heart flutters - otherwise healthy, 22 yr old

Question

Hello.. I have been experiencing a fluttering heart sensation off and on starting from when i was approximately 15 years old. The fluttering i feel is a very rapid beat, but the rhythm is regular as far as i can tell.. (it is beating much faster but not chaoticly, just extremely rapidly) and this fluttering is not subtle at all.. when it happens.. i know it, no matter what i am doing. I do not usually experience any other symptoms while the fluttering is occuring.. occasionally i will feel a little light headed until my heart starts beating normally again.. but not always. I was never really concerned about it because it had only been happening about once every other month, if not much less than that. Recently it has been happening more frequently and I have been noticing little "triggers" that seem to send my heart fluttering, most of which have to do with my breathing... If i take a deep, quick breath in to cough or yawn on occasion my heart will start up again, also breathing in deeply while I'm bending over seems to be another trigger. I also found that once my heart starts fluttering, if i sit down, take a very slow, very deep breath in and hold it, my heart almost instantly starts beating regularly again. i can not pin point any other external causes for this fluttering sensation.. I know that it has nothing to do with stress or anxiety. I have been worrying about it more because it has been happening more frequently and i have not been able to stop it as quickly as i was before. now it is taking anywhere from 20 to 60 seconds to beat normally, whereas i was able to stop it almost instantly about a month ago. It is beginning to worry me so much i have not been able to sleep and i am constantly thinking about it, and checking my pulse. I do not have medical insurance and don't have the money to spend on tests that are unnecessary.. should i be concerned? could this be a sign of a serious heart problem? should i spend the money to see a cardiologist? Could this be AV node reentrant tachycardia? Or something else?

kay2486 · Answer

everyone experiences palps now and then, you say yours are regular so i would see the doctor to be safe get an ecg done to see if everything is ok in the heart. Also get your bloods done to check your thyroid as thyroid problems cause palps too.

i hope you find out its nothing good luck :)

try not to worry as this only brings more on

chrsaaron · Answer

what your feeling is palpatations, the cause no one can say for sure, until you go to a doctor. But if you can count the rate when your heart flutters, and it's regular and under a certain number of beats we could rule out a lot. But I wouldn't be too concerned about it unless you start feeling light headed, or passing out. If you start to have these symptoms or other heart related symptoms like chest pain, or shortness of breath, go to the er, I know you don' t have insurance, but your life is more important. That being said, getting anxious about your palps. only makes them worse, try and relax. It sounds to me like your haveing some PAC's or PVC's, which are pre atrail and pre ventricle contractions. This are very common and give you the flutter feeling, especaily with bending over, as it increase abdominal pressure. They are harmless contractions, but again no one can tell exactly what you have till you go to a doctor, but I would suggest keeping a journal , and keeping track of how many times this happens to you what you ate, what medication if any your on, how much excercise your getting and so on, so if you have to go to a doctor, your armed with some good info for him or her, to avoid a lot of tests you don't need. Try and remember to stay objective and not let fear rule over this, I know it's scary it's your heart, but take a deep breath and try and relax...any other q's we are here...