Are these really heart palps?

[line]

Hello Dr.

I have been researching this board on skipped heart beats. I have got a few of these, that I noticed for years. I was born with a heart murmur which my Dr. says is due to mitral reguratation, I am now 64. I have IBS, fibromyalgia, costochrondritis and arthritis. My IBS has been really bad lately and I feel the futtering sensations in my stomach and in my intestines. Upon feeling my pulse I am getting missed or skipped beats, usually only one at a time but many throughout the day,always have that light thump feeling in my digestive track with them.

I just had my 6th yearly echo done:

impression:

1, preserved left ventricular systotlic function
2. mild concentic lvh
3. mital reguration
4. mild aortic sclerois with bordeline aortic flow.

e.f. 58%---sinus rhythum. m-mode measurements are within normal limits.

My lvh has much improved over the last three years.

My Chol. is normal, my b/p is fine, except for white coat syndrome, only meds are a anti-anxiety med and 81 mgs of aspirin.

I may have been getting these skipped beats for a long period of time, because I get that fluttering often with the IBS. Could these palps be caused by the gas and bloating that goes with IBS or do I need further heart evaluations?

I also have minimal carotid artery dd, that is being watched and unchanged for 5 years.

I thank you, Line

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hi Line,

Sorry for the delay.  It has been a busy few days.

Could these palps be caused by the gas and bloating that goes with IBS or do I need further heart evaluations?

If the palpitations are causing significant symptoms, you could ask your doctor for a holter monitor.  This will help correlate the symptoms with any possible arrhythmia's like PVC, PACs or atrial fibrillation.  I doubt it is anything serious but it may be worth checking it out.  With your normal heart function are at very low risk for dangerous arrhythmias.

I hope this helps.  Good luck and thanks for posting.

[upbeat63]

sorry to hijack another person's post, but the other thread was closed, and Connie, I just had to respond.

First---great news on a good echo. That's very important considering the cardiomyopathy. Did they mention anything about the MVP? (you had that too didn't you?)

Second--bummer on the bigeminy, but I'm sure it's the anxiety, right?? It has to be.

Just to let you know, I tried 10mg of inderal and while it mellowed me out quite a bit, it also made me feel "loopy". So I tried 5mg. I think that was ok. And I think it might have made a slight difference in the frequency. Although the frequency has been all over the board recently, so I can't be sure what is causing what any more.

Will you take anything for the PVCs this go around, or just let them go away on their own, as they should!!! HEE HEE it's "just bigeminy", that was a good one.

[Momto3]

I'm glad you saw my post.  I was at the doctor with my short list of questions, including the diff between echos...LOL

Thanks for the kudos on the good echo!  WOOHOO!  No sign of cardiomyopathy, good chamber sizes, good blood volumes, and an EF of 60% (third time in a row now!)!! Still have MVP, and it appears to be the cause of the leaky valve.  The valve is said to be moderately leaking, but it could stay that way forever!! Let's hope so...Doctor and I were SO happy that the CM continues to be GONE! When I told her I use Xanax for plane trips, she said instead of the Xanax I should try reading the echo report prior to my flight.  SOoooo, yesterday morning, before my flight home, I took another look at the report, tucked it safely in my bag, boarded the plane...and didn't take the medicine!! It was the best!!

The pvcs were sneaking up on me during the test and during the physical exam....I kinda thought that might happen since I have noticed an increase lately. Still nothing like it was in the past...I asked the doctor if they might come back (I already knew THAT answer)...YUP!!  I def. think the anxiety triggering some of the ectopics....

I knew you'd understand the "just bimgeminy" comment.  LOL. I did ask for a new RX for Inderal. I would have taken it over the weekend, but I ran out and couldn't find any.  I think that's the first time in at least 15 years that I didn't have any on hand.  I know they won't hurt me, but I prefer my newly found NSR when I can have it : )

I do remember how the Inderal made me sluggish when I first started on it. Loopy just won't work for all day long : )
I know what you mean about not being able to figure out what's causing the pvcs, why the frequency bounces around, and what works to stop them, or if anything really works.  Maybe they stop on their own??  After years of questionning, sounds like we're both on #10 on Skippy's list (at least most of the time..haha).

Good to hear you have come to peace with not pursuing the additional echo.  If the times comes when you feel you need it, or want it, you know where to go. Sometimes, it's nice to just focus on something else...

Thanks again for all your support.

Connie

[Terri58]

Dear All,

     I posted a comment last week...and so many nice people responded.  I have been feeling like the PVC Princess, and finally got to see the cardiologist.  My stress echo was totally normal, but they did catch a lot of PVC's.  When I was walking, however, there were none.  The doc reassured me that I am okay, and is attributing the PVC's to "hormonal fluctuations."  Since I am almost 48 and in peri-menopause, I guess I am in for it for a while.  I am trying to relax after the test results, but when your heart goes into those funky bigeminy rhythms, it is still a little frightening.  I feel bad for all of you (and for me!) who have to suffer with this problem...but I want to thank you all for having the courage to post your struggles.  It really helps to know that others are surviving this problem...Good luck to all, including the nice lady who started this string!! I have found that concentrating on other things does help somewhat... I am a poet, and writing does distract me.  I have a book out right now, but we're not allowed to "market" anything on this site!  I do suggest trying to get on with your life as much as you can, but it isn't easy to "forget" about it when it's your HEART!  Blessings to everyone...and thank you.

[Ccat]

I am a 25 yr old female that was diagnosed 1.5 years ago with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A murmur was found before I had a splenectomy in dec 2004, but I never had any issues before that or even directly after that surgery. I went to a cardiologist and was diagnosed, but told since I did not have any symptoms, not to worry about it, so I didn't. However, this year, I have experienced palpitations and a racing heart beat at rest on occasion and have gone to the ER only to be told the same things that I already know, and that I am not having a heart attack. Recently however, (in the past 2 weeks or so) I have experienced pain in my left shoulder, near my arm pit and what feels like my breast bone. I have had a 30 day holter monitor to wear recently and still am awaitng those results, and had an echocardiogram done this week. Recently also, I have been able to hear my murmur. It sounds as if a washing machine is in my chest, and I have never been able to hear it like this before. It's soo LOUD!   My cardiologist had little answers, but says because I am so young he feels that my condition does not require medicine. I am just confused as to why these symptoms presented all of a sudden and where this unexplained pain is coming from? I do have other health problems, though I have been told nothing is related to this condition.