skipped beats

[den2094]

hello. i have had skipped heart beats since i was 12. they happened once a year and so.. when i got older they started to occur more frequently like once a month or so.

i always get one skipped beat that feels like BAM and then normal rhytmn when im at rest or after exercise but then one day i was exercising and experienced many skipped beats it felt like BAM -BAM- BAM and then my heart speed up like crazy 200 bpm!!!! and was beating so fast and stayed for 200 + bpm for a whole week!  i got dizzy because my heart was beating so fast. i dont know what is the problem lol

i did all heart test possible, including a MRI and they did not find anything wrong. i dont understand, my heart was beating crazy but they couldnt find anything wrong?

the doctor said he could not help me.

so my question is. is runs of pvcs normal in a normal heart?
also, is there a risk my heart will speed up so i get dizzy again like it did if i do start exercise again? sometimes these skipped beats come suddenly without any warning when im sitting infront of the computer or doing nothing. and once they woke me up from sleep.

what are these skipped beats?

[MichelleP_3811]

The skipped beats aren't anything to be concerned about.  The svt isn't really technically a concern but you don't want to have a continuous heart rate at 200 for a week.  That isn't good for your heart.  But if your heart is healthy neither condition is considered a danger to you.  SVT stands for supraventricular tachycardia and is generally referring to accessory pathway svts or atrial fibrillation.  IST is inappropriate sinus tachycardia, it is a fast heart beat for no known reason that can be found which makes it difficult to treat.  The causes for it can sometimes be found outside the heart like in conditions like hyperthyroidism or dysautonmia.  If you have IST I would check into those conditions to see if you test positive for them

[den2094]

im just wondering if you have done tests like stress test, echo, cardiac mri, multiple ECG ultrafast ct scan..

and you still get these skipped beats, should you worry ??


also what is SVT? and what is IST?

[MichelleP_3811]

I will also add that skipping and extra beats like pvcs and pacs as the previous poster stated are actually triggers for alot of svts.  So again another reason to pursue investigating if this is an accessory pathway issue.  Take care.

[Gulfstream2]

From what others have posted on here about these skipped beats, is that some people can get them only once in a blue moon, some daily, and some people notice them whilst others do not. You're likely feeling PVC's. That stands for preventricular contractions. They're normal and can occur in completely healthy people. They fall under the many types of palpitations that any person can have.

Now most likely, the reason why your heart rate went up so high after your felt a short run of them was because it might've put you on edge and caused you to panic. Did you feel any sense of panic when these occured?
If you did, then a heart rate of 200 BPM isn't surprising, granted if that was a panic attack that is very high but people can get up to that level.

Sicne you had tests done and all is well, you just experienced a few more than usual. If you didn't have any sort of chest pain or sudden dizzyness whilst you felt them, then you really should not have any concern. When you were at the hospital, did they give you a stress test?

[MichelleP_3811]

A rate of 200 for a full week nonstop seems a bit excessive.    Is this when you had all the tests done.  In general a fast heart beat will not harm you if your heart is healthy but I don't feel it prudent to let such a high rate continue for an extended period of time especially a whole week.  Have you been put on any meds to try and control the issue?  Have you been offered an EP study and ablation to try and correct the issue once and for all?  I think you should definitely explore these two avenues and get yourself to the er if you have episodes of a rate of 200 for longer than a few hours.  I am not sure what sorts of tests you have had, if they were just general tests to check the health of your heart but those tests do not diagnose what is called an SVT supraventricular tachycardia.  This is most often caused by having an extra muscle fiber in the heart that causes the signal to get caught in a loop.  Sometimes holding your breath and bearing down like going to the bathroom may help get the fast beat to stop as well as drinking a cold glass of water fast.  In any event, I would try and see an EP cardiologist to see if you have an accessory pathway that needs ablation to keep you from falling into a fast beat.  It will not cure the skipping extra beats but if you have one an extra pathway can be corrected fairly easily and usually with pretty good success. Unfortunately if it turns out you have an issue like inappropriate sinus tachycardia there isn't much the can do to truly correct the issue so you may need to go on meds to control it.  I do hope you can get a handle on whatever is going on soon. Take care and keep us posted on how you are doing.