AboutDavid Richardson Expertise Adult heart function and disease. Not very good about children lesss than 12. Hypertension is o.k. Heart rhythm a special interest.
Experience Certified in cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Was chairman of division of cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia. Am now mostly retired.
Organizations Fellow of American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology and member of American Physiological Society..
Publications Circulation, American Heart Journal, Hypertension.
Education/Credentials M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Residency training at Yale Uhniversity School of Medicine and Medical College of Virginia.
Awards and Honors Gold Heartt Award from American Heart Association in 1995.
Question I work out about 4 days a week. One day about two weeks ago I was running on the treadmill until my heart rate was 154, then started to slow it down, walking at a fast but steady pace, when all of a sudden, my heart rate dropped from 140 to 120 in mere seconds. I just watched the numbers plummet. That sent me into an anxiety attack ( I think) where a wave of vibration went through me and my legs got all jittery.
Since then I have been taking it easier and not working out so hard, just walking at a 3.0 m/h pace. Just yesterday, I noticed that my heart rate kept going up and down from 116 down (one point a second) to 108. Then back up to 117 or 120, then back down, and so forth. My walking was steady with no increases or decreases in effort.
Before the treadmill I did the eliptical with a pretty steady rate of 130 but by the time I walked over to the treadmill and punched in my program, my rate was 78.
I felt no dizziness or lightheadedness. No symptoms whatsoever except fright for what could be wrong with me.
I am 39 years old. I am on levothyroxine and Asmanex for my thyroid and asthma.
What could be wrong with me?
Answer Dear Tracy
Nothing is wrong with you in my opinion. It's okay for heart rate to jump around so long as it doesn't exceed 145. Please continue to exercise as much as you want.
Please write back if this note doesn't answer all your questions.
