pause in heart beat

[poohbear2026]

Hi,  I have suffered from pvc and pacs for over 10 years.  I am 32 in fairly good health.  However,the other night I was leaning over on the couch and it felt like my heart completely stopped for about a second or two.  It scared me to death and I went into full panic mode and have not been the same since. I went to a urgent care about 2 hours after it happened and all the caught was several PACs. They did the CK test which was 51 which is normal. I am so afraid that my heart is going to stop and not start back.  I don't know if it was just a PVC or if it was a definite pause.  I have read some scary things about the pauses.  I was wondering if anyone has had something like this happen to you.  I am scared they are going to want to put a pacemaker in.

Thanks,
Anita

[poohbear2026]

I hate that so many of us suffer from this.  I just hope I can get over the fear of these.  I have been able to in the past.  But this last episode with the really long pause has got me scared to death.  I just can't seem to get it out of my mind.

[Thinline]

My husband sometimes get the same feeling of "pauses".  When it happens he coughs as hard as he can for a few seconds and it seems to sort things out.  If you get the feeling again give it a try.  Don't forget that after a pause you'll probably get the feeling of a really hard couple of beats while you go back into a normal rhythm.  

[CollegeGirl143]

Im glad you are feeling better today, and i hope your cardio appointment helps ease your mind :) those pauses sure can be scary!

[poohbear2026]

Thank you for your comment.  It helps me to feel so much better to read of others who are going through the same thing.  I am finally starting to fell a little better now after 5 days of taking double Ativans, Nexium and Lexapro.  I hope i continue to get better but when I get quiet I start thinking about it again.  Thanks so much.

Anita

[jkfrench]

Those pauses are the worst.  I get them about 4 times a year and they seem to last 3 or 4 seconds.  I literally feel like I am fading out and I yell at my heart to start.  Then it jams into a PAT episode for a minute or so and the whoe event is over.  When this happens, it really sets me back.  My doctor told me not to worry but it takes days to recover.  I get the usual pvc's every day.  Sometimes several a minute sometimes just a few a day.  The reason this pause feels longer (and is longer) is based on some specific cell that the early beat comes from.  Sorry I can't explain it well, Artaud did that above.  But I am told that my heart will NOT stop and I'm sure yours won't either.
And if you need a pacemaker, then I surely would because mine pauses for longer (or at least it feels like it does).  I don't think that would warrant a pacemaker unless it happens all the time every day.
Frenchie

[poohbear2026]

Thanks for your comments. I have had the 24 hour monitoring and the 2 week monitoring but that was over 5 years ago. I went to my regular dr today and she thinks it was just a pvc with a compensatory pause.  About 3 years ago I had the thallium stress test which came back fine, but some parts were not visable because of breast tissue ( so i worry that they missed something there too)  All they have ever found is about 3500 PAC's and 4 PVC's on the 24 monitor.  Echos only showed trace mitral regurgitation. Of course I wonder if all of this has changed and should be retested.  My regular doctor is suppose to be making me an appt with a cardiologist to ease my mind. I hope he can ease my mind because this has been the worst panic episode I have had in a long time, and I am just so afraid that I am going to die and not be able to see my 4 yr old grow up. I also hope i do not have to have a pacemaker.

Thanks for listening
Anita

[Artaud]

Hi,

I don't think they would have released you from the hospital if they felt that your heart was unstable. A little information about your heart may reassure you somewhat.

Your normal heart rhythm originates in the Atrial area (top of your heart) at the Sino-Atrial Node. (SA Node), and travels down to the Atrio-Ventricular Node, which is stimulated by the pulse from the SA Node, causing it also to discharge. The electrical pulse travels into the Ventricles from the AV Node causing the ventricles to contract. (Your heart beats).

Other cells on the heart are also capable of generating the electrical pulse necessary to cause your heart to beat, (some of these rascals are the cause of the arrhythmias that so many people, including myself, experience). If your SA Node fails to discharge (something sometimes seen in people considerably older than you), your AV Node will discharge even without the pulse from the SA Node, and your heart will still beat. Problem is that it will beat much slower. This is referred to as Bradycardia. Your heart is not waiting to fail. It is not delicate. It has been given back-up systems to allow for various failures of the internal conduction system. Truly awesome.

Although technically Bradycardia is a pulse slower than 60 beats per minute, many people normally have pulses slower than 60, such as people on medications and people that are very Athletic. Bradycardia becomes an issue when your heart beats so slow that you are VERY tired and perhaps have trouble with fainting.

Be aware of any additional symptoms. Consider visiting your Family Doctor and telling him/her about your concerns. Avoid Caffeine and other stimulants, such as decongestants and diet pills, strange supplements (such as St. John’s Wort) and anything else you feel may cause you to have PVCs. If you continue to have problems and don’t feel confident with your Family Doctor, consider consulting with a Cardiologist. Either your Family Doctor or your Cardiologist can order a Holter Monitor. This would provide a 24 hour recording of your heart’s activities.

What you described is fairly typical of a PVC. Heart Pausing is a common description. I wouldn’t be too concerned about it, but be cautiously optimistic. They did not see anything serious at the Emergency Room, did they tell you to follow-up with another Doctor?

Best of health.