Heart Palpitations Anyone?

[sinead]

Does anyone else experience heart palpitations? as in skipped beats & thuds... I hear this is a common symptom for us, but would like to hear from some real people who have it. This has been a major issue for me lately & it is very scary. Thanks for your input.

[singerpoet]

Glad you posted this, I've had increased palpitations these last few months for some reason.  And as others said they do not come specifically in stressful times, as a matter of fact they seem to be the worst when I first lie down when I go to bed at night.  
I don't believe it has anything to do with meds because I've cut way back on meds and the palpitations seem more common than they used to be.
Aren't we lucky to be so special..........lol.

[prestynsnan]

My cardiologist has me thinking im crazy! I have palpitations all the time now for about 3 weeks after coming off of a beta blocker. just all of a sudden one afternoon the started and haven't stopped!! It scares me to death but he says nothing is wrong with the ticker.. thank God...hes wanting me to start a calcium blocker for my BP and the palpitations but im afraid to start it.. what should I do..... NERVOUS.

[Booklady14]

check out a book titled, Trigger Point Therapy. It's been a godsend to me. I still had a total evaluation (about five times, actually) with stress test, etc.
But costo is a problem for a lot of people. There are stretches, and your massage therapist (you can, too, actually) help stretch the tense chest muscles that cause your heart to beat irradically.

Scary, too, since for me, I also get pains in my arm/shoulder, and even down to my elbow (yes, all symptoms of a heart attack!). See your doctor, but also, see a massage therapist/physical therapist. Don't assume it's not a heart attack until you've had it checked out.

THIS summer/fall, I've had a rough Fibro year.

[peggydann]

Oh, it is sooooo good to read some of these stories.  (PLEASE don't think I am happy because you are all suffering; it is just that I thought I was the only one in the world with this nasty chest pain ... both sides and all across the front and back and even down my arms like pins and needles ... plus the fluttering and 'pouncy' feeling when I skip a beat .... aka premature beat).
I also went to a chief of cardiology last year because my primary doctor said my EKG noted I have this electrical block/premature beat, plus I was having these same chest/back pains.  The primary doctor even prescribed a beta blocker, however, when I went for the nuclear stress test with the cardiologist at the hospital, he said the beta blockers weren't really necessary with the PVC and that the stress test showed a strong heart.  
With all of this (BTW I do have Fibro), I still get soooo stressed out when I get these skipped beats/palpitations and pain that I literally cannot sleep.  I sit up most nights in a recliner .... Yes, worrying!
So glad to 'meet' you all
PD

[psy_chic]

I am 40 and thought that I may be going through premenopause, so I ordered some natural progesterone cream (trying to do everything natural).  On the second day of using, 2 hours after, I noticed that my heart calmed down.  Also, I slept better that night than in a long time and was not as tired the next day.  My energy is staying mostly up during the day.  I also have FMS and CFS.  Perhaps this is a way of treating those as well?  

[psy_chic]

I am 40 and thought that I may be going through premenopause, so I ordered some natural progesterone cream (trying to do everything natural).  On the second day of using, 2 hours after, I noticed that my heart calmed down.  Also, I slept better that night than in a long time and was not as tired the next day.  My energy is staying mostly up during the day.  I also have FMS and CFS.  Perhaps this is a way of treating those as well?  

[aurora156]

I also have these "flutter" and racing heart beats, which I was told, frustratingly, were not actually happening because there is nothing wrong structurally with my heart.

I am still not sure exactly what is wrong with me, but the heart flutter and associated dizziness were symptoms listed for both Fibromyalgia and CFS, but can also be issues with adrenal fatigue which I have a feeling is linked to all of these auto-immune disorders.

[mogwai0]

I was diagnosed with CFS at 14 and have since had heart palpitations and chest pains. I've gone for some tests for it and the doctors sort of give me a blank look and say there is no apparent cause and try to say it must be anxiety (I am so sick of that, btw).
But I know it isn't. I'll be laying on the couch entirely calm, and notice my heart is POUNDING and completely irregular. Other times, I get pains across my chest, on the left or right, I don't know how to describe it other than tight and ..like a lot of pressure almost.

[kittykat896]

glad i found this forum im a 19yr old female that has suddenly got sinus tacycardia ( with a heart rate of 150 to 180 bpm) i wake up at night with palpitations and sweaty hands and chest pain .im on beta blockers now and they keep my heart rate down but i still races at night sometimes but then it returns to normal after about 40 mins. ive been to the hospital 8 times and been told its all in my head ...ive a had a echo and a holter done all normal. i also have Fibromyalgia  and they are investgating me for lupus. all i can say is the papitations can be scary but it be ok if in doubt go straight to the hospital.

[suejay577]

Wow I am so glad to read all of this......been having those thuds and missed beats and flutters for years, particularly so at rest and when I am not stressed like you folks, just when  I go to bed and sitting watching tv in the chair and have just been referred to a Cardiologist who I expect will find absolutely nothing wrong as usual with us FMS  sufferers......at least I know I am not alone and not nuts...again. Came back from GP today feeling embarrassed and ashamed for even mentioning my weird and wonderful symptoms... he asked if they made me tired....silly question to ask someone with FMS lol.....
Such a relief to find someone else out there with the same troubles....all the best to you all from here in the Uk

[Sonflower]

I have heart palpitations too....

I have never known what the palpitations are from?  I do have FMS/CFS/MPS and Hypoparathyroidism, Hypocalcemia and Hashimoto's an autoimmune Thyroid Disease too.  

This is the first time I have heard that heart palpitations are a symptom of CPS.

Thank for the info;  Sonflower

[Caroline565]

I think it is very important to keep in mind that even though we have FMS, there are other problems that can arise. I suggest it is wise to allow the doctor to diagnose the problem because even though it may sound like the same thing someone else is describing, it could be something very different. One of the most frustrating things about fibro, at least for me, has been developing symptoms that mimic another illness. I would not like a doctor dismissing new symptoms as "just the fibro". I take responsibility for any new symptoms by reporting them to my doctor or seeing a specialist.

[salbacore]

i also am battling with skiped heart beats/ somehow i feel they are linked to gerd.seems pvc gets worse when stomach acts up . have been having skips now for 6 months straight with only a handful of good days. allthough i have not been formally diagnosed ,symptoms are exactly as described by fellow pcv sufferers. most days i brush them off but other days they run my life. last week i had none for 3 days and i felt brand new . now they are back full force.  i am starting to lose this battle . only this web keeps me sane.good luck guys

[lunylacey]

THNKgod i found this forum and this little bit of it, i have been having what i think are palpitations for so long and the last year they have been gettin worse i was too diagnosed with anxiety for numerous symptoms but never went to hve these checked as im sick of being told nothings wrong or its a panic attack cause lol when im the most relaxed as mny of you said at night mwatching t.v is when it starts, or too i notice any caffeine or alot of sugar and off they go, but at their worst is when i lie down especially on my stomach, or bend over really quickly....So most nights are spent sleeping sittin up in bed and when they get bad i think im going to die but after reading just how common this is and tht people dont die from this condition i feel a bit more comforted........
P.s i only found this as i was trying to go to sleep and started having those all too familiar sensations and thuds in my chest and got up to search to see if this is gonna kill me b4 the docs would listen, glad i did...thnks

[buriedinfur]

Oh, palpations have been a part of my life for a long time, but last year they went nuts for a little bit - I was having up to 40 of them in a minute. That's not very pleasant. I waited a day going through this before I went to the ER, got chewed out for not coming sooner, dazzled them with the amount I was having and went on my merry way after the blood work and whatnot came back ok. I was on a beta blocker for a month and it took them back down to the 'normal' level I get them now.

They are funny things. If you are having a lot, they need to get checked out - but once that is done I would just try and accept them as another oddity in our wonderfully odd lives. We have enough of them, eh? LOL

[ott70]

I have palpitations also or maybe the better medical term is PVC's. Most people have them to some degree but more of us become more attuned to them happening. I believe "palpitations" is more defined as the awareness of your heart beating. The flutters and skips can be more attributed to PVC's.

I had a recent episode where I was waking up at night with a raced pulse, around 80-100 beats. Not as fast as others have experienced but it's fast for me when my normal resting pulse is 60 bpm. One of those nights that I woke up, I could feel my heart fluttering. I felt the pulse at my wrist and could feel the beat "skipping" (which is actually a premature beat and then the heart catches up with the next beat). Freaky feeling to have at three in the morning! Doesn't help that I experienced a little bit of chest pain and some sweaty hands (which could have been anxiety-induced at that point).

I have yet to be diagnosed with CFS, but I have a lot of the symptoms with a multitude of medical tests that have yet to pinpoint anything else other then elevated EBV titers. I'm with the group that believes these symptoms are caused by an intracellular infection (bacteria, mycoplasmas) and that these pathogens are disrupting my electrical signals with my heart. I have also been taking some natural pathogen killers (same stuff that PlateletGal takes) so my recent heart flutters could be a result of some herxing. If the intracellular pathogens are located in my heart tissue, then it makes sense that my rhythm is going to be messed up if the pathogens are being killed off.

My last cardiologist thinks I'm nuts. She's a good doc, but all of the tests she has run indicates my heart is strong and healthy. I don't disbelieve her, but I also think something affects my rhythm. I tried telling her I have these chest/muscle spasms occasionally and I can swear it cause my pulse to "skip". She wouldn't have anything to do with it and mentioned to consider seeing less doctors and go to a psychologist -- basically, falling just short of telling me I'm nuts. I have an appointment today to see a different cardiologist and I'm going to request a holter monitor just to confirm the feelings in my chest.

[VaBreeze]

lol, singerpoet...aren't we though?  

You're definitely not 'nuts' FurballsMom.  That is what is so wonderful about MedHelp and this forum...you'll find so many others who can empathize with the strange symptoms these ailments bring.  One day (hopefully soon) they will take us seriously and we will get the treatments we need.  Until then, at least we have one another.

Take care of YOU.

[FurballsMom]

Thank you for your comment.  It's so wonderful to know that I'm not the only one this happens to.  I do get tired of not being taken seriously with this.  Now I know I'm not the only one.  Not that I really want others to have this, too, but it's nice to know that someone else knows what I'm talking about and knows that it's not because I'm "nuts".

[VaBreeze]

I have that as well.  Palapations and what I can only describe as 'fluttering'.  I use to think it was due to anxiety, but your correct...sometimes it just happens when i'm not anxious and watching tv.  

[FurballsMom]

I have something that happens in my heart that doctors have never been able to measure with all their tests.  It doesn't happen all the time, but I know very well that it's heart palpitations and not panic attacks, because it happens even at times when I'm not feeling the least bit panicked.

[patsy10]

I have constant palpitations.  My heart rate is 110-115 most of the time.

[susanandlarry]

I have been diagnosed with Fibro since 1997. My story is kinda long. But I just wanted to chime in and say that I too have suffered from heart palps. And have been checked out thoroughly in the hospital and was told it was electrical and not anything I would die from. I too was put on Elavil. I got a little better. But then I started paying closer attention to what I was eating. I noticed when I ate sugary things, candy,bread,potato chips,etc. I would get the palps. I have been able to get off of the Elavil by rarely eating these things. Don't know if it will help you but thought I would share.
A side note I have severe exhaustion. One of the foods that make me that way are foods with wheat in them. I was surprised how much of our foods have wheat in them until I started looking at the food labels.  

[bunny1133]

I too have them and also fibro.  I've had them for over 30 years and I'm still here.  I did have them checked with the halter monitor and stress test.  I had them checked again after a bout with chemo.  I'm still fine, tho getting a lot of them just this week.  Guess it's the Christmas aftermath.
Good luck to all of you, but don't stress, go get it checked!  You'll feel better.

[Curls]

i should add that if it is pots or another dysautonomia, those conditions cause other symtpoms beyond the heart palpations...and understanding them can help you do behavioral adjustments (like knowing when to elevate legs) that can made an impact on the rest of the CFS/FM symptoms.  So beyond just knowing what this is, tracking it down can be very useful.