Arrhythmia from standing up or moving?

I wonder if anyone could share their experience with me or help me understand something.

For the last few months, I've gotten arrhythmia (PAC, PVC, a-fib, etc) from getting up. I've been laying down just about all day every day since the middle of February. Just getting off the bed to the bathroom can trigger arrhythmia sometimes, although sometimes I can do it. It always got back to NSR by laying down or sometimes laying down with my feet up. Sometimes it takes 60 seconds, a couple of times it takes a few hours.

Ive never lived like this. Anyone ever have the same thing?

And yes, I've been back to doctors, the hospital, it's a bit of a story, but I don't really have any answers from there. Thank you.

It might be orthostatic hypotension. There is a link to AF. I used to get this sometimes before I gave up the magnesium dosing that most here think is beneficial and innocuous. Perhaps I am an experiment of one.

Thanks safib - I can notice changes in my blood pressure although the doctor tested me for orthostatic hypotension and was negative. But something is going on.

If you've been lying down almost all day every day for two months, your body is going to be physically deconditioned. You've lost muscle mass and muscle tone, and your body is no longer accustomed to adjusting BP rapidly as it has to do when you stand from a lying position. So even though you tested negative for orthostatic hypotension, I think that's basically what's going on. It's just not on a scale sufficient to test positive. After all, you got up, traveled to the doctor's office, etc, so you were up and active before that test. What you're experiencing isn't afib. The fact that your heart rate returns to normal quickly when you lay back down indicates it's purely a drop in BP causing the symptoms.

I suspect that if you're able to get up and be a bit more active during the day, even if it's just walking across the room periodically, and sitting for a time rather than lying down, you might find this will improve. Some physical therapy might help also. Ask your doc about it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2019 08:46PM by Carey.

Hi Carey, thank you for the response.

I was tested last month for orthostatic hypotension in the hospital on the second and third day. I was not very active at all there, and I had a discussion very similar to your comments with two doctors, and they repeated that the test was negative several times (plus one was not happy that I even knew the term.)

I have had periods of time where I'm more mobile than others, but the effect seems to remain with the heart issues, it goes from PAC to PVCs and then very little fibrillation. I've taken advantage of having less symptoms on certain days, but the reality is that the symptoms are pretty regular. According to the Kardia, and reviews by my doctor, there is some fibrillation there, and he can't understand "why my exercise tolerance is so low." In this case, "exercise" means getting up to use the bathroom.

I have a cuff and now I've been taking BP regularly and when I feel like there is a change. It varies widely, from 90/70 one morning to 130/110 on other mornings.

Its a big mess honestly, but thank you for helping.

I would opt for a sequence of tilt table tests (the gold standard), at varying times of the day and levels of activity. Then find some tolerance intervals in the literature (or the data) to do an analysis. This kind of thing would probably necessitate some research lab setting or developing your own expertise. It may be a transient thing which is difficult to catch. Alternatively, you could try some treatment.

Quote
safib
I would opt for a sequence of tilt table tests (the gold standard), at varying times of the day and levels of activity. Then find some tolerance intervals in the literature (or the data) to do an analysis. This kind of thing would probably necessitate some research lab setting or developing your own expertise. It may be a transient thing which is difficult to catch. Alternatively, you could try some treatment.

Thanks, I'm considering all options in this.

Quote
MadMax
Hi Carey, thank you for the response.

I was tested last month for orthostatic hypotension in the hospital on the second and third day. I was not very active at all there, and I had a discussion very similar to your comments with two doctors, and they repeated that the test was negative several times (plus one was not happy that I even knew the term.)

I have had periods of time where I'm more mobile than others, but the effect seems to remain with the heart issues, it goes from PAC to PVCs and then very little fibrillation. I've taken advantage of having less symptoms on certain days, but the reality is that the symptoms are pretty regular. According to the Kardia, and reviews by my doctor, there is some fibrillation there, and he can't understand "why my exercise tolerance is so low." In this case, "exercise" means getting up to use the bathroom.

I have a cuff and now I've been taking BP regularly and when I feel like there is a change. It varies widely, from 90/70 one morning to 130/110 on other mornings.

Its a big mess honestly, but thank you for helping.

BP is so subjective, so variable...... I decided to wean myself off metopropol beta blocker 2 days ago. I was only taking 25 mg twice a day coz the 50s totally felled me. 50s plus cardizem (in hospital), stopped my heart for 5 seconds and 5 times over... so I decided to stop the evening one on Friday, and yesterday the rebound BP was 170/100 (before beta blockers 3 weeks ago it was say 128/82 with a 72 pulse).. Today I went without the pill again, and now, even after some dandelioncidal yard work, I am 148/82 72 pulse so I am on the right track to 'normality'...... So the BP changes take some time to kick in, and its pretty scary while you're waiting and watching it climb to 170 and hoping that normality will return... I was going to bug out at 180 and take a 50mg beta...Good luck with whatever you try, and all I can say is that it takes a while sometimes.. ps I have bought a second arm cuff machine to check on the first.... Changing arms or taking a leak can knock 15 off the score...