Palpitations with exercise

Hi, I'm new here and I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice before I actually see a Cardio for this. I'm a 21yr old female and about 6 months ago I started having what feels like skipped beats. The first one i had i was running up stairs to go to class and it made really dizzy and lightheaded. After that i had them going up stairs for about a month. Then they went away. Now i only have them during exercise...mainly while I run. I use to run all the time until i hurt my back and I quit for about a year. But now im soo scared to run because i get that skipped beat and my breath gets taken away for a split second. I went to the student clinic at school and they did a resting EKG which was normal and the doctor there said not to worry about it. I also asked another doctor while i was there another time and she said not to worry about it also. Imhad my blood checked and my K+ was borderline low at 3.4 with the lowest normal range 3.5 but ive increased my K+ since then and it has slowed them down some but i still have them randomly during exercise. I came home and my primary doctor here wants me to do a follow up and said not to exercise til then. I've read that palpitations are supposed to disappear when you exercise but mine is just the opposite. Is this dangerous? Does any one else have these while exercising?

[bama jane]

I get them during exerice as well but also at other times.  Then only time I let it stop me from exercising is if I get a lot of them over and over. 5 or 6 in an hour wouldn't stop me.  I have gotten them for years every day. Hope that helps.

[anacyde]

Mine ease with rest, increase with exercise, and are perfectly benign.  The "worse with exercise" rule of thumb is primarily in regard to people with coronary artery disease or structural heart defects.

I just had a Holter.  I had 52 ectopic beats, 48 of which occurred during exercise.  Still fine.  Hang in there!

[kcolly]

Thanks so much for your replies it makes me feel alot better about my whole situation!

[mac23]

hi i used to get these during exercise and doctor said it could be down to too much alcohol and caffein/soda etc. I gave up my intake of caffeinated drinks and alcohol for a while but kept exercising just jogging/cycling moderatly etc and they dissappeared. Im 23 male brit and giving up alcohol aint easy for brits but i definately notice after a night out drinking the skipped beats got worse and think mine are definately a reation to stimulants. Try giving stimulants a miss for a while and see if the symptoms dissapear.
Good luck i know how bloody annoying these things can be.

[choy]

I wonder why, even with normal blood tests on t3, t4 tsh, I still have palpitations sometimes, and some seeming tendencies (which, thank God, often do not push through)? I'm 48 and stilll do some exercises, though not as strenuous as before.

I notice also that when I stretched out my right arm about halfway, like when I extend it a bit to reach and use the PC mouse, it seems to trigger, though many times it doesn't push through. I live a healthy life, less fats, more fruits and veggies, a bit  of fish, no cigarette and drinking. My endo doc can't seem to pinpoint where the darn condition is coming from.

I hate this condition, it's taken out a part of me--I'm not myself as I used to be. I used to be athletic. This thing limits my physical movements. During atacks and I check my blood pressure, it's up a bit than normal. But the moment it ceases all systems in my body goes back to normal. During the attack it seems my breathing is heavy, but I discovered it's due to nervousness. When I relax the breathing normalizes, though the attack is still  there. Sometimes it seems to be triggered with an awkward posture, sometimes when taking. But sometimes, too, I notice the attack ceases when I talk or brush my teeth. It's not the toothpaste or tooth brush brand, of course, but it seems like a certain movement of the air in the body when we breath as we move or a movement of the neck muscles.

The attacks often last for 10 to 30 seconds. There were times I had them 3 to 5 hours, and that's when I asked to be rushed to the emergency room. Often, on the way to the hospital or in the emrgency room, the attack ceases and it's all normal again. Once, it lasted for a day, and I spent some time in the emergency room. That was the time I was working in a call center and I had some night shifts. It was clearly stress. So I quit the call center thing.

It's often stress. I'd like to give some tips that works for me. Get rid of anything that puts stress on you. Sleep well, don't eat in a hurry, don't be in a hurry, don't make too many committments. If a thing would put stress on me, I cancel it. If it's too important to be canceled, then I put a lot of extra time to prepare so I won't be in a rush. I hate rush.

Then, learn to be more patient and just let a lot of things--like when others are offending, insulting, or hurting you--just be forgotten. FORGIVE. This takes out all the stress.

Choose exercises that you enjoy. EXercise may also be a source of stress, like when you feel the need to keep to a program or number of sets or repetitions. So what if you can only do this much exercise today? So what if you want to try other exercise forms? Go for it and enjoy. Above all, make sure you take a nap in the early afternoons, about 30 minutes to an hour. Or, in hectic days, about 20 minutes. This gets rid of much stress.Don't over nap, though.

Finally, but most importantly, develop a relationship with your Creator. He created your body, didn't He? He's The Doctor and Specialist, so talk to Him about it. Complain if you want. Tell him about the woes. It takes lots of stress off you.