Heart

Recently (like last 6 months) during the night it feels like my heart is squeezing after 6-7 beats.
I then feel the need to cough?? It doesn't hurt but concerns me somewhat.

[Artaud]

Hi,

Squeezing after 6-7 beats? Do you mean that you have 6 to 7 normal beats (at least any without any squeezing), then you feel the squeezing and then need to cough? This repeats how often? Does it happen when you lie down, or while sitting? Are you in bed when you feel this?

Many people have PVCs (Premature Ventricular Contractions), and for many people this is quite normal. People tend to describe them in different ways. Feeling the need to cough is not uncommon with PVCs, and they don't cause any pain.

What happens is that your heart beats before it was supposed to (The Premature Ventricular Beat). You don't feel this early beat. The heart waits for the next beat to occur, as if the premature beat was the normal beat. Because of this, it fills with more blood than it would have if you did not have the early beat. When the next beat occurs, since your heart is filled with more blood than normal, you feel the beat somewhat harder than a normal beat since your heart is pushing out the extra blood.

Try taking your pulse at your wrist when you don't have any symptoms. If you can do this well, try taking your pulse while you are having symptoms. If you are having PVCs, you will feel that the rhythm is not perfectly regular. You will get several normal beats, a delay, and a harder beat than normal. See if this is the cycle you are feeling.

If you don't have a history of PVCs or other arrhythmia, or if you do and your symptoms change, you should see your Family Doctor or a Cardiologist to be sure that nothing else is wrong. It would not be appropriate for anyone on this Forum, including a Doctor, to diagnose you from you symptoms.

Please write back and tell us more about what you are feeling.

Best of health.