“Did I have a heart attack 5 months ago?”
I know its probably not very easy to answer this without meeting in person, but I'll try to describe everything the best I can. To start off I'm a 25 year old male, about 6 feet tall, and around 240lbs.
In January, there was a huge blizzard where I live and it snowed about 2 feet in total. I decided it was good idea to shovel some of the snow around 2 am, so I didn't have to do as much work in the morning. I had been awake for at least 16 hours at that point. I shoveled snow for around an hour and it was very difficult. At that point, I had to start taking small breaks to sit down every 10 minutes or so. I was very out of breath and felt like I had no stamina. I haven't felt like that before, I don't remember ever being that winded even when playing sports. After I finished shoveling, I felt very fatigued and decided to lay down on my bed after taking a quick shower. Shortly after, my heart rate wouldn't slow down. It actually starting beating faster and more intensely, so intensely I could hear it slightly. It was like my heart was still pumping blood as if I was still working out hard.
After maybe an hour of my heart not calming down, I thought about going to the hospital but didn't end up going because of insurance. I took a small aspirin but my heart wouldn't calm down. At that point it was maybe 6 am and I hadn't been to sleep yet, so I just laid in bed for maybe another 8-10 hours hoping it would calm down. The entire time, my heart was still beating intensely and rapidly. I didn't feel any pain in my chest or anywhere else. Believe it or not, I ended up falling asleep even though my heart was still beating so hard. I woke up 8 hours later and my heart was back to normal.
I don't know what happened. There are also some other quick details that might be important. I took an 30mg xr adderall that morning, which isn't unusual, and I also recently quit my dipping tobacco at the time. So I was using nicotine gum almost all day, including while I was shoveling snow outside in the cold.
Since that day, everything has been fairly normal. But I do plan on seeing a doctor in person soon. Any help would be appreciated.
In January, there was a huge blizzard where I live and it snowed about 2 feet in total. I decided it was good idea to shovel some of the snow around 2 am, so I didn't have to do as much work in the morning. I had been awake for at least 16 hours at that point. I shoveled snow for around an hour and it was very difficult. At that point, I had to start taking small breaks to sit down every 10 minutes or so. I was very out of breath and felt like I had no stamina. I haven't felt like that before, I don't remember ever being that winded even when playing sports. After I finished shoveling, I felt very fatigued and decided to lay down on my bed after taking a quick shower. Shortly after, my heart rate wouldn't slow down. It actually starting beating faster and more intensely, so intensely I could hear it slightly. It was like my heart was still pumping blood as if I was still working out hard.
After maybe an hour of my heart not calming down, I thought about going to the hospital but didn't end up going because of insurance. I took a small aspirin but my heart wouldn't calm down. At that point it was maybe 6 am and I hadn't been to sleep yet, so I just laid in bed for maybe another 8-10 hours hoping it would calm down. The entire time, my heart was still beating intensely and rapidly. I didn't feel any pain in my chest or anywhere else. Believe it or not, I ended up falling asleep even though my heart was still beating so hard. I woke up 8 hours later and my heart was back to normal.
I don't know what happened. There are also some other quick details that might be important. I took an 30mg xr adderall that morning, which isn't unusual, and I also recently quit my dipping tobacco at the time. So I was using nicotine gum almost all day, including while I was shoveling snow outside in the cold.
Since that day, everything has been fairly normal. But I do plan on seeing a doctor in person soon. Any help would be appreciated.
Male | 25 years old
Complaint duration: One day
Medications: None
Conditions: None
4 Answers
Mark Rasak
Cardiologist
Doubt heart attack in the typical sense. May have caused minor damage with all of the stimulants and exertion due to supply demand mismatch. Needless to say not a smart thing to do. An echo of the heart would show any permanent damage.
What you had was an episode of tachycardia (which means the heart goes out of normal rhythm and about twice as fast as normal). There are different types but the main three are 1) atrial flutter, 2) ectopic atrial tachycardia, 3) re-entry SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). (1) and (2) may be a one-off event in response to the stress of the situation you were in, especially if combined with a viral infection (any sort) or recent alcohol intake. (3) would be likely to recur at random times. None of them is dangerous. Less likely (much more common in older people) is atrial fibrillation which is very irregular and can go on for days or weeks, sometimes needing an electric shock to revert to normal rhythm (cardioversion).
Sir,
I don't believe you experienced a heart attack, however, it certainly could have been an arrhythmia, which is an abnormal cardiac rhythm. First of all, shoveling snow is a terrible exercise, because most people don't do it correctly, and especially if the snow is wet and heavy, it puts an abnormal strain on the heart. Second, nicotine can cause rapid heart rates, as can adderall. Third, I don't know if you engage in regular physical exercise or not, but not being in shape can also cause strain on the heart. It's more common to have something like atrial fibrillation, or another type of rapid rhythm, than to have an actual heart attack. It's true that people have heart attacks while shoveling snow, and often suffer sudden cardiac arrest, however, these people usually have prior risk factors. You don't say whether you have any risk factors. You should definitely have a complete cardiac work-up to determine what actually happened. I think you were given a warning this time, and please pay attention to what happened. If this was an arrhythmia, more serious complications could follow, like heart attack or stroke.
I don't believe you experienced a heart attack, however, it certainly could have been an arrhythmia, which is an abnormal cardiac rhythm. First of all, shoveling snow is a terrible exercise, because most people don't do it correctly, and especially if the snow is wet and heavy, it puts an abnormal strain on the heart. Second, nicotine can cause rapid heart rates, as can adderall. Third, I don't know if you engage in regular physical exercise or not, but not being in shape can also cause strain on the heart. It's more common to have something like atrial fibrillation, or another type of rapid rhythm, than to have an actual heart attack. It's true that people have heart attacks while shoveling snow, and often suffer sudden cardiac arrest, however, these people usually have prior risk factors. You don't say whether you have any risk factors. You should definitely have a complete cardiac work-up to determine what actually happened. I think you were given a warning this time, and please pay attention to what happened. If this was an arrhythmia, more serious complications could follow, like heart attack or stroke.
Given your young age it is highly unlikely that you had a heart attack after shoveling snow. It sounds like you had some form of heart rhythm disturbance that could have been caused by combination of cold temperature and medications that resolved by itself. I recommend for you to see a physician if this episodes of fast heart rhythm happens again.
