Fast pulse and ectopics

[countrygirl]

I haven't done too badly for months - pulse between 65-76 when taking blood pressure that I am having to do every day - occasionally up to 95 and only about 2 bad flutters in chest a day but this morning I think I went too long without eating I had got up early and rushed around and not had anything to eat and at 11am I suddenly felt all shaky with racing heart. I did my blood glucose ( husband diabetic but I hardly ever do it) and it was 5.2 which is not that low but I ate something and felt a bit better but still very shaky and my heart still pounding, then I started to get the ectopic beat sometimes every 3rd or not for 30 and when I did my bp my pulse was 118.
I went out socially and of course kept taking my pulse under the table and at one point it was normal like every second but I am very aware of it banging away and when I did my bp again ( bp is completely normal!) it was again 115. Now I know that my heartbeat increases as soon as I take my pulse or go near the bp machine but am worrying that this constant high pulse will do me harm.

[Meg37]

Hello

I am also experiencing a lot of skipped beats at the moment which seems to be connected with my stomach and how bloated/windy I am. I had an ECG three years ago and everything was fine so I believe there is fundamentally nothing wrong with my heart. I am certainly no Doctor but I don't think the pulse raising will hurt you, like me you sound like you are possibly in a loop of checking for skipped beats or a racing pulse and then of course it happens which in turn makes you keep checking. I keep telling myself that if I had anything seriously wrong than I would be dead by now the amount my heart has skipped around or raced out of my chest for no reason.

I hope you feel better soon :)

[Mr.Jitters]

A fast heart rate won't hurt you, as long as you're in a normal sinus rythm. My *resting* heart rate is 130bpm normally, and spends most of the day hovering around 150. The only reason my doctor gives me beta-blockers to lower it to a more convenient 80bpm is because the racing heart bothers me, and leaves me feeling a bit worn out. Of course, the lower it is, the fewer ectopics I get, which is a bonus. Hope this helps to put your mind at rest.

Feel better soon!

[Dibbler]

countrygirl - please do not be offended when I write this but do you not feel tha tyou are doing the self checking a bit too much..? I know that I have been really bad at that, either with my bp, pulse or sugar levels (I'm not even a diabetic).
Just doing those self checks will raise your levels of anxiety and in turn will only exaggerate the very symptoms that you describe.
I'm learning to put my self check kits away and not use them and try and ignore the pulse and flutter things that I would otherwise obsess too much about.
I'm not trying to trivialise your concerns but it might be a good idea not to check so often. I will ask though why is it that you need to take your bp every day..?

[countrygirl]

Thanks everyone. I should have explained that I have had to take my bp every day for 6 weeks for the Dr to show if I was experiencing white coat syndrome at the surgery as when they take it it is borderline and it has proved to be true as once I started to calm down with the home moniter my bp is completely normal its just that the bp machine also records your pulse as well. Even when I am quite calm my pulse goes up as soon as the bp machine starts to inflate the cuff!:)

I do not normally check my pulse as I know from past experience that this makes it worse but sods law says that 3 yrs ago I developed a pulse in my left ear due to a cyst on my brain stem transmitting the sound from my jugular artery through my skull to my ear so I can hear my pulse all the time in my left ear I do not need to actually feel my pulse at all! I have got used to this but when my heart races or I get the ectopics I notice it alot more.

I am also finding that past few years that every ectopic I get makes me feel a bit funny headed for a second or so and afte the ectopic my heart seems to pound for a few beats- anyone know what I mean??

[kinnygirl1]

Countrygirl - yes my ectopics make me funny headed for a few seconds and that in turn aggravates my anxiety. I am learning to try and ignore this feeling but I SO know what you mean. x

[countrygirl]

Thanks Kinnygirl nice to know I am not alone - sometimes I get runs of ectopics for a few seconds and boy does that make me feel weird as if I am going to faint, I usually give a deep cough and that will stop the runs but its scary isnt' it.

[daisydoo]

Have read this again now. My ectopics make me feel light headed, woozy like. My pulse also races after them. And i have to keep coughing as if to reset my heart. So does sounx very much like mine

[kinnygirl1]

Yup - it's rubbish. Really very scary. However, these were picked up on a 24 hour ecg that I had a few weeks ago and the cardiologist was not at all worried about them, so I am using that as reassurance when I feel scared and worried about it and it threatens to fuel my HA. Also distraction helps me enormously with this prob. x x

[countrygirl]

I have had numerous 24 hr ecgs over the past 25 years:blush: I seem to be able to go about 3 yrs and then have another one and every one picks up the ectopics and am always told i have normal heart with benign ectopics. My last on done in March this year showed that I am getting runs of up to 5 ectopics at a time but again they weren't in the least bothered about it and just said this explains why you feel faint etc but you won't faint.

I had an echo of my heart about 11 years ago and that was normal as well.