heart palpitations

[nicoro]

Dr. Thank you for talking a minute to answer my questions. they are as follows:

I am 31 year old female.  In about2 years have lost 55 pounds (long live weight watchers and curves) still have about 15 to go.  but i have been getting these weird heart palpitations.  and some pain in my chest area.  I went in about a year and half ago for the same thing to the er and they did and ekg and all was well.  

Last month had a physical along with the normal blood test that go with a physicaland all was well.  At that point explaind to the DR. and she listened with a stehoscope and siad it was fine.  Perfectly normal

Then i went in again because it was really starting to scare me and again a different Dr. just listened and said it sounds fine and not to worry about it.  It is probably stress related and i should go to stress namagement classes.  

My question is by taking a bp which mine is 115/68 and pulse average at 72 BPM and listening to my heart can they TRULLY rule out anything serious?  
Will the results of an ekg taken 2 years ago still be accurate? (i know that seems liek a silly one but i had to ask)
I just dont want to be a missed ticking time bomb.  

also i think you should know that after the palpitation my heart rate goes back to normal any where from 72 bpm to 90.  If i am very freaked out about it it stays around 90 BPM for a little bit then i take long deep breaths and breath out slowly then it goes right back to normal.

I have stopped drinking caffiene trying to excerise more but I honestly am afriad to get my heart rate up becuase i HATE how it palpates. can you offer any insites. Is this normal? Thank you so very much for all of your time...

Sincerley,

L.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Palpitations should be worked up.  An EKG would be a good start, however many times the heart is in a normal rhythm during the test.

An event heart monitor makes more sense.  This is a portable heart monitor worn over the course of a month and a button is pressed to record the heart rhythm during the symptommatic period.  

I would also consider an echocardiogram to evaluate the heart structure, as well as blood tests to evaluate the thyroid and metabolic panel (to evaluate the electrolytes).

These options can be discussed with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
http://www.straightfromthedoc.com

[kweenybee]

I JUST WANT TO SAY I ALSO HAD PALPATATIONS BACK IN 1988, DOCTORS KEPT SENDING ME HOME SAYING I WAS HEALTHY, BUT ONE EPISODE MY HUSBAND TOOK ME TO THE ER AND SAID HE WASN'T LEAVING TILL HE HAD ANSWERS, THE EKG WAS OK.  WELL THEY DIDN'T GIVE US ANSWERS BUT REFERRED ME TO ANOTHER DOCTOR WHICH I WORE A HOLTER MONITOR FOR 1 WEEK, AND KEPT A DIARY OF WHEN THE PALPATATIONS OCCURRED AND WHAT I WAS DOING AT THE TIME.  AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH WOLFE PARKINSON WHITE SYNDROME. WHICH IS AN EXTRA ELECTRICAL PATHWAY THRU THE HEART THAT CAUSES IRREGULAR HEARTBEATS, I WAS TOLD THERE IS MEDICATION FOR SLOWING IT DOWN IF IT IS BOTHERSOME, BUT MINE WAS SPORADIC, IF MEDS DIDN'T WORK THEY COULD DO SURGERY.  I JUST LIVE WITH IT.  MY PCP DOES EKG'S, AND LAST SUMMER HAD ME WEAR A KING OF HEARTS MONITOR WHERE IT RECORDS YOUR HEART AND THEN I PHONED IT IN ONCE A DAY.  IF ANYTHING ALARMING THEY WOULD CALL BACK.  MY PCP JUST MONITORS ME A COUPLE TIMES A YR.  HOPEFULLY YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWER.  IT TOOK ME ALMOST 2 YRS.  GOOD LUCK!

[neil747]

i have been having these strange sensations in my chest since 1997. palpitations, a sense that my heart is skipping a bit etc. At the time this condition scared me to death and i went to ERs several times only to find that my ECGs, echocardiogram, holter monitor etc were normal. I was diagnosed with Mononucleosis. After that, i learned to live with the symptomns although they became rare and only surfaced during times of stress and went away again. I became extremely athletic and fit and run 4-5 miles, 4 days aweek, played soccer etc.
this summer while on vacation overseas i overexerted myself playing soccer and swimming etc. and woke up one morning with iregular heart-bit. when the doctor told me i had atrial fabrilation i freaked out and my heart started racing more. i stayed overnite to a hospital and got medication that corrected the problem. echoECG, stress-test were all normal after that. now 4 months after the incident i started feeling the mononucleosis effects all over again and more intense. twinkling of feet, heart incidents of what i think are irregular bits especially after my excercise routines, neck pain etc. i went to PCP who ordered new heart tests...
i am sick and tired of this...i start to suspect that mono has a big part in this...my PCP says that mono does not cause heart arrythmias..anyone else with same problems?
thanks

[redl]

I also started having heart palpitations with mono. They started when I had a recurrence of mono a couple of years ago. Mono devastated me. It was almost a year before I started to feel like myself. Now I try to eat better and exercise regularly, but I still have the palpitations. They're not as strong as before, but they are still noticeable.