palpitations and Dr visits

[Ihatepalps2]

I have had palpitations for 20 years. Have always been told they are benign, harmless. Even by Cardiologists and ER dept of the local hospital. My question is...can they "change" over the years? I had a thallium stress test-probably 6-7 years ago. I have EKG, etc at yearly physicals. My palps got so bad, that Feb of 2006, I took myself to the Emergency Room...and they checked me out totally. I was assured at that time, that they were benign-even tho when I was there, I was having them nearly constant. That was a year ago. The stress test longer than that.
Does anyone know, should I be re-evaluated? That ER visit where everything looked good--could things have changed in the year since then? I havent really noticed any changing of my symptoms--same palps...pretty much the same anxiety and mild shortness of breath I get during the run of palps.
I keep thinking..I am told its stress and to ignore. But...what if Im ignoring something I shouldnt be?

[Forum-M.D.-MJM]

Hello,

Can they change over time?

Palpitations tend to come and go, at times only a few and some people have periods where they are constant.  If there are changes in your symptoms and you are concerned, you should be evaluated.  The odds are they still benign but there is no reason not to check.

Does anyone know, should I be re-evaluated?

Same has above, if your symptoms have changed and you are concerned, it is very reasonable to be re evaluated.  If you don't, you are go to worry constantly about something you don't need to worry about.


That ER visit where everything looked good--could things have changed in the year since then?

Probably not, especially since you 'havent really noticed any changing of' your 'symptoms--same palps...pretty much the same anxiety and mild shortness of breath I get during the run of palps.'

what if Im ignoring something I shouldnt be?

You are not alone with this concern.  This is what drives everyone with palpitations nuts -- worrying that there is actually something wrong and that your doctor is missing something.  We see lots of people with palpitations.  I can honestly tell you that I have not seen someone progress from normal heart palpitations to heart disease.  It is always worth seeing your doctor every now and then.  It will help give you peace of mind.

Good luck and thanks for posting.

[Bodoni]

Jeff, send me an e-mail to ***@****
I would love to speak with you. Thanks!

[mb4]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, and was reading with interest a previous forum, but that one was closed after a bit of time.  I'm not sure where you can have an ongoing discussion, but I too am fascinated and encouraged reading about symptoms similar to mine.  I have been diagnosed with PVC's and had a stress echo and everything is fine.  

I see some people are worried about exercise, but like someone wrote in January, when I exercise, it makes the PVC's go away for a day or two, then they're back.  I get them usually in the early morning as I'm lying in bed.  I also notice I get them more the morning after I drink wine.

I'm interested in knowing why exercise helps, and why wine seems to bring them on!  Maybe I'll ask a question for the forum staff.

[sanima]

I suffer from palps also for anout 18 years. I also have panic attacks. All the tests showed that nothing was wrong! Finally the cardiologist said he thinks it had to do with the electrical system in my heart. Although harmless they were scary and painful! I underwent a catheter ablation. They discovered i had an uneeded pathway that was causing SVT. Again I could live normally with this. However they ablated my pathway and I have been basically palp free!

[netrox]

There are some people who have panic attacks and doctors dismissed them as psychological when in fact, it's their heart arrythmia that's causing them to panic.

However, there's an easy way to know if your palpitation is anxiety-related or cardiac-related. If your heart beat rapidly suddenly (it starts beating really fast right after a regular beat), then something is going on with your heart and it's not your anxiety. Another clue that indicates a heart problem would be if your heart suddenly goes back to normal beat after rapid palpitation and you were not overly anxious.

If your heartbeat gets faster by a few seconds and it gets faster and faster as seconds go by, then it's very likely to be anxiety and it's the anxiety itself making it worse. That kind of palpitation is harmless in a normal heart although bothersome. A true anxiety/panic attack always make the heart beat faster gradually and slows down gradually.

PVC's are harmless in healthy people - it's same as people having headaches - just because you have one doesn't mean you're having a stroke. No body functions perfectly - your body will always have a few hiccups as you get older and they rarely mean anything unless you have heart disease.

[Ihatepalps2]

Well...my palps only very rarely result in any fast beats. Im on Atenolol...so my heartrate never gets very fast--and during my episodes of palps (like tonight--this week its been awful, and almost always related to right after i eat something-anything. Anyone have that?)  Anyways, my palps are the the regular slow plodding beats( regular for me is about 65 BPM) then a pause...then a big thump..thump..jump and back to normal rhythm. That will happen and happen and happen. Sometimes with minutes between irregulars...but mostly right after I eat its just thumping all over the place-but at no time does it really speed up. Just pauses...then bumps hard..and jumps a bit..then goes to normal.
I have no other symptoms with these--other than the fluttering in my chest-which can feel like shortness of breath if I get panicked. I fully agree that some of my panic is brought on BY the palps..vicious circle, as they say.

[conciliary]

"You are not alone with this concern. This is what drives everyone with palpitations nuts -- worrying that there is actually something wrong and that your doctor is missing something. We see lots of people with palpitations. I can honestly tell you that I have not seen someone progress from normal heart palpitations to heart disease. It is always worth seeing your doctor every now and then. It will help give you peace of mind."

I agree with this completely.  I am one who thinks about the same thing.  I guess because I compare the palps from one point in time to another.  I get them very bad from just a simple walk now, when I didnt before, but all of my tests have still come back normal.  One thing is for sure, it does suck.

While I have only been experiencing them for about 4 years, I read posts of people who have had them for upwards of 25 years.  It seems that their Drs. still tell them they are benign, and their heart has yet to stop beating, which is the way I am sure all of us feel ours is going to do.

They can go away for a little bit, and things seem completely fine, but one nasty little episode is all it takes to get you thinking the worst again.  I suppose its because it just doesnt seem like it should be "normal" for your heart to do that.  I think that all of the time. "It doesnt seem like it is normal, especially at my age!" (I was 26 when they started 4 years ago).  I suppose the term "normal" is different for different people. What is normal to one, is not necessarily normal to another.

[ireneo]

I understand what you're saying about stress/anxiety related tachy tends to come on more slowly and ease off slowly whereas an electrical problem in the heart can come on suddenly (within the space of a heart beat) and quit just as quickly. I have that and it's called PSVT (paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia). If someone has PSVT it's not necessarily life-threatening. I've had it all my life and I'm 54 now. Even my cardio's said it wouldn't hurt me but it would be good to get rid of it via ablation. I've had 3 ablations and I still have it although it's mild now. Even with this I have periods of frequent PSVT (the past 3 days I've been having average 3 episodes a day but lasting just a couple of minutes) and sometimes I go for days without tachy. I do have PAC's and PVC's every day, all day. But I'm still here, still working and active. All I'm saying is some arrhythmias are quite benign even if they are noticeable. It's good to have these things checked out but I don't want folks to get discouraged if their heart dances around now and then.

[Ihatepalps2]

Ill say one thing...it doesnt make them go away...but I do not feel so alone when I read other posts here. As I sit here, my hearts jumping all over. It is hard to believe that it can do this---sometimes for years...and its ok!!!
If it was any other organ in our body---it might be easier to accept, ya know? Like a "twitching eyelid"..weve probably all had that at one time...and at least for me...I pretty much ignore that annoyance. When its the heart--even tho Im told to do so---I just can NOT ignore it!!! In fact, it makes me mad that doctors tell me, oh, just ignore it....
because the thought always lurks " what if THIS TIME is different that all the other (thousands) of times....

[molly77]

Hi. I was diagnosed with WPW a year ago, 5 months after that i had an ablation which wasn't successful. 2 months later i had another ablation which was successful (got rid of WPW). Any way, its been 7 months since the last ablation and i have still been having palpitations, not really a racing heart, more the thumps and flutters in the chest. But over the last 6 weeks they have been every day, about 10-20 a day. I had an ECG done a couple of weeks ago which was all clear. I think the doctors just think it's anxiety, which i know i do suffer from,but who wouldn't when you have abnormal things going on with your heart! But what i'd like to know is, can you have palps even when your not feeling anxious? I would love to here from someon with similar symptoms. Also, my pulse rate is always between 90-100.