missed heart beats or palpatation?

[gen007]

I started with palpatations when I was 14 and wondered what on earth was going on until I asked my doctor and he said its only palpatations due to anxiety.they were in a pattern and always 1 week before my time of the month. also the day after a night out of binge drinking when I was younger.16 years on the pattern was the same except just a little drink would bring them on the following day after. I also avoided things that would make me have them such as not getting enough sleep. I thought I knew my palpatations but I have had them now for 3 whole days. I have about 8 skipped beats per minute. I asked my doc if I could have beta blockers until I get in for the 24 hour ecg but he said I am more concerned about your missed beat not the palpatations? What on earth is he on about. since then I can hardly breath at times as I thought the missed beat was a palpatation and now he tells me this? He looked shocked that it missed. In all my medical books it says a missed beat is a palpatation. I have felt like I am dying. I cant catch my breath this past 3 days and if anyone trys to speak to me while I am concentrating on getting a satisfactory breath I have to start all over again. I thought the palps may have been brought on by stress but no the palps were definitely here first this morn. I am relatively fit and studying physio and often check my sats myself and it is on this machine that I noticed my missed heart beat and since then I am obsessed with feeling my pulse. I too get more palps when feel pulse cos of the anxiety of these never going. also to add fuel to the fire my friend had his first episode of palps and was passing out and he had to have his sa node reset to get his heart beating normally again. My symptoms sound like his though i never pass out and now I have convinced myself I will have to have this done too which I dont fancy, I am a wimp. I have stopped drinking to see if they go as they usually do but not this time. I was having a drink to make them go. It is a viscious cycle. Does anyone have any thoughts or reassurance. Doc used to give me propanolol when younger though now he wont give me anything until I have seen the cardiologist. this makes me even more worried


This discussion is related to Anxiety � Palpatations.

[dolfnlvr]

Why don't you come on over to the heart rhythm forum (link below).  You are not a wimp, and it sounds like you are experiencing PVC's or PAC's.  These are premature ventricular (or atrial) contractions.  It's not a "missed beat" at all.  It's actually an "extra little beat" between normal beats.  Your ventricles or atria will pump a little early and out of sinc which causes your heart to pause for just a second to "refill" and move on.  

If you are tested and found to have a structurally normal heart muscle, these things are completely benign.  Having felt these sensations for YEARS and following the textbook pattern of PVC's I'm surprised that your doctor sounded so concerned.  I don't mean that to belittle your concerns at all!!!!  I mean that to "reprimand" the doctor for scaring you.

There are TONS of us on the heart rhythm forum who can offer insight from the diagnosed side of this.  I look forward to seeing you over there.

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/92