Attacks of aFib / PVC's at night due to anxiety?

[nietweer]

I'm a 31 year old male. Generally healthy although I suffer from health anxiety.

4 weeks ago I've got a weird feeling in my chest and I measured my heart rate in my neck. My heart rhythm was all over the place. Several weirdly timed beats in a row. I coughed and it stopped. It lasted like 5-7 seconds.

A bit later I had the exact same experience two more times. 2 days ago also once and last night also once.

I can only describe it as 'bubbles' popping in my chest. Like a mini whirlpool in my chest where bubbles are reaching the surface. Another description could be corn popping to popcorn in your chest, in combination with a general weird feeling. 'Fluttering' is I think a common term here and that could very well be it.

It only happens when I lie down or in rest. Not when standing up and walking or exercising. I've had this a couple of times in my life now, but this month it is more than ever.

First my big question is, are these PVC's or can they be short bouts of Atrial Fibrillation?

My stomach and intestines are also acting up lately. Lot's of gas and air trapped in my gut. One burst of flutters in my heart rate was literally timed with gas bubbles in my abdomen. The one I had last night wasn't.

I went to the doc 2 days ago. Had an EKG (10 seconds) and came back fine. She does not believe in a connection between the gut problems and the arrhythmia's.
She thinks the arrhythmia's are harmless and can act up more with stress.

I will be put on a 7 day holter monitor later to rule things out, but the first possibility for this is in 3 weeks unfortunately.

So nothing to do for me at this moment... But I'm really worried so any answer would greatly help me. As you can imagine, I'm losing sleep over this because they happen at night.

Does this sound like PVC / PAC to you? It is not 'one' heart beat skipping or missing, but several in a row. Could they be short bursts of aFib? Is that even possible?
And why would they act up more now and only during the night?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Take care everyone.

[Aaahhfreakout]

I suspect it's a lot of PACs or PVCs coming from a single irritable point somewhere rather than atrial fibrillation coming from a lot of points at the top of the heart. The simpler answer is often the more likely option.

It might be 15 PACs in a row or 5 PACs or PVCs in a random pattern with normal beats between. In my experience, they feel the same: random skips and bumps.

Also, gut problems can definitely influence the heart if it irritates the vagus nerve. I've triggered PVCs by belching and once gave myself vagally-mediated atrial fibrillation for two minutes by drinking a lot of ice cold water very quickly.

Anyhow, don't get too concerned about a-fib quite yet, it could simply be the 5 harmless PACs in a random order. I hope the ECG catches it.

[nietweer]

Hi Aaahhfreakout. Thanks for your reply.

I think and hope that you are right about the PVC's / PAC's, as they are usually harmless.

Last 2 days I had it again. In the morning I wake up and turn to my right side. A few moments later I feel a weird sensation in my stomach / abdomen area (at least it feels like that) and it's like gas or air is being freed in a bubble or something. I measure my heart rate with my finger on the neck artery, and my heart is beating in an erradic rhythm for a couple of seconds.

I turn and lay on my back and it disappears. Heart beats normally and regulary.

What the hell is this. Also important to note, I don't have this during the day. My heart is not skipping any beats during the day. Believe me, I measure it frequently with every weird sensation these days and it's not happening.

I do have an irritated feeling in my stomach and abdomen though. Almost everyday, the whole day since a couple of weeks. The exact location differs from hour to hour, but I am almost constantly feeling some kind of irritation or bloating. I also 'feel' more stomach acid in my intestines or something. That's how it feels like.

I'm pretty sure everything is somehow connected. I'm just scared that maybe it is the other way arround. And it is something in my heart or blood vessels causing the irritations in the stomach or abdomen area, and not vice versa.

Could it maybe be an aneurysm in my aorta? That my heart starts to beat weirdly and I feel it shaking of vibrating in my belly? Or something else serious?

If anyone can think with me, that would be very appreciated.

[Ethansmom]

I just wanted to chime in and say you are not alone with this. I am having all kinds of palpitations- flutters, skips, thuds. I had such a bad attack a week ago and had to call an am ambulance. It went away about 10 minutes after i took a xanax to calm down. I am scheduled to wear a holtor monitor tomorrow (only for 24 hours though and have an Echo scheduled)-- a heart ultrasound. I am terrified something is wrong.