Hi BraveKat,
That’s all so interesting! not quite the same as me. Sounds like something is compressing somewhere with you when exert yourself, when you’re excited or stimulated with adrenaline etc. (I’m no expert!). What’s important, I reckon, is that you’re so clear about your symptoms - what exactly affects the tachycardia & when eg. the left tilting etc. & the affect sleeping on the left side. So that really should help the ‘experts’ with diagnosing the exact cause, one would think! Your theories all sound very plausible. I’ve had a load of very painful muscular neck pain in the past (from whiplash & when the rheumatoid arthritis was raging), but now it’s chronic discomfort, never comfortable holding the head in any position etc. I don’t get chronic pain down the collar bone/ first rib/ shoulder/arm areas, it’s all neck/throat/head. I’m not sure what TOS feels like. I really am no expert, but on that CT slice above it looks like your left jugular is your primary one (shown on the right) and the hyoid horn that side, although not against it in that particular angle, looks like it could push ahead into the side of the carotid artery if your head changed angle, or looked down? (Isaiah & Jules could help there better I’m sure!) . I find tachycardia is irregular with me. I’ve had unexplained bouts for days without any exertion or any apparent trigger to bring it on, just sitting or lying down etc. Then it’ll be better for a period . Then, again, irregularly, when I do small exertions and bending down etc, it can come on, though I try not to do things to bring it on. If I exert more, then things just feel like death coming on with throat constriction, head pressure, weak knees , breathlessness & feelig like passing out. Again, I try and avoid that scenario, but that means being pretty restricted physically & unable to do anything aerobic. Your 150bpm lying down sound so high! but as you say, lying on your left side…I’m not sure how it can be shown that the vagus nerve is affected? I’ll have to research it more. Whatever the case, it’s a huge drawback that scans are in one straight position of head and neck. I found some papers online where they try and simulate different angles and one where a scan was done at 2 different angles, but it’s very rare. But, as it is, it makes the dynamic movement situation of the head/neck really difficult to examine and diagnose these things. Sorry, I’m rambling! I think your theories definitely need looking into - but there lie all the other problems of expertise, tests, interpretation, action blah blah. I need to re-read your previous posts again & will respond further. Take care.
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