Arrhythmias

I am a 40 yr. old female runner. I've had several tests done regarding heart palps and have learned that they are not threatening. I have had on a daily basis, several sporatic skipped beats.  However, yesterday during a very stressful morning, and on about less than 5 hours continous sleep......I had an irregular heartbeat from 8am until 2:30 pm.  My heart felt fluttery and like it was jumping out of my chest. One right after the other. I had a little pressure in my chest. No dizziness, sweating, etc. I took my pulse which was about 70, but in between every beat , or so, there would be three little fast ones.....I could see them in my wrist vein. I went home for lunch and listened to my heart through a toy stethescope that really works :) and could hear the three little beats.  Any thoughts? I am currently taking Sam-E for anxiety and still trying to decide if it is working, but no meds for the skips. Cardiologist did say that I have trivial heart murmur and mitrovalve prolapse. And yes, anxiety out the wazoo.

[Run4life7]

I shoud add that I do get pain in my left arm, but not necessarily when I have the palps...and not yesterday. I have bad circulation...varicose veins in my left leg that I am going to get stripped. I get a pressure, heavy feeling in my legs and arms, like a blood pressure cuff on them.  I can feel it in my left arm right now....though I am having no chest discomfort or palps.

[ChatterAlly]

I have to ask what the other side of your life may be.  Is there any history of heart disease?  I have had a few heart attacks and have a family history of heart disease. I have CAD, PAD and have had arrhythmias. In my younger years I used to tell my doctor I could feel skipped beats and flutters. Because of my age it was dismissed as nothing to worry about. My advice to you, in my later age and with my health, is to make the necessary lifestyle changes and pay attention to your body.  I too walk as much as 3 miles a day 6 days a week and aerobic workouts 3 or 4 times a week.  I just wish now that I knew then what I knew now.  I may have been able to divert some of my heart disease.  Take care and take notice.  Ally

[cindy707]

Try to remember that the earmarks for a female heart attack are nothing like a males.....our symptoms are completely different .  Alot of times with anxiety people get an anomoly that is called bands....they feel like bands tightening around their limbs but the major thing that you want to look out for if your fear is a heart attack as a female would be shortness of breath...over 30% of the population has mitral valve prolapse and never have issues with it and if they do it is much later in life...i am one of those people...have had it since jr. high school, am now in my mid 50's....no issues.  I think benign heart murmurs even have a higher statistical value of percentage meaning that many millions of humans have one at one time or another in regards to the palps.  An imbalance of electrolytes can cause some of your symptoms but before addressing that you need to run it past your heart doc if you are going to supplement but i would think that would be a possiblity if you are a runner and blowing out your electrolytes while running....just a thought

[Run4life7]

Thank you both for your comments. You have given me some thoughts to consider and present to my Cardio whom I meet with tomorrow.  I am not sure about heart disease on my father's side (never met him), but my mother's side is clear.  As far as lifestyle, I live a healthy one....green drinks every am, run 3-5 times a week with strength training in between.  I don't sleep well however (husband snores...one daughter still wakes) and I know that is a huge problem, paired with the anxiety issues I have.  This all started after my first marathon three years ago...chect pain and palps sent me to emergency where the xray tech proceeded to tell me that I had a pulmonary embolism. They did every kind of test and scan imaginable, which sent me into a fury of worry...cancer....heart disease...."wait, was that an aneurysm at the base of the skull?", one reading suggested....ughhhhh!!!!!!  6 mos and a coumadin regime later....my vascular surgeon, who is also the chair radiologist at the hospital re-examined the scans to reveal the reading was an error.....no clots  My anxiety went from about a 4 to off the charts and in the mean time....I have never felt the same....flutters, panic attacks, and prior.....my biggest concern was getting in enough miles for training.  Now, they want to put me on anxiety medicine when I never even take an aspirin......unbelievable!!