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ECTOPIC BEATS

I have suffered ectopic beats for many years and never once had them checked...about 6 weeks ago I got them so frequently that I felt I should get them checked by a doctor...he ran two ecg's...the first was abnormal but I was informed it was incorrectly done,although they could see the ectopic beats on it..a secound one was borderline on account of my heartrate being 123 bpm (nerves) yet no ectopics showed up...the doctor put me on a five day event recorder and I could record up to 10 times at about 2 minutes each...this has gone back to gp and I am awaiting his call.
I am so scared because I hate the thought something is badly wrong...
I just cannot seem to go a day without them and sometimes the runs of them are really bad...I do not feel ill with them and feel perfectly well,not even dizzy...if i exercise (well run round the kitchen and get my heart going) my heart reverts back to a normal rythmm ...
My doctor said my ecg showed no sign of disease and I know this sounds ignorant but what if it did not happen to show a problem on that ecg,but the recordings show something worse..
I suffer with a bloated stomach most of the time and acid and indegestion and know that some believe there is a link,my doctor dimissed this..
Do you think if I was seriously ill I would have other symptons...I have very occassional episodes of paroxysmal tachycardia (2-3 times a year) this always happens when I bend awkard,obviously not everytime i bend awkard...i pinch my nose and blow and manage to stop these episodes within a couple of secounds...I forgot to mention these episodes to the doctor..I know no one can tell me my results but I was after some reassurance/advice etc....I am really down about this and cannot stop thinking doctor is going to give me bad news
thankyou so much
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Avatar universal
That was a great reply. I have had an abnormal obsession with my heart since I was in my late teens. I'm 52 now. And I still beat my self with fear over this stuff whenever the erratic beats show up. Thanks for the insightful reply. Mark
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Avatar universal
Thankyou..some really helpful comments...watching a really interesting dramma tonight on tv and barely noticed them, programme finnished and whoosh they are back..the brain is a powerful thing is'nt it
thankyou
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1124887 tn?1313754891
We all have ectopic beats. You may consider asking your doctor what ectopic beats you had, if they were PACs or PVCs. They are both really common and usually completely benign, especially the PACs.

It's pretty typical that they go away with exercise, and mark my words, this is the hallmark of benign ectopics. Ectopics that increase with exercise are also often benign, but they may be a sign of something worse (or just poor condition, that happens too).

I know they may feel terrible. I've been bothered by them on and off for some years. Some days they may occur in series, and I can feel hundreds of them. Other times they go away for weeks. It's often an underlying stress that cause them, which you may not be completely aware of, but it's there.

It's often the focus on them that is to blame. It's common, but contraproductive and unnecessary. We only worry because they origin in the heart; our most important organ. They aren't painful, and I'm sure we have sensations from the body through the day that are far more scary, if we are objective.

If you were seriously ill, you would have other symptoms as well, like severe chest pain that increases with exercise, severe shortness of breath and dizziness along with the ectopics.

Mention the tachycardia the next time you see your doctor. Seems benign, but I can't say this for sure. You've captured the ectopics on EKG and if your doctor tells you they are benign, you'll just have to trust that. We all have them, and 10-20% of us notice them as unpleasant. 10-20% of people noticing them are afraid of them.. And we'll just get more bothered.
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Avatar universal
Thankyou
I just see so many others on this site and others like it saying they have been told it is benign,but I am the sort of person whos luck is I will be in the 1% where there is a problem..
I try and tell myself that a heart condition would manifest itself with some bad symptons...breathless etc...but my rational side only puts in brief appearances..lol
I will check out your other post,I find my skips feel like they are in my ribcage ..do you find you can almost feel it a fraction of a sec before it happens,I swear I can almost think them into happening...sometimes when i am occupied and concentrating on something,i'll realise i did not feel skips,so then i wonder did i have them and not notice or did i not have them cause i was not anxious about it at that moment...
Gosh they are so awful,thanks for replying it means alot x
Helpful - 0
1616038 tn?1315954103
Hi - you are not alone. Read some of my other posts, and you will see I suffer from very similar symptoms, and my PVCs have become much worse over the past few months. I have episodic PVCs and feel the skipped beats or hard beats in my chest and throat...sometimes a fluttering sensation...sometimes briefly, other occasions it may occur every third beat (trigeminy) for hours...I just had a trip to the ER where my PVCs were finally caught on an ECG. Like many others, I was given a benign diagnosis. What you will soon realize by doing your due diligence, is that PVCs are totally benign and harmless in the absence of heart disease or any structural abnormalities. While I am not equipped to diagnose your condition, I can tell you that it sounds very familiar, and I am confident you have nothing to worry about. Stress, caffeine, dehydration, nicotine, and many other factors have been assumed to be triggers. Try and stay well hydrated, and I have found magnesium seems to help with my symptoms. Call your doctor again if you are really concerned (that's what he is there for!), and you may want to have a follow up echocardiogram and graded stress test for precautionary reasons. All in all, accept the advice of all the PVC sufferers on this site - you are fine, they are harmless, and worrying will only exacerbate the symptoms....trust me, I know!!! Be well.
Helpful - 0
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