Help!! Palpitations are ruining my life

[Evizza]

I'm so fed up. I have been having palpitations for the past 3 years. I get all types ranging from little flutters to big thuds that take my breath away.

Every time I leave the house to go to the supermarket, my heart goes crazy. Tonight I had a really strong palpitation that made me feel a bit light headed and uncomfortable in the upper chest. It was scary. I had to walk around the shop at a snails pace to keep my heart rate low. I honestly thought I was going to drop dead.

I've seen a cardiologist a couple of years back and I had a 7 day holter on. They said I had some benign ectopic and that my anxiety was likely the cause.

I have had health anxiety for several years but find it hard to believe that I don't have a heart problem and this is all caused by my anxiety. I'm just starting CBT and have a 24hour holter booked for mid Feb time as the Dr thought it might help put my mind at ease but I can't shake this feeling I'm about to keel over.

Anyone had similar or managed to "cure" it?

Thanks x

[NoraB]

Magnesium sorted out my ectopic beats/ palpitations...

[Josht]

I just posted under worryraptor’s thread “Are these really ectopic beats?”

I think you might find that thread valuable.


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[Evizza]

Thank you Josht... Definitely put my mind at ease a bit reading that thread!

[WorryRaptor]

I hope some of this can help to reassure you while you're waiting on your holter results.

If I've learned anything from all my random heart stuff, it's that even things that DO crop up tend to be completely benign most of the time. The only limiting (minimally) issue I have is the postural tachycardia. But I just have make sure not to stand up too fast or break into a full sprint straight after sitting on the sofa or else my heart races and I feel really faint. Most people wouldn't want to do that anyway. :)

ECG's tell doctors a LOT of information. Stuff that looks like a tiny squiggle to us, or a bump that looks super scary, can turn out to be completely normal to the trained eye. I've had about 4 holters in my lifetime and nothing majorly concerning has turned up. The things they did spot were very clear to see and manageable with lifestyle (or in anxiety terms, nothing to worry about) So easy to manage, that I never really considered writing about it in a thread on this forum. I have family members with the same sensations and tachycardia stuff, and some of them are in their late 70's. None of them have keeled over, and they've had it their whole lives :)

My heart has done flips, flops, and elevator drops, and I've been ok. I still get a bit worried about it from time to time, but the heart has a LOT of ways to keep itself regulated. It's a lot hardier than we imagine. And anxiety can definitely cause it to skip, or feel weird etc.

Anxiety, whether health based, or just generally there from every day life, does a number on your stress hormones. The heart reacts pretty quickly to those hormones and can give you all sorts of odd feelings. The fact it gets worse for you when you're out and about definitely points more towards anxiety being the culprit.

Somebody mentioned that magnesium is helpful and I agree. It definitely helped to calm me down and minimise some of the irritating thuds and trembles. Another thing to keep in mind is gastric involvement. If I have acid reflux, my palpitations act up so much more. I've even had a racing heart after treating myself to too much pizza as it inflamed my stomach, which is very close to the heart. I had a resting heartrate of about 120 for an hour. So if you have any kind of food sensitivities or you get indigestion easily, that can also be a contributing factor.

Some of the sensations you feel can be the muscles around the heart, and they can feel extremely similar to palpitations too.