Irregular heart beats, accompanying symtoms(symptoms)?

I'm 54, normal weight with controlled high blood pressure, otherwise healthy. I've had lifelong, infrequent episodes of heart palpitations, where I can "feel" my heartbeat, usually after a big meal or ingesting lots of sugar.  For years, I've taken Atenolol for the palpitations, but lately, I've been feeling frequent "skipped" heartbeats, in episodes of 5 minutes to a few hours, and with each "skip" my breathing is interrupted briefly.  If exercising during an episode, I become out of breath, like I can't get enough air. A recent EKG showed a "text book" pattern, and my Doc says he'll do further tests "if it bothers me".  That is a difficult decision for me, I hate to overreact. Are the skipped heart beats accompanied by a breathing interruption a common thing in folks my age?


This discussion is related to Advice needed re: Ectopic heartbeats.