Abnormal Heartbeats

I've been experiencing episodes where it feels like my heart is skipping a beat & beating too hard in my chest.  Somtimes I get extremely lightheaded but I've never lost consciousness.  Sometimes I feel the need to cough hard or hit my chest hard to get things back to normal.  I've had this problem in the past & I had a stress thalium & EKG done which were both normal.  But it's happening more often now.  Last night I was up @ 3 in the morning for a half hour dealing with it.  It has happened both day & night.  It's never happening when I go to my doctor.  Is this serious & what can I do about it?  What other signs should I look for to know that this condition is possibly getting worse?  I have no other health conditions nor am I on any medications.

[ajwwr82]

hey there. i too suffer from these weird beats and im only 13 years old. but what you are feeling is a beat that comes too fast and then ur heart refills with blood,which feels like a pause, and then another hard beat, so its like this: bump-hurried beat forced beat-bump. i myself only had them rarely until a couple months ago and then went crazy and still havent stopped.like a lot of us, you didnt have any symptoms at the doctor, which can be frusturating. the light headness you are getting is from the fear that you get when you have one, and it causes an adrenaline rush, which i rarely felt until i got them.
its hard, and a lot of us know that. but DONT worry at all, and when ever you are havin a bad day just come on here and we'll help you out.
so back to your question, is it serious, no, not at all but go to your doc and get a holter monitor just to be safe and get peace of mind. some things you will look forward to is some depressing days, and thoughts that these will kill you, when really they cant. but after about a year, or so i hear, you more or less they are even there and it feels as if nothing ever happened. there will be days where you feel great and days where it seems all ur beats are abnormal.
so in conclusion, dont be afraid, keep ur mind off of them, and whenever you get a lot of them, just think about me, a kid, dealing with them.
good luck and i hoped this helped :)

[SassyLassie]

Well, I was going to comment, but, ajwwr, already said most of what I would have said.

These feelings are erie, and the anxiety over them will cause them even when there is nothing wrong. In fact, you can actually bring these horrid things on by thinking about them and expecting them to happen, they do not let you down, believe me, they like to come when called.

Hang in there, we are here for you, and, if they really scare you or get worse, then do  not feel badly about seeing your doc, sometimes they can relieve your mind too.

God bless
Hugs
Susie

Oh yes, I am not on them, but, a lot of the folks on this forum take Beta Blockers for the flutters, some have good results, others don't, I guess it depends on the individual. I am glad your tests were normal, that is a positive sign. :)

[julesluvsdrew]

Hey,I know how you feel..my extra beats started about 10 years ago,it slowly seemed to get worse(more of them).I have had an ablation but they still are here:( I Know how awful it is not to be able to sleep because your heart has a mind of its own..I just try to have some peice of mind that the doctor said they arent going to harm me..and I have it all,nsvt,couplets ect!What I wouldnt give for a normal beating heart!I just try to pray a lot,and that helps some:) I am on beta blockers for high blood pressure and it makes no difference for my pvcs...THEY ARE STILL THERE!LOL

[empressofq13]

Hi. I had the exact same symptoms when I was 19 and they did an echocardiagram which showed mitral valve prolapse.  This is usually not anything serious.  Sometimes though if you get an infection in your blood it can settle in the valve and cause major problems.  I have to take antibiotics before any dental exam, medical procedure or surgery.  Wouldn't hurt to wear the monitor like ajwwr82 said above and get it on record.  I don't think this had anything to do with the problems I have had recently which took a cardiac ablation to get rid of, but this is another heart problem I have experienced and I am now 47.  

[Vanessa39]

Thank you guys so much for all your advice.  I really appreciate it.  It helps to know that others have experienced this & can inform me about what I can expect.  Your suggestions were helpful.  Thanks again & God Bless you all.

Vanessa