Skip Heartbeat

[apollo710]

Dear Doctor,
I am 41, male. I feel skip heartbeats while playing Badminton. At that time, maybe, my heartbeat is more than 130 per minute. I feel 3 0r 4 regular beats than one skip beat. sometime 3 regular beat and 1 skip beat,..4 regular 1 skip...8/9regular beat 1 skip beat.  and so on. I have no chest pain, short breath, or any problem.
When I take rest for 15 to 20 minutes, I feel no skip beat. In normal work I have no skip beats.
Now I am worried about it. Would you please give me any advice....
Warm regards
Apollo

[Smiley2000]

Thank you Apollo!  We moved from South Africa to Australia, 6 months ago!  So far it has been an incredible journey and the kids have adapted well and I count my blessing every day :)

All the best for 2012!

[LivingInHope]

Well, it sounds like your abnormality was already demonstrated to your doctor- that's a good thing.  Not like when a person has a car making a noise but when they take it to the mechanic to be checked out, they can't get the car to make the noise!  No need to bother asking the doctor for the holtor monitor and for playing badmitton during that test then to try to duplicate the problem you describe since it was already identified through different testing you received.  

Since you are still afraid to play sports though the doctor said to continue as normal, may I suggest, you have a right to seek a second professional cardiologist opinion, bringing all your medical records with you & you may choose to exercise that right?  Telling that second opinion doctor your concerns about playing with the skipped beats can help that doctor to specifically discuss that particular issue with you.

[apollo710]

Dear Smile2000,
Thank you very much for your advice.
"Life is a journey, not a destination! "..........Great quotation...Hope you enjoy your life with your family. Lovely kids you have....
Warm regards
Apollo

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

Some people get exercise induced PVC's and PAC's (it is extra beats from the 2 chambers).  What we feel as "skipped beats" is actually extra beats, but we experience them as "miss beats".

You can continue playing your sports and doing your normal activities.  As soon as you experience shortness of breath or dizzyness or anything that seems abnormal to you - that is when you stop what you are doing and get a referral to a Cardiologist.

Unfortunately even a 24hr holter monitor can miss an arrthythmia, but a Cardiologist can do an Echo and stress ECG to look for abnormalities or to give you the green light.

All the best,

[apollo710]

Thank you very much for your advice.
I have seen doctor. My doctor has done ECG,X-ray, ETT. He found skip heartbeat 15-20 per minute when my heartbeat is more than 135/min in ETT test. But he did not find any wrong in my heart although I have skip beats. He told me to continue playing Badminton and other normal work.
But still I am afraid playing sports.
Warm regards
Apollo

[LivingInHope]

I'm not a doctor, but since you are concerned you are feeling like you are skipping beats, may I recommend you go to your doctor and ask for an event holtor monitor, which records what your heart is doing?  You can push a button during the time you are feeling like that and document what you were doing in a diary that is given to you for the test.  And may I suggest you play badminton during the test?

  A number of times, I've felt like with my hand that my pulse was irregular, but with a stethescope (from nursing school days), I have learned my heart beat actually wasn't irregular at all.  The best way to find out what's going on is to get that holtor monitor test.  You turn in the little box with the EKG leads and your diary and wait for the doctor to read it and tell you if you truly are skipping beats or have any irregularity at all in your heart beat to be concerned about.