I'll Keep This as Brief as Possible

[Deadlyg33k]

Hey all, I've been lurking these boards for years and finally decided to post. I'm 38 years old and I've been suffering from anxiety since I was 19. I've been on every medication known to man and currently only take the occasional Ativan 0.5mg sub-lingual if an attack occurs. I started getting heart palpitations a few years back and it has been off and on since with varying degrees of effects.

I just wanted to ask the people on here that suffer from this to ease my mind really. I went to a Cardiologist who cleared me (actually claimed my heart is strong like a bull), and nothing ever really shows up on ECG's or EKG's. Long story short I've noticed that I rarely get palps if I'm exercising or during sex but get them at completely arbitrary moments like when bending over sometimes, squatting, leaning to a certain side (for me it's my right, my left almost never), etc. I rarely get attacks, like continuous although I have in the past, now it's more one big beat/flutter that literally takes my breath away and makes me jump. Afterwards I feel like proverbial garbage for a couple of hours.

I use to occasionally also get these very debilitating episodes at night when trying to sleep, as soon as I'd be slipping into REM I'd jump up and feel my heart pounding, it would sometimes do this so often that one time I went three days almost without sleep. Now thank goodness that hasn't happened recently (knock on wood), but these large thuds are happening a couple times per week. Now in the beginning I was so paranoid that I'd be cutting everything out of my diet like caffeine and alcohol. I don't smoke, haven't for years (over 8) and don't do drugs.

Has anybody on here experienced similar symptoms? I'm calm and collective enough to realize that it hasn't killed me yet chances are it won't, but it doesn't completely put me at ease. I'm just looking for solace in other people's experience, I miss RLR as he was very articulate in his approach and valued his opinion but I know there are many on here that are equally as helpful and that's what I'm seeking. I learned through reading here and research that these large thuds I'm experiencing could be due to blood build up from smaller ectopic beats followed by a large push of said blood. But that in itself scared the crap out of me because if that were true wouldn't have shown up on tests? I don't know, I just hope I'm not alone here.

Thanks for reading.

Jason

---------- Post added at 18:47 ---------- Previous post was at 18:41 ----------

I would also like to add that a few years ago I had a really bad stomach flu that lasted a few days, by the end of it I was obviously dehydrated and ended up in the ER with a resting heart rate of 190! After they gave me meds to lower BPM I started getting really erratic beats, one second it's 160, then down to 90, then back to 110, then 134 you get the idea. I was subsequently cardioverted and never since. I'm shocked that someone my age would need this and also is this common?

[contrafobic]

Hy Jason, I have these too, and it scares me. I have also been to the doctors, made all tests, and they say that I am allright. Ironically, my future wife is a doctor, and she reasures me everytime :). What I find strange is that if I get a simptom during the day I can rationalize and go on without panic, but, as soon as I go to sleep and I get a strange heart beat or a strange pain in the heart region I panic and I am unable to get back to sleep. But I also think that if that didn't killed me in 4 years since I have started to have this problems, it probably wont kill me in the future.

[n3r0x1k]

arbitrary moments like when bending over sometimes, squattingBending over is known to be a classic trigger, also is one of mine sometimes.


now it's more one big beat/flutter that literally takes my breath away and makes me jump.
Is that also when you're on the verge of falling asleep? I have a lot of ectopics, but sometimes they occur as large thuds. I noticed that most times it was harder, like a huge heartbeat, when I was really calm/concentrated or falling asleep. It happened a lot when I was around 16/17 (I'm 34 now) which at one point I was scared to fall asleep by fear of never waking up. Two years ago, it happened again (the ultra large waking thud) and it got me worried as hell, and after a couple of hours, IU started panicking, ended up in the hospital, and for the 5000th time got an all clear from the doctors.


large thuds I'm experiencing could be due to blood build up from smaller ectopic beats followed by a large push of said blood.
I never heard of that, I'd have to see the research, so far all I've read / been told didn't mention that. And I've been having ectopics since my teen years, sometimes a lot.


ER with a resting heart rate of 190! After they gave me meds to lower BPM I started getting really erratic beats, one second it's 160, then down to 90, then back to 110, then 134 you get the idea. I was subsequently cardioverted and never since.
When you say "never since", you mean your heartrate has been normal since the electric shock or you didn't get cardioverted since?
As for the rest, I wouldn't be sure. I sometimes suffer from supraventricular tachycardia, most often sinus tachy', I'm actually having an episode right now. Most times it'll last hours to maybe a couple of days, although I can have "in between phases" where it can go down to 80 or 60. As for if it beats 160 on minute, 90 another, 134 the other, are you sure it's very closely spaced as in minutes or seconds and you have the relatively same posture? Cuz I know I myself can bump my heart by 30-40 often just by standing up, or stressing, or when having tachycardia. Anyway, hope you get your answers.

[Aaahhfreakout]

Stimulation of the vagus nerve in the throat caused by various movements and actions can cause ectopic beats. I can cause them by bending over, belching and yawning, as an example, and I once gave myself atrial fibrillation by drinking a large amount of icy water.

Also, sensitive parts of the heart can generate ectopic beats when under stress but, interestingly, other parts of the heart which can generate ectopic beats may not react to stress at all. They may react to, say, lack of sleep but totally ignore even extreme stress. My PVCs react to stress, my PACs don't as an example.

Ectopic beats are inefficient, which in theory can cause the heart to overfill by inefficient pumping and this can cause a bigger bump as the overfilled heart finally pushes the blood out.

Also, your dehydration appeared to cause atrial tachycardia. With it, it's like your heart rate is going up and down like it's is riding its own personal rollercoaster. In younger people, it's commonly caused by drinking too much alcohol. In your case, severe dehydration must have been the cause, unless the medicine was.

[n3r0x1k]

I once gave myself atrial fibrillation by drinking a large amount of icy water.

This got me a little worked up (I'm cardiophobic by nature). Are you sure it was atrial fibrillation or just "heart beating quickly", such as sinus tachycardia or supraventricular tachycardia. I'm asking because I'm wondering if I've often had some and would've just interpreted them as just tachycardia (quick heart beats). I'm asking because from what I read about Afib, it can be dangerous, versus the PVCs that I have that I've been taught were harmless.

I just checked out the symptoms for Afib and it mentions "Weakness, Reduced ability to exercise [..]" and sometimes I couldn't put words on my palpitations but it felt as if I was "weak hearted", more breathless, harder time to do simple excercises such as going up stairs, etc. From what I remember, it never lasted more than a day, or if it did, never more than a few days (the symptoms I've described when "weakness" is included). BUT, I do remember RIGHT BEFORE my first echocardiogram when I was 17 (I'm 34), I had trouble walking up the stairs that day and had palps to get to the room where I took the echo and minutes later I was on the machine and they didn't mention any Afib or Atrial Flutter. Actually, after a while my pulse came down (maybe just the fact I was stressing the hell out to maybe get bad news started the symptoms) while on the echocardiogram , the one where you see your heart pumping on a screen, and they continued checking my heart and I was given an all clear.

[Aaahhfreakout]

I cannot be certain that it was atrial fibrillation I had, that would require an ECG. However, it's by far the most common irregular arrhythmia and it can be "vagally-mediated" by drinking cold water in some people. It is also associated with hypothermia. It's my best guess.

I have no best guess for your symptoms, I don't know enough. Brief periods of any atrial arrhythmia aren't too bad at all, though, even if it was that. See a doctor if they aren't aware of your feelings of weakness.

[n3r0x1k]

I cannot be certain that it was atrial fibrillation I had, that would require an ECG. However, it's by far the most common irregular arrhythmia and it can be "vagally-mediated" by drinking cold water in some people. It is also associated with hypothermia. It's my best guess.

I have no best guess for your symptoms, I don't know enough. Brief periods of any atrial arrhythmia aren't too bad at all, though, even if it was that. See a doctor if they aren't aware of your feelings of weakness.

Thanks for the clarification :)

[Deadlyg33k]

Bending over is known to be a classic trigger, also is one of mine sometimes.


Is that also when you're on the verge of falling asleep? I have a lot of ectopics, but sometimes they occur as large thuds. I noticed that most times it was harder, like a huge heartbeat, when I was really calm/concentrated or falling asleep. It happened a lot when I was around 16/17 (I'm 34 now) which at one point I was scared to fall asleep by fear of never waking up. Two years ago, it happened again (the ultra large waking thud) and it got me worried as hell, and after a couple of hours, IU started panicking, ended up in the hospital, and for the 5000th time got an all clear from the doctors.

Oh yes I have had that before. Twice. First time lasted almost three days with no sleep and the second one long night.



When you say "never since", you mean your heartrate has been normal since the electric shock or you didn't get cardioverted since?
As for the rest, I wouldn't be sure. I sometimes suffer from supraventricular tachycardia, most often sinus tachy', I'm actually having an episode right now. Most times it'll last hours to maybe a couple of days, although I can have "in between phases" where it can go down to 80 or 60. As for if it beats 160 on minute, 90 another, 134 the other, are you sure it's very closely spaced as in minutes or seconds and you have the relatively same posture? Cuz I know I myself can bump my heart by 30-40 often just by standing up, or stressing, or when having tachycardia. Anyway, hope you get your answers.

Yeah sorry I meant never since then have I been cardioverted.

My situation doesn't seem to be as severe others on here but it's debilitating to say the least. Lack of sleep and stress absolutely worsen the symptoms and I've been suffering from annoying indigestion/acid reflux (most likely GERD although I haven't been diagnosed) for the last year which doesn't help things. I can't shake the fear sometimes that one day I'll just drop dead from these issues. I think the worst part for me anyway is the way I feel after a big palp. it's like the wind was sucked out of me and I feel like shyte for hours afterwards. The little flutters don't bother me but the bigger ones that are followed but what I can only describe as a electric shock through my body. Basically it's like the PALP shocked my body, I have actually jumped from the sheer power of them sometimes. Anyone else experience that?

Also yes the vagus nerve must come into play with me. I have noticed that the palps/flutters happen far more often when I'm lying or leaning on my right side and almost never when I'm turned or leaning to my left. But that's my next question; isn't that reversed? I mean isn't usually the other way around?

[n3r0x1k]

I think the worst part for me anyway is the way I feel after a big palp. it's like the wind was sucked out of me and I feel like shyte for hours afterwards. The little flutters don't bother me but the bigger ones that are followed but what I can only describe as a electric shock through my body. Basically it's like the PALP shocked my body, I have actually jumped from the sheer power of them sometimes. Anyone else experience that?
I know for myself the big thuds make me wanna cough and I get sort of winded. As for the shock, I don't know.


Also yes the vagus nerve must come into play with me. I have noticed that the palps/flutters happen far more often when I'm lying or leaning on my right side and almost never when I'm turned or leaning to my left. But that's my next question; isn't that reversed? I mean isn't usually the other way around?
I don't know about that though. When I was speaking about body position I was refering to your edit saying your pulse was faster and I meant if it was taken while sitting down or standing.