Irregular Heartbeat and palpitations.

[show_jumper]

The the past year I've been experiencing palpitations that happen every 5-20 minutes every day. It feels like my heart stops for a second or two then takes an extra stong beat. Sometimes the palpitations cause a painful thud in my chest. Some times when i'm relaxing my heart will start racing and I can feel my heart beating very stong in my neck.
I've also been getting lightheaded pretty bad headaches that feel like my head is full of pressure. Tylenol or advil doesn't help either.

I wen't to the hospital one night because I was having severe chestpains and was lightheaded and confused. The Doctors did an EKG, blood tests, chest x-ray and urine test and found nothing. I also had a holter monitor on for 24 hours a few months before and nothing showed up on that.

I do have alot of anxiety, which i'm taking novo fluoxetine for. I also take gravol each day because I get nausea all the time.

Does anybody know what might be going on with me?  Could it be serious?

[JohnConnor]

As long as your physician has given you the all clear, these arrhythmias are benign. In fact, athletes suffer from them more than a sedentary individual !! As I said before - try not to worry - as this can bring on these arrhythmias. I suffered for years with the darn things until I was reassured that they were benign.

Theoretically, if a PVC were to occur at the peak of the T-wave (ventricular depolarisation), which itself is very, very, very, rare, this can trigger VT. But the chances of a PVC occuring at the peak of the T-wave and/or VT occurring in a healthy heart are a trillion to one. It has probably never happened !!!

They occur because the myocardium, the heart muscle, is irritated. Caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, chocolate and cold&flu remedies can irritate the heart.

[gil68]

Me too...

Driving me crazy...

I am a 39 yr old male in good shape, but.................

At night when I am trying to get to sleep, on occasion, it feels like my heart pauses, sometimes there is a momentary blackout other times not, and then a strong heart beat. Sometimes it happens and wakes me up from a deep sleep. This might happen once or twice a month, always at night, never during the day.

I've been to ER and family doctor, other than high blood pressure everything checks out, but it still has me worried.

[bute]

hi i just found this site and thanks to everyone for all the comments i my self have been having the palpation been about 10 years now and i find that they leave a awhile and come back mostly during stressful times in my life or when i dont have enough magnesium in my body.i have a ten thousand dollar doctor bill to show that everything is fine, even though i do hate having them but im learning to deal with them and trust me they are very annoying and wish i didnt have them and sometimes they effect my day...i wont drive and i just stay in so maybe one day they will go away. so glad i found this site i will be checking in on a regular bases.

[JohnConnor]

Hi there, I'm a fourth year medical student and as Brooke_38 says you are more than likely experiencing PAC's (Premature Atrial Complexes) or PVC's (Premature Ventricular Complexes). It is impossible to tell which you are suffering from without an ECG.

The pause in your normal rhythm is cause by an early contraction of one of the chambers of the heart, sometimes referred to as an ectopic beat. This causes the SA node to reset which stops the electrical activity within the heart - this is the pause that you experience.

During the pause, blood is still flowing into the upper chambers of your heart (the atria), causing them to stretch. The more the heart muscle is stretched i.e. the greater the preload, the more powerful the next contraction will be. This is the kick that you feel after.  

Try not to worry about these symptoms as anxiety is a potent trigger for these arrhytmias!! The more you worry about them, the more likely they are to occur.

I recommend Magnesium supplementation. Take 300mg daily, this may help to reduce their frequency.

[rbeans]

Listen to Brooke_38 she is very wise.  I have had the same symptoms for years.  Try and cut out the triggers that Brooke mentioned above.  It is very scary, makes you think you will drop but after about 15yrs of them I'm still standing. (is there a song like that?) LOL.

Keep up with your appointment with your Dr. you could ask him for month long monitor they are pretty neat. works through the phone lines. They can get a better idea of wants going on. They are smaller than the 24hr monitors and easy to hook up.

Post on this forum when you need us.  You will meet many others that feel just like you and make some great friends along the way. I did.

rbeans

[Brooke_38]

Hello...

The good news for you is that all the tests that were run, were negative. rom what you describe, it sounds to me like you were experiencing PVC's.
For most people they are simply "normal variants", occurring in otherwise normal healthy people with no structural heart disease. It is

causes may include:

Abnormal levels of "electrolytes" (minerals) in the blood. Decreased potassium and/or magnesium are the most common associated abnormalities of electrolytes.
There are unusual congenital (familial) causes of ventricular arrhythmias.
Abnormal conditions such as increased thyroid hormones, and others.
Toxins, including alcohol. stimulants,caffeine,nicotine or amphetamine use as well as some over-the-counter herbal medications that contain pseudoephedrine.
They are often worse with lack of sleep, or stress.

If you have a healthy heart (no evidence of structural abnormalities) they are considered a benign finding. There are many in this forum who have posted regarding symptoms and treatment. Look through some of the posts to see if your symptoms are similar. Just jump in and I'm sure that there will be many who are willing to chat and help you any way they can...including me:) Good luck!