Months of chest discomfort - now palpitations

[jenza20]

Back in November I posted about chest pain. To cut a long story short, I had an ECG and blood tests and all was normal. It was put down to reflux (this has plagued me for years), and I had my second gastroscopy in 5 years (camera down throat). That was also ok. I decided to stop the lansoprozole for a while as the reflux has actually calmed down once I'd had to stop it 2 weeks prior to gastroscopy. It hasn't been bothering me since. My chest however has!

I am STILL getting chest discomfort. It's not exactly unbearable pain, but feels a bit 'heavy' at times. It's the palpitations that get to me. Several times a day at least. The flutterings begin from nowhere. I could be sitting down and I just have a spell of them. If I do housework I get breathless easy and they start then. If I lay down, they occur frequently. I didn't feel particularly stressed but these are bothering me. My dr seemed a little fed up when I went last time. Ordered blood tests cos I insisted I might be anaemic!

I'm wondering if anyone gets reflux and palpitations. I read somewhere there might be a link? I've just got over a cold too. Is that what could be making them worse? I woke up today thanking god I'm still alive. Such a frightening night.

[jenza20]

Well, I wrote this message on Monday - it's now Friday and I STILL have troublesome palpitations so I visited my GP this afternoon and he is arranging a holter monitor for 2 days. I need to ring the cardiac unit Monday. This has partly fuelled my fear and partly reassuring that something it getting done. The strange thing is, my resting heart beat is very good when I'm having the palps. My heart flips away but pulse is steady and around 68-75 bpm. I've checked so many times!

[faithfulone]

Hi Jenza, I've had heart palpitations since 2007. Anxiety and stress, mostly from my job at that time I think were responsible. Palpitations were so bad, I was having pvc's (thousands/day) and would easily get short of breath. Had the complete heart workup, EKG's, stress test, and haltor monitor. Heart doc said mine were benign and many people had this and didn't even realize it. Of course, I feel every single one of them.....He prescribed me an anti-anxiety med at that time and told me caffeine can trigger them. I still feel them at times, more so if I'm tired and don't get enough sleep. Also, during times of high anxiety I find they are worse. I believe for women, and I'm not sure your age, but hormonal changes can affect them also. Good to get them checked out so it will decrease your anxiety if that's all it is.

[Seffie]

Hi Jenza there used to be a heart palpitations forum and the advice on there was that any kind of gastric upset can affect the hearts rhythm because it irritates the vagus nerve that runs from the brain to the gut and branches off at various parts including the heart. So any stomach or bowel upset has the potential to trigger palpitations / skipped beats etc. You won't very often hear doctors say this but if you carefully Google this connection you may find some info on this. The forum I mentioned is no longer available which is a shame because there were lots of good explanations on there. I'm not saying this is what is causing your palpitations but, along with your anxiety about them, this could be part of the reason behind them.
Hope this helps!
Seffie x

[jenza20]

Thank you for your replies. I woke this morning at 5.30am with bad palpitations again. Absolutely terrifying me. I could feel panic setting in so I've come on here and it does help (I have been googling again though - more for reassurance that it isn't my heart to be fair!!)
I get my holter next Wednesday. What I'm hoping for is that these palpitations are still bad but they confirm they're benign. Then I can accept its this dreadful anxiety and move on.... Until my next illness troubles me!!
I'm 42 by the way. I did read sometimes it can be related to woman's hormones. I just wish I knew if it was. It's the not knowing that's the problem. The fear that it 'might be the worst possible scenario' is troubling me.

[kaykepps13]

Hi Jenza- I recently starting experiencing heart palp. as well. It feels as if there's an animal inside my chest trying to escape! They last about 10 seconds or so each time. They also send a "rush" to my head. I've head my heart checked over with every test imaginable. Tilt, stress, sweat, holter.. everything! My heart was completely fine and I was told heart palp's were normal for some. I'm 27, female, and suffer from anxiety and digestion issues. Hopefully this bit of info calms you in some way. My cardiologist is the top ranked in Wisconsin and he told me I have nothing to worry about. Good luck with your testing!

[Mike_NY]

Hi Jenza, I've been suffering with this too the past 2 weeks and went and got an EKG and Stress test done yesterday at the cardiologist. He told me I was fine. I have been getting sharp intermittent pains all over my chest but mostly around my heart area and also like a squeezing pain around the diaphragm area. The pains would only last a split second. He explained the squeezing pain around the diaphragm is caused by the acid causing a spasm and the other chest and arm pains were anxiety and not acid or heart related. I wouldn't get any pains or anything when exerting myself at the gym. I know he was right because after that visit, the pains have magically stopped! Same thing happened to me last time I had acid reflux a year ago. I was getting pains every day and after and EKG at work showed no issues, the pain was gone.

I have been getting the odd skipped heart palp too which kind of takes the wind from your sails but when I was on the treadmill for the stress test, I got a skipped heartbeat after I came off the treadmill and it created a big downward spike on the screen of the EKG machine . I pointed this out to the doc right away who was standing next to me and he said they are perfectly normal, everyone gets them. He said things like caffeine or working out can cause them. He was holding a bottle of diet Pepsi and he held it up and said stuff like this will cause them too! :)

He told me people with anxiety tend to over-breath sub-consciously and they feel like they aren't getting enough air and heavy chested because they are already full of breath, like trying to blow air into a balloon that's already full. Exhale like you are breathing through a straw he said, long , controlled breaths and this will stop the short of breath, heavy chest feeling. I'm giving it a go myself today!

[jenza20]

Thanks for your replies.

The breathing technique (as if through a straw), if a great idea. I will try it right now ��

I had the holter and after nearly 3 weeks, still no results. I've rang many times. I'm hoping no news is good news.

The palpitations calmed down. I don't get them as much and barely got them at all when I wore the holter. But I have still got chest pain and heaviness and I can not sleep on left or right side so have come back on to see what that's all about?