Skipped or Pause in Heartbeats

[Willard]

I have had numerous bouts recently with atrial Fib And have been in to see my physician. My physical went very well but he did detect a slight murmur and said I have a breathing arythmia. Meaning when I breathe my heart rate slow and speeds up! I have had an appointment with a cardiologist and he listened to me and thought it was a benign sort of thing! I am having a holter monitor put on tomorrow for 24 hrs. and thursday I'll have an echocardiogram done. My symptoms are sometimes a fast heart rate for me 90-100bpm..maybe 110. I experience missed beats or a pause in beats..right as I write this I'm getting 2-3 pauses per minute or so. I get tingling sensations in my arms and upper chest area. The feeling is scary as it happens alot at bedtime feeling a little like tightness or a muscle tightening in my left shoulder in the front. I have been able to put up with these episodes but they really bother me and sleeping is almost impossible.Can sleep deprivation make these worse? I have stopped all caffiene and alcohol...but still continue to have these almost daily..maybe more than once daily. What do you think I should do if all the tests come out negative? Should I proceed with more tests? Thanks for any input you can give me..

[Dan]

I am 23 years old, played several sports up through college. I also suffer from skipped heart beats and that has only appeared in the last two years. I noticed they are horribly worse when I am hungover or anxious. Also, I can see my pulse on both sides of my neck when looking in the mirror, is that normal? It seems as though my pulse is very strong and it didn't used to be. I can constantly feel the rhythm of it all over my body whether it is fast or slow, I am very conscious of it. To put it in another perspective, if I were to put say a book on my stomach or chest  I could visibly see it move in sync to my pulse. Is this normal? I had my blood pressure checked about 6 momnths ago when this was already happening and it was normal. I do suffer from chronic Sinusitus. Any answers or conjecture would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[rose]

I was surprised to find so many people who have had the same experience as I have with the skipped heart beats! I'm 50yrs old. Last year I started having those very same symptoms, was checked out with a 24hr monitor, stress test etc. and everything was normal.  My doctor put me on an anti-axiety medication,and the symptoms stopped!  Last month I tried to ween myself slowly off of the meds, but I began experiencing those skipped-beat symptoms again, so I'm still taking it.  Has anyone else had this same experience?

[Teresa]

Lori,

Yes, this sounds like what we're talking about here. It would be a good idea to see your doctor to confirm this. I also have panic attacks, and it does aggravate the skipping. There are several other forums on the net that have helped me a great deal. Onelist .com has a group called People with PVC's. (Premature Ventricular Contractions, a benign condition.) It is extremely reassuring when there are so many people with the same thing sharing info on coping, diet, etc. As for them ever going away, many people have remissions, and of course there are meds called beta blockers that can help to control them. There is a lot you can do. Try not to be scared! Check out onelist.com. Best wishes to you.

[lori]

I have been getting missed heartbeats and a flutter in my throat. Is this the same thing you people have? I also suffer from panic attacks. Is this common for people with panic disorder? I have not seen a Dr. yet. I am very scared!!!!!!!!
Does it ever go away? It seems to happen in the evening. Please give me some feedback! Thank You

[ChrisMcG]

I just got diagnosed with both PVCs and SVT.  I was told that stress, caffeine and lack of sleep can trigger or increase these arrythmias. I know for myself they do come with stress.  On my holter, they all but disappeared when I was asleep.  The highest incidence of PVCs?  According to the monitor, it was while I was reading about PVCs on this forum!!!!  Anyway, though you fellow sufferers would get a kick out of that.  (And for those of you new to them, I am afraid they don't go away.  Please don't worry about their numbers... I am healthy and active and I get 10-15 a minute easily (unless asleep, apparently).  Stress/adrenaline = many pvcs.  I am on atenlol 25mg now, but plan to wean off.  I'd love to hear from anyone weaning off beta blockers...

[lala]

Hi all.
I just found this forum tonight, after deciding to find out why my heart is skipping so much and then beating very hard. Sometimes it skips four or five times a minute. I also am getting numdness in my face and neck. I have had these fairly often. Usually a few a month. Now I am getting skipped beats everyday, all day. This has been going on regularly for three days and nights, now.
I am 43 years old. I have been experiencing ALOT of stress lately. Does anyone know if that may cause the problem to get worse? My Mom died Christmas day after a long illness and it was very hard to watch. I was there for weeks before her death taking care of her.That plus the stress of a failing marriage and other things besides.
Also does seeing squiggly things in your eyes mean anything?
I would love to have some comments and advice.
Thanks !      Lala