Have been getting irregular heart beats and I am so scared

I am 37 year old Mum of 3. In 1995 I had an  unrelated operation and woke up 3 days later with an irregular heart beat for 7 hours. Doctor never checked and said I was okay.

I have panic disorder and depression. 2.5 years ago I ended up in a mental ward after having a breakdown because of irregular beats. Prior to that I had a king of hearts monitor on that picked up a couple of Benign ectopic beats then I had a holter monitor this also picked up a few ectopic. The cardioligist said I was fine and that it was all benign.

In the last month my irregular beats have come back with a vengence. 17 in 2 hours. My heart seems to through in a couple of extra beats and then pauses. It is frightening me so much that I often feel suicidal. Last monday I had a 24 hr holter monitor on and I had so many irregular beats. I am still waiting on the results.

My doctor gave me an ECG in the surgery and she picked up a heap of them and said she believed that the beats where benign.

I did start Karate and tried to increase my exersise around the time that they started and I have noticed that my irregular beats really start up just after a heavy bout, when my heart is really beating fast. I am at the end of my tether and I feel so scared.

Do I have to give up exercise and living?

[Barbarella]

DON'T stop exercising or give up living.  Have you seen a Cardiologist yet?  Once he/she tells you that your heart is o.k. do NOT stop exercising, but keep on exercising despite these beats.  I used to let them ruin my life, I used to stop walking and run to my car afraid I would drop dead until the Cardiologist told me to "ignore" them and keep on walking, but I was checked out and told that my heart is fine.

Believe me I know the anxiety you are going through, and I am in no way making light of it, you said you had 17 irregular beats/PVC's in two hrs, I had 20 in one minute at times, more than once.  Your mind and your anxiety can make them a lot worst and make them last a lot longer.

For me the reassurance from the Cardiologist took the fear out of dropping dead, and I now can live my life and do my exercise.  For others it takes beta blockers or a Therapist, others are helped with tranquelizers.

If you think/have thought of suicide as you posted I'd urge you to go see a Therapist/Psychologist to help you get over your fear.

Good luck!

[fearfactor]

Hey, I have thought of "ending it all" over irregular heartbeats, too.  Don't do it...it's not worth it.  Yes, they still scare me but it's not worth dying over.  I know you are terrified; I am, too but we have to keep on going.

[CollegeGirl143]

Im so sorry you are feeling so scared.. Have you talked to anybody yet about all this that is going on? If not, please please please do so... The cardiologist is there to treat your heart, it sounds like they've caught whats going on, and its benign, so theres not much he/she can do..So the next step is treat the anxiety over the heart, which means seeing a psychiatrist with experience in health related anxiety..  Doing this may really make the difference in your life... i hope you start to feel better soon, and keep your head up.

[Ambervale]

Thanks for your comments it has reassured me somewhat. As I am in Australia it will be a while before I respond to your responses! Sorry.

This it the transcript of the holter monitor report

Good Quality recording,
Sinus rhythm throughout with occasional single unifocal VPBS and extremely rare APBS.
No pauses or sustained Arrhythmias seen.
Patient recorded feeling missed beats throughout recording which coincided with VPBS.

I am going to go to Karate tonight despite the fact that the skips and such frighten me so much.

I am seeing a GP for my Panic Disorder and he is very reassuring. Thats the problem though isn't it. It doesnt matter how much reasurance I have to believe that they are not harmful or fatal.

Thanks so much again for your responses, you may have saved my life as I was becoming despondent.

Thank you.

[Barbarella]

Have you seen a Cardiologist yet?  For me the Cardiologist took the fear out of me because I figured the Cardiologist knows best and the most about the heart and if HE says my heart is o.k., then it just is and I believed him.

Since you still have doubts after your GP discussed it with you and is treating you for your anxiety maybe you need to see somebody else who specializes in your type of anxiety.  

GP's are no Specialists or Internists they are "General Practionors".  

[gismatrix]

I agree with the last post.  It certainly helps to get an opinion from a heart doctor.  17 beats in 2 hours is really not that many (not to minimize your problems)...in comparison to lots of people here.  I know that may not make you feel better, but I have hundreds of them per hour sometimes.  I am on a beta blocker that really helps take away the force of the beat following the pvc.  Actually if it is pvcs then the extra beat is followed by a much harder beat as the ventricles have had a longer time to fill up.  I definately know how hard it is to deal with these...it is so hard to live a normal life and go about about your business at times.  However, remember a heart that hurts is a heart that beats (U2), and be thankful that your heart is beating every time you feel something different going on inside your chest.  Just try to press on with life...I wish you luck.

[CollegeGirl143]

i third the idea of seeing a another specialist besides the GP.. the GP's main 2 jobs are to treat the basic infections and viruses we all suffer from now and then (strep, flu, cold, ect ect)... And to funnel us on to specialists when something else comes up.. I can see the reluctance to send you to a cardiologist since palpitations are not considered a heart problem,But it sounds like you've already seen the cardio??  however you should push for the cardio again, and push to get a basic echo done if one hasnt been done yet.. mainly because everyone should have them done, and with a normal echo, they can definitively diagnose you with benign palps..

The other thing is, a GP is not really qualified to treat a panic disorder, you should give yourself the best chance at success and start a program for yourself involving medication and counseling, which would involve seeing a psychiatrist to discuss the possibility of anti-depressant medications, and then a psychologist for monitoring and follow up, as well to get some of that stress you've been feeling out.. As great as your GP is, he cannot do for you what a psychologist and psychiatrist can.. good luck! keep us posted.

[Ambervale]

Hi,

It is very expensive to see a Pysch and the waiting lists are huge. My GP is a triage and cardiac specialist, he is also a fully qualified therapist for Panic Disorder.

As for seeing a cardioligist, my GP is giving me a referral to see one again. I saw one about 3 years ago and had various tests done. I did suggest a echo test and my GP said that if I can convince the Cardio to do one that would be good but he doesnt like my chances. Cardioligist can be very temperamental!

I went to Karate last night and had a heap of the missed beats and by the end of the lesson I was so tired, all due to stress, but the important thing was that I tried to stick it out.

I cant thank you enough for your support and comments. I am shocked that some many people get these weird beats it is staggering.