Two months ago, after trips to the US and
Eastern Europe, I started feeling strange:
very spaced out, hot and as though I
couldn't use my full lung capacity. My
lower arms were also tingling. Things got
worse over the next few days, with a fever
and a dry cough developing. When one night
I woke up sweating and with my heart
racing I decided to see my GP. I was
diagnosed with acute bronchitis and given
antibiotics (amoxicillin, 5 days).
My chest tightness (front of my chest,
around my heart) was relieved to some
extent within hours, but in the end the
course did not make me feel 100% better,
so I went back. The chest infection had
cleared up, I was told, but since some of
the symptoms reminded the gp of tb (and I
had been travelling) he arranged for a
chest x-ray. This showed up clear. I still
felt pretty bad, especially at night, when
I would often feel lightheaded and often
as though someone were pressing the air
out of my chest on exhaling. I also
noticed that my heart rate was slow
(around 45) and that during the 2-second
intervals when it felt as though the air
was pressed out of my lungs, my heart
didn't beat at all, as though skipping a
beat. I also had hot flushes during these
nights (no fever). I decided to see the gp
again. The infection was apparently back
and I was given another 10 days of
antibiotics (klacid). Again this gave me
some relief, and the 2 weeks after
finishing the course I felt better and
better every day. The gp gave me some
syrup to loosen up the mucus (which had
been green on some days, colourless on
others). After a few days this seemed to
work reasonably well.
I thought I was cured, but about 5 days
ago, however, the spaced out feeling came
back, and it's there for several hours
every day. Also in the evening and at
night (always when I sit/lie down; not
when standing up) I have these feelings of
lightheadedness, air being pressed out,
and skipped heartbeats. My heartrate at
night is still around 45, BP 110/60-65.
There are now no hot flushes but I am
getting increasingly worried (not to
mention a bit frustrated that work and
private life are suffering) and wonder if
finally I should request a blood test or
some other form of examination from my gp.
If these things are all normal
after-effects of a chest infection, or are
a virus that I’ll simply have to sit
out, then I can live with that, but I’m
going on holiday in 2 weeks’ time and
would prefer not to have to worry about
needing medical care abroad.
I am 32 years old, not overweight, a
non-smoker and do regular exercise. There
is some history of heart disease in my
family: my father had several bypass
operations when he was 55.
