thuds and flutters

[jazzlady]

Hello and thank you for considering my question.
For some years now ( about 17 in total) I have been getting sensations in my heart such as thuds and flutters, missed beats and extra beats etc. By nature I am a very nervous person and at first I was told that it was just anxiety. I could live with that but when I got into my 30s it seemed to get worse and worse. I have had three treadmill tests, echo and various ECGs including a 3 day one. I have no heart disease.

Now the 3 day ECG picked up a lot of activity ( not sure of the exact name of the activity but I think it was ectopic ventricular and atrial beats). The cardiologist said nothing life threatening was found but recommended I take Flecanaide just to make me feel more comfortable but i'm a bit scared of taking heart meds so I thought i'd just live with it.

Although the 3 day ECG picked up a lot of activity it didn't pick up the one thing that was causing me real concern and that was very long runs of missed beats that form together to make an irregular heartbeat for hours and hours on end. The longest was 24 hours. (clever things hearts ,they never do what you want them to do when you need it!)

A more junior doctor recommended a loop recorder to catch this activity but the cardiologist said it was unnessassary as any arrythmia found would probably be treated by drugs anyway.

I just find it really frustrating that I don't know exactly what is going on in my heart when there are so many different kinds of sensations ie big thuds, small thuds, long runs, short runs etc. So my questions are:

1. is it quite common to have these long runs of activity that last so long?
2. is it also common to have a variety of things going on eg. missed beats, extra beats, fast flutters, strong thuds...i've had them all!

The fast flutter thing is quite new for me. I had a strange flutter the other day which lasted for about 6 seconds. Can't say I felt faint but I did feel a little flushed.Want to go back to the cardiologist but think i'll get a telling off for not taking meds and quite rightly so I guess.

Thanks


Jazzlady

[dmil241]

Google Flecanaide for information.

This seems like an unusual drug to try first especially for simple ectopic beats. You need to have a clear understanding of what your condition is that the doctor wants to treat and to understand the risk/benefits of this drug. I thought people who are bothered with simple PACs and PVCs usually tried a beta blocker like tropol or whatever before a drug like flecanaide.

Again google infor for flecanaide.

[ccscott]

I think you need to ask yourself a question. If your doctor comes up with a heart problem how do you want it treated? Open heart surgery? If you dont trust your doctors advice, then go see another one. If you feel taking drugs to help your issues is something you dont want to do then alterntive med may be the next step...but I would tell you if you dont feel like you got good advice then get a second..and if the second tells you to take medication and you still refuse then live with it...cause there are no body transplants yet..you will have to live with the one you have.....I know I dont like taking pills just for the sake of hoping it will help...but not knowing if it will do anything or if I will suffer with a side effect from it.....we all go thru that.....but if your problems outweigh at least trying a drug...then you have a choice to make...take them or live with it....its really not complicated at all...to be on the safe side...get another opinion.
Cheryl