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Avatar universal

Skippy heart beats

I tried to post on the doctor forum but it won't let me so I thought I was run this by some other people:

Can you please tell me if I have been thru all the necessary testing for PVC's, PAC's, heart flutters etc. then I should not worry?  I have had a holter (saw triplet PVC's  and couplet PVC's (I think it was around 100 the day of the holter).  I would think that 100 is quite a few?  Would you consider this quite a few?  The doctor didn't seem concerned about it and said since you have a normal heart don't sweat it (easy for him to say - he isn't getting these).  

I have also had a stress test and it came back normal and an echo.  The echo said there was slight backup of something but the guy told me it was totally normal to have that.  Do you think I should pursue this thru another cardiologist or just not worry about it?  I get skips, flutters etc. every single day and I really don't like the feeling of them.  I take Prozac for my worry about these things and I think it takes the edge off a little but I still don't understand why my heart continually does this.  Sometimes it just does one hard bang and other times it will do it every third or fouth beat.  Is it true that normal hearts act like this?  I don't know of anyone that feels skips and flutters and that is why I am having such a hard time beleiving the cardiologist I saw.  I am a 47 year old healthy female.

27 Responses
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1655526 tn?1330655629
You are sooooo not alone!!!! Many, many people here can identify with what your are feeling including myself. No one can tell you what for sure is going on, only a doctor can do that. It sounds for sure like an arrythmia, either PAC's or PVC's . The way you describe it sounds like mine which are PAC's and they are annoying but not life threatening. The speeding up of your heart sounds like some kind of tachycardia, which is a heart beat over 100 while resting and it is scary. Mine went to 250 bpm and I was diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) and had it fixed with a heart ablation. I had these for over 20 years before finally getting it taken care of. SVT's are also annoying but not life threatening if that is what you have. If it's something like atrial fribillation, or ventricle tachycardia, then that is a little more serious.

You really need to see a doctor to see what exactly is going on. Sometimes arrythmias can be caused by your thyroid being out of whack. Believe me, there are many things that cause arrythmias but you NEED to find out what you have first. Don't be afraid to go to a doctor. You'll probably find out like most of us that everthing is fine structurally with your heart, but the electrical system is out of whack which is more common than you might think.
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1739447 tn?1310828103
I am 30 yrs old and i need some help and advice from anyone please. i dont know what to do anymore i started to feel a difference in my heart beat about 10 years ago but what happens is i will feel like my heart skips beats and then pound real hard and i feel it in my neck/throat area. i will have 5 to 10 a day and sometimes when im just sitting doing nothing. the thing that i dont understand is i will have them and feel so weird for about 2 weeks to a month then i will go for 6 to 8 months and not feel a thing then one day out of the blue its back and its very scary. i am a stay at home mother of 2 and i am constantly worried that something will happen to me and the kids will be home alone. i also have feelings of shortness of breath sometimes a feeling of weakness fainting then my heart will race i turn into panic mode instantly i hate this! i have never been diagnosed with pvc or anything i am scared to go to the doctor. i have been reading up on things it could be and came across this site and it sounds like it may be this pvc. can anyone help me do you think it is pvcs or something more serious what do i do about this i have changed my whole life and it is affecting me badly and my kids i live in constant fear and dont even go out anymore in fear that something will happen to me. please tell me something anything.. thank you kristen
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Avatar universal
Im a 35 yr old female who used to work out and take all kinds of supplements. I've recently laced on my routine and became a couch potato gaining a lil weight (im 5'4 @ 129-not too bad) and in january had a major episode of palps that made me dizzy and flushed and very anxious. Anxiety runs in my family. After a week of episodes - loss of sleep and scary frustration I went to the doc. They did a ekg..blood tests and told me to cool it on my nicotine and alcohol intake. Everything came back normal and I've cut down on my drinking and nicotine started taking magnesium ..potassium and omegas but still have days and sleepless nights with these pounding skips and racing beats. Im worried that I will develops an enlarged heart if this keeps up. I even got some xanax from a friend just to calm down and it doesn't always help(I know its not an answer but I need to relax to sleep ). Am I having panic attacks..is this normal should I go back to the doc? Help
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Avatar universal
Im a 35 yr old female who used to work out and take all kinds of supplements. I've recently laced on my routine and became a couch potato gaining a lil weight (im 5'4 @ 129-not too bad) and in january had a major episode of palps that made me dizzy and flushed and very anxious. Anxiety runs in my family. After a week of episodes - loss of sleep and scary frustration I went to the doc. They did a ekg..blood tests and told me to cool it on my nicotine and alcohol intake. Everything came back normal and I've cut down on my drinking and nicotine started taking magnesium ..potassium and omegas but still have days and sleepless nights with these pounding skips and racing beats. Im worried that I will develops an enlarged heart if this keeps up. I even got some xanax from a friend just to calm down and it doesn't always help(I know its not an answer but I need to relax to sleep ). Am I having panic attacks..is this normal should I go back to the doc? Help
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Avatar universal
You will get your wish, but you have to work on it a little bit.

You will eventually find something that distracts you from the "watchful waiting". Waiting and watching, AND checking to see if anything is new or different. Or counting. That always gets me. Counting. One minute it's "yippee I only got 10 pvcs" that time, the next minutes it's "dang, I got 25 pvcs, ugh now they are in couplets and triplets".

I have found that activity, more than trying to relax, helps to distract me. As a matter of fact, the one time I can count on to be pvc free is when I get on the treadmill and get my heart above 140bpm.

I am told that it is because the "correct circuitry of the heart takes over and there is no time for accessory pathways to fire". But it also reminds me that if I can do treadmill at 140bpm, without being short of breath (aside from the normal exercise), then my heart must be ok. I just don't think I have the stamina to spend my whole day on the treadmill lol
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Avatar universal
You lived just up the the Cardiology Plus office then!  My favorite spot!  I used to see Dr. Ma there.  

Yes Calgary has gotten a LOT bigger.  Banff has as well.  It seems everyone is coming out west because there are a lot of jobs and a lot of money!

That is really a shame that if you live in the States you have to pay these huge amounts for health care.  It is hard to get into doctors around here but at least it is covered in the $88.00/month fee we pay to the government.

Also that is what they keep on tell me.  My heart is structurally sound so don't worry about.  I just wish I could do that!
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Avatar universal
I lived in the Northeast, just off Edmonton Trail. It's funny another person might know the area. A big wonderful world, and yet so small. I heard Calgary passed 1 million recently. That's too big. Last I was in Banff it had changed significantly as well.

Celeste, I'm not sure what to think about ablation.  While I don't get much relief from the high frequency, I do get some stretches where I don't think about them, I don't notice them. They are still there, but I'm unaware. Some of my hesitation is money, (I have a very high deductible) and some of it is fear of the potential risk.

I did an echo on Tuesday and I'm waiting for the results. If my heart is "structurally normal" then I think I will feel a little more secure. I guess that is the biggest defense against the pvcs. Knowing that your heart is strong regardless of the arrhythmia.
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Avatar universal
I am glad the Banff thing generated so much interest!  I am originally from Calgary as well?  Where did you live in Calgary?
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219704 tn?1338609105
Hi there,
I had to smile when I read your hello to me...it is so true. It's very nice to meet and talk with people here, but it really stinks too in that there are way too many people with PVC's/arrhythmia's. For something so common and obviously so life altering and yes, life destroying too, you would think that someone, somewhere, would be looking for a cure.  
I've had them for 24 years now. They started up right around the first time I had a really stressful job with the government and got ALOT worse 3 years later after having a few panic attacks. I've had them in cycles ever since. The last cycle I had lasted 13 months and literally began within seconds of the surgeons coming out and telling me that my daughter had some complications during surgery.

Sorry to hear the mag doesn't work for you! I took 500 mg's this afternoon when I started into bigeminy and I've only had one PVC this evening.  I know one thing for sure, if they keep going and progressively get worse again, I'm taking my EP up on the offer for an ablation. I just can't go through 20,000+ a day for months on end again. ....Everytime I hear the words "PVC's are benign" and you'll learn to live with them, I have to laugh outloud to save my sanity.

Be well!







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Avatar universal
You said "the guy" said that it was totally normal to have a back flow or something on your echo. Was this "guy" a Cardiologist?  If not, I would pay no attention what he would tell me but let the Cardiologist tell me about my echo, and what is or is not normal.

However, since your other tests came out normal, and if the echo was not normal I'm sure your Cardiologist would have called you by now.

100 PVC's a day is not much.  I had every other beat at one time for weeks, that is 30 PVC's in one hour.

To little Magnesium and Potassium can also cause it, but most if the time there is no cause.  They just come and go, and come again, and go again.



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Avatar universal
Hi there,

Those dropped ones I dread!!!  What is so weird is I can agree with what was said when you have lots of them you seem to get used to them, but when they leave you for awhile and then return it's quite impossible to ignore them.  I keep seeing the talk about magnesium but I am afraid to take anything.  I am already on a beta blocker and it has me lethargic most of the time so I am praying I can be weaned off next month, but I wish there was something I could take that was natural AND that I wasn't afraid of :-)    As I type this I can feel flutters, but I am trying to ignore them.  

It sounds like you live someplace beautiful!  Try and take advantage of your beautiful surroundings and breathe in that clean mountain fresh air....ahhhhhhh, I can just imagine.

Have a peaceful night!
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Avatar universal
Well, I hate to meet another person with high frequency pvcs, because it means another person has them--but hello Celeste. I read your post and understand you are 43. How long have you had them?

Rockymountain, I could not agree with Celeste more when she said that the fewer pvcs she gets, the more she can feel them and the more they are bothersome. That is definitely when I get that "dropped" sensation. The pause that lasts a lifetime. I get many couplets and triplets. I've even had non-sustained VT, maybe 10pvcs in a row. I got so sick of wondering what was next I think that's when I made up my mind not to let them take my life away. No sense living if you are wondering every minute when you'll die. I'm still here, but maybe feeling a little sorry for myself right now.

Mine have stopped for on rare occassion for maybe a couple of hours, once it was a whole day on my birthday. I thought it was a gift from god. I have no answer why they stop or start, but I'm heartbroken when they return. I have tried everything, toperol, inderol, atenolol, 1500mg of magnesium/day. Nothing makes a dent. I do take some supplements that lessen the sensation, but not the frequency, better than taking bb which make me feel so fatigued.

You do live in a terrific part of the world, I'm originally from Calgary Alberta and Banff was the best playground a person could ask for.
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376186 tn?1219279505
I take a mag/calcium supplement which seems to help.If your body gets too much it can cause diarrhea..that is the only side effect that I have heard about so maybe give it another chance but just not as much at one time. I take it throughout the day and the brand is Country Life. I also have magnesium oil and you can google that for info!!

Good luck!!!
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219704 tn?1338609105
I've never heard of that happening. I would try a different kind of magnesium, like Magnesium citrate or Magnesium lactate (hard to find) as it is one of the best, most completely absorbed. Magnesium oxide is the worst and is not absorbed very well, less then 20%. Oxide also causes diarrhea and cramps more often.
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219704 tn?1338609105
LOL...it's not easy! But whether it's 10 or 100 or 20,000 a day, everyone of the nasty little buggers feel just awful and feeling just one, is one to many in my opinion!

Oh my gosh! you must be in Banff National Park!! What a gorgeous place to visit, let alone live there!!  I'd be in heaven!

Wishing you a PVC free evening!
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88793 tn?1290227177
I was advised by other forum's doctor to take Magnesium.  He said 4 a day but my GP said one a day.  I took one a day....  On the third day, my both side of the tummy hurt so much and I rolled on my bed ....  soaking. Unable to go to work.  I stopped it.  The pain has gone now and this is the seventh day.  Anyone has that experience?  Can Magnesium caused that or coincidence?
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376186 tn?1219279505
I am reading these posts and can relate to all of them!!! I am on a BB which doesn't help all that much and I may wean myself off.

rockymountain232, my husband use to work near Red Dear . He was just there on this assignment for about a year but we absolutely loved Banff and would go there or Lake L every weekend!! Stayed at the most gorgeous hotel!! We hated to leave that assignment to come back to the states and we can not want to go back sometime. You are v,v, v lucky!!!! My gosh, I loved the shopping too!!!! I am going to get my  pix out and go down  memory lane!!!

:)B
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Avatar universal
Oh my god Celeste!  How could you stand that many!  I guess I shouldn't be complaining about 100!  I take magnesium in the morning as well but I don't see it making a difference.  I just want to know if I am gonig to drop dead or not and they don't seem to think I am.

I am in Banff, Alberta right beside the mountains.
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219704 tn?1338609105
Hi there,

I'm 43 and another longtime 20,000 + PVC per day member. Thankfully, mine let up for about 5 months and gave me a much needed break....but, as always, they are back again and slowly building up in intensity.
You know, for me, the lower the number, the worse they feel. I know it sounds crazy, but when they are coming in higher numbers, 10,000+,  I somehow get used to my "normal" irregular heartrate and don't really panic or pay much attention to them. When I have under a thousand a day, I am constantly startled by them and that starts another whole vicious cycle of pvc-panic-more pvc's. I can literally feel the adrenaline rush followed by another run of pvc's. The attitude I've had to take this past few weeks is one of "show me what you've got". Fear only breeds more adrenaline and cortisol dropping and thus in turn causes more pvc's in my case.

One thing that helped slow mine down or perhaps stopped them for the 5 months was 450 mgs. of magnesium a day. Being careless, I've not been so great in keeping up my daily amount for a last few months so that might be one of the reasons the PVC's are back.
As far as heart function and arrhythmias are concerned, magnesium plays some very crucial roles, and is absolutely proven to play a crucial role in maintaining the normal heartbeat. A few interesting and important things about magnesium:

1. Magnesium exerts a sedative effect & inhibits the excitability of nerve cells throughout the central nervous system, especially the heart.
2. Magnesium has an important effect on relaxation of heart muscle tissue. Without it, muscles fibers would contract and never relax.
3. Magnesium helps to transmit nerve signals.
4. Magnesium is necessary for the synthesis of protein
5. Magnesium assists enzymes in catalyzing most chemical reactions in the body and to make hundreds of enzymes work.

Magnesium takes awhile to work, so if you try it, give it about 6 full weeks to build up in your system. Standard blood serum levels won't tell you squat about your cellular levels, so if you were given the all clear in your blood tests, it doesn't necessarily mean your not magnesium deficient...(According to leading pathologists, about 80% of the population is now deficient because of processed foods and insufficient levels of minerals in our soils.)
The average daily intake of magnesium in America is 200 mgs. That's about 150 mg's short of the RDA or 4500 mg's a month!!

Sorry to ramble on...I must sound like a vitamin salesperson...lol. Anyway, know that your not alone and what your feeling is probably pretty close if not identical to what many of us are experiencing.

BTW...what part of the Rockies are you in? I'm in Utah.
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Avatar universal
Hey there.  The docs still have told me that the strings of them in a normal heart are benign so don't worry about it.  I know they don't feel benign but I guess they are from what they have told me.

I get sometimes the dropping, sinking thing every couple of beats throughout the day or sometimes I just get one or two a day.  My old heart just seems to have a mind of its own and does its own thing.  I KNOW how hard it is to beleive it but I have been told so many times not to worry about it and I still do.
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Avatar universal
Wow, that is exactly what I am getting then, a string of PVC's together.  Oh that is soooo bad!  Those are the worst and I call those the "ugly" PVC's, but I didn't know it was a string of them, or I should say I wasn't sure.  I feel for you rocky because it is so hard dealing with these things.  I have been on here crying and moaning looking for support and I get it everytime!  When I go to see my cardio next week I am going to ask specifically about the string of PVC's and I need to get a definite answer.
When you say you get those "all the time" what is all the time?  Is it once a day, twice a day, I don't mean the flutters but the drop feeling.

I sure hope you have a flutter free evening.  Be encouraged!
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Avatar universal
My life to a t!  I hate the drop feeling as well.  I get those all the time.  I also get them really hard in the left hand side of my neck.  I get so many weird things that go on I just don't know how my heart goes back into its regular rythum.  When I get the two or three PVC's together it is really hard kinda dropped beats.  Sends me over the edge!
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Avatar universal
Hello-
I was just reading this and had to ask the same question rockymountain asked, how in the WORLD do you do it?  I can have one or two in a day and be in tears.  I just don't see how it's at all possible people deal with 1000's in one day.  Do you ever get the "dropped" feeling?  I was doing good, but I got that this a.m., not sure why.  I don't like the flutters at all either but I especially hate the dropped feeling, and I'm still not sure if that is two-three PVC's together or what.  I just have to say that you must be a stong person to be able to deal with that many in one day.  Who knows, maybe I am having that many and don't know it :-)  I just can't stand feeling the, and my cardio put me on beta blockers because I was having such a hard time.  Well now I want to come off of those as I have never been one for meds.  Ugh, everytime I think I am cured.......
I posted today about feeling them in my neck-check it out if you get a chance.
I SOOOOOOO appreciate this forum.
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Avatar universal
Well, it's pretty "normal" for hearts to have the occassional arrhythmia. I'm told everyone has the occassional "skipped beat". Then it just becomes a matter of how sensitive we are to that sensation. And believe me I can describe just about every sensation you can imagine with the pvcs, I think I've had them all. But even when I get a new or different sensation, I have to hold back my racing mind and remind myself, it's just another pvc not something more ominous.

In terms of how interruptive they are to daily life, well sometimes it seems like someone is tapping me on the shoulder, pulling the back of my hair and pushing me in the chest or between the shoulders, oh about 15 to 20 times a minute. That's when I feel all the pvcs. It can be really difficult to concentrate on any thing else, but that is what you will eventually learn to do.

This forum is a terrific place for information and support. It helped me to be less sensitive, or maybe more correctly, less reactive, when I realized I wasn't the only one with thousands of pvcs. Don't get me wrong, there are some days I do feel like I'm going nuts, I guess that's why I'm back reading this forum and posting.  
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