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Palpitations
46 year old female. Palpitations since the age of 23. Gone for two EP studies, could not induce v-tach.
1. I just went for a echocardiogram and the tech said the only thing it showed was mild regurtiation of the mitral value. Could this be the reason for palpitations?
2. I usually get around 10 palpitations where it feels like my heart stops and starts again but last night I was thinking about palpitations when I was watching TV and it starting doing a rythum like this - normal beat, clunk, normal beat, clunk, normal beat, clunk. It did this for about 20 minutes. I have a stethascope and was laying there listing to it to this. Freaks me out. Is this normal??? This has happened a few times when I am laying there watching TV thinking about my PVC's.
3. It you were holter 100 people how many PVC's would most people have? My cardiologist says he doesn't get them but the tech who did my echocardiogram says he gets them.
4. I sometimes get this thing that happens as well. I will just be standing there and my heart will go fast and pound and I get hot and dizzy. This will happens for about 8 - 10 beats and then it pauses and does a thud. Once again the tech told me lots of people have that and no big deal. True??
5. I am going for a stress test today. What exactly does a stress test show in your heart?
I had a holter a couple of weeks ago and it showed some couplets, salvos, some PVC's and some PAC's. It said less than 1%.
1. I just went for a echocardiogram and the tech said the only thing it showed was mild regurtiation of the mitral value. Could this be the reason for palpitations?
2. I usually get around 10 palpitations where it feels like my heart stops and starts again but last night I was thinking about palpitations when I was watching TV and it starting doing a rythum like this - normal beat, clunk, normal beat, clunk, normal beat, clunk. It did this for about 20 minutes. I have a stethascope and was laying there listing to it to this. Freaks me out. Is this normal??? This has happened a few times when I am laying there watching TV thinking about my PVC's.
3. It you were holter 100 people how many PVC's would most people have? My cardiologist says he doesn't get them but the tech who did my echocardiogram says he gets them.
4. I sometimes get this thing that happens as well. I will just be standing there and my heart will go fast and pound and I get hot and dizzy. This will happens for about 8 - 10 beats and then it pauses and does a thud. Once again the tech told me lots of people have that and no big deal. True??
5. I am going for a stress test today. What exactly does a stress test show in your heart?
I had a holter a couple of weeks ago and it showed some couplets, salvos, some PVC's and some PAC's. It said less than 1%.
I just had a holter moniter done and it said frequent PAC's with 1 PAC couplet. im having a stress echo done on monday. I am constantly having this and it really sucks. I try not to think about it but its so hard. how long can your heart go on like this??? i also am on hormone replacement therapy and i wonder if this has anything to do with it also, although my mom says i started with palps at age 11. Im now 37.
anyone wanna email me feel free to ***@****
anyone wanna email me feel free to ***@****
Glad to hear you're not "freaking out" over all this. This stuff can be really scary, and unfortunately "freaking out" only makes it that much worse.
It sounds like what you're experiencing with your blackouts is something called "orthostatic hypotension". It's when your blood pressure suddenly drops when changing from a sitting (or lying) to a standing position. Has your cardiologist talked about this?
I was tested for this, but they found it was not happening in my case.
Here's an excellent article on these kinds of issues:
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/understanding-low-blood-pressure-basics
Next time you talk to your cardiologist, and also to your primary care physician, here are some questions you may want to ask:
Is 'orthostatic hypotension' the correct description of what's causing my blackouts?
How much does my blood pressure drop when I stand up?
How common is this in people of my age group?
What are all the different things that can cause orthostatic hypotension?
How many of them can we rule out in my case?
How have we determined that dehydration is a factor in my blackouts?
Why am I dehydrated? What are some things that can cause the body to get dehydrated (other than just not drinking enough fluids)?
Why is the medication not getting rid of the blackouts? Should I expect the blackouts to stop immediately once I start on the medication, or does it take some time to start working? What exactly does the medication do?
If this medication does not help, what does that tell us?
For your Primary Care Physician (some of the same questions to see if their opinions match up)--
What are all the different things that can cause orthostatic hypotension?
How many of them can we rule out in my case?
Are there any other tests you would recommend?
I've also found that lack of sleep and poor eating habits can make stuff like this worse. Going to bed early for about 2-3 nights in a row and getting a good, full night's sleep, along with eating really well for a few days usually helps me.
Good luck!
It sounds like what you're experiencing with your blackouts is something called "orthostatic hypotension". It's when your blood pressure suddenly drops when changing from a sitting (or lying) to a standing position. Has your cardiologist talked about this?
I was tested for this, but they found it was not happening in my case.
Here's an excellent article on these kinds of issues:
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/understanding-low-blood-pressure-basics
Next time you talk to your cardiologist, and also to your primary care physician, here are some questions you may want to ask:
Is 'orthostatic hypotension' the correct description of what's causing my blackouts?
How much does my blood pressure drop when I stand up?
How common is this in people of my age group?
What are all the different things that can cause orthostatic hypotension?
How many of them can we rule out in my case?
How have we determined that dehydration is a factor in my blackouts?
Why am I dehydrated? What are some things that can cause the body to get dehydrated (other than just not drinking enough fluids)?
Why is the medication not getting rid of the blackouts? Should I expect the blackouts to stop immediately once I start on the medication, or does it take some time to start working? What exactly does the medication do?
If this medication does not help, what does that tell us?
For your Primary Care Physician (some of the same questions to see if their opinions match up)--
What are all the different things that can cause orthostatic hypotension?
How many of them can we rule out in my case?
Are there any other tests you would recommend?
I've also found that lack of sleep and poor eating habits can make stuff like this worse. Going to bed early for about 2-3 nights in a row and getting a good, full night's sleep, along with eating really well for a few days usually helps me.
Good luck!
Thanks for the comments. I really do appreciate the help and support!
...I went back to the cardiologist once again, and was put on another medicine for my blackouts. But, that was last Thursday, and I'm still having blackouts while taking the medicine every day. I think the stress/anxiety causing my skip-beats could be true, but as I said, I'm not really under any stress now that it's summer...I don't worry nearly as much as I do during the school year about stuff. All I can really do is just go on with my life and try to focus on other things.
About the skipbeats:
When I first visited my doctor and found that my heart skipped a beat, he told me that it was usually caused by an event in someone's life, like a bad sickness or stress. I never had a bad sickness, but it could have been stress because during school, I do stress a ton about everything.
Stress is likely the problem that caused my heart to skip a beat and my doctor said that my heart will either stop skipping beats sometime or keep on skippin' forever.
About the blackouts:
The whole blackout thing was first explained like this:
The blood from my heart doesn't reach my brain fast enough when I get up, causing a blackout and this is all because I'm dehydrated. So, as a result, I am now on two medicines and I'm trying to drink more.
The blackouts are really what is strange about this whole ordeal, though. I just don't understand why they are not related to the skip-beats...They both are related to my heart. My heart will be beating (skipping beats and all), I'll get up from bed and the blood coming from my heart doesn't get to my head fast enough...Couldn't that be because my heart is not pumping blood the same way it used to? I never had a skip-beat until I had blackouts it seems...It just makes sense to me that they would be related, but the cardiologist knows what he's talking about.
I'm not as "freaked out" now as I was then about all of this, but I sure hope that there is a cure...Where there's a will, there's a way.
...I went back to the cardiologist once again, and was put on another medicine for my blackouts. But, that was last Thursday, and I'm still having blackouts while taking the medicine every day. I think the stress/anxiety causing my skip-beats could be true, but as I said, I'm not really under any stress now that it's summer...I don't worry nearly as much as I do during the school year about stuff. All I can really do is just go on with my life and try to focus on other things.
About the skipbeats:
When I first visited my doctor and found that my heart skipped a beat, he told me that it was usually caused by an event in someone's life, like a bad sickness or stress. I never had a bad sickness, but it could have been stress because during school, I do stress a ton about everything.
Stress is likely the problem that caused my heart to skip a beat and my doctor said that my heart will either stop skipping beats sometime or keep on skippin' forever.
About the blackouts:
The whole blackout thing was first explained like this:
The blood from my heart doesn't reach my brain fast enough when I get up, causing a blackout and this is all because I'm dehydrated. So, as a result, I am now on two medicines and I'm trying to drink more.
The blackouts are really what is strange about this whole ordeal, though. I just don't understand why they are not related to the skip-beats...They both are related to my heart. My heart will be beating (skipping beats and all), I'll get up from bed and the blood coming from my heart doesn't get to my head fast enough...Couldn't that be because my heart is not pumping blood the same way it used to? I never had a skip-beat until I had blackouts it seems...It just makes sense to me that they would be related, but the cardiologist knows what he's talking about.
I'm not as "freaked out" now as I was then about all of this, but I sure hope that there is a cure...Where there's a will, there's a way.
Well hey, let's just go for yet another lengthy post!
I can see that y
I can see that y
My wife has recently been having what I think are PVC's. I took her to an emergency room a couple weeks back in Florida while on vacation because when I listened to her heart there was a 3rd beat after the normal "beat-beat" heart beat. This was happening about ever 5 to 10 "beat-beat" sequences. So, I took her to the Florida Hospital in Orlando and they kept her there for about 6 hours and said that she was running low on potassium. Okay...so this was I guess supposed to effect her electrolyte level to cause this problem. So, they gave her some medicine and sent her on her way. She's been taking potassium suppliments since then and the problem still comes and goes. Right now it's been doing it for the past 12 hours and she is dizzy from time to time. She went to a heart specialist and he said that she was probably having "acid reflux" problems. ?!?!?!? Okay, I'm no doctor, but this seems strange. She does cough frequently but she's had two chest x-ray's during the past 2 weeks and there's no cancer or anything of any sort of a problem there. She is taking the anti "acid reflux" medication and she still is having the problem. I personally think that it's anxiety or stress related as I know she's been going through some changes in her life.
My question is...what should I do to make sure my sweetheart is getting the best attention in this area?
My question is...what should I do to make sure my sweetheart is getting the best attention in this area?
Since you wrote a long post, I am going to have to respond with one...
First of all, Im sorry to hear about all the problems you have been having, and I know it is difficult to cope with. I can relate with everything you are experiencing with the exception of the blackouts.
I would take a guess that an overwhelming number of the people here who have palpitations, skipped beats, etc., have been having them for a number of years and have been told that they are nothing to worry about, including myself.
I would say that if your doctors are telling you that your heart is normal, then you should believe them, although that is sometimes easier said than done.
Before I started getting the skipped beats, I felt fine, but now I feel like I am just waiting for the next episode to come. Its hard to remember the time when I never even had the sensation that my heart was beating and now I am constantly checking my heartbeat / pulse, as I am sure everyone else here does as well. Its actually quite silly when I think of it, but Im sure I will continue to do so, at least for now, during and after pretty much every activity I do.
I think anxiety can make your body do alot of crazy things. I would love to actually listen to the doctors and ignore these things and have them go away, but it doesnt seem to really work that way. Mainly because there is always that "what if" out there...
What if the palps are different this time?...
What if this is the episode that causes my heart to stop beating?...
What if they were normal before, but now the constant skipping has caused something to go wrong with my heart now?..
What if they never stop?
These are all things we all think of, and I am convinced these thoughts are all had because of anxiety; but still we all think that "maybe I am part of that small percentage who does have something wrong?" That feeling never seems to really go away.
I used to be really into physical activities, but I have certainly cut them back to next to nothing, all because I am afraid that exerting myself will, basically, cause my heart to stop beating and cause me to die!
Its sort of a catch 22, in that I know exercise will only help my heart, but I dont exercise because I am afraid it will hurt me. It doesnt make much sense when every expert I have gone to has told me its fine to exercise or workout, and my heart is normal.
Alot of the times we like the reassurance that everything is ok. I would say that if you feel the need to keep seeing the doctors about your concerns, then do so. I wish I could comment on the blackouts, but that is a symptom I have not had, and since I am not an expert, I dont want to even begin to give a list of things I think it could be from.
I know it is also difficult to buy into the anxiety / stress reason that you will hear alot. I think that is because, as I feel, I never had an issue with anxiety before, and the skipped beats came first. I had always had myself convinced of this, but now I am not sure. Maybe they did come first, or maybe the anxiety did but I was not aware of it. Either way, I know they are here now, and much, much more so than they ever were in the past, and none of the hundreds of heart attacks I thought I was going to have as a result of them have occurred yet. Instead I fall asleep at night, and when I wake up they are gone, until later on in the day and it starts all over again.
Try to keep a positive attitude about them as much as you can, and understand that the more you become concerned about them, them more they will occur. I do beleive that.
This is a great site to look into though as you will find that there are alot of people out there who feel that there skipped beats are "different" from everyone elses, but whether we know it or not, we are providing support for each of us in knowing that we are not alone.
Take care.
-RJ
First of all, Im sorry to hear about all the problems you have been having, and I know it is difficult to cope with. I can relate with everything you are experiencing with the exception of the blackouts.
I would take a guess that an overwhelming number of the people here who have palpitations, skipped beats, etc., have been having them for a number of years and have been told that they are nothing to worry about, including myself.
I would say that if your doctors are telling you that your heart is normal, then you should believe them, although that is sometimes easier said than done.
Before I started getting the skipped beats, I felt fine, but now I feel like I am just waiting for the next episode to come. Its hard to remember the time when I never even had the sensation that my heart was beating and now I am constantly checking my heartbeat / pulse, as I am sure everyone else here does as well. Its actually quite silly when I think of it, but Im sure I will continue to do so, at least for now, during and after pretty much every activity I do.
I think anxiety can make your body do alot of crazy things. I would love to actually listen to the doctors and ignore these things and have them go away, but it doesnt seem to really work that way. Mainly because there is always that "what if" out there...
What if the palps are different this time?...
What if this is the episode that causes my heart to stop beating?...
What if they were normal before, but now the constant skipping has caused something to go wrong with my heart now?..
What if they never stop?
These are all things we all think of, and I am convinced these thoughts are all had because of anxiety; but still we all think that "maybe I am part of that small percentage who does have something wrong?" That feeling never seems to really go away.
I used to be really into physical activities, but I have certainly cut them back to next to nothing, all because I am afraid that exerting myself will, basically, cause my heart to stop beating and cause me to die!
Its sort of a catch 22, in that I know exercise will only help my heart, but I dont exercise because I am afraid it will hurt me. It doesnt make much sense when every expert I have gone to has told me its fine to exercise or workout, and my heart is normal.
Alot of the times we like the reassurance that everything is ok. I would say that if you feel the need to keep seeing the doctors about your concerns, then do so. I wish I could comment on the blackouts, but that is a symptom I have not had, and since I am not an expert, I dont want to even begin to give a list of things I think it could be from.
I know it is also difficult to buy into the anxiety / stress reason that you will hear alot. I think that is because, as I feel, I never had an issue with anxiety before, and the skipped beats came first. I had always had myself convinced of this, but now I am not sure. Maybe they did come first, or maybe the anxiety did but I was not aware of it. Either way, I know they are here now, and much, much more so than they ever were in the past, and none of the hundreds of heart attacks I thought I was going to have as a result of them have occurred yet. Instead I fall asleep at night, and when I wake up they are gone, until later on in the day and it starts all over again.
Try to keep a positive attitude about them as much as you can, and understand that the more you become concerned about them, them more they will occur. I do beleive that.
This is a great site to look into though as you will find that there are alot of people out there who feel that there skipped beats are "different" from everyone elses, but whether we know it or not, we are providing support for each of us in knowing that we are not alone.
Take care.
-RJ
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