Aa
heart palpitations
Iam a 35 year old mother of two and have been having heart palitations for years. I also have anxiety attacks starting years before the heart palpitations.My question is everyday Iam having these palipatations and everyday Iam having anxiety attacks they seem to go hand in hand. I have not had my heart checked out in about three years as I used to make several trips to the er. Im am so scared all the time that Iam going to have a heart attack.. What can I be doing if anything??
Hi...I agree with Linda...Cut and paste your post and save it in WORD (or somewhere similar). I had good luck posting around 8:45 EST. I suggested that time to a few others and they were also able to get their questions posted. Please keep trying. You have a great quesiton and I'm sure there are others who would love to read the doctor's response.
I am a former chronic pvc sufferer and I can tell you that there are a number of us who do understand your frustration. My pvcs waxed and wanted from my late teens until my early-mid 40's. I think it's difficult for others around us to believe we feel lousy because we seem "normal" and healthy. Have you had a complete physical? a recent EKG or echocardiogram? Might be worth the expense. I had pvcs for many years and they were always considered benign. However, because I have MVP and a leaky valve I have an echo every year. In my case, the chronic pvcs led to cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle). I'm not telling you this to scare you because it is indeed VERY rare. I just want people to know that it CAN cause problems in rare cases. However, once your doctor is able to rule out any structural problems, you might want to ask him/her if you could benefit from a prescription RX. The medicines often work wonders to alleviate the symptoms.
Oh, have they been able to capture the SVT on a monitor? I think that's half the battle. Once your doctor can "see" what you "feel," it can be more helpful in easing your anxiety.
Good luck armyman and thanks for serving : )
connie
I am a former chronic pvc sufferer and I can tell you that there are a number of us who do understand your frustration. My pvcs waxed and wanted from my late teens until my early-mid 40's. I think it's difficult for others around us to believe we feel lousy because we seem "normal" and healthy. Have you had a complete physical? a recent EKG or echocardiogram? Might be worth the expense. I had pvcs for many years and they were always considered benign. However, because I have MVP and a leaky valve I have an echo every year. In my case, the chronic pvcs led to cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle). I'm not telling you this to scare you because it is indeed VERY rare. I just want people to know that it CAN cause problems in rare cases. However, once your doctor is able to rule out any structural problems, you might want to ask him/her if you could benefit from a prescription RX. The medicines often work wonders to alleviate the symptoms.
Oh, have they been able to capture the SVT on a monitor? I think that's half the battle. Once your doctor can "see" what you "feel," it can be more helpful in easing your anxiety.
Good luck armyman and thanks for serving : )
connie
Most people who have success post between 7-9am EST.
You just have to keep trying! Also, there is a word limit for the original poster, so work on condensing your question a bit.
Have it ready to copy and paste if you suddenly get in!
good luck to you!
You just have to keep trying! Also, there is a word limit for the original poster, so work on condensing your question a bit.
Have it ready to copy and paste if you suddenly get in!
good luck to you!
Dear Armyman
What a shame you can't manage to post to the ccf, if I were you I'd save on the computer what you have just written and keep on trying to post.
Firstly - my full sympathies go out to you and I'm very sorry your wife isn't understanding of what you are going through which is indeed terrifying - I and many others on this forum could tell similar stories to yours. I am in remission from pvcs/svt at the moment and so my life is happy and normal and every day I am incredibly grateful for that.
I am only a fellow sufferer and not in the medical profession in any way but from my understanding it sounds suspiciously to me as if you have an accessory pathway in the heart (maybe more than one). If this is the problem then I personally believe in ablation as ablations have a high success rate and offer a complete cure. If I were you I'd beg, borrow or steal to get the money together to get it done.
Your problem isn't going to go away.
Very best wishes to you.
Linda
What a shame you can't manage to post to the ccf, if I were you I'd save on the computer what you have just written and keep on trying to post.
Firstly - my full sympathies go out to you and I'm very sorry your wife isn't understanding of what you are going through which is indeed terrifying - I and many others on this forum could tell similar stories to yours. I am in remission from pvcs/svt at the moment and so my life is happy and normal and every day I am incredibly grateful for that.
I am only a fellow sufferer and not in the medical profession in any way but from my understanding it sounds suspiciously to me as if you have an accessory pathway in the heart (maybe more than one). If this is the problem then I personally believe in ablation as ablations have a high success rate and offer a complete cure. If I were you I'd beg, borrow or steal to get the money together to get it done.
Your problem isn't going to go away.
Very best wishes to you.
Linda
There is no evidence that low dose of caffeine present in green tea can cause arryhtmias. In fact, one study find that modest dose of caffiene actually increases HRV (the lower the HRV, the higher risk of sudden death - HRV is an independent risk factor for sudden death).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15111532&dopt=Abstract
The article, Meyers, M. G., "Caffeine and Cardiac Arrhythmias," Annals of Internal Medicine. 114:147-50, 1991, finds no concrete evidence that caffiene worsen arrthymias after reviewing all studies on caffeine and arryhmias.
Green tea is rich in many antioxidants that are beneficial to the heart. I drink green tea twice a day. Even just two cups a day are believed to prevent high blood pressure.
If you're sensitive to caffeine, don't take it. It's that simple.
-jeff
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15111532&dopt=Abstract
The article, Meyers, M. G., "Caffeine and Cardiac Arrhythmias," Annals of Internal Medicine. 114:147-50, 1991, finds no concrete evidence that caffiene worsen arrthymias after reviewing all studies on caffeine and arryhmias.
Green tea is rich in many antioxidants that are beneficial to the heart. I drink green tea twice a day. Even just two cups a day are believed to prevent high blood pressure.
If you're sensitive to caffeine, don't take it. It's that simple.
-jeff
hi armyman sorry to hear of your plight, but you are in the same boat with many others. i know that is no consolation,but there is hope. since you were in the army aren't you entitled to get medical help from the v.a. i do and have gotten some great drugs from them such as amiodarone, sotalol, atenolol, toprol etc. amiodarone in particular cured my atrial fib. and palpitations for 11 years before it stopped working. i then went for ablations which have helped. i know that vets have been able to get ablations thru the v.a. i hope you are eligible for v.a. coverage. if so try them
Hello, I know this is somewhat off topic, however, in over a year of trying, I've never been able to get a question out. Anyway, to my question.
When I was around 11, while jumping off a wall, I had a feeling like my heart dropped into my stomach and it began beating fast. At the time I had no clue, and after about 20 minutes it slowed down to normal instantly. This happened again around 12, and again at about age 14. When it happened at 14, I was taken to the ER and they placed me in a holster. Nothing abnormal was noticed, however, they did an ultrasound on my heart, and said all my valves were normal etc. This never really bothered me, in fact I thought it was kinda fun to show other people how fast my heart was beating. Until, I was playing baseball and it happened again around 15. I nearly passed out and was so freaked out I pulled myself out of the game. About a year or so passed and I started having something else. I guess they are called PVC's? I thought they were a result of having gas, but they would happen a lot when I drank soda. I didn't have a episode of SVT again, however, until I was 17. This time, I had 2 SVT episodes within 2 weeks. Regardless of this, I joined the Army, and for the next 5 years, not a SINGLE case of SVT, and my PVC's were almost non existant, except after exercise as I was calming down, I'd have one or two here and there.
Now to my main question, I joined the militar at 18, had around 7 episodes of SVT between age 11-18, with PVC's starting around age 16. Then, while joining the Army, nothing for the 3 years I served on active duty, except a minor PVC here and there after a run. After I left the Army, I didn't have any problems at all for the next 2 years. Then, the PVC's started again, only worse. Sometimes I'd sit and count them per minute and would reach nearly 30 in 1 minute. My resting HR was always around 70, so you can imagine how freaky that is. Then, at age 23, I had my first episode of SVT in over 5 years, the nurse at my work, couldn't even guess at my pulse, but my BP was 140/80 and as I calmed myself down it stopped. A week later, it happened again. For the next year after those episodes, I would have entire weeks of just PVC after PVC, to the point I was afraid to even do anything, as I would stop whenever it happened, and when they'd come 3-4 in a row, I'd totally shut down and go inside. Then, last month, just over a year since the last 2 episodes happened, the SVT happened again, but it stopped really quickly, about 10 minutes. I had been reading these boards since the first set happened since leaving the Army, so I stayed calm and it went fast. Then, one day at work, I was having really bad PVC's, and I stood up, and BOOM, there goes my heart. Not only did I have SVT, but the PVC's were there as well, which put me into a panic. It had never lasted this long before, and finally I went to the ER. When they found out it had been nearly an hour and a half that my heart was in SVT, with a HR of 220, they gave me some injection which felt like I was having a heart attack. A few minutes afterwards my HR was down to 110, and I was released.
Wow, this is long, I'am very sorry, but I wanted to detail everything.....Anyway, I'm trying to start running again, and getting back into good shape, but the PVC's happen at rest....while running its nearly unbearable...I'm seriously afraid my heart will stop, or in my opinion anyway, go into SVT while running. On the other hand, the only time my heart didn't have these problems was while I was in good cardio shape....I don't know if that was just luck? Or it that has anything to do with this or not, however, I'm to the point now...24 years old, that i'd rather go out and have a freakin heart attack then sit at my house afraid to play with my kids. Ablation is pretty much out of the question for me, as I have no health insurance at the time, but I just can't take this **** of a life this has left me with. My wife doesn't understand, and she acts like I make this stuff up. Hell, she was mad at me for costing us 2,000 for the ER visit.
So...has anyone had anything similiar happen with a high rate of exercise? Or was I just lucky for those 5 years I was in great shape? And, is most of this in my head? or is this something that is very serious, and life threatening if I exercise heavily? I guess I don't really care anymore, I'd rather die then live and fear going to the theme park and go on a ride just in CASE my SVT starts while on the coaster.....
When I was around 11, while jumping off a wall, I had a feeling like my heart dropped into my stomach and it began beating fast. At the time I had no clue, and after about 20 minutes it slowed down to normal instantly. This happened again around 12, and again at about age 14. When it happened at 14, I was taken to the ER and they placed me in a holster. Nothing abnormal was noticed, however, they did an ultrasound on my heart, and said all my valves were normal etc. This never really bothered me, in fact I thought it was kinda fun to show other people how fast my heart was beating. Until, I was playing baseball and it happened again around 15. I nearly passed out and was so freaked out I pulled myself out of the game. About a year or so passed and I started having something else. I guess they are called PVC's? I thought they were a result of having gas, but they would happen a lot when I drank soda. I didn't have a episode of SVT again, however, until I was 17. This time, I had 2 SVT episodes within 2 weeks. Regardless of this, I joined the Army, and for the next 5 years, not a SINGLE case of SVT, and my PVC's were almost non existant, except after exercise as I was calming down, I'd have one or two here and there.
Now to my main question, I joined the militar at 18, had around 7 episodes of SVT between age 11-18, with PVC's starting around age 16. Then, while joining the Army, nothing for the 3 years I served on active duty, except a minor PVC here and there after a run. After I left the Army, I didn't have any problems at all for the next 2 years. Then, the PVC's started again, only worse. Sometimes I'd sit and count them per minute and would reach nearly 30 in 1 minute. My resting HR was always around 70, so you can imagine how freaky that is. Then, at age 23, I had my first episode of SVT in over 5 years, the nurse at my work, couldn't even guess at my pulse, but my BP was 140/80 and as I calmed myself down it stopped. A week later, it happened again. For the next year after those episodes, I would have entire weeks of just PVC after PVC, to the point I was afraid to even do anything, as I would stop whenever it happened, and when they'd come 3-4 in a row, I'd totally shut down and go inside. Then, last month, just over a year since the last 2 episodes happened, the SVT happened again, but it stopped really quickly, about 10 minutes. I had been reading these boards since the first set happened since leaving the Army, so I stayed calm and it went fast. Then, one day at work, I was having really bad PVC's, and I stood up, and BOOM, there goes my heart. Not only did I have SVT, but the PVC's were there as well, which put me into a panic. It had never lasted this long before, and finally I went to the ER. When they found out it had been nearly an hour and a half that my heart was in SVT, with a HR of 220, they gave me some injection which felt like I was having a heart attack. A few minutes afterwards my HR was down to 110, and I was released.
Wow, this is long, I'am very sorry, but I wanted to detail everything.....Anyway, I'm trying to start running again, and getting back into good shape, but the PVC's happen at rest....while running its nearly unbearable...I'm seriously afraid my heart will stop, or in my opinion anyway, go into SVT while running. On the other hand, the only time my heart didn't have these problems was while I was in good cardio shape....I don't know if that was just luck? Or it that has anything to do with this or not, however, I'm to the point now...24 years old, that i'd rather go out and have a freakin heart attack then sit at my house afraid to play with my kids. Ablation is pretty much out of the question for me, as I have no health insurance at the time, but I just can't take this **** of a life this has left me with. My wife doesn't understand, and she acts like I make this stuff up. Hell, she was mad at me for costing us 2,000 for the ER visit.
So...has anyone had anything similiar happen with a high rate of exercise? Or was I just lucky for those 5 years I was in great shape? And, is most of this in my head? or is this something that is very serious, and life threatening if I exercise heavily? I guess I don't really care anymore, I'd rather die then live and fear going to the theme park and go on a ride just in CASE my SVT starts while on the coaster.....
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