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Hyperventilation, Stress and Heart Skipping Beats
Hello. I’m a 35 year old male 6’3” 230lbs. Non smoker, no illegal drugs. I have drinks every now and again, but not a whole lot. Absolutely NO history of heart problems in my family from either of my parents’ sides. I’m in pretty decent shape. This incident started about 4 weeks ago. On the Sunday it started, I went snowboarding and played a hockey game that afternoon. That Sunday morning at about 3AM I woke with my heart fluttering like mad. I’m not sure if it was skipping beats, missing beats or what, but it was not right. It was doing this every 30-40 seconds and continued on through the following Monday. I had my wife check my heart (she’s a student nurse, 3rd year) and she figured my heart was adding a beat. The next day, it slowed down a fair bit, but was still doing it. I had all I could take and made an appointment to see my doctor. He found nothing wrong. My blood pressure was normal, heart rate was normal and my heart sounded healthy. I had an ECG done and it showed everything as normal, but it was still doing it (of course, it didn’t do it during the ECG). I played a few games of hockey in the weeks after that and it got worse while I was playing. I still figured it was adding a beat. My doctor prescribed 10Mg of Inderol. He said to take one pill each in the morning and night of any day when I had sporting activity, but I haven’t had any physical activity since then so I haven’t taken the Inderol. I have an appointment for a halter monitor but that won’t be until April 30. As of now, it’s still doing it and I can actually feel it. When I feel my pulse when it does it, my heart is skipping a beat.
Back in December, 08 I got what I thought was a flu. I was quite wobbly in the head like the flu, but I had no other obvious symptoms. When that finally went away (after about 2 days) I noticed I was sighing ALOT. Every fourth or fifth breath was a sigh. I went to my doctor and he figured I had hyperventilation syndrome. Eventually, that went away on it’s own. At the same time I had this “flu” I somehow came down with a depression. I have no idea why but it seems like they were related. The depression started at the same time as the “flu.” Slowly, that went away as well. Everything was going quite well until about four weeks ago when I got this stupid flutter. It literally scared the hell out of me. Now, after seeing my doctor and having it happen this long without dropping dead, I’m not as freaked out as I was, but it is a VERY uncomfortable feeling. The thing is, there seems to be no rhyme or reason when it happens. I stopped coffee for a full week and that didn’t help. Even so, I was only drinking two cups in the morning and in the afternoon, none at all or one or two. I didn’t drink any alcohol for two weeks (during the coffee break) and that didn’t help. Like I mentioned, I’m not really active right now (in-between hockey and mountain biking seasons) but it doesn’t do it when I run up stairs or any other type of activity that gets my heart rate up. Even now while typing this, it’s done it about four-five times. But at other times during the day, it won’t happen for a couple of hours at a time. In the past, I’d get the odd “flutter” maybe once every four or five months, but NEVER anything like this. I have read these forums and they have shed quite a bit of light on it. But I haven’t read any as detailed or with the same scenario as I’ve experienced. Personally, I think it’s in my head and will go away with time. Reason is, every time I see the doctor, it’s not there. It didn’t show up on the ECG. And I had a shoulder operation three weeks ago that lasted about 2 hours. Up until that operation, the flutter was happening about every 20-30 minutes. But guess what? During the whole operation, they never saw a thing on the heart monitor. And they were aware of the problem and were watching for it. Within an hour of coming out of anesthetic, I had it again, but for the next couple of days while I was in the hospital it only happened every 3 to 4 hours. After I left the hospital, it’s back to it’s “normal” fluttering. From the start, these flutters have no other symptoms. No dizziness, shortness of breath or chest pain. I've also never had any mental or medical problems in the past. Zero. Anyhow, sorry for the long explanation, but I wanted to provide as much info as possible for you to work with. I sincerely appreciate any light you can shed on this for me.
Back in December, 08 I got what I thought was a flu. I was quite wobbly in the head like the flu, but I had no other obvious symptoms. When that finally went away (after about 2 days) I noticed I was sighing ALOT. Every fourth or fifth breath was a sigh. I went to my doctor and he figured I had hyperventilation syndrome. Eventually, that went away on it’s own. At the same time I had this “flu” I somehow came down with a depression. I have no idea why but it seems like they were related. The depression started at the same time as the “flu.” Slowly, that went away as well. Everything was going quite well until about four weeks ago when I got this stupid flutter. It literally scared the hell out of me. Now, after seeing my doctor and having it happen this long without dropping dead, I’m not as freaked out as I was, but it is a VERY uncomfortable feeling. The thing is, there seems to be no rhyme or reason when it happens. I stopped coffee for a full week and that didn’t help. Even so, I was only drinking two cups in the morning and in the afternoon, none at all or one or two. I didn’t drink any alcohol for two weeks (during the coffee break) and that didn’t help. Like I mentioned, I’m not really active right now (in-between hockey and mountain biking seasons) but it doesn’t do it when I run up stairs or any other type of activity that gets my heart rate up. Even now while typing this, it’s done it about four-five times. But at other times during the day, it won’t happen for a couple of hours at a time. In the past, I’d get the odd “flutter” maybe once every four or five months, but NEVER anything like this. I have read these forums and they have shed quite a bit of light on it. But I haven’t read any as detailed or with the same scenario as I’ve experienced. Personally, I think it’s in my head and will go away with time. Reason is, every time I see the doctor, it’s not there. It didn’t show up on the ECG. And I had a shoulder operation three weeks ago that lasted about 2 hours. Up until that operation, the flutter was happening about every 20-30 minutes. But guess what? During the whole operation, they never saw a thing on the heart monitor. And they were aware of the problem and were watching for it. Within an hour of coming out of anesthetic, I had it again, but for the next couple of days while I was in the hospital it only happened every 3 to 4 hours. After I left the hospital, it’s back to it’s “normal” fluttering. From the start, these flutters have no other symptoms. No dizziness, shortness of breath or chest pain. I've also never had any mental or medical problems in the past. Zero. Anyhow, sorry for the long explanation, but I wanted to provide as much info as possible for you to work with. I sincerely appreciate any light you can shed on this for me.
Yet another update if anyone is following. It is now November 3, 2010. Everything has been going good, the PVC's have pretty much stopped. I get the odd one here and there, but not like it was. Since my last update, not too many things have changed in my life or appetite. ITDOOD above mentioned some foods and alcohol cause his, but I haven't noticed any one type of food or any amount of alcohol contribute to the PVC's. They just sort of.....went away. The only thing that I noticed that does incite a minor attack is strenuous physical activity.....like hockey. But I'm not sure if they happen more often during exercise or if it's just more noticable because my heart is beating harder and faster. Upon reflection, I remember always getting the odd "bump" in my chest when I was younger. And that is what I am getting now and I realize I've always had them. So basically, it's back to normal. The reason why I am updating is for those out there that are sh!tting their pants like I was, I can offer hope in the fact that in my case, they went away. I realize this isn't the case for everyone but hopefully it will help knowing that at least two people (myself and ITDOOD) had theirs go away. E-mail with any questions if you like. Take care all!!
Hi SlapShot, thanks for posting back. This thread is an interesting read to see you go from the initial not-knowing what it is, and as I'm reading it knowing you were having PVCs, to when you found out what they are.
I'm in the same exact boat as you and similar history. I'm a 42 yo male. Very good shape otherwise. There was a good reason why my doc and I decided to go as far as a cardiac MRI (family history and we wanted to rule out a certain condition). That came back fine, I just found out Monday. And I got a lot more PVCs than you. I hope that gives you reassurance as it should. I'm done with tests....
At my worst >10,000 per day, to like the past 6 weeks when I've had 10 or 20 /day, some days none. Sometimes they've gone away for months, in my late 30s they went away for 4 years.
Over the years (since my 20s) I've found they come and go, always morphing into something.
The best things I've done are to eliminate as much processed food as possible. I keep booze down to 2 beers per week max. I stopped drinking coffee but to be honest, I think I get less when I drink coffee. :-) I exercise but not like I used to, I've cut back on the intensity. I know a few food triggers for sure: Too much alcohol, any amount of red wine, and too much junk snack foods.
I swear by magnesium supps. I found the best result with mag glycenate (MagOx isn't very useful I've read). I say this because I tried both and I can definitely correlate an improvement with the Mag glycinate but no help from MagOx As they say, correlation does not equal causation, so we will see.
I've tried many medications when I was at my worst and those didn't work out too well for me. We're lucky in this day and age to have many options though. Don't let it stop you from doing anything. I just came back from swimming in the rough Atlantic ocean for an hour, and I felt one as I dove under a wave. Came back up and charged into the unknown. Good luck to you.
I'm in the same exact boat as you and similar history. I'm a 42 yo male. Very good shape otherwise. There was a good reason why my doc and I decided to go as far as a cardiac MRI (family history and we wanted to rule out a certain condition). That came back fine, I just found out Monday. And I got a lot more PVCs than you. I hope that gives you reassurance as it should. I'm done with tests....
At my worst >10,000 per day, to like the past 6 weeks when I've had 10 or 20 /day, some days none. Sometimes they've gone away for months, in my late 30s they went away for 4 years.
Over the years (since my 20s) I've found they come and go, always morphing into something.
The best things I've done are to eliminate as much processed food as possible. I keep booze down to 2 beers per week max. I stopped drinking coffee but to be honest, I think I get less when I drink coffee. :-) I exercise but not like I used to, I've cut back on the intensity. I know a few food triggers for sure: Too much alcohol, any amount of red wine, and too much junk snack foods.
I swear by magnesium supps. I found the best result with mag glycenate (MagOx isn't very useful I've read). I say this because I tried both and I can definitely correlate an improvement with the Mag glycinate but no help from MagOx As they say, correlation does not equal causation, so we will see.
I've tried many medications when I was at my worst and those didn't work out too well for me. We're lucky in this day and age to have many options though. Don't let it stop you from doing anything. I just came back from swimming in the rough Atlantic ocean for an hour, and I felt one as I dove under a wave. Came back up and charged into the unknown. Good luck to you.
Just an update. I don't want to be one of those people that joins a site out of fear, gets some answers, buggers off and then is never heard from again. The PVC's are still happening, but not too bad. I've read up lots on the subject and have come to realize they are not likely to go away. Whatever, nothing I can do about it. The symptoms have changed and the way they come about has as well. It seems like they happen a bit more when I'm at rest, but not while I'm busy either physically or mentally. They also seem to occur after I eat. But it's not all the time. I still feel it's stress related, at least somewhat. There is still no real rhyme or reason, but at least one thing is sure. The more time that goes on, the better I feel mentally knowing that my heart isn't likely going to explode or stop. Feel free to post any comments or questions.
Well, it's PVC's. Yay. My doctor told me it's nothing to worry about, EVERYONE gets them at one point or another (do they???). He made a point of telling me that. He also said they aren't dangerous. As far as causes, he said there is no "one" cause. Often they are caused by caffiene, aclohol and tobacco. I drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day and maybe 1-2 diet pepsi's. I don't smoke, but I do have a few beers every now and again. Lately the PVC's have dropped off quite significantly, but they still happen. I'm going to try and cut out the caffiene and alcohol and see what happens. Funny thing though is my caffiene and alcohol intake haven't changed in years, but maybe it's caught up to me. Who knows? Thanks to all who have replied, you helped me out big time!!!!!!!!
May 26th I have an appointment for another matter. My Dr. will let me know what the monitor said at that appointment. Obviously nothing big, but I'm curious none the less. It's weird, like it has been all along. Sometimes it does it alot, sometimes very little. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when/why it happens. That bothers me a bit. Oh well, it is what it is. I'll post back on the 26th.
Well, I had the monitor three days ago. It was funny though....3-4 days before the monitor, my heart was barely fluttering, maybe 6-10 times a day. The day before the monitor, it only did it 3-4 times. I thought, yeah great, the day I get this thing, it won't do it at all. But it did. And lots. I wrote down every flutter, etc. There were about 40 throughout the 24 hour period. But I haven't heard from my doctor so I am assuming there's no major problem. I called the clinic and they told me that he's busy and if there was anything important, I'd be notified. So we'll see what happens from here I guess. Makes me wonder though and I'll HAVE to talk to him no matter what and see what's going on.
Anxiety is such a convenient diagnosis when doctors don't have a diagnosis. I think most of us, when we really think about it, can figure out the difference between anxiety and a possibly real heart abnormality. If you get palpitations when you are noticeably anxious that is one thing...if you get them when you're just relaxing and not even worried about anything, then it's possible it's something else...not necessarily serious...but something you might want to at least be aware of. That being said, the stress and anxiety of modern day life is ridiculous and everyone can benefit from slowing down, breathing correctly and learning to relax!
Thanks for the comments. Monitor is going on tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. It's really been calming down lately and I have to agree with OxygenRO, I think it's anxiety, stress, etc.
It's all anxiety and depression, I would say. I have A&D and suffer from these as well. I have also had gastrointestinal problems, palpitations, appetite and weight loss, extreme oversleeping, back pains, all due to A&D. A&D is a chronic disease for me but it's getting better. You'll be fine.
Glad things have settled down and hope that they stay that way!!!
Everyone have a great weekend!!!
Everyone have a great weekend!!!
Thank-you both for your replies. I'm curious as to what the monitor has to say, but over-all, I'm not overly worried. At first, I freaked out. But after all this time it hasn't got any worse, actually a bit better, so I'm feeling ok. And amazingly enough, after writing my original post last night, I've been MUCH better today and this evening, I've only had a couple of misses over the past 3-4 hours. I'll see how it goes and post back with any/all results. Thanks again!!
I know you can not wait to get your monitor...that will show exactly what is going on so until then, you will just have to try to not worry..easy for me to say. I would also give up all caffeine, even tho it did not help last time, it's so bad for us and also no alcohol and just see if things do calm down. For me, both caffeine and alcohol are no no's..they will start my PVC's so both of those are no longer an option for me. You could try taking magnesium and see if that helps calm things down. I hope you let us know what you find out!! It's v frustrating not knowing so hopefully you will know soon!!!
Good luck!!
Good luck!!
Anxiety can do crazy things. PVCs and other benign arrhythmia can definitely be caused by anxiety. I have anxiety and I'd say at least 3/4 of my skips and flutters are egged on by an anxiety producing situation. 1/4 of the time they just come on themselves, even if I'm just watching tv or relaxing. So I think I am prone to them, but they become more frequent due to the anxiety.
My dr told me that it's common to experience arrhythmia after you exercise and your heart rate is still elevated. That transition from working hard to your body calming down oftentimes triggers benign arrhythmia and he said it's nothing to worry about - has something to do with your adrenaline being elevated from working out and your heart responding to higher levels of adrenaline without working hard (simlates anxiety).
I don't know if this helps you or not. Last summer I went to ER because I had a 20 secod run of flutters and thought that was the end of me. Of course when I got in there my heart rate was sky high because I was scared out of my mind, but I had no skips or flutters and they sent me home. LOL, that's always the way my heart operates. If it weren't for event monitors, my drs would think it was all in my head!
My dr told me that it's common to experience arrhythmia after you exercise and your heart rate is still elevated. That transition from working hard to your body calming down oftentimes triggers benign arrhythmia and he said it's nothing to worry about - has something to do with your adrenaline being elevated from working out and your heart responding to higher levels of adrenaline without working hard (simlates anxiety).
I don't know if this helps you or not. Last summer I went to ER because I had a 20 secod run of flutters and thought that was the end of me. Of course when I got in there my heart rate was sky high because I was scared out of my mind, but I had no skips or flutters and they sent me home. LOL, that's always the way my heart operates. If it weren't for event monitors, my drs would think it was all in my head!
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