Arrythmias

[Run4life7]

I am a 40 yr. old female runner. I've had several tests done regarding heart palps and have learned that they are not threatening. I have had on a daily basis, several sporatic skipped beats.  However, yesterday during a very stressful morning, and on about less than 5 hours continous sleep......I had an irregular heartbeat from 8am until 2:30 pm.  My heart felt fluttery and like it was jumping out of my chest. One right after the other. I had a little pressure in my chest. No dizziness, sweating, etc. I took my pulse which was about 70, but in between every beat , or so, there would be three little fast ones.....I could see them in my wrist vein. I went home for lunch and listened to my heart through a toy stethescope that really works :) and could hear the three little beats.  Any thoughts? I am currently taking Sam-E for anxiety and still trying to decide if it is working, but no meds for the skips. Cardiologist did say that I have trivial heart murmur and mitrovalve prolapse. And yes, anxiety out the wazoo.
I shoud add that I do get pain in my left arm, but not necessarily when I have the palps...and not yesterday. I have bad circulation...varicose veins in my left leg that I am going to get stripped. I get a pressure, heavy feeling in my legs and arms, like a blood pressure cuff on them.  I can feel it in my left arm right now....though I am having no chest discomfort or palps.

[Run4life7]

Thank you for your insight. You have given me some thoughts to consider and present to my Cardio whom I meet with tomorrow.  I am not sure about heart disease on my father's side (never met him), but my mother's side is clear.  As far as lifestyle, I live a healthy one....green drinks every am, run 3-5 times a week with strength training in between.  I don't sleep well however and I know that is a huge problem paired with the anxiety issues I have.  This all started after my first marathon three years ago...chect pain and palps sent me to emergency where the xray tech proceeded to tell me that I had a pulmonary embolism. They did every kind of test and scan imaginable, which sent me into a fury of worry...cancer....heart disease...."wait, was that an aneurysm at the base of the skull?", one reading suggested....ughhhhh!!!!!!  6 mos and a coumadin regime later....my vascular surgeon, who is also the chair radiologist at the hospoital re-examined the scans to reveal the reading was an error.....no clots  My anxiety went from about a 4 to off the charts and in the mean time....I have never felt the same....flutters, panic attacks, and prior.....my biggest concern was getting in enough miles for training.  Now, they want to put me on anxiety medicine when I never even take an aspirin......unbelievable!!

[Jerry_NJ]

Make that Mitral Valve  prolapse.  That valve is the one that connects the left Atrium with the left Ventricle.  Some prolapse there is very common and mostly left untreated to my understanding.  Still it is worth keeping an eye on.

I think you should consider taking an aspirin a day and discussing that with your doctor.  The fast three beats must be very close together and may be (this is NOT a diagnosis - just a speculation) related to an underlying fibrillation in the left Atrium (Atrial Fibrillation).  If this is happening there is a small increased risk of the formation of blood clots and an aspirin is the first and simplest (low cost too) way to reduce that risk.  Given your young age the only risk factor I read is you extra beats/arrhythmia.