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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Fatigue With Swelling In The Ankles?

I am a 36yr old athletic male, 5 8 175lbs. The past 2 yrs I ve been experiencing severe fatigue which has progessively gotten worse. I used to workout 4-5 days a week and played semi-pro football, however, these symptoms have caused me not to exercise at all now and it is a struggle to get up for work and to even do daily task around my home. My DR sent me for a sleep study and i was diagnosed with OSA. I ve been on CPAP for 6 months with absolutely NO improvement with fatigue. A recent update did however indicate that CPAP is treating the Apneas significantly. About a yr ago, I experienced excessive swelling in my ankles for approx. two weeks then went away. I never had this in the past and typically eat a healthy vegetarian diet with protein supplements. This past winter, I started to notice discoloration in both of my hands and was later told by my DR that it was Raynaud s Syndrome. Most recently, within the past month I have been experiencing shortness of breath throughout the day. A nurse at work checked my blood pressure which was normal but my pulse rate was raised to 172 then dropped to 94. A few days later it was checked again and the rate was as high as 117 then back down to 96. I do take a high dose of Adderall which was increased 3 months ago because of the OSA, but still at 160mg per day still barely gets me by each day. I realize that Adderall can effect the heart rate but I ve been on this med for 4 yrs now and it never has effected me this way even when I immediately started the high dose. Today, I did not take any Adderall and had my pulse checked and it was still 96 and I am gasping for air due to shortness of breath periodically throughout the day. Could there be an underlying condition going on with my heart? Thank you, Michael
Mon, 1 Dec 2014
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Internal Medicine Specialist 's  Response
Yes, I would be concerned about an underlying problem with your heart and recommend that you get further evaluation for it. Sleep apnea can be associated with heart arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, and this could be occurring intermittently and causing the symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, and rapid heart rate. Swelling in the ankles also suggests a possible problem with your heart. Adderall may be aggravating any problems you might be having. 172 is a very high rate and could occur with atrial fibrillation and then slow down. See a cardiologist and get this evaluated promptly. Hope this helps.
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What Causes Fatigue With Swelling In The Ankles?

Yes, I would be concerned about an underlying problem with your heart and recommend that you get further evaluation for it. Sleep apnea can be associated with heart arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, and this could be occurring intermittently and causing the symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, and rapid heart rate. Swelling in the ankles also suggests a possible problem with your heart. Adderall may be aggravating any problems you might be having. 172 is a very high rate and could occur with atrial fibrillation and then slow down. See a cardiologist and get this evaluated promptly. Hope this helps.