Heart skipping beats

[skippedbeats]

In the last week I have noticed my heart is skipping beats. Sometimes I can count 12 to 13 per minute. I am 58 yr old female with pre hypertension, I take enalapril hctz 10/25. When I check my pulse it is not racing, between 80 to 85 bpm.  I have alot of stress in my life right now and also a light smoker.(I am trying to quit).  These skipped beats come and go all day. As I said at times I have counted 12 to 13 skipped beats per minute, at others only a couple. I dont have any shortness of breath, chest pain. When it happens I just feel somewhat odd, best way to describe it.  I am seeing Dr. in a couple of days for another matter, and will bring this up.  Wondering if having so many skipped beats per minute is a sign of something much more serious than stress.  I have these skipped beats even when I first get up after good nights sleep.  BP by the way is not overly high. Average of 125/75  I don't have any health insurance and one of the big stresses relates to our finances and ability to pay our bills, so having tests is going to put one more stress on me and our already shaky financial situation.

[Mom2four85]

I know what you mean; i went almost a year w/o insurance because my previous insurer raised my rates by 33% after I had an ablation and they found I had a malignant heart problem...we were already paying $890 a month and raising it another 33% put it out of our means.

Many people don't know about the PCIP and the clause for being turned down is easy to get - humana one will turn down almost anyone with a previous condition or put a rider on that it won't cover that item and you can get on the pcip.  If it's like the national PCIP then that clause is old and was changed in July 2011 when they lowered the rates by 40% they just haven't taken it off the site and brochures.

If there's a cleveland clinic near you; they do have programs for different states that isn't well known and they will help you with payments and reduced rates and in some instances will cover the cost of the tests/treatments so it might be worth a call to ask about.

[skippedbeats]

I have decided I will some kind of doctor. While the skipped beats are no longer happening every day, I had a episode yesterday and one other time where I felt lightheaded, kind of like when you are in an elevator and it starts to drop, when the skipped beats started. I wasn't even stressed at the time, just sitting quietly.  This whole thing is really starting to get to me. Every day I just seem to wait in anticipation of another episode, which by the way seems to go on forever sometimes. Yesterday, they were of and on for hours.  As they go on I become more stressed.  My husband has suggested that since the Fam. Practice I go to is also a teaching practice where you see a Resident, I should go to see his Internist.  He is calling today to see if they are taking new patients and cost w/o insurance. I am nervous, but I know I can;t continue like this either,I really need to know what is going on even though it has only been three weeks.

[curmudgen]

Noticed in your post a reference to a study by "george-eby-research.com"...
I cannot find a reference to a "legitimate" medical site for information on taurine/arginine/Mg and PVC's.   Much of the information on the internet is anecdotal and should be viewed with some skepticism...  just my 2 cents....

[skippedbeats]

I know about the PCIP also, but on the website for Michigan it states that I must have been turned down for other insurance.  I could get the other insurance I just cannot afford it.  Even the PCIP is more than we can afford at this time.  I do have a form of Medicaid with a deductible, however due to the fact that I have a job the deductible is $3500 per month (yes per month).  MIchigan does not offer adult medicaid unless your income is extremely low and other factors.   I will probably call the dr. office and check as to whether I would be able to make payments on an ekg and holtor moniter if requested.  I  know these two tests alone could be well over $1000.   The only free clinic available will not take me because the Medicaid plan I have is still considered as having insurance, even though you don't have any insurance until you have met the deductible for that particular month.  From what I hear there are alot of people in my position, can't afford insurance, don't qualify for the clinics for the uninsured. Even my DHS worker said it is unfair for them to consider my Medicaid Spenddown(as it is called) as having insurance. But I am stuck. I will keep looking though

[skippedbeats]

A friend has recommended magnesium also.  Said her M.S recommended. I was going to give that a try. Perhaps one 250 mg per day.  Just not sure if it could do more harm than good.

[hzasrf]

By the way, check out this research on arythmias.  I have yet to try it but another sufferer posted success witht he following:
george-eby-research.com

* Morning - 1 magnesium, 1 fish oil, 1 niacin, 2 Taurine, 2 L-Arginine
* Mid-Morning - 1 Taurine + 1 fish oil
* Lunch - 1 fish oil, 2 Taurine, 2 L-Arginine
* Mid-Afternoon - 1 Taurine + 1 fish oil
* Dinner - 1 fish oil, 2 Taurine, 2 L-Arginine
* Bed - 1 magnesium, 1 fish oil, 1 niacin, 2 Taurine, 2 L-Arginine

The Taurine is 1000mg per, the L-Arginine is 500mg per (gelatin capsules as recommended.)

[hzasrf]

Even I you could afford to have the tests the prescription would likely be an effort to reduce the symptoms rather than to eliminate the cause.  The skipped beats could be benign and are actually extra beats caused by premature contraction of either the atria (PACs) or ventricles (PVCs). I am sure you are spending some time researching other forums for an answer.  In the interim of having further tests, it could help to adjust your diet and do some regular, light, exercise.  If the arrhythmia is PACs docs will likely not perform an ablation procedure but will consider if PVCs but no guarantees on either the success of or approval for the same. Keep posting.

[Mom2four85]

since you don't have health insurance can you go to your local health department or free clinic? they may do the tests free or on a sliding fee basis on your income and some satellite office of cleveland clinic do have financial help for different situations

since you're in MI have you checked into your state Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan? the plans are $190-$315 monthly depending on which plan you choose since you have HBP and are being treated for it.  I have the PCIP plan for Florida and been very happy with it for the past year; and havent found anything they don't cover.

since you're stressed it may be helpful to find a way to reduce stress, easier said than done but a beta blocker like Inderal or whatever your dr decides may help and may be worth mentioning

also make sure you keep a log/journal of dates, times and symptoms which might help pinpoint triggers or causes

[skippedbeats]

Well, went to the dr for a scheduled visit. We discussed the skipping beats. He told me reduce the stress.  Also said that since I don;t have any health insurance he would not do any tests at this time, but that if they got worse to come back in to the office. He listened to my heart and checked pulse and said every thing sounded fine, no skipped beats while in the office. Of course not.  Last night it was so bad I had trouble getting to sleep seemed to last for a couple of hours.   I don;t  know what to think, but I am afraid he is not taking this serious because I have no insurance to pay for an ekg and holter monitor.  SoI guess I won;t know if this is serious or not, which of course is causing more anxiety and stress. I find my self taking my pulse thru out the day.  

[MichelleP_3811]

It sounds like you have pvcs.  12 a minute is quite a few but considering you go through phases where you don't have many at all and you don't have any other symptoms it is likely you won't need to do anything about them.  But it is important to get them evaluated through a holter or event monitor.  The doctors can then see how many you get.  The pvcs are really only of concern if you get a whole bunch in a row which is ventricular tachycardia, but if you are getting isolated extra beats then there is not much to worry about.  If you haven't had your heart checked for structural problems in a while they may want to send you for a few test to ensure all is good but once your heart is deemed structurally clear the pvcs will be of no consequence.  Good luck but rest assured people have lived long lives with pvcs.  

[skippedbeats]

I have no other health issues except for the blood pressure.  Just saw my regular doc 3 weeks ago for medication review and all was fine, I have to see him in two days for an unrelated issue and will bring this up to him, since it has only started within the last week.Just seems like they are all the time, but I do notice when I am away from home and at work, they seem to not be an issue.  I wouldn't even have realized it except that I decided to start monitoring my bp as the dr. suggested and it has a pulse indicator on it and I could see the "skipped" beats and decided to check pulse myself.  Worst part is I don't have insurance, my employer doesn't provide it and my husband is on ssdi. Can't afford the cost of getting my own insurance.  This issue will now of course add to the stress on am already under. I have many financial and family issues that are extremely stressful right now.  If GP sends me to a cardiologist I will go, hoping they can work with me on payments.  

[BLT812]

I too suffer from what I thought was skipped beats for about a year and a half now.  I am a 48 year old female. My endo (I have thyroid cancer) referred me to a cardio dr who told me that they are actually extra beats, not skipped beats.  Dr did some testing including ekg, 24 hyr monitor, echo and stress test.  Problem with testing is that these beats occur here and there so they are not always picked up during the test.  I was actually lucky enough to have them occur during the stress test so dr was able to confirm what was happening.  Mine started happening within a month of having my thyroid removed so endo dr and cardio dr both feel that the two are related as the thyriod regulates your body including the heart.  The term the dr used was frequent PVC's.  Depending on how often they occur will determine what, if any, type of treatment one will get, if any at all.  I would see a cardio dr to have some tests done and go from there.  Good luck to you and keep us posted.