24 hour ECG

[pgw84]

Hi all! Not posted for a short while. Just so you know, I've had huge anxiety about my heart for nearly a year and a half now. A doctor I saw finally decided to refer me to a cardiologist, just to give me piece of mind as they put it, although they a almost certain nothing is wrong.

I've had 4 standard ECGs now, I had an echo at the end of last week and today I had a 24 hour ECG fitted which I'm wearing at the moment. Thing is, for about the last month, I've had more ectopic type beats than ever, but the last few days they have really calmed down, I don't think I had any at all yesterday and I've not had any today either, reassuringly my anxiety has also greatly reduced the last week or so as well.

I've found one cause for ectopic beats is being in a situation where I feel trapped, like going to the cinema or being in an awkward situation. Saying that, I also get them where this isn't the case and they seem to come at random.

I'm feeling angry with myself now because I desperately want the ectopics to start so I can get them recorded and finally be assured, but I'm just not getting any, I'm actually trying to make myself anxious so I'm more likely to bring it on, but nothing is working. Yet I can guarantee that as soon as the monitor is off they'll start again. The same thing happened with an ECG last week, I had ectopics in the waiting room, none for the extended ECG, then more after it had finished. :angry:

[angiebaby]

This is so annoying isn't it! I have ectopic's daily and when i have had my hundreds of ECG's and my three day holter monitor, they didn't happen!! It was so frustrating for me, i did everything i could to bring them on too, but NO, they stayed away. I have been having ectopic heart beats for 12 years now but everytime we try to catch them they don't happen. This of course is good in one way, means they are benign but a pain when you want experts to see what is happening to you and they can't catch the beggars! But if there is something wrong it doesn't matter whether you have ectopics caught on camera, as it were, or not, they can still detect abnormalities if you don't have any. My tests were clear, but i am still having the big, bad ectopics daily.x

[pgw84]

Hi angiebaby! Yes, it is really annoying! But I've had a bit of luck in the last few minutes with a couple of definite skipped beats, so hope fully it recorded ok as I have to go and have it removed again in a couple hours. I'm a bit worried that I may have messed it up or something, as it got near a mobile a couple times and the microwave as it was going, which it says to try and avoid. These things are everywhere when you think about them, like having a muscle pain and never realising how much you used that muscle. I just hope it has recorded the ectopics.

The fact they stop when you need them does confirm it could all be to do with the mind. I'm feeling quite happy at the moment as I'm starting to believe that there isn't anything wrong with my heart. It get waves of anxiety free-ness the last week or so, it's like a huge weight lifting and everything looks brighter temporarily (hopefully these periods will expand in the future). I know how you feel though with the horrible pounding dropping drum in your chest. Ugh! :wacko:

[angiebaby]

I tell you what is driving me crazy at the moment and it is getting worse too. When i am standing and i take a deep breathe, i get massive ectopics that are big and nasty and shock me and take my breathe away. These feel more powerful as i am standing and expanding my lungs fully, which i know a lot of people get, but they are big and horrible and feel much worse than normal ones and they really are freaking me out. Do you get these too?x