Pulse is irregular

Why is my pulse irregular I can't take my pulse because my heart beats 3 or 4 times then it skips and starts again my monitor shows I am in an irregular heartbeat. I have three valve in various stages of failing as well as a partially blocked carotid artery. I have no health insurance so I don't know what to do. I was told by my cardiologist last year that my heart was going to start enlarging and my heart my fail.

[jondsam]

Screw it.  Go to the E.R. you dont need health insurance their.  Hell you might get a huge bill but dont worry about ever paying it, who cares

[steveout51]

How long can I go with an irregular heart beat? This has been happening to me for about a week. I have been catching irregular heartbeats about 10 times a day but I feel pretty good no chest pain. I wonder if I should take a nitro pill to see if that will help to get me back in a normal beat?

[3dragons]

I am not a doctor, but I am cardiac patient (dilated cardiomyopathy). I also experience irregular heart beats... I get a lot of ectopics, or extra beats. In my case, they cause some debilitating symptoms when I get them together, but they are not dangerous on their own.  My doc said that irregular heartbeats are quite common, and not always something to worry about. I suggest if you are worried, you could ask your doctors to investigate things a bit further to allay your concerns. If you are feeling otherwise okay and are not experiencing any other problems with them, perhaps you are one of the lucky people! Best wishes with it.

[Encephalomalcia]

When you have an irregular heartbeat, you have a higher chance of having a blood clot and possibly a stroke. My dad's heart beats sometimes 34 per minute, sometimes 110 per minute.  He takes Coumadin to reduce his chance of stroke as stroke runs in his family history.  If you have heart failure, the Coumadin may not be the answer as it may be too strong.  Plavix might be a better answer if you are not already taken it.  If it ends up that we are needing heart surgery, make sure to ask your doctor how many patients that have a triple valve replacement or repair actually survive.  Valve surgery is a complex surgery and you need to make sure that you have a doctor that is the best in valve surgery.  Make sure you are keeping the water off, reducing salt intake, and make sure that your blood pressure is down.  Be very strict on what you are eating.  Sometimes valves get better on their own.  I have talked to several people around age 80 that have said that their valves improved and they did not need surgery.  Take care.