4 skipped heart beats in a row with sputtering

[sonny372]

I was doing some reading and read that 3 or more ectopic beats which are skipped beats are considered to be ventricular tachycardia. Is this true? Because from what I have read this can turn into ventricular fibrillation! What scares me though is i had a walk in medical clinical doctor read an ekg once that said I had a lateral infarction. However I have had that test looked at by 2 other cardiologist and they say it is a normal read out. I have also had a echocardiogram done and said it was pretty normal. I am really scared here. It happens withough warning withough any stimulants.

[adingbm]

Thanks for mentioning ginseng. My heart was skipping a few beats a while ago, I had all the tests and everything else seemed to be fine. Back then I had been drinking Arizona green tea with ginseng - in moderation. It's been a while since I've had more heart beats skipping, until last night. Then I realized I had had 2 glasses of the Arizona tea yesterday. This AM I've gone online to see if anyone has had the same issues. I realize the tea has caffeine, but caffeine in coffee does not seem to have the same effect. I'm wondering about the ginseng. Other sites indicate the Arizona tea with ginseng is so good for your heart. I beg to differ.

[BeingAhumanSucks]

i had my heart beat hard a seconds later it did it again and same thing a second later is there any way to reverse palpitations or are you stuck with it for the rest of your life i do get worried when i get them but not all the time

[BeingAhumanSucks]

i think i suffer from a lack of sleep i get 3 or 4 a day and i go to sleep real late i also have a small case of anxiety i dont take in much caffene but i do have chocolate sometimes

[2210485]

Palpitations can be supressed with medications, or through a procedure called an 'ablation'.

Unfortunately both of these options carry risks and are, in many instances reserved for cases in which the palpitations are a threat to ones health.

Of course the philosophy of each provider and their practice varies.

Personally i favor ablating anyone whos willing to take the risk for their comfort. I dont feel that the rates of serious complications are necessarily higher then that of any number of common elective procedures used in other fields.

[WebViper]

Sorry for the double post.  I wanted to post this here and not on the main part.

Here is what I am dealing with:

1.Skip beats for time to time.   Mostly when I am stressed or had to much coffee.  My mother had the same issue.

2. After an accident with an apple (don't ask) It damaged my esophagus and now I have acid reflux. (caused chest pains)

3. Anxiety and Panic Attacks.  Causes my left said of my face to go numb and also my left arm and my heart races and it drives up my blood pressure. (was caused my low testosterone) Fixed and have not had a full blown Panic Attack in over a year.

So I found out that Caffeine, MSG, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, alcohol, stress, anxiety and lack of sleep can kick it off.  Also add Ginseng tea.  

Before I would have a day or so of skips.  1 0r 2 a min.  When I had the Anxiety issue it would kick in and then spiral out of control.  = ER

If I was having acid reflux I would get chest pains on both sides. When I had the Anxiety issue it would kick in and then spiral out of control.  = ER

The other day I have an early day at work and the day was very stressful. I did not get a good night of sleep and I had three cups of coffee and also had some chocolate to boot.  Before this I could drink 2 cups of coffee with no issues.  This day it set it off.  This time I was having three skips in a row.  This worried me as this was the first time I have ever had then in a row.  It made me very tired.  NO Panic Attack!  I went in to my Dr office and she heard the skip but they had almost want away.  She order the event monitor.  

I did not have one for three days.  I had some caffeine free Energy Ginseng tea and had major skips.  I was about to record them. The Dr. has not seen them yet.  

To day three days later with no skips I had a small VERY small chocolate cake at work the day before and kinda late night taking some online tests.

Today all was fine until I started playing a first player shooter game.  This was the first time I had 4 and 5 skips in a row.  Still NO Panic Attack but I was ready to go to the ER.  I got on your site and now feel better about them.  I got up and moved around.  They have not gone away but they are less now.  

I hope the Dr will see what they are looking for.  I have not had a stress test but have had an ekg.  I work out 4 times a day and kit the speed bag so i do get the heart rate up.  Last night I felt one or two skips during the work out.  This is the first time I felt this during a work out.  Most of the time a work out will make them go away.  

Well that is my story.  Any words of wisdom?

Blessings,
Dale Crow
WebViper

[marlinspike]

I have had 'missed beats' for 4 years now and initially they practically ruined my life. At points I was agoraphobic and afraid to leave the house or go anywhere because I felt I was about to drop dead. My logic went out of the window and I could not come to terms with the fact that they were 'harmless'. This is even after the tests and being told I was okay. These things can completely take over your life. My ectopics are now far fewer than they were, but they still give me a lot of anxiety.

My only advice is plenty of sleep, light meals, and work on the anxiety because there is not always a lot you can do about the pvcs etc. I read a few cognitive therapy books which helped me to get my irrational fears into perspective. Hope this helps.

[RNRita]

Yeah, well they s**k anyway!  I am tired today and had to get up at 4:30 for work. I thought I slept enough, but I was getting big skips today.  Always a lovely work day!

[upbeat633]

The biggest trigger I have ever had was not enough sleep. So I can't imagine pulling a night shift, or doing anything that would keep me up past my early bedtime of 9pm. If I don't get enough sleep, I'm half way to a bad day.

I think physical activity might make us more aware of our heart, but I don't think the pvcs will do much more than what they are doing now--annoying us.

[RNRita]

Oh yes.  I get them at work.  I used to get them on the unit all the time cuz I had a 3-11 shift which my body did NOT like at all.  I used to hook myself up to the telemetry (it was portable) and the nurses who were sitting by the central monitoring station would yell that I was in v-tach again.  I just took the darned thing off.  It stressed me out worse.  I find that if I get up early and go crazy at work I have less.  When I get them at work it is horrible, but I gotta keep going.  I always know there are some smart nurses and a defibrillator seconds away.  hahahaahaha

[julesluvsdrew]

Hey there,I find myself at work sometimes having a lot of pvcs.Im in housekeeping,so its deff physical..Do you have them at work and if so how often?I stop too when im walking if the pvcs come,I get too scared.

[RNRita]

I don't believe I will EVER go into sustained V-tach from them.  I think I would have already.  BUT, I'll tell you, the people that jog and go on treadmills.....HOW?  I can do exercise, but as soon as I start getting PVCs (and they almost always come when I do), I stop and get depressed.  However, I run my butt around like a mad woman for 10-11 hours a day at work with only 1 seven minute break.  Beat that!  It must me in my mind.

[julesluvsdrew]

Your so right :) I just am afraid about going in to V tach while exercising :(  Once I get insurance and see a doc and get the go ahead,im deff going to go back to my daily walks!

[upbeat633]

Please don't give up activity or exercise. If you've been told you have a structurally normal heart, or that you have benign pvcs, then exercise is a must, it will keep your heart stronger!

I've been afraid to do many things since I first noticed the pvcs but avoiding things only strengthened my fear of them. Going out and doing things and realizing I was still alive made me feel stronger. I also find it interesting that my pvcs will usually go away if I can get my heart rate above 120bpm, like on the treadmill. They come dancing back the moment it goes below 120bpm, but I can't do treadmill forever, whew!

Do what you can to minimize them, if you identify a trigger, smartly avoid it, but everyone has a different tolerance to these buggers. It's a matter of risk/benefit. I think activity and exercise have greater benefit for health and general life enjoyment.

[marie333]

Ditto to all the posts I feel the same about all the posts which are on this page, I get everything you all talk about, and am terrified I will die after the next skipped beat, I am so frightened, I wait for the next skipped beat, and death. HELP
Marie

[manny777]

I know that sensation like there's a frog in your chest, it gets worst if I just do nothing so what I do is find something to occupy my mind or go jogging which helps get the frog out of my chest, sometimes I can feel the pvc when I am jogging but most of the time I don't. I could be having pvc's really bad but I would still go jogging for 1.5 miles. Well got to go get ready for church and this time I'll ask the Lord for a cure for averyone.
God bless you all.

[acjviolin]

I just want to say "thanks!" - all of the posts were comforting and informative.  I can absolutely identify with each of you.  I think we're all at different stages of our "crazy heart journey"...I'm somewhere in between manny777 and RNRIta!  God bless,
amy

[julesluvsdrew]

Wow you really inspire me:) When I try to just walk around the block,if the pvcs kick in,im unable to continue...It just makes me feel lousy and like there is a frog in my chest..Sigh so needless to say its been 3 months since Ive done any type of activity!

[manny777]

Thank you for your posts Rita they really helped me alot, I started getting pvc last month and they lasted 4 days, I would get the extra beat every 7 or 8 heart beats, the first day I thought it was my uspset stomach but when I found out it was my heart I got deppressed and started asking God to heal me, well they went away for 3 weeks and I started jogging 1.5 miles a day, two days ago the pvc were back and they were worst than before sometimes I would get them every other hearth beat but it only lasted 2 days, this morning I got up and they were gone completelly but I know they can return any day but I will be praying to God to take them away or to let me live throu them. When I had them these last two days I never stopped jogging, I would feel good while jogging. by the way I just turn 48 and never smoked nor drinked in my life.
Again thank you for your posts and God bless you all.

[RNRita]

Me, brave?  Nah.  After 31 years of having them and not dying, I'm pretty sure it's gonna take more than a few PVCs in a row to kill me.  HOWEVER, don't think for one minute that when I get the strings, the thumps, the "different" sensations (and let me tell ya, you can get so many different sensations) I tend to stay home and around my family, too.  It's just that I must live and there are tried and true methods (for me) that help.  One thing is to ignore.  Or, when you can't do that, try to relax.  Also, let me clarify.  If I'm already getting a ton of PVCs, a third cup of coffee WILL make them worse.  What I'm saying is: moderation!  I drink 1-2 cups a day with no ill effects and I don't drink soda. I also eat chocolate every day.  The alcohol affects me the next day every time.  So, no I'm not brave.  I just have been doing this for so long....what can I do?

[sonny372]

This is an interesting comment you have made. I am totally scared to drink or have any of these stimulants. How do you do it? I do notice that the pauses are longer and more profound when I drink caffeine. I can say that for me they are way worse when I have them. I have to stay clear. For me I am afraid for my life everytime I get these and just want to be around my wife and daughter because I do not want to die alone. Not that I want to let them see me this way. You are a brave person. Do you get chest pains as well. I do.

[BionicBabe]

I on the other hand have definitely noticed an increase in PVCs and rapid heart rate after consuming caffein (especially if it's more than one serving) and sometimes with alcohol as well. I try to avoid the stuff as much as possible and am looking into more healthy hippy methods of maintaining energy such as yoga, meditation and skilled relaxation. Anyone have any experience or advice on that?

[RNRita]

Yay to that!  I might as well enjoy myself and let my heart enjoy itself!

[upbeat633]

I had to laugh when I read your post, because I could have almost written it! It's been 27 years of pvcs for me, and always increasing in frequency. I have experienced strings of pvcs as long as 62 in a row. Electrophysiologist still not concerned. Structurally normal heart. The heart beat is intended to be variable he says.

I have tried giving up coffee, alcohol, chocolate, everything and anything that could be considered a trigger. To no avail. So, like you, I eat what I want and drink what I want (all in moderation), and still it's about the same, no better, no worse. I'm either going to be miserable because of the pvcs or miserable because I'm cutting out enjoyable things. I'm not very nice to be around when I'm miserable from both. :-)

[RNRita]

Hi.  If you've read other posts, you will know you are not alone.  Many of us have tons of PVCs in a row.  Don't worry yourself about counting them nor which kind is the "deadly" kind.  In the grand scheme of things, people who have never felt ONE of these things have gone into V-fib.  These things will scare you all your life, if you let them.  Even a veteran like me (I've had them for 31 years) AND I'm a cardiac nurse who's seen it all, gets scared at times. I also know that caffeine, chocolate, etc....all those things they tell you to give up, I have given up, but never made a difference in my PVCs.  Never.  So I drink what I want and eat what I want.  The only thing that is a biggie is that I know if I go out drinking, I will most definitely have PVCs the next day.  Oh well.  Someone once said something that made a lot of sense and helped me, too.  "Maybe our hearts are so used to resetting themselves because of so many PVCs that it knows how to get out of V-tach without killing us.  Maybe it is the people whose hearts have always been normal that go into the lethal arrythmias because the heart cannot fix itself."  I think I might have to believe that, if only a little!  Good luck.  

[BionicBabe]

non-sustained V-tach is a rapid/irregular heart rate that occurs for less than 30 seconds and sustained V-tach occurs for longer than 30 seconds. Sustained VT is indeed the scary one that can lead to VFib. I know because I have "inducable" sustained VT. PVCs are pre-mature beats that feel like a skipped beat because there is a pause after. If you're not satisifed with the responses of the 2 cardiologists regarding arrythmia, perhaps you might request to see a cardiac electrophysiologist. As far as how to live with this stuff day to day, my advice is to keep seeing cardiac specialists until your mind is satsified with the results/diagnoses/opinion of your doctors. In my experience, as long as you have questions, worries and doubts, it is difficult to let this go. Once you find out what the problem is, you can deal with it, or hopefully it will turn out that there really isn't a problem. Doctors often misdiagnose. You must be your own advocate! Good luck!

[nikgirl28]

i feel the same way....i'm always thinking when i get a skipped beat that this is the v-tach...and then i'm going to pass out...i'm always looking at my surroundings...making sure that i'm around people just in case...i hate living like this...i also gave up pop...don't drink caffeine...and hardly eat my favorite sweet..chocolate...i get palps every day....i'm trying to even out my hormones to see if that makes a difference...if not....i might go on anti-depressant...because it is ruining my life...

[kim8400]

Yes, it definately affects my day to day life. Like you, I walk around terrified that the next 'skip' will be the one that kills me!! I understand how you feel, I remember a couple of years ago when I could drink alcohol, coke, anything I wanted to, now I can't do any of that nor can I eat chocolate!!! I hate living with this and I envy others who don't have the same problem. I feel like I've been cheated of a good, healthy life, I know that there are others who have it much worse, but living in fear is like not even living at all !!!!!