Aa
Palpitations
47 year old female. Good health except for palps.
Question:
Have had all tests and holters and show double PVC's and triplet PAC's. I can sometimes go a day or two without feeling them and then wammo they come on and I can have one every couple of beats. I hate these things. I have become obsessed with them and my doctor has put me on Lexapro. I still feel them and still get really scared when I feel them.
I have read on this forum that everyone has them. Mine feel like either a skip, skip and normal beat or just a big bang or a fluttery sensation. Is is still okay to have these every couple of beats every so often though? I have asked my friends if they have them and they say no they don't feel anything. Do you think that it is true that I am just super sensitive to these things? I feel every little irregularity. I would say on a normal day would feel maybe one every couple of hours. Do you think that is normal? On my bad days I would get one every couple of beats for maybe 15 minutes or so.
If you were to holter everyone for a day can you give me a percentage that would have these things? If I have a completely normal heart why do I get these? I think the doctors are sick of me going back time and time again saying there is something wrong and they keep on telling me there is nothing wrong. I have also gone for an EP study and they could not induc anything so they said don't worry about it.
I have known two women that have died recently in their 40's and one of them was due to cardiac arrythmia. The other one had something else wrong with her heart. This scared the daylights out of me because I believe I have cardiac arrythimia as well! My doctor told me that if I had a dangerous arrythmia it would be there all the time and not come and go. What do you think?
Do think this is still worth pursing or should I just drop it and try not to worry.
Question:
Have had all tests and holters and show double PVC's and triplet PAC's. I can sometimes go a day or two without feeling them and then wammo they come on and I can have one every couple of beats. I hate these things. I have become obsessed with them and my doctor has put me on Lexapro. I still feel them and still get really scared when I feel them.
I have read on this forum that everyone has them. Mine feel like either a skip, skip and normal beat or just a big bang or a fluttery sensation. Is is still okay to have these every couple of beats every so often though? I have asked my friends if they have them and they say no they don't feel anything. Do you think that it is true that I am just super sensitive to these things? I feel every little irregularity. I would say on a normal day would feel maybe one every couple of hours. Do you think that is normal? On my bad days I would get one every couple of beats for maybe 15 minutes or so.
If you were to holter everyone for a day can you give me a percentage that would have these things? If I have a completely normal heart why do I get these? I think the doctors are sick of me going back time and time again saying there is something wrong and they keep on telling me there is nothing wrong. I have also gone for an EP study and they could not induc anything so they said don't worry about it.
I have known two women that have died recently in their 40's and one of them was due to cardiac arrythmia. The other one had something else wrong with her heart. This scared the daylights out of me because I believe I have cardiac arrythimia as well! My doctor told me that if I had a dangerous arrythmia it would be there all the time and not come and go. What do you think?
Do think this is still worth pursing or should I just drop it and try not to worry.
im 22 5ft 6 and size 16ish i had a baby 8 months 3 weeks ago i used to have these extra beats about 9 months b4 i had my little boy, i had nothing during my pregnancy and they came back about 4 months ago ive been to a and e and had this machine strapped to me that showed palpatatons the nurse didnt seem at all worried i also had a xray done but with mine i feel dizzy, and very breathless, the dr thinks its anxiety ive sufferede from this before so i dont think it is, i also check my pulse sometimes it is racing when these happen sometimes not??? i feel like im going to die and no body wants to help or tell me whats wrong!!!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Is is still okay to have these every couple of beats every so often though?
If you have a structurally normal heart and normal tests, it is still ok. The reality there is not a great alternative than to live with them. If they have done an EP study and cannot induce anything they can fix, then ablation is not an option. If you are worried about the risk of dying, the risk of taking medications to suppress these extra beats is also significant. The best option is trying to live with them. If you can't do that, another option is trying to suppress them with mediations like flecainide or propafenone -- but this carries a slight increased risk of problems from the medication.
Do you think that it is true that I am just super sensitive to these things?
Some people notice these extra beats and others do not. Unfortunately for you, you are one of those that can feel them.
I would say on a normal day would feel maybe one every couple of hours. Do you think that is normal?
I can say it is normal for you. The long term follow up studies show that you are not at significantly higher risk of cardiac events if your cardiac work up is negative.
If you were to holter everyone for a day can you give me a percentage that would have these things? If I have a completely normal heart why do I get these?
I do not know the exact percentages of who has these events on a daily basis -- I think it is the mid- 60% range. There is not a clear answer for why some people have these events and others don't -- you will not find a satisfactory answer to "why do you get them."
My doctor told me that if I had a dangerous arrythmia it would be there all the time and not come and go. What do you think?
I think by having a normal echo, stress test and EP study, you risk of cardiac events is very low.
Thanks for the post and I hope this helps.
To comment briefly on REET's comment on Ryan Shay: I went to Notre Dame, I ran cross country and track for Notre Dame a few years before Ryan Shay. The loss to Notre Dame, the running community, his friend and his recent wife of 4 months are all deeply affected by his loss today in the Olympic trial marathon. His sudden death is not reason to cause alarm to people that have PVCs/PACs. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict when events like this are going to happen. I would think the rarity of events like this should actually help calm people that worry about this. Hundreds of thousands of people run marathons every year and these are traumatic but very rare events. God bless Ryan, his family and friends for the loss of an incredible person today.
If you have a structurally normal heart and normal tests, it is still ok. The reality there is not a great alternative than to live with them. If they have done an EP study and cannot induce anything they can fix, then ablation is not an option. If you are worried about the risk of dying, the risk of taking medications to suppress these extra beats is also significant. The best option is trying to live with them. If you can't do that, another option is trying to suppress them with mediations like flecainide or propafenone -- but this carries a slight increased risk of problems from the medication.
Do you think that it is true that I am just super sensitive to these things?
Some people notice these extra beats and others do not. Unfortunately for you, you are one of those that can feel them.
I would say on a normal day would feel maybe one every couple of hours. Do you think that is normal?
I can say it is normal for you. The long term follow up studies show that you are not at significantly higher risk of cardiac events if your cardiac work up is negative.
If you were to holter everyone for a day can you give me a percentage that would have these things? If I have a completely normal heart why do I get these?
I do not know the exact percentages of who has these events on a daily basis -- I think it is the mid- 60% range. There is not a clear answer for why some people have these events and others don't -- you will not find a satisfactory answer to "why do you get them."
My doctor told me that if I had a dangerous arrythmia it would be there all the time and not come and go. What do you think?
I think by having a normal echo, stress test and EP study, you risk of cardiac events is very low.
Thanks for the post and I hope this helps.
To comment briefly on REET's comment on Ryan Shay: I went to Notre Dame, I ran cross country and track for Notre Dame a few years before Ryan Shay. The loss to Notre Dame, the running community, his friend and his recent wife of 4 months are all deeply affected by his loss today in the Olympic trial marathon. His sudden death is not reason to cause alarm to people that have PVCs/PACs. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict when events like this are going to happen. I would think the rarity of events like this should actually help calm people that worry about this. Hundreds of thousands of people run marathons every year and these are traumatic but very rare events. God bless Ryan, his family and friends for the loss of an incredible person today.
Very good questions....I'm a 50+ yr old regular distance runner (40+ miles week). 20 yrs ago I once ran an under 3 hrs for the marathon.
I got a stomach bug back in July. Every since I have developed daily PACs(confirmed by cardio doc stress test). Daily I have about 20 to 30 of them mostly happening with any physical effort. They have spooked me so bad that I am now afraid to even jog. Doc says they are hamless.....but when I get them I literally pant for 10 seconds or so until they pass. When they hit if feels like a mild stomach punch, that slightly takes my breath away. Ughh, I hate it !
Wow, This does not help my already anxiety prone worry. Top marathoner dies at the US Trails in NYC.
It's good to hear that other's suffer as I do with this funk.....but it does not stop the panic and terror I have when these flutters happen. I wish this cardio web doc would address how to deal with this uneasy fear we all struggle with.
I'm sorry this is so hard for you. I wish I could give you some of my insensitivity. If I believed for one moment that routine ectopics could be dangerous I'd be the most vigilant mother in the world. I know he's fine. My cardiologist doesn't lie. Why would he do that? So that my son would die from his hearbeats without any diagnosis or treatment ?
It doesn't do ANY good to obsess over it because the vigilance won't make any difference. Fight or flight doesn't seem to have a very good application to routine heart flutters.
Have they tried you on a beta blocker? For some people this reduces the perception of the hearbeat.
Very few young people just up and drop dead from arrythmia, though any person could be one of those rare people. My guess is most people who do never much noticed their heart.
It doesn't do ANY good to obsess over it because the vigilance won't make any difference. Fight or flight doesn't seem to have a very good application to routine heart flutters.
Have they tried you on a beta blocker? For some people this reduces the perception of the hearbeat.
Very few young people just up and drop dead from arrythmia, though any person could be one of those rare people. My guess is most people who do never much noticed their heart.
God loves ya kitcurious. That makes me feel better but I still have a terrible obsession with it. I don't know what it is going to take for me to believe that there is nothing wrong but I have to find some way to to it. I can't believe you didn't feel your PVC's. Don't you ever notice a thump or anything? I notice every single skip or flutter. I think I may benefit from therapy to try to get over this because it is totally ruining my life with my constant worry about it. These have been happening for years and I still can't get over them. I actually seem to be getting worse with my constant obsessing about them. I have seen probably 5 heart doctors over the years and they all say "normal heart no big deal". I just have a difficult time believing them I guess when I hear people dropping dead from cardiac arrythimia.
My son went through a series of heart tests because the doc noticed them on his routine check up.
He had 1600+ PVC/PACs on a 24-hr Holter and he didn't feel a single one. His heart is structurally normal and since he is very young he has not been put on any med. They don't bother him and the meds for PVCS ( unless you get 10's of thousands a day) are largely for symptoms, to treat the nerves of the patient.
At a routine check-up, my heart was "fast". Was given EKG=fast, given Holter=tachy plus 15 PVCs or so. Didn't notice them or the tachy. When people tell you they don't feel anything it's because they don't feel anything. Doesn't mean it's not happening.
It is an absolute fact that normal people get these things periodically, even daily, and do not notice them.
If your heart ran like a metronome my guess is that it wouldn't be more, or even AS normal as one that had some variability, but that's just my guess.
There are therapies that can try to help people over this sensitivity if they want to conquer it, one author is frequently mentioned on the boards. I think the name is Dr. Weekes?
He had 1600+ PVC/PACs on a 24-hr Holter and he didn't feel a single one. His heart is structurally normal and since he is very young he has not been put on any med. They don't bother him and the meds for PVCS ( unless you get 10's of thousands a day) are largely for symptoms, to treat the nerves of the patient.
At a routine check-up, my heart was "fast". Was given EKG=fast, given Holter=tachy plus 15 PVCs or so. Didn't notice them or the tachy. When people tell you they don't feel anything it's because they don't feel anything. Doesn't mean it's not happening.
It is an absolute fact that normal people get these things periodically, even daily, and do not notice them.
If your heart ran like a metronome my guess is that it wouldn't be more, or even AS normal as one that had some variability, but that's just my guess.
There are therapies that can try to help people over this sensitivity if they want to conquer it, one author is frequently mentioned on the boards. I think the name is Dr. Weekes?
There is one thing I forgot to ask! Does everyone heartbeat have some sort irregularity to it every day or do some people hearts just pumping perfectly every day?
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