Heart symptoms w/PCS?
 

First, I apologize if this has been addressed before (I did search).

I let my son go to the YMCA w/friends yesterday to shoot baskets ( a skill he had completely lost til recently). He did very little jumping or running, pretty much just standing and shooting according to him and his friend.

He had to quit because his heart started racing, both arms were tingly, vision was black and fuzzy, and his jaw was tight. He apparently tried to call me, but must not have dialed correctly.

I checked his blood pressure at home an hour or two later and it was 129/89 and pulse was 110. He felt "fine."

I made him lie down for 10 min and rechecked. Then it was 79/48 and pulse of 78!

He is a physically healthy boy. Weighs a whopping 135 at 6'2". Well hydrated. His blood pressure had been on the higher end of normal since the unjury, but at dr on Wed was ? 104/75?.

Anyone else have these symptoms? This is not the first time he's shot baskets, just the first time he's had these symptoms.

I had trouble with my heart rate and BP being wacky when my dose of amitriptyline was changed. Depending on what meds he's on, it could make him more sensitive to his usual activities?

He's been on 25mg of Amitriptyline for almost 3 months.

worried_mom,

Is your son's name, Jack, the bean pole? What a tall string bean he is. My dad was like that, 6'2" at 13 years old, with size 12 feet, too.

It sounds like your son had a anxiety episode. This could be by just getting a bit excited while shooting baskets. This increased his adrenaline that increased his BP and pulse. He may have also taken a jump shot or two and landed hard on his heals. This can send a shock wave up his spine to his head that is similar to a concussion.

The adrenaline system can function in hyper-drive while recovering from a concussion.

A way he can learn to not land on his heals is to wear foam ear plugs while shooting. He will hear the foot/heal impacts as they cause a 'thunk' in his head. Then, he can try to learn a better stride and landing from jump shots. This is a skill that will serve him well.

You may want to have him take a ballet lesson or two, with the ear plugs, to learn some softer foot plants. It is amazing how much energy is transmitted to the head from landing on one's heals.

My life changing head impact was from just that. I stepped off a curb thinking it was a ramp. I was holding a plastic bag of trash and did not see the curb. My foot landed with my back arched and knee locked and jarred my hip, pelvis, back, shoulder, and head. All from just an 8 inch curb.

Thinking about this gives me a head ache. I hope he is doing better.

My best to you two.

So, the doctor says "probably dehydration" and give him lots of Gatorade! Nathan drinks so much water already that he pees clear (sorry for the image, but hard to imagine dehydration as the answer).

Mark,

Now you got me thinking...I jumped a few walls while I was early in my recovery. I wonder if the impact from hitting the ground caused further damage. This has me freaking out....why did I have to read this?

Amitriptyline is the one that made my pulse and BP go wacky. Also made me very dizzy.

I had palpitations when I first was injured. I started 50 mg of amytriptaline.

To experiment, I gave him lots of Gatorade yesterday and let him shoot hoops again.

Within 5 min, both arms and legs were tingly then numb. This subsides completely with 5-10 min of rest.

Could it be from his upper cervical area? When he shoots hoops, the natural tendency is to lift the head and look up. Early on, I had a problem with looking up because I was trying to find the near vision part of my new tri-focal glasses. The head up and tipped back position made my symptoms worse.

Has he been checked out by a good chiro for his upper neck? There are some self-tests that can be done regarding this head position. I found them on the internet at a physical therapy site or such. I wish I could remember where it was.

After seeing the post about half his face being droopy, my concern about an upper neck injury effecting/causing his tingling also may be applicable to the cranial nerves that innervate the face. The soft tissue surrounding these nerves may be injured and inflamed effecting the function of the nearby cranial nerves, such as CN-VI and CN-VII. I don't know if it is possible to do an EMG (electromyogram) of the facial/cranial nerves but it would be an interesting question for an ENT/Neurologist.