There was a period of time where I would randomly become tachycardic if I stood for a few minutes. At first it was awful, every time I stood I'd get this enormous, pounding pressure in my head and felt faint. Then slowly the pressure began to go away, but the periods of feeling faint and tachycardia did not. My doctor referred me to a cardiologist, who had me wear a Holter monitor for a few days, and had an ultrasound done on my heart. There weren't any abnormalities other than the fact that my heart rate wound randomly go from 80 bpm to over 170 if I stood up for more than 5 minutes. What did he end up saying to me? "Well, you see, sometimes drinking caffeine can make your heart beat faster. Also, if you feel anxious, that can cause the tachycardia as well."

Gee, thanks, Doc.

Eventually my government insurance expired, and it would be months before I could get it through my employer, so I couldn't go to the doctor anymore. The episodes ended up getting less and less frequent and I've only had 1 within the past six months. Funnily enough, haven't stopped drinking caffeine, haven't had a less stressful environment, and I haven't lost weight (which was the cardiologist's other solution to all of my problems). Still have no idea what that was or if it'll ever come back.

It really is frustrating when it feels like nobody will take you seriously. And you can always tell, too, that it's because you're a woman. I always see this look on their face, like they're trying to humor me, or like my husband's made me come to them to cure my female hysteria. It makes me want to call them out on it, say something like, "If a man came in here and was in my position, what would you say to them?" but I know I'd just get another patronizing response. I really, really hope your doctor took your concerns seriously and I hope you've felt better in the past few weeks.