Is there a doctor in the house?

So last night something disturbing happened to my body. I was lying down trying to sleep, when suddenly my heart started pumping really hard - as if I had just run a few miles, or was playing an intense first person shooter. I don't think it was a heart attack, just because I didn't feel any chest pains and I'm still walking around, but even this morning I'm feeling a bit twitchy, I guess is the proper way to explain it.

Now, my cousin apparently has some genetic thing that can make your heart randomly explode, or some nonsense (I never paid attention when my aunt was talking about it, so I have no clue what the disease is even called, but he did have to quit playing baseball), but now I'm wondering if I might have it too.

Another possible factor is that I had a soda before going to bed, and maybe it was just a sugar rush or the caffiene affecting me oddly, but seeing as how caffiene's never had this effect on me before I'm not so sure that it was the cause.

Anyone here have any idea what this could be?

Talk this over with your family or an actual doctor. There's little people can do for you over the internet.

Except offer inaccurate and potentially dangerous advice. There's lots of that available.

Example of potentially dangerous information: YOU HAVE HERPES IN THE HEART AND WILL GET CHLAMYDIA AND DIE.

The problem is if this gets diagnosed officially, my dream career (astronaut) is out the window. And for all I know I could be going in for an expensive visit to an expensive doctor who will recommend expensive tests that discover my "condition" was due to gassy soda stomach...

I also don't want to email my aunt asking her about my cousins condition (if I knew the name, I could do the research on it myself) because she's kind of a gossip and would tell my entire family (and if this turns out to be nothing they would get all worried for nothing).

Hey guess what? If you do have that condition and don't get it checked out, you're going to end up dead.

I would think that would put a much larger damper on your dream of being an astronaut than discovering you have the condition.

I'm sure your parents would prefer a few false alarms over you ending up dead because you wouldn't tell them.

Hon, if you have that condition your dream of being an astronaut is dead anyway. You think that astronaut candidates don't have exhaustive physical assessments done before they're even considered for training? They do. If it's on your record, you won't be eligible. If it's not on your record, they'll find it and you'll be bounced from the program anyway.

A few things:

• First, many genetic diseases require environmental triggers. It is entirely possible that whatever this thing is, I can control it with a special diet, or by avoiding whatever causes it to go off.

• Second, as a government organization, NASA cannot discriminate based on genetics alone. Now if during the course of examination they discover the condition, I'm out right there, but they couldn't order a genetic test or look at family pedigree during the decision making process. However, they can check my medical records, so if I go and order tests done, it would only alert them to a possible condition, and I'd be out right there - even if this thing turns out to be nothing, or it requires special conditions to go off.

• Third, if this is something life-threatening that I can't treat or maintain, then I won't apply. The mission is more important than my personal goals.

I've basically decided to just ask my aunt, despite her being a blabbermouth. If this is a life-threatening condition, I really should know about it.

edited 11th Oct '11 10:30:51 AM by MyGodItsFullofStars

Why not ask a doctor? You're not going to be able to hide a heart problem if you've got one.

edited 11th Oct '11 11:56:33 AM by tropetown

Bad advice: Your heart is under too much pressure. Use a long, sharp object to pierce directly into it in order to relieve the pressure. If you feel sleepy shortly afterwards, just relax, that means it's working.

Better advice: See a doctor. If it's nothing then it's nothing. If it's something then you'd better get it checked out. Don't worry about the astronaut thing. If you have a condition that would disqualify you, better to know it now rather than later.

You saw the House MD episode like this, didn't you?

Look, either it's nothing, and you're good, or it's something that could be very bad, and then you're compromised and putting other lives plus mutl-million dollar equipment at risk.

Get it checked. Your dream doesn't entitle you to put others at risk.

Does any one know if that's true or not?

See a doctor. See a doctor. See a doctor. Did I mention you should see a doctor?

I just realized your story OP is oddly like the plot to the movie gattaca.

You're not trolling us are you?

Being an actual medical student over here, I can say from your vague descriptions that you should go see a doctor who can properly diagnose you since he or she will actually be able to physically examine you with the proper tools.

Hop to it, no one in here is a doctor and even if they were, I can tell you that there's a wide variety of conditions you may have right now that I couldn't possibly figure without a few small tests that you can get in under twenty minutes at the doctor's office.

edited 11th Oct '11 3:18:57 PM by Ramus

As another medical student I have to concur.

We are not addressing the OP's main worry that's he is scared to get an official diagnoses least any potential employers get their hands on it but.

edited 11th Oct '11 7:01:21 PM by joeyjojo

This isn't to say that you shouldn't get a proper diagnosis, but I've had similar experiences due to caffeine. I am intolerant to it in larger amounts, and have been since my late teens.

Still with us OP?

I think I just figured it out! So I was watching I Shouldnt Be Alive, and they mentioned that extreme dehydration can thicken blood and forces the heart to beat faster. Well, I kind of hadn't had any water to drink for like three days (plenty of tea, and soda, and milk, but no water...) when my heart started doing that weird pounding, and sure enough, after drinking lots of water the pounding has gone away. So its probably just dehydration, after all, but if it comes back again, I'll go see a doctor.

Still not exactly healthy, what with the not drinking water business, but I'm pretty satisfied with the self-diagnosis. I've also gone ahead and asked my aunt about my cousin's condition, but I didn't let on that its because something weird happened to me - instead I told her its for a school project. She'll still figure it out, of course (anybody who has Jewish relatives knows what I'm talking about ), but I can play the denial game. Crisis averted!

You should still get a second opinion, like from, say, an actual doctor

Key word being extreme dehydration. If you weren't dehydrated enough to show other symptoms, I'm not sure if you'd get that effect.

Anyway, it's never a good idea to armchair diagnose yourself with stuff. Just go see a doctor already.

if this happened to me and i still lived with my mom she would tell me to just shut the fuck up and stop being a hypochondriac.

Which really isn't fair because for a long time I was on medication that caused me some heart palpitations. they used to do monthly EKG's just to be sure (most of the time) i was okay when i was on it.

If your on any medications, that would be the first logical thing to look at. like, read the side effects on the bag they put the bottle in when they hand it to you at the pharmacy. they typically have stapled to it a paper with all the information on the drug. that would be the first place i would look for info

if your not on meds then might want to just at least mention it to your parents.

edit: that bit about my mom... shes a bitch im by no means saying that you are a hypochondriac but that some people may not take you seriously. i personally think that it is possibly serious; heart palpitations taught me to take no damn chances with yer heart.

best to tell your doctor at some point, especially if it happens again.

edited 13th Oct '11 4:42:30 AM by jasonwill2

He's not going to see a doctor until we need to call paramedics. Denial is a powerful thing.

I hope NASA doctors are thorough...

Now hang on USA, he is not in denial of being at being at risk, he knows that. He is worried about the how that information is going to affect potential employers. Get getting it officially diagnosed makes him legally obligated to inform them. He has an perverse incentive not to get tested even if it's the responsible thing to do