Heart skipping beats

[donnaharvey]

Does anyone else get this[?]
My heart skips beats all the time every day.
The only way I can describe it is like a thud that I can feel in my throat and my chest, if I am taking my pulse when I have one then my heart does skip a beat, or an extra beat I don't know?
It is awful and very scary, my GP says there are nothing to worry about and that they are just ectopic heartbeats.....but hey this is my heart I am talking about and I am very worried, what if it skips a beat and does not get back into a regular rythm? I have all these thoughts and questions going through my mind (mostly bad ones)...but thats what I do best I guess! lol
There is no particular time they occur though, I could be sitting doing nothing or excercising and when they happen my heart rate speeds up then goes back to normal, but I don't know if thats because when I get them I suddenley panic or get the over whelming urge to cough or take a deep breath ! weird I know but thats what happens
I do not take any caffiene before anybody asks, I stopped that along with a lot of other things when this started happening(a long time ago), I do not smoke and occasionally drink alchohol.

Angie

HI THERE,
I am new to this site and i too have missed heart beats which are causing me so much distress, l seem to get more of them when walking about and they seem to come in runs one after the other, l cannot seem to take my mind of them. I have recently had an ecg which was normal according to the doctor however she put me on a 24 hour monitor which l have still to get the results off. I do not mind telling you i am terrified and driving my family crazy i feel i am about to drop dead can anyone help.
Donna x

[Mikke]

Hi Donna!

If your resting ECG was normal, and your blood samples are good, it is extremely unlikely that something is wrong with your heart or thyroid function (which is why you should take a blood sample).
The resting ECG have already ruled out the most dangerous conditions linked to skipped beats (an enlarged heart, heart attack, heart block, and many of the flutter disorders). An abnormal thyroid function is not a dangerous condition in the short term, but require a blood sample if possible.

Most likely you are experiencing PACs or PVCs. These are as good as always completely benign. PVCs are only of concern to people with a structurally abnormal heart (which you most most most likely do not have as your resting ECG was ok). PACs are never a threat to anyone, not even to those who have a damaged heart structure.

PACs and PVCs are normally not treated (that's right, they are that bening), and are normal cardiac phenomena in healthy hearts. Very often they are caused by stress, as your kidneys release a lot of chemicals into your bloodstream during stressfull periods that interact with parts of your heart, making the heart throw in an extra beat occassionally.

I have been exactly where you are now, the fear of heart trouble got so intense I wasn't able to function at all. I såent weeks taking my pulse, and was afraid to do strenous things.
But you MUST know, that the more your fear the skipped beats, the more often they will appear.
Hopefully, with some time and reasurrance from your doctor, you will realize that your heart is healthy, and the palpitations will gradually go away as your fear diminishes along with the recognition of having a healthy heart.

Mine went away as soon as I had talked to four different doctors. I had skipped beats multiple times an hour, but not one of the doctors I visited would even consider giving me the holter (24 hour monitor). One of the docs even had skipped beats himself, and said "you would have to present me with some more scary symptoms than just skipped beats before I set you up with the holter monitor - everyone have skipped beats during stressfull times, it's just that someone feels them more distinct than other, some people don't even notice them. If you fainted, I would listen and MAYBE set you up with the holter..."

It's superb that you have been given the holter. Most likely the results will tell you have ectopic beats like PVCs or PACs, and that they are propably stressrelated. And then you will have to pinpoint what is stressfull in your life right now, so you can remove the stressor. If you are able to do that, and alongside with it be assured that your heart is healthy, the palpitations will go away or become a lot less frequent.

If you on the other hand should recieve results that tells otherwise (that you have some sort of arrytmia), you must remember that even these in most cases are not life threatening...

[Organik]

Hey everyone, I to have skipped beats that make my life miserable. Does anyone get the skipped beats when taking a deep breath or if your sitting for awhile get up quick and than take a deep breath? They scare me so much. I hope someone can help :(

[saab]

Organik - hi and welcome to the forum. Yes, skipped beats (pvc's) are very common when changing position, lying down, or lying in your left side. Many people on here get them. If you have had an ekg and been told they are benign then there should be nothing to worry about. The anxiety is the hardest thing to deal with - most doctors will not treat pvc's with medication as they are not harmful. If they are really bad (like thousands a day) or if they are causing unbearable anxiety problems they may suggest beta blockers.

[kestral]

i have missed beats and my gp says my heart is enlarged due to high blood pressure, for which i am being treated. he says neither are a problem. i have had both ecg and 24 hour holter tapes done.

[Dibbler]

When I first started getting these ectopic type beats they really really worried the hell out of me. After the blood tests done by my GP and the ECG and other tests done by a cardiologist I have sort of figured it means that my heart isn't about to explode just yet.
When I saw my last cardiologist ( a different one privately who is quite high up in his field of medicine) was monitoring me on the ECG and I felt as though I was having loads and that he was going to condemn my heart for sure as totally failing.
I waited for his conclusions and they were "that's fine you are normal and I do not need to see you again". I told him that I thought my heart was exploding or spluttering away and he told me that they were just ectopic beats he noted and they are perfectly normal and not to worry.

Ha, I thought not to worry eh, well obviously he doesn't live in my body..!!!

They still sort of freak me out and the more they freak me the more often they can get.

[ivandiryana]

Hi, yesterday I went to emergency room because this skip beat or extra beat. Something unconfortable beat from my left chest. I got ECG test and turns out everything is normal, my heart beat a little faster but that was because i was panic.

They gave me one pill for my anxiety. I thought everything will be normal after i took the pill but it wasn't. I still feel the miss beat even now, i can't sleep and it is 2 in the morning. Is it possible that the miss beat i'm feel is because of stomach ulcer or somekind of GERD?

[saab]

Many people find they get their palpitations after a meal or when lying down. I have read that lying down, and especially lying on your left side, makes the heart move forward a little and touch the chest wall which can trigger palpitations. Lots of people feel their palpitations are related to indigestion so it may be that yours are too.

Another thing to remember is that they are very often made worse by anxiety - it's a cycle of palpitaion-anxiety-more palpitations. I find lack of sleep, a heavy meal, coffee, even a very cold day, can trigger them.

[alq]

Hey, I have the same problem - heart skips beats, makes me panic, have went to the emergency a few times and doctors told me my heart is fine.

But these skipping heart beats still caused me a lot of distress, but I think I FINALLY have the answer (at least in my case). It's Magnesium Citrate!

I read somewhere, about 3-4 months ago that taking Magnesium might help with skipping heart beats. I bought some back then, because I was having heart skips all the time. I took them for a while, before I forgot the pills at a friend's place. However, what I failed to notice at the time was that the skipping stopped!

Slowly but surely it came back, and for the past 2 weeks it's been happening all the time - when I do work, when I bike, when I try to sleep... I've been barely able to sleep - at night, just when I was about to pass out and was completely relaxed all of a sudden my heart would skip a few beats, making me jump up in bed and scared for half an hour. It was so bad, I would keep getting up, and stay awake until total exhaustion - usually pass out after 4 am. That was REALLY ruining my life.

But finally I decided to test the theory, remembering the Magnesium. I went over to my friend's house and asked for the pills which I left there a few months ago. Turned out he drank them all. There was one left! I took it immediately and I was stunned that my heart didn't skip until much later, when that night it only skipped 3-4 times! That's nothing compared to what it was the night before! So the next day, I ran to the chemist and bought Magnesium Citrate (1900mg) which is the most-absorbable form of Magnesium and also the most expensive one but here on the packet it reads "Optimum Support for Muscular Cramps, PMS, Cardiovascular Health & Strong Bones". It also says that "it plays a key role in supporting cardiovascular health, and maintaining healthy muscle contraction."

Muscle contraction = heart beat. I took two tablets, on an empty stomach, as prescribed that day, and that night I only got one (big) heart skip, but that was all! This morning I took one tablet and my heart is just so happy! There were a few instances when I was just waiting for my heart to skip, because I held my breath or something that usually would cause it to do so, and yet, nothing! I'm so happy, I had to share it with others, because it so sucks to have your heart do that, even if it's harmless!

So just get Magnesium Citrate (the one I got is MagCitra)! Hopefully it will help!!!

[cress]

Does anyone else get this[?]
My heart skips beats all the time every day.
The only way I can describe it is like a thud that I can feel in my throat and my chest, if I am taking my pulse when I have one then my heart does skip a beat, or an extra beat I don't know?
It is awful and very scary, my GP says there are nothing to worry about and that they are just ectopic heartbeats.....but hey this is my heart I am talking about and I am very worried, what if it skips a beat and does not get back into a regular rythm? I have all these thoughts and questions going through my mind (mostly bad ones)...but thats what I do best I guess! lol
There is no particular time they occur though, I could be sitting doing nothing or excercising and when they happen my heart rate speeds up then goes back to normal, but I don't know if thats because when I get them I suddenley panic or get the over whelming urge to cough or take a deep breath ! weird I know but thats what happens
I do not take any caffiene before anybody asks, I stopped that along with a lot of other things when this started happening(a long time ago), I do not smoke and occasionally drink alchohol.

Angie

HI. I've been experiencing this the last few days and I know its stress related. I just took some liquid oxygen - 20 drops in water and its gone. could be a coincidence but its worked for now...