Heart rate and Hospital visit

[Stagger]

Having just spent 3 nights in hospital all wired up to heart machines because my pulse on Sunday was down as low as 28 bpm I wonder if anyone else has had similar experiences?

Normally 45 to 48 bpm is my resting heart rate. Max is 180 bpm
Sunday night was when I was woken a good number of times, almost sighing or yawning to take maximum oxygen into my body. I put on my Garmin chest strap and checked my HR. Readings were 34 to 37 bpm.

I phoned NHS Direct and had a paramedic here very quickly followed by an Ambulance and then off I went to hospital. (No pain anywhere though)
Same readings in Hospital over Monday (blood test for heart attack proved negative) Just bed and monitored.
Tuesday I had an ultrasound scan which revealed nothing, then all wire up I did a treadmill test, regular increase in speed and incline. I got to the next to last stage and HR max was 174 bpm although I could still hold conversation they would not allow me to max out because they had got the readings they required.

I have seen 3 consultants and their verdicts were a virus, along with tiredness and an increase in fitness had all conspired to lower my HR.

I am back some where round normal pulse rate now having had no drugs what so ever.
Just a bed, rest and 3 days of boredom + worry that I may never run or cycle again.

I have now been told to build slowly again. Max HR 70% this week, 80% next and so on.
No racing for a month. Ireland looks like my come back.

Has anyone any thoughts or info on such hapenings?

[Mike T]

What were your actual symptoms? How much training had you done in the days leading up to this? In a well trained runner I would not regard a pulse rate in the high 20s as necessarily abnormal.

[ydt]

When I was younger and fitter my resting heart rate was in the low 30s. As yours dropped from the mid 40s suddenly, you did well to seek medical advice.
Yiannis

[Rodders]

Stagger, glad to hear you are back home. Hospitals are not always the most restive of environments. Good move to get it checked out.

[stevefoster]

Rest up mate, hope that's the last of it

[Fleeter]

Glad to hear your home and on the mend mate

[Stagger]

Thanks for the kind support fellas.

Training before, Mike had been as follows
Sat Causey Pike 8k race
Sun rest
Mon 2 x 28k bike rides to work and home
Tu 14k bike steady
Wed 20k time trial
Th & Fri rest
Rivington Pike 5k race Max hr 179 & Average hr 172
Rest Sunday
Sunday night bed at 9.30pm and from about 11pm just a really deep breath about every 15 to 20 minutes. So deep it woke me up. Started getting a little sweaty in bed so had a shower at 1am deep breaths continued and then rung NHS approx 2am. Heart rates are now back to around normal.

This year I have run 14 time and 65k but biggest gain has been on the bike 49 times and 1300k.
Increasing steadly in my opinion.
Biking has gone Dec 270k, Jan 360k, Feb 430k, Mar 515k.

[Mike T]

Thanks for the kind support fellas.

Training before, Mike had been as follows
Sat Causey Pike 8k race
Sun rest
Mon 2 x 28k bike rides to work and home
Tu 14k bike steady
Wed 20k time trial
Th & Fri rest
Rivington Pike 5k race Max hr 179 & Average hr 172
Rest Sunday
Sunday night bed at 9.30pm and from about 11pm just a really deep breath about every 15 to 20 minutes. So deep it woke me up. Started getting a little sweaty in bed so had a shower at 1am deep breaths continued and then rung NHS approx 2am. Heart rates are now back to around normal.

This year I have run 14 time and 65k but biggest gain has been on the bike 49 times and 1300k.
Increasing steadly in my opinion.
Biking has gone Dec 270k, Jan 360k, Feb 430k, Mar 515k.

I agree with Yiannis - you did the right thing as 1/this was not normal for you and 2/you had some symptoms for which there was no obvious non medical explanation. Do you know what evidence there was for a recent viral infection? Presumably they asked you about any tendency to dizziness/lightheadedness/fainting - and the answer is no. Apart from cardiac monitor evidence of a slow heart rate, the results of all the tests sound excellent.

[Stagger]

The only evidence of a viral infection was that our son had a sore throat and cough for about 7 - 10 days although he never visited the doctors and I had a touch of a sore throat last week but it never developed into anything. My blood pressure was always normal, 120/70. Thanks for taking time to reply Mike.

[IanDarkpeak]

good to hear you are ok Trev, look after your self
wouldn't a virus raise your heart rate?
I found after my heart problem that a lack of self confidence in pushing myself was the main problem,not my fittness