scary and frustrating. I am watching this movie about people dancing around in this concert, and the last concert I went to, I had to leave because I felt like I couldn't breath and felt like crap the whole night. I shouldn't be like this if I am healthy and only 36!

This is what leads me to believe that something just isn't right. I can only assume it is my heart, because of the symptoms, the BP, and the swelling and such. I think I need to make a cardio appt. Sorry, I am sinking down again. Probably because the xanax is wearing off.

[AYKM]

I posted the same thing about 3 years ago. If it was CHF wouldn't I be way worse off by now? Even if it was a less serious heart problem, I would worse off from three years ago, right? Please help again. I cannot talk to anyone else about this and I am feeling very bad right now.

[mjd30]

I highly doubt you have CHF. If you did, this would have shown up in the tests you had done. People with CHF often have changes in their EKG...it would show up on blood work with an elevated BNP...it would have been evident to the cardiologist and you would have other symptoms.

Why would you not get the sleep study done? Just curious. Sleep apnea can cause some of the things that you have mentioned such as weight gain, fatigue, changes in your BP, and headaches. And as already mentioned, anxiety will cause these symptoms as well, so it could just be that you're anxious! And the more you obsess over these symptoms, the worse they get.

As for the swelling, I'm not sure what meds, if any, you are on, but some medicines have swelling as a side effect so that is always a possibility. And when is the last time you went to an exercise class or worked out before the time you mentioned? Has it been awhile? If so, then this is perfectly normal as you have to condition your body. 

[MistaVega]

Honestly everything you're mentioning is going way over my head.

Here's a website, if you don't known about it already where people with various health problems exchange information and I think you can even talk to MD's. These people are very informative and very helpful.

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/list

Best of luck and I'll pray for you.