May 25, 2012
Topics A-Z Heart Disease Cardiovascular changes in pregnancy
Cardiovascular changes in pregnancy |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi, Firstly, Thank you for taking the time to look at my question. I have a histoy dating back seven years. At age twenty three i began having episodes of pain and numbness in my left arm, spreading into my left shoulder tip. The only precipitatiing factor to this was smoking a cigarette of which i smoked twenty plus for about ten years at that time. I had nerve tests on my arm all of which were fine. I then learned to live with this painn for two years. At age twenty five i began suffering from a very fast heartbeat at various times including in the middle of the night in conjunction with the pain in arm. A few months after this i began having pvcs, up to 70 per day which were documented on holter moniter. These were always in conjunction with the pain.I then underwent an excersise ECG with thallium and echo both of which were normal and so GP put this down to begnign palpitations. When pregnant with my daughter six months later i had episodes of sever left arm pain with excersise mainly using my arms such as chopping, cleaning windows etc and instant palpitations. I also had dizziness and a sense of vaugeness in my head like i may black out. I am now pregnant again and i feel terrible, dizzy, lots of pvcs and chest pain and i feel terrible. My Gp has given me beta blockers but i am too afaid to take them in case they damage the baby. Just running up stairs gives me a pressing pain in my neck and palpitations. I feel exhausted and just want to be able to keep up with my children. Please can you offer some advise. Thank you for your time Dear Lisa: You have had several investigations carried out to date and it is reassuring to know that these have not shown any abnormalities. Palpitations are common during pregnancy, and may be related to sinus tachycardia (normal fast heart rate) due to the increased metabolic demands of the mother and the fetus and raised cardiac output. Arm pain, numbness associated with dizziness and neck pain are not normal symptoms during pregnancy and can rarely indicate a blockage in the blood supply to the arm or brain. It may be due to blood vessel inflammation known as vasculitis. I would advise attending your family doctor for a detailed history of your symptoms, physical exam and blood tests such as inflammatory markers to obtain a diagnosis for your symptoms. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 July 2010 ) |
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