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frequent heart palpitations
I am 34 years old with a history of having heart palpitations since I was in my early teens. My mother has them quite bad but has never been tested for it. My grandmother now has a pacemaker that she totally depends on 100%. I had my third child on July 13 and during the pregnancy they were the worst that they have ever been. At Christmas last year I had them repeatly one after another after I had gone to bed. I lost count in a half an hour that is how many that I was having. I didn't faint and I wasn't short of breath but I did wonder if I should go to the emergency room. On a good day I will still have them, sometimes 2-3 in a row. They have been to the point where it seems to actually stop and I can count up to 2 or three before the next beat. I am about 50lbs overweight but I am trying. I have taken off 50lbs in the past two years. I seem to be healthy as far as everything else goes. I have had ekg and I did have a heart monitor put on for a day but that was years ago. I was wondering if I should be tested again? My doctor did tell me that he would test me again if it really bothers me but he doesn't think that it is anything to worry about. I just wonder if this is going to steadily increase with my age and if I am going to have to worry about a pacemaker too. My heart rate for the most part will run high (90-100)but after I had the baby it tends to run in the 60's for the most part. Sometimes I have a tightness or heavy feeling around my throat and upper chest area but I have never fainted,been short of breath or had pain. Thank you.
If you read up on several of these posts regarding pvc's, you will realize that you are not having as many as you think. Some of these people get thousands upon thousands per day, sometimes every other beat. I've had them for over twenty years and am finally learning to ignore them and accept that they are benign. Did you discuss taking medication for them with your doctor? That sometimes really helps. I take 20 mg's of Propranolol which usually stops them for about seven hours.
Quickie question...when you have many pvc's in a row, 12+, is it still pvc's or do they call it something different? Though my pvc's are seemingly less frequent now, I seem to be getting them in long runs and wonder if this is still A-OK.
P.S. - if it makes you feel any better...as far as frequency goes, I was having as many was 40 in 30 minute timeframes. And still, they were nothing my cardiologist or his associate were concerned with.
Hi! Congrats on your new child! I had another baby last December :)
Anyhow, I'm not a doctor, I'm just going to tell you my personal experience on this. After both of my children were born, I had a low heart rate for a while. It eventually came back up. Right after delivery though, it was about 45 sitting up.
After both children were born, I had palpitations. Much worse the second time, some coming a few in a row. I got it checked out and it's still nothing. They are improving with exercise and time, and relaxation techniques like yoga and tai chi.
They seem to run in families. Almost every woman on my mother's side of the family has them (no one has pacemakers). It is possible that your grandmother's pacemaker is for a rhythm entirely unrelated to the rhythm you're having. If you're checking out fine, try not to worry unless you develop some strange new symptoms or something changes.
As for the chest tightness, I got that after each child was born, for me it was just muscles adapting to toting an armful of baby around, heh. With normal testing, it is almost assuredly just the work hazards of motherhood ;)
Hope you feel better soon!
Anyhow, I'm not a doctor, I'm just going to tell you my personal experience on this. After both of my children were born, I had a low heart rate for a while. It eventually came back up. Right after delivery though, it was about 45 sitting up.
After both children were born, I had palpitations. Much worse the second time, some coming a few in a row. I got it checked out and it's still nothing. They are improving with exercise and time, and relaxation techniques like yoga and tai chi.
They seem to run in families. Almost every woman on my mother's side of the family has them (no one has pacemakers). It is possible that your grandmother's pacemaker is for a rhythm entirely unrelated to the rhythm you're having. If you're checking out fine, try not to worry unless you develop some strange new symptoms or something changes.
As for the chest tightness, I got that after each child was born, for me it was just muscles adapting to toting an armful of baby around, heh. With normal testing, it is almost assuredly just the work hazards of motherhood ;)
Hope you feel better soon!
Thanks for your answer. I can't really tell if it is every beat or every other beat--it feels fast--but either way I guess it's nothing to worry about. Thanks again.
Are you sure you are getting them in a row? Could it be every other beat and just feel like every beat? If you are indeed having several in a row, then it's considered tachycardia which is not a danger either with a normal heart according to my cardiologist.
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