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Has anyone ever heard of episodic bradycardia along with RAISED blood pressure?
Husband has been having near-syncope episodes supposedly due to bradycardia. He starts feeling dizzy, is confused and disoriented, with heart rate usually around 43. Layind down reduces dizzines, sitting up or standing or just moving around makes it worse.
Going on for about 3 years, with episodes maybe once every 4 to 6 months. Episodes last anywhere from a few hours to (longest) 2 days.
ECGs, Holter, stress tests, chest xrays and now a Reveal Plus Heart
Monitor since last fall -- all showing a healthy heart. Also a CT scan of the head, glucose tests and thyroid tests.
Docs now suspect that episodes are neurological in nature and that the bradycardia a side effect of the near syncope, rather than the cause.
Have been reading about vertebral arteries and symptoms that go along with TIAs and such. However, as with all the cardiac stuff I read, all the neurological symptoms seems to note near syncope along with
REDUCED blood pressure.
Episode yesterday with actual loss of consciousness this time. In and out for about 90 minutes. Before passing out he had talked about
"waves" of a "weird feeling", and blood pressure went from about
145/75 to 160/100 over a period of about half an hour, pulse was 43.
At the hospital he was unable to answer simple questions - what year is it, what day is it, where are you, etc. Also complained of tingling around the lips.
Started slowly coming out of it, becoming more aware. BP leveled out to normal (for him), avg. 130/70, over the next hour or so. Pulse up to 49.
There has never been any nausea, blurred vision, numbness in limbs, chest pain, slurred speech. We have noted that he often has a headache the night before one of these episodes, but that did not happen this time. However, he did complain of headache after. Very fatigued and depressed in hospital, and started headache again today after being allowed to get up for bathroom, brushing teeth and just sitting in chair for a while. Tylenol helps but does not completely treat headache.
Doctors admit they have no idea what is going on. Carotid doppler today - don't know results yet - and now in the middle of a 12-hour
EEG. I suspect he will be going home not knowing any more than we do now, just instructions to come back in when it happens again (probably in about six months).
Aliens? Phases of the moon? Vodoo curses?
Nothing I read seems to make sense, mostly in terms of the blood pressure. Nothing references blood pressure going UP during any kind of episode, always down.
I will note that my husband is a high stress kind guy, and that these episodes - particularly the one yesterday - scare him. He has been known to hyperventilate during other medical scares, but has never done so during one of these bradycardia events.
So, anyone ever heard of anything like this, or have any suggestions about what more I can research? I will also be posting this in a neuro forum.
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