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Do I have an heart rhythm problem ? What is it I am experiencing ?
Do I have an heart rhythm problem or is it anxiety or both ?
It all started when I had a septorhinoplasty 5 months ago, my pulse rate had increased to 95 - 110, so they kept me in hospital for a night, did an ECG on me, nothing came up, I was not breathless and did not have chest pain...
I was terrified at the high resting rate for a couple of weeks, it eventually settled, within a few weeks, but I did have what felt like panic attacks 3 times during those weeks.
After this I became aware of my heart and checked my pulse regularly, I had been dieting and had became very active, which saw my resting heart rate drop to around 55 on average. A few times I get vertigo, but I never had breathlessness, I do experience chest pain, but I do have acid reflux and the pain usually varies depending on my body position...
Besides all this what has been scaring me is sudden drops in heartbeat and ecoptic beats, I haven't noticed anything like that whilst walking normally, but while I walk around, and do "things" in the house, I have been experiencing them everyday. They usually do not take my breath away and when they feel like they do, I do not get dizzy or anything like that....
(I also get pauses as I go from a standing up to and sitting down position, where the heart pauses and then begins an normal rhythm) I also do get palpitations.
What happens is my heart slows down and then begins it's Normal rhythm, it also happened when my manager at work as a joke tap my chest a little hard, it slowed down a few beats and began normal rhythm again, it happens a lot while I am anxious, I have had an echodiagram, 24 hour monitor, at least 8 ecgs, I had blood tests in A/E and nothing has come up so far, but I am worried this doesn't seem normal ...
It is effecting the quality of my life , please help ! Thank you :)
It all started when I had a septorhinoplasty 5 months ago, my pulse rate had increased to 95 - 110, so they kept me in hospital for a night, did an ECG on me, nothing came up, I was not breathless and did not have chest pain...
I was terrified at the high resting rate for a couple of weeks, it eventually settled, within a few weeks, but I did have what felt like panic attacks 3 times during those weeks.
After this I became aware of my heart and checked my pulse regularly, I had been dieting and had became very active, which saw my resting heart rate drop to around 55 on average. A few times I get vertigo, but I never had breathlessness, I do experience chest pain, but I do have acid reflux and the pain usually varies depending on my body position...
Besides all this what has been scaring me is sudden drops in heartbeat and ecoptic beats, I haven't noticed anything like that whilst walking normally, but while I walk around, and do "things" in the house, I have been experiencing them everyday. They usually do not take my breath away and when they feel like they do, I do not get dizzy or anything like that....
(I also get pauses as I go from a standing up to and sitting down position, where the heart pauses and then begins an normal rhythm) I also do get palpitations.
What happens is my heart slows down and then begins it's Normal rhythm, it also happened when my manager at work as a joke tap my chest a little hard, it slowed down a few beats and began normal rhythm again, it happens a lot while I am anxious, I have had an echodiagram, 24 hour monitor, at least 8 ecgs, I had blood tests in A/E and nothing has come up so far, but I am worried this doesn't seem normal ...
It is effecting the quality of my life , please help ! Thank you :)
Thank you all for your comments, I really do appreciate it. I think I have always had this problem but never noticed it until I became more aware of my heart.... It just scares when I am doing things around the house and suddenly heart rate drops for a few beats then begins normal rythm, I do not get dizzy and have never fainted.... I think I might just have to u learn what I have learned and researched to get rid of all this anxiety. Something else than calms me down is that my father said he used to experience them and he is fine !
Again thank you very much
Again thank you very much
" I would try lifestyle changes first - no caffeine, less sugar, small meals - to see if that helps the pvcs. Then try to work on the stress - there are lots of free relaxation and meditation resources on the web."
And then the Lawrence of Arabia technique--the idea that of course it hurts; the trick is not to mind the pain.
In other words, does the discomfort really--REALLY--matter?
And then the Lawrence of Arabia technique--the idea that of course it hurts; the trick is not to mind the pain.
In other words, does the discomfort really--REALLY--matter?
You have had thorough testing, so anything serious would have surely come to light. As mentioned, somehow we seem to get sensitised to what our hearts are doing and start to notice every little sensation. I didn't know I had pvcs until my gp took my pulse and promptly sent me to the ER. Now I am tuned into every little sensation that arises in my chest. Some are pvcs and some are just the usual bodily sensations. Any of these however, is enough to start my anxiety and I am wondering if you are experiencing something similar - which in turn releases adrenaline and more pvcs. My pvcs certainly started my anxiety and panic attacks. I would hate for you to waste your life worrying over these things. The Claire Weekes books are great, highly recommended. I would try lifestyle changes first - no caffeine, less sugar, small meals - to see if that helps the pvcs. Then try to work on the stress - there are lots of free relaxation and meditation resources on the web.
Everyone is in good form, excellent answers (I'm no pro, to me, an excellent answer is one that reassures me, and they all did.
Something I find impossible to believe, and so may you, is that most people with these rhythm disturbances (most of my doctors refuse to call it an arrhythmia, that would be a more persistent issue with rhythm) don't notice them. WTH?
"Most people with PVCs have no symptoms at all. They simply don't feel them. However, a substantial minority of people with PVCs will perceive palpitations - an unusual awareness of the heart beat. These palpitations are often described as "skipped beats" or a "pounding heart." In some people, these symptoms are extremely difficult to tolerate".
The above paragraph, from another site, uses the nomenclature my doctors use, "an unusual awareness of the heart beat" and the article mentions what I said, most people don't feel them".
I had a coworker, retired now a good 8 years, that, a few years before retiring, had a virus that effected his heart, he was hospitalized, treated, almost converted by administration of a shock, but apparently converted to a usable rhythm pharmacologically. "Usable?" That's my term. He was cleared to return to work, cleared by the plant physician, and was working turns with me. We spoke about his ordeal, and I, ever curious, asked if I could take his pulse. The horror of horrors, his heart was running fast, slow, and throwing ectopics, all in the course of a minute or two. Mind you he worked a few more years, then retired, and is alive and well today.
My wife, working for a cardiologist, had a patient that had so many ectopics she couldn't take his pulse. Well, an EKG was given, the doctor examined the patient, history, etc., and the Dr. casually took his pulse at the wrist, eventually asking "Do you ever get any missed or skipped beats", the patient answering "no". The doctor never told the patient, else he may have started to feel them, to take his pulse, etc. The patient had no symptoms, the EKG was good (likely they stress tested him too, the anecdote is about the rhythm). Often, people are referred to due to the results of a physical to be sure nothing else is wrong, not because they were aware of their rhythm disturbance.
The sudden drop in heart rate, I can't be sure, I get that from bigeminy, a PVC and normal beat in an alternating pattern for 5 or so beats, effectively the heart rate, under this condition, drops nearly to half it's normal resting rate. Another possibility is a Vagal Response. We have a sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. What one does, the other can undo. The sympathetic speeds your heart and slows digestion, and the parasympathetic slows your heart and speeds digestion. We also have Baroreflex Sensors in the Aortic Arches and Carotid Arteries, these sense blood pressure and change your heart rate accordingly. A wonderful complex arrangement. The parasympathetic system can significantly lower the heart rate, but something has to trigger it.
The following site, by an Electro-Physiologist, a heart rhythm specialist, may be of some interest to you.
http://www.drjohnm.org/2013/06/benign-pvcs-a-heart-rhythm-doctors-approach/
Another valuable site in understanding the causes and diagnostic approaches is:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/0215/p743.html
Bottom line, anyone getting ectopics, more than just one here and there throughout the day should be examined by a doctor. Anyone accustomed to getting them that suddenly experiences a significant increase should also see a doctor. But once seen and determined to be benign should rest assured that many of us are plagued with them from time to time and many more people are totally unaware of the rhythm issues they have and aren't fortunate enough to benefit by an examination.
Talk to your Doctor about your concerns.
Something I find impossible to believe, and so may you, is that most people with these rhythm disturbances (most of my doctors refuse to call it an arrhythmia, that would be a more persistent issue with rhythm) don't notice them. WTH?
"Most people with PVCs have no symptoms at all. They simply don't feel them. However, a substantial minority of people with PVCs will perceive palpitations - an unusual awareness of the heart beat. These palpitations are often described as "skipped beats" or a "pounding heart." In some people, these symptoms are extremely difficult to tolerate".
The above paragraph, from another site, uses the nomenclature my doctors use, "an unusual awareness of the heart beat" and the article mentions what I said, most people don't feel them".
I had a coworker, retired now a good 8 years, that, a few years before retiring, had a virus that effected his heart, he was hospitalized, treated, almost converted by administration of a shock, but apparently converted to a usable rhythm pharmacologically. "Usable?" That's my term. He was cleared to return to work, cleared by the plant physician, and was working turns with me. We spoke about his ordeal, and I, ever curious, asked if I could take his pulse. The horror of horrors, his heart was running fast, slow, and throwing ectopics, all in the course of a minute or two. Mind you he worked a few more years, then retired, and is alive and well today.
My wife, working for a cardiologist, had a patient that had so many ectopics she couldn't take his pulse. Well, an EKG was given, the doctor examined the patient, history, etc., and the Dr. casually took his pulse at the wrist, eventually asking "Do you ever get any missed or skipped beats", the patient answering "no". The doctor never told the patient, else he may have started to feel them, to take his pulse, etc. The patient had no symptoms, the EKG was good (likely they stress tested him too, the anecdote is about the rhythm). Often, people are referred to due to the results of a physical to be sure nothing else is wrong, not because they were aware of their rhythm disturbance.
The sudden drop in heart rate, I can't be sure, I get that from bigeminy, a PVC and normal beat in an alternating pattern for 5 or so beats, effectively the heart rate, under this condition, drops nearly to half it's normal resting rate. Another possibility is a Vagal Response. We have a sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. What one does, the other can undo. The sympathetic speeds your heart and slows digestion, and the parasympathetic slows your heart and speeds digestion. We also have Baroreflex Sensors in the Aortic Arches and Carotid Arteries, these sense blood pressure and change your heart rate accordingly. A wonderful complex arrangement. The parasympathetic system can significantly lower the heart rate, but something has to trigger it.
The following site, by an Electro-Physiologist, a heart rhythm specialist, may be of some interest to you.
http://www.drjohnm.org/2013/06/benign-pvcs-a-heart-rhythm-doctors-approach/
Another valuable site in understanding the causes and diagnostic approaches is:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/0215/p743.html
Bottom line, anyone getting ectopics, more than just one here and there throughout the day should be examined by a doctor. Anyone accustomed to getting them that suddenly experiences a significant increase should also see a doctor. But once seen and determined to be benign should rest assured that many of us are plagued with them from time to time and many more people are totally unaware of the rhythm issues they have and aren't fortunate enough to benefit by an examination.
Talk to your Doctor about your concerns.
Whenever people are checking their pulses regularly, it is a sign of anxiety. After all, does it help? Does it give you any useful information? Make you feel better? Nah. It's like picking at a scab.
So, as others have noted, it sounds as though you can live a normal life, but the heart sensations you feel are very disturbing to you. That is very common among posters (including me) on this board. What we need to do is understand that what we are feeling does not actually interfere with our physical lives. We just have to find some way to believe that and sort of ignore the weird but meaningless sensations in our chests.
For some people, antianxiety medications are absolutely necessary. For others, counseling alone can do the job. And for those who cannot afford counseling at the moment, a cheap little book called 'Hope and Help For Your Nerves,' by Dr. Claire Weekes, can be very, very helpful. You can google that one.
So, as others have noted, it sounds as though you can live a normal life, but the heart sensations you feel are very disturbing to you. That is very common among posters (including me) on this board. What we need to do is understand that what we are feeling does not actually interfere with our physical lives. We just have to find some way to believe that and sort of ignore the weird but meaningless sensations in our chests.
For some people, antianxiety medications are absolutely necessary. For others, counseling alone can do the job. And for those who cannot afford counseling at the moment, a cheap little book called 'Hope and Help For Your Nerves,' by Dr. Claire Weekes, can be very, very helpful. You can google that one.
hi,
I get chronic PVCs and some PACs, and have been plagued with them for years. Tested most recently for my most disconcerting episode which somehow just starts up. In my case, GERD, anxiety, or adrenaline rushes, Hiatal Hernia, all of these factors can trigger or exacerbate the ectopic beats. And once that "cycle" starts, the anxiety and whatever mechanism that causes the ectopic activity just fuels more ectopic beats, until the "cycle" or whatever ends or lessens. this has been my trend over the decades, so I can only agree with what michellepetkus stated, and just tell you to try not to worry too much. If you have been checked, then you may want to follow up with a cardiologist. sometimes when the ecttopic beats are driving me crazy, I try to do something I enjoy, like playing guitar, even if it nothing but practicing. anything, to take my mind away from the discomfort, and annoyance.
my best to you
I get chronic PVCs and some PACs, and have been plagued with them for years. Tested most recently for my most disconcerting episode which somehow just starts up. In my case, GERD, anxiety, or adrenaline rushes, Hiatal Hernia, all of these factors can trigger or exacerbate the ectopic beats. And once that "cycle" starts, the anxiety and whatever mechanism that causes the ectopic activity just fuels more ectopic beats, until the "cycle" or whatever ends or lessens. this has been my trend over the decades, so I can only agree with what michellepetkus stated, and just tell you to try not to worry too much. If you have been checked, then you may want to follow up with a cardiologist. sometimes when the ecttopic beats are driving me crazy, I try to do something I enjoy, like playing guitar, even if it nothing but practicing. anything, to take my mind away from the discomfort, and annoyance.
my best to you
It sounds like you are having classic ectopic activity, pacs or pvcs. They are deemed normal by the medical community but I tend to beg to differ on that. What they are though they say is very certain is harmless in an otherwise healthy heart. Your heart has been evaluated to be structurally fine so odds are the extra beats you are feeling that seem to throw the beat cycle off a bit are no threat to you. They are just disconcerting. The two biggest triggers are ones you mentioned, acid reflux and stress. So see what you can do to get those under control and hopefully the ectopics will go away. Unfortunately now that they have been triggered you are vulnerable to them flaring up but just try not to worry too much about them or that will make them worse. So check around this forum and you will see there are many who have the same issue. It's a bit scary but since your heart is healthy and you aren't having any troubling symptoms with the extra beats you really having nothing to worry about. Take care and feel better soon.
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