Recent post op - with sleeping trouble

Hello folks! I'm just 8 days post-op from my Lap RNY, and I'm supposed to go in to work tomorrow. Other than a lot of weakness and dizzyness, which I hope will clear up since Dr. Oh cleared me for protien supplements today - I am having a lot of trouble sleeping because of a rapid/pounding pulse. I've been in for a EKG, had my blood pressure checked, and they tell me nothing is wrong. The pulse isn't above 100 - but why is this keeping me up all night? Today Dr. Oh listened to my heart, and said I'm fine. "What about the pounding pulse in my neck"? I asked...."Oh, it will come, and go" he said. Frustrating! I need to be in some sort of shape to work tomorrow! Has anyone else had this sort of thing "come and go"? ....Cynthia in Wenatchee

I'm thinking it might be best to go to your PCP with this question. I'm guessing it doesn't have anything to do with surgery (but then I'm a bad guesser). I just know that there are many reasons for rapid pulse and I'd go to someone that is more familiar with dealing with it. I'm guessing a surgeon isn't the brightest bulb when it comes down to heart issues (not that they should be at all, I want them to focus on what they do best). If it keeps up you may need to do a holter monitor, which you wear for 24 hours and it records your heart beat. You may have something odd happening that only happens at night, when the doc doesn't have an opportunity to evaluate. All that being said, even if it is "odd" there's pretty easy ways to fix such things, the trick is do get them diagnosed as they can be elusive creatures. My 2 cents anyway.........Debra

The feeling of the *hard* pulsing could be fluid overload. Are you retaining any water?

Absolutely check with your PCP on this. New symptoms involving the cardiovascular system should be taken seriously and worked up. Palpitations can be caused by many different things - caffine, anxiety, thyroid, irregular cardiac conduction, etc. Linda M. (ARNP)