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heart pausing

I've experienced PACs and PVCs for 16 years now. I'm a 39 year old female I am 5'4 and 160lbs. I have hashimotos thyroid disease and it was discovered around the time I began to get palpataions, my right thyroid was removed due to a nodule. For the last 5 months I've been experiencing a sensation as though my heart is pausing. On 3 different  occasions I felt lightheaded, and my hearing went down, I reached to feel the pulse in my neck and didn't have one for at least 5 to 7 seconds. the first time this happened I was sleeping and awoke to me gasping and felt for my pulse and didn't have one. I have had many ekgs, a 48 hour halter, an event monitor, a chest xray, and an echocardiogram. other than mild MVP and palpations, everything looks great. My cardiologist thinks its in my head and when I've gone to the ER, they look at me like I'm crazy. All of this has caused great anxiety for me and it is really affecting everything and everyone in my life. By the way, at the time of the test, I did not experience these pauses, so it was never picked up. I'm concerned, what could this be? Is there any other reason I wouldn't be able to feel the pulse in my neck? I have a very strong pulse in my neck, it is easily felt, so when it's not there it scares me. Someone please help in any way you can, I'm so frustrated and concerned. Thank you!
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Avatar universal
Also, just because you're in bed doesn't mean you aren't experiencing tachycardia. Nocturnal tachycardia is common. What sort of rate is your pulse at when it starts back up again?
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Avatar universal
I had a night of these episodes once. I sat up in bed, my mind went weirdly blank, felt for my pulse in my wrist and it wasn't there, then pound, pound, pound. Continued to happen on my way to hospital, speeding up, slowing down, fading out and pounding. Ekgs were normal and continued to happen in hospital.  I realised that my heart was not in fact pausing, my wrist pulses were just disappearing. My docs think I have autonomic dysfunction so this may have been due to blood pressure or circulation fluctuations, hence mind blankness. If my heart was actually pausing that often for that long, I would have been unconscious. I've had my neck pulse be quite weak at times when my wrist pulse disappeared and become almost impalpable during tachycardia of at least 160. By the time i got to the hospital anyway, the tachycardia was normal sinus rhythm. So definitely get it checked again but, afaik, your probs may be with BP and circulation rather than rhythm.
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Avatar universal
thank you I will look into that. what will that be able to show the doctors?
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Avatar universal
What about a CRI(cardio MRI)?
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Avatar universal
thank you! I did have an event monitor but I didn't have an episode while wearing it. I will probably go in and get another one. It is very frustrating and frightening. I've read heart pauses aren't common. My concern is, as I'm sure it is with others as well, is that I'm concerned my heart won't start back up again, or my pause will be too long and cause problems. I do wonder if there are other reasons for having no pulse in the neck. My doctor said a rapid heart beat can cause that, but at the times I experience these episodes I'm usually just waking up, or almost asleep. I don't know what to do. But thank you for your reply, it is much appreciated.
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Generally speaking, thyroid disease is a common cause of palpitations. For pauses, the workout you have has thus far has been appropriate. The only thing I could suggest is for a longer (1 month Or so) event monitor to be sure to catch these episodes you are experiencing.
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