Heart "flutter", heavier beating

[Stu1]

Hi, I'm hoping you'll be able to help as I am getting slightly worried about a potential heart problem I've been experiencing.
Over the last couple of months, every so often (a few times a day), I feel as though my heart is almost "fluttering". The only way to describe it accurately would be to imagine having something slightly stuck in your throat, and you have to swallow a little bit harder to push it down. It feels as though for one beat, my heart has pushed much harder than normal. On certain occasions, I am sure this is accompanied by a very quick rush of blood to the head, an extremely short period of light-headediness. (lasts for less than a second).
I also notice (particularly at night), that my heart appears to be beating more heavily than normal. I am aware that this may just be an almost placebo effect, as I am sure I am paying more attention to it.
I am currently 26 years old, 70 Kg's (perfect weight for my height) and lead an active lifestyle, including cycling every day and going to the gym 3 times a week. I don't smoke and my alcohol consumption is normal.
This is the first real health issue I have had in my life, so am a little concerned by it.
Am I worrying over nothing?

[Forum-M.D.-MJM]

Hi Stu,

This is almost certainly nothing to worry about.  I would recommend seeing a physician and explaining your concerns to them.  They will do an EKG and probably recommend a holter exam, which is a 24 to 48 hour monitor that will monitor your heart rhythm for that time period.  When you have symptoms you will record the events in a time log and then your doctors can correlate symptoms with the heart rhythm.  This sounds like you are having extra heart beats in your lower heart chamber (premature ventricular contractions).  If you have no medical problems, a normal EKG and possibly a normal echo (they may check an echocardiogram as well).

It sounds like you are having PVCs and that there is a component of anxiety that you sense as pounding heart beats at night.  This is pretty common.

I hope this answers your questions.  Thanks for posting.

[jen34]

it sounds like what you're experiencing is pvcs the doctors say they are usually benign in healthy individuals but you should tell your doctor about this since you are experiencing lightheadedness with them i have had these for 3 years now and i can feel every one of those flutters and thumps that youre talking about its very disturbing and depressing but noone seems to know for sure what really causes them and they may never go completely away

[Fireguy]

I am a healthy 39 year old fire fighter/Medic. I am not overweight, run everyday and lift weights moderatly about three days a week. I eat healthy and do not smoke. Alcohol intake is minimal. I have been experiencing these flutters in my chest on and off for about two years now, and they SUCK!  I can be starting a great day and then the first one hits and BAM..life is suddenly grey again. I also feel like I have clear my throat every time this happens. I check my pulse when I start to notice them and can feel a noticble "catch" between beats. I have been in for the full cardiac work-up and they only found mild mitral regurg and the cardiologist did not seem to worried about that at all.My stress test was normal.I have stopped drinking coffee and do not feel stressed(unless I get palps!!)
I am starting to learn to live with this nuisance but reading these forums helps immensly to know that you are not alone.I am NOT going to allow these to ruin my great life with my beautiful wife and daughter, so I take it one day at a time and hope that one morning I will wake up and they will be gone.
Strangly enough, when they get very bad I find cardio helps...maybe starts the heart beating correctly again. I also occasionally will take a mild form of a sedative when they really get bad.
Any ideas Doc??

[Fireguy]

Meant to ask about this. mine is mild. Anything to worry about?

[oneil420]

I am not a dr but those symptoms are pretty typical comlplaints of pvcs or pacs that the docs will tell you with a structurally normal heart (free of disease) they are completely benine and dont effect mortality in any way, as a pvcer i know its just not that easy, First talk to a dr not a computer get a holter monitor to evaluate your rythm during these "missed beats" and get some real answers. Because although they might be pacs/pvcs they might not, get the answers or else your always wonder, i mean **** man its your heart and its doing something abnormal. find out why and asap. It can be frustration and cause anxiety, thats what your heart pounding at night sounds like to me stu just like you said too much thinking and the adrenaline will kick in:) Just do yourself a favor speak to a dr get your answers and be persitant until you get all your questions answered you will feel much better about it. goodluck,

[Stu1]

thanks - these comments have been very reassuring, but I will get it checked out by a doctor, just for total peace of mind.

[Mobot]

I was taken to ER last week by my husband for severe palpitations. I have had mild ones for a few minutes, but these were continuous from 1.00am to about 3.30 am when they released me to see my Cardio.  I could not sleep and called her office early morning, and she was out of town.  I begged for them to see me early morning but could not get me an appt until 2.45pm.  My palpitations were still continuous until the time I saw the doctor (Duke, in Raleigh) at 4.00pm.   I have now been put on Topol-XL 50 mgs daily, and these have stopped the palps.  Since then I have only experienced the mild ones.  I am now reading about Topol and are concerned about the memory loss!   Is it something I need to get worried about?  Am I now hooked forever on this drug?  What are the side effects of long usage?   I used to take Atenelol back in my country, 25 mgs daily, but stopped because I've never really advocated for dependance on medicine.  I eat right, exercise, but have a genetical high cholestral issue too.  Any information will be helpful.  I was scared to death,and thought this was it, I was going to leave my children without a mum.  Its great to read that they are not life threatening and others have them too:)

[Ksbonneau]

I have been dealing with PVC's for over 10 years.  I have had heart palpations since I was 19 years old, and I was not diagnosed with PVC until I was 24.  I have always been physically active, exercise 3 times weekly and normal weight.  BUT I smoke and drink caffine.  The doctor put me on Toprol 50 mg, then had to lower the dosage to 25 mg.  I have never felt right since taking toprol - I feel in a haze, tired, and my feet stay constantly cold.  I went to a new internist and he checked my BP several times while I was there, he said my BP was very low and cut me down to 12.5 mg Toprol and I feel better but I notice the palpatations are back, I have them several times a week, mainly during exercise.  Should I be concerned or just ignore it.  I only have 1-2 palapations during exercise and sometimes just out of the blue.  I had a heart sonogram done 2-3 years ago and everything was fine.  Its just very distressing to have PVC because in a sense you think you having a heart attack.  The internist told me that PVC's is lifelong which probably means me and others who have this condition will take medicaiton for life.  

[wincmom]

I'm glad to have stumbled upon this forum here. I am a 37 year old female/mom that has been having what I believe to be PVC's for several years now. I went to the ER about 3 years ago because I was having flutters/.skips as well as pain in my chest. I fought going because I am healthy, I exercise regularly, I do not smoke or drink alcohol. I went through the whole series of tests and it all came out normal. No doctor has ever diagnosed me with PVC's but I am sure that is what it is. It is so upsetting when I get an "attack". It is scary and I always think to myself "How can this be normal? It sure doesn't feel normal." It might be benign but I hate them. It makes me scared to exercise but I have read that it helps. I am also trying to avoid excess caffeine and stress.

[NurseKagome]

hey, how are you? your story sounds so similar to mine it's freaky. i am wondering if you have ever experienced a long pause before your heart starts to beat again with a pvc that is like 2-3seconds long? also, have you ever had your heart kick in really fast for like 30+ beats and then return to normal? it almost feels strange how it beats when it goes fast, like it has a will of it's own, which I suppose it does.

[tjl1115]

Hi, I am new to this site. I just wanted to say I think it's great that this sort of thing exists. Although it is so important to see a dr. for these things, a little reassurance once in a while is so incredibly helpful. I have been suffering from PVC's (supposedly-they have never been captured on EKG/monitor) for several years but a couple years ago they got worse. I saw my dr. and had all the standard tests done, everything normal, but they still scare the heck out of me sometimes. I relate completely to what many of you describe-it can be so terrifying and FRUSTRATING!! (you have a good day, week, whatever where you're not thinking about it and then out of nowhere you're worried again). The "skipped beats," the fluttering, I get it too. Developed pretty bad anxiety because of it. I hope you all hang in there-I know it's tough to cope with. Thanks for listening! :-)

[kerryann2007]

Hello there

Can anyone give me any advice on what to do, last year I started suffering with Panic/Anxiety attacks which led me to
Be taken into hospital 4 times as I thought I was having a heart attack with all the pains I was experiencing and my doctor  put me on Buspirone for a while …………so my GP arranged for me to see a cardiologist to have a 24 hour heart monitor fitted and also a heart scan to see if there was any major problems I was experiencing what I call Heart Flutters/Skipped Beats (but soon as I wore the monitor none of these flutters occurred) (I also suffer with tremors where my hands shake quite a bit too) so the Cardiologist arranged for me to have a 24 hour urine test to check the level or adrenaline which I still  have not had the results back for and its been like 2 months since I sent it to the hospital should I go to my docs and ask for another sample to be taken?.

But since March I have barely experienced any heart flutters up until the last couple of weeks and they seem to be more frequent and more scary as they seem to be happening mainly on a night when am trying to sleep they wake me up and take my breath away and it feels like my heart is pounding out of my chest (its like a strong flutter in the bottom of my throat), I suffer with minor pains in my shoulders and my chest but they just seem to disappear quickly, I also seem to hear a slight gurgling sound as if I was sipping a drink in my chest when these occur which I find strange,  which scares me to death as I am thinking there is something seriously wrong with am scared of not ever waking up ………………..

Can anyone sympathise with me and tell me if they are experiencing the same thing as I am in two minds whether to go back and see my GP because he seems to keep telling me its anxiety related but am not convinced, which is now making me think I should change doctors and get a second opinion from somewhere else.

Kerry Ann
England