Are my arrhythmias dangerous?

[LaurieD]

I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and paroxymal hypertension in my twenties. I've always felt skipped beats to some degree. About three years ago I had onset of paroxymal atrial fibrillation, this was diagnosed in the emergency room. My heart rate was 153 bpm and irregular. I've had about twelve bouts of this atrial fibrillation since this time. It does seem to be triggered by stress, but no one can figure out the cause. Echos show a mild mitral valve prolapse, that's all. I started having many skipped beats around October last year. I went to the doctor, who put a holter monitor on. It showed approximately 680 skipped beats in the 24 hour period. She diagnosed this as PSVT. I then followed up with my cardiologist who did a thallium stress test, which revealed all was normal. He then put a holter monitor on last week. The computer print out said I had 1,127 narrow beats within the 24 hour period. I believe that, as my diary showed almost constant skipped beats. My cardiologist told me I was imagining them, that I had only truly had 14 skipped beats, and that the computer errored.He feels it's my esophagus causing this. If it was my esophagus, why would I feel skips in my pulse? Does any of this sound dangerous to you? I am currently on tenormin 25mg t.i.d. It doesn't seem to help this PSVT from occuring. The only two things I know is they are worse at period time, and they are worse depending on how I move (bending over can cause them to start) and once they start sometimes they just won't quit for awhile. Is there a cure for all of this? I am also wondering if these "narrow beats" which he also referred to as PAC's are to do with the atrium and maybe my heart is trying to convert into a-fib full time rather than paroxymal? Any info you can give me is much appreciated. Thanks.

[Raven]

I'm having episodes where my heart feels like it skips a beat and then beats real fast to catch up.   I then have to cough and afterwards I feel very shaking.  The other day driving to work I had one and everything started to go black.  Even though I had been having these off and on for a couple of years this blackout episode sacred me into going to the doctor.  He did blood work and an EKG and currently I have a heart moitor.  All he said to me was that my heart beats too fast and the EKG showed a "short wave".  Recently I was walking with a friend and I started to feel light-headed and thought I was going to faint while my heart was beating rapidly.  I'm afraid to workout any after this because it happens anytime I do mild exercise.  I read where this may be a hormone thing and wonder if this is true since I am a 26 year old female who is struggling with acne also.  But would hormones affect me when I am working out? I would appreciate talking to someone about this.

[Albert]

Hello Everyone;
My name is Albert(AL), Here's my history. I was born with a defected heart valve (Aorta). In 1980 Dr. Jack Copeland of the University of Arizona did a Aorta coartation. He used tissue from my own body to repair it. It went well. However, in 1995 I felt the first series of irregular heart beats. It freaked me out. I thougth I was having a heart attack.
I went to a cardiologist and They put me on serveral different meds. One was beta blockers and the last one was atenol. I haven't been on any med since spring of 2000. I have experienced serveral episols of irregular beats. My question to CCF Drs. or anyone out there. Could my problem stem from my congenital heart defects? I look forward to hearing from you...

God Bless.. Al

[sheryl]

Thanks so much for answering my query!  If it's my hiatal hernia, then I'm not the least bit concerned. I don't want surgery for it because my mother had hers "repaired" and it went right back again.  I can put up with the irregular beating if I can lose my fear of it.  I know one thing for certain...the more a person thinks about skipped beats the more they'll have.  I only get occasional skipped beats when standing or sitting and they don't bother me at all.  One time though, I was very worried about them and became so sensitized to them that I was having them all the time!  I'd been visiting a relative in the hospital, and I was so sensitized that every time a nurse walked by my heart would skip a bunch of times.  I can laugh at that now :)  Good luck to all of you.  This forum is terrific.

[sheryl]

You've really helped me and I thank you!  I agree tenormin/atenolol is a good drug.  I haven't had ONE migraine since starting it.  As for my hiatal hernia, the doctor who found it (through endoscopy) said I didn't need surgery so I'm just ignoring it.  Tenormin makes my heart beat very comfortably; it was awful having that terrible, constant, rapid heartbeat.  Oh...any of you who experience palpitations after eating...I read that sometimes when eating we swallow too much air and it distends the stomach and thus we are much more aware of our heartbeat.  I'm no doctor and am not trying to be one...just trying to share some of my experiences in case I can help anyone.

[sheryl]

Wanted to post another comment.  I was put on tenormin for rapid heart rate (it was doing 120 at rest).  It works beautifully, BUT...I think that's when my irregular heartbeat while bending over started.  I wonder if the medicine could be causing this?  Also, don't know if any of you know this...but tenormin is used in the treatment of migraine headaches.  I used to get migraines regularly (they were horrible!) but since the tenormin I'm migraine-free!

[sheryl]

If there's a doctor out there who can answer this, please do, as I'm very frightened.  My ekg's are normal; echocardiogram is normal.  However, every single time I bend over my heart goes into an irregular beat. EVERY time.  A few slow, a few fast, then some skipping; and it STAYS in this mode until I straighten up.  I have no lightheadedness, no pain, no shortness of breath, plus I walk two miles a day.  My doctor tells me not to worry about this but she hasn't EXPLAINED it and I'm scared.  Also, I have a large haital hernia...could this have something to do with it?  Thank you.