PVC, PAC, SVT

[duststar]

I am A 52 year old female.  I keep feeling thumps in chest feels like my heart stops for a second and then a thump comes and it quite often flutters.  I have had an echo and ECG and holters done all normal results but still no answers to why this is happeing all the time.  I'm scared because it feels so awful when i get them.  I usually get between 10 - 30 of these things a day and the doctor said that is "nothing".  Is this true that 10 - 30 is nothing??  I sometimes get a run of fast beats as well and then it just goes back to normal with a thump. They say my heart if perfect.  I find that so hard to believe.  I have had these things for 20 years or so and I am still here so I guess they aren't going to kill me but I still want to know how many of these things a person usually has a day.  I don't know anyone that feels these and I feel every single one of them.  Am I worrying myself about nothing and should I just really ignore these things??  The cardiologist says "move on"....there is nothing wrong.  I just don't believe it though!

[CCFHeartMD21]

What you are describing can be from a few different things. It sounds as though you may be having PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) or PACs (premature atrial contractions) which are extra beats that often cause people to feel that their heart had a big beat or skipped a beat. I am not sure from your post if this has been confirmed or not. People can also have various arrythmias that can cause racing of the heart though is generally seen on a monitor if you had the symptoms while you had the monitor. In general, in people with normal heart function (normal pumping function) PACs and PVCs are benign unless they come in very large numbers or are associated with other arrythmias. They can, however, be very distressing to the person that is having them. If they are bothering you, there may be medications you can discuss with your doctor to try to suppress the extra beats. Alternatively, if there are relatively infrequent like it sounds like they may be in your case, then many people can be reassured that they are unlikely to cause any major issues and live with them. (Frequent PVCs would mean thousands per day) I would recommend discussing this with your cardiologist while making sure that he or she knows how much the extra beats have concerned you. I hope this helps. Good Luck.

[1961crl]

Hi Ant1974.....I am from Canada as well and have these things as well.  Have been for all sorts of testing and NOTHING is wrong with me either.  I get a handful of these horrid things every day and stress like crazy over each one and wait for the next which in turn makes them come even more.  My doctor is tired of me complaining and them and says you are completely fine and don't worry about them.  Easy for her to say!  

[ant1974]

hello, i am a 38 female also from Canada  n i also suffer from extra heart beast as they call them??  is 2 yrs i am experiencing them and i worry every day as well as u do.... from april 2012 to june 2012 i experienced them every minute of the day!! maybe over 40000 or soo!! n doctors told me my hearth is normal ..i was constantly in the emergencty room...i feel thumps n then a feeling rise to my head...and at times doublets of heart beats...i am on a drug called Tambacor..(flecinide)  and the day i toke it my palpitations diminished buit they havent completley gone away!  ...doctors say is stress related amybe..but for 38 yrs prior i never felt so much as a beat...u r not alone i feel every day is my last...i just joined medhelp and hoping we can chat more..

[glorro]

I too, have rreally strong heartbeats.  I can take my pulse when I have them and it seems that my heart has a unusually long space between the beats.  I have 10-15 at a time and go for a few hours and get them again.  I have had echos, which show Pulmonary hypertension, ekgs, which show mild S wave depressions, xrays which show some enlargement, angiograms which show 20%-30% blockage and my cardiologist and a PA both say my heart is fine.  The palopitations are driving  me to distraction!!!  I have experienced so many more in the last two days, but I am enbarressed to go to the ER because I have gone so many times in the past.  I think ?i have been admitted about 7 times and also have had a 30 days monitir which showed some tavhycardia but "nothing to worry about".  I really feel depressed because of this.