signifiance of heart palpitations

[maddy]

Could you please tell me if there is any signifance to the amount and hardness of heart palpitations.  

I am a 38 year old female who suffers from heart palpitations almost daily.  I usually have between 10 - 20 skips or strange sensations in my heart per day.  Sometimes the skips are REALLY hard.  I have no heart disease and a completely normal heart so I am told not to worry.  

My question is 10 - 20 abnormal beats a lot during one day and is there any significance to how hard the skips are.  I am told a lot of people just ignore the skips but I can't believe they can do that when they are so intense.

Thank you for your time.

[John]

I'm 49 I have had heart palps everyday now for the 2 past years -they sometimes make me cough, i'm sometimes light headed and get a headache from it. I do find that when I get them the most, I also have an upset stomach and have to take an antacid.I drink coffee everyday and drink sometimes on weekends I have a sister that has the same thing.Any ideas  ?

[James L.Kee]

Three years ago I started with palps everytime I would awake.  My Dr. had did a holter and put me on 240 mg veapamil once daily.  EKG showed a thickening of the left wall of my hert.  Stress test OK.  I only have palps which always end up in a flutter when I awake. I can fall asleep on a couch or just doze and will wake up with paplps or flutter.  Dr. does not seem to be concerned.  My quality of life is not good.  I am always afraid the flutter will not stop and I always get up and move.  This will stop the flutter.  My normal at rest heart rate is 56.  Same as my fathers.  I am 65 years old.  Staying off cafeine and chocalate decreases the severity of the palps.  Something as I awake triggers the flutter.  Adrenaline??  Anyone with similar problems.  Will flutter cause a stroke if I let it go.  I take one aspirin daily.  Sometimes I feel a sensation in left cheek, no weakness, just a sensation. Help.

[maryann]

I have had Atrial Flutter and palpitations for 30 years.  I was tried on several cardiac drugs and finally doctors settled on Inderal.  I was on Inderal and Digoxi for about 20 years and developed asthma which doctors felt was started by the Inderal.  I suffered a lung hemorage and was taken off Inderal and was put on another round of drugs without much success.  I would get palpitations nearly every day and had many trips to the ER and wearing a holter monitor up to 3 days at a time with nothing really showing.  My doctor put me back on Atenonol and I am still having palpitations and have now developed panic attacks because of it.  I get palpitations when I eat, when I drink any alcohol, if I eat anything sweet, if I walk up a flight of stairs, if I have to go to the bathroom.  This is consuming my life and on top of this situation I find that I cannot get off of the Atenonol because of the negative effects it has had on my adrenaline.  If I hear a noise my heart races and I shake for hours.  I need some health and am not getting it from my cardiologist.

[Gary]

I have had heart palpitations since I was about 13 years old and am now 39.I still have them and have been to the doctor several times.I have had all the tests and everything is normal.It helps to know there are others out there with the same problem.I don't like them in fact I hate them.

[Tim (UK)]

I have had palpitations for 20yrs. Had all the tests, and my doctor says nothing to worry about..just ventricular ectopic beats. I am 45yrs old male in UK. I have just discovered this site, and what a comfort it is to know that many have experienced this utterly miserable condition, and we can all share our feelings about the condition, which I am sure is a great help in itself. It is very disturbing. The condition can dissapear for weeks at a time, and then for no reason reappear for days/weeks at a time. It has been so bad that I have taken myself off to hospital on many occassions convinced that my heart will throw a complete wobbly as it feels so unstable. No pain, but a feeling of light headiness, sometimes nausia, and slight discomfort in my right jaw.A general unsettled feeling inside. Sometimes a scary fainting feeling. Had the 24 hr monitor etc..everything ok even tho it picked up these missing/premature beats every few seconds. The crazy thing is that alcohol often calmes it all down..but the following day it can be bad again. Also noticed that a really good hot curry seems to calm the problem for a few days. There seems to be something very calming/soporific in curry (coriander)?? Any comments welcomed :***@****

[diana]

dear jack,
iam 24 years old, and i too have just started to have palpitations. it seems to be when i feel stressed, or excited. i have stopped drinking, and it seemed to have started after that! i went to the hospital, and they gave me a ECG, and said everything was fine. but that doesnt stop me thinking about it. i seem to waiting for the next attack to happen. the more i think about it when the attacks are happening, the more distressed i beome. it is like a circle!i think it could be a panic attack, as i have been feeling very stressed the past few months. i just hope that it goes away as it really gets you down, and scares you.