Wonky heart! My story behind it.

[Rachey poos]

Last May after sufering from a form of agraphobia on and off for yrs ( like not going on a bus on me own etc...scared of shops and going too far) I decided one day to ride my bike 7 miles to my Mothers (in the next village) My hubby said "don't do it rach... you are taking too much on... take little steps not a big step like this" I said to him that I would be fine as I feel great lately and gonna take the bull by the horns and go for it!...SO off I went BIGGIST MITAKE OF MY LIFE!!!! ...after about 4 miles on a long lonely road...it hit me ..."what the bloody hell am I doing here on this road on my own" and I started to feel the adrenaline come into my body and the old heart started pumping...... I thought well im here now so i better just have a breather and calm down and set off again so I did....then on entering the village ..the sun came out (boiling) and I was going up a hill and i started to feel the ectopics kick in a little (not had them for yrs) I thought oh dont start! ..any way I rang my sister and said ...I have done so well but just feeling a little anxious and she replied by saying..do you want me to come and get you in the van.... I was so relieved and said Oh yes please.... and was glad and thought great I dont have to panic anymore....then she said...oh Rachel I forgot I aint got the car...well that was it.... the panic rose in my body and my heart went so fast and out of rythym with one ectopic after the other.. I just decided this was my time to die...i couldnt breath, ... then i saw a freind who said are you ok..... I said no im havn a panic atttack, I said to him to take my bike to my mums and I will meet him there, he asked me how I was going to get there... I told him not to worry just go .... so the next thing I did was stop a car in the road ... I said please ..I know I dont know you but can you please take me to my mums ( told them where) they saw I was in a state and whilst it happening my heart was Haywire...no rythm...fast over 200 easy! ...then the minuete I got into the car (safe)....it calmed right down and by the time I pulled up at my mums door...heart rate back to normal...72 bpm and regular.................... I know this is a long story..... but since that day I have suffered with ectopic heart beats....panic attacks again and irregular heart rate from time to time...I have times when I get better then a bit of stress and there off again.... do you think I have damaged my heart since that day or do you think I just started off the anxiety web..... I am sick of it... I t has made me partly agraphobic again...scared to walk anywhere ...even when I go upstairs they kick in..(but I am thinking about them) odd times I forget and run upstairs and then think Oh I didnt get any then.... I want to get better,,, I aint been to the doctors because I cant ... I have a phobia ( not just scared) a phobia of doctors.... But I am getting to the point that I will go soon, might have to ask him to prescribe a valium to be able to get throught the surgury doors...(not joking i am that bad) I feel like my body is in constant high alert...like sitting in a dentist waiting chair all the time ( if you know what I mean)....any reassurance would help me greatly.... does anyone else get the ectopics one after the other for a few beats... I an get about 12 in a row...then all well...but if I walk somewhere I can get tons of them...I think it is stuck in my head from excersising that last may that I will get them... I go around the village on me bike... and thats it...for over a yr now... on a good day I will walk around town with my mum and feel great (normal...) with no heart things at all... I feel it is all in my head...and need to get better cos it is ruining my life...that is my story xxxxxxxxxx:shrug::shrug::shrug::shrug::shrug::shru g:

[Cathy V]

Hi Rach, and this is exactly how i get them too. Have done for many years. I dont have extreme phobia of docs as you do and i do sympathise with you if its that bad, but the ectopics affect me in the same way. I hate them, but somehow we try to live with them yes? and its true what you say about not noticing them. When my daughter emma was over here visiting me recently i went out loads more, walked around the city, went swimming etc. and felt fine (ok got a bit apprehensive about the swimming coz the water was cold and this can start the ectopics off too but lowered myedlf in gently and went for it and was fine) but then i can get them like you just going up the stairs!

I think ppl like us have sensitive hearts and the heartbeat reacts to all sorts of stimulants, and fear is a big one. It doesnt mean our hearts are damaged, just that they react more to our thoughts. In the same way as ppl with asthma get it worse in certain situations, or ppl with eczema can get a flare-up when stressed too. And for us, because weve been in the cycle of fear for so long our bodies are never completely relaxed, and it takes a hairs-breath for reactions to kick in. Our fear is always just below the surface.

My doc says that if you wired up a 'normal' person to an ecg machine for a day you would see the missed beats in the reading, walking upstairs, hoovering, whatever...but they dont feel them like we do. I have a BP monitor at home and sometimes my bloke will take his BP just to be curious. Its always normal, but when the 'beeps' start to indicate the heat-beats you can actually hear the odd ectopics as it counts the beats, yet he never ever feels them. Its totally naff that we always do, but maybe thats life. Maybe we have to accept that this is our 'thing' when stressed or frightened.

I think the future depends on how much we can say "sod it, let it do its worst" and mean it.

Take care
Cathy xxx :)

[Rachey poos]

Hi Cathy ... thanks for your encouragment...bless you..I can never believe anyone can feel like me till i came on here,, I dont do many threads about myself but this time I felt I needed too and im glad I did.... thanks hun. xxxx keep in touch xx

[Cathy V]

No probs Rach, anytime. In fact me and my bloke had a bit of a barny earlier and i was so mad at him, and then my heart was all over the place! after id calmed down it went back to normal again...well as normal as it ever gets!

Take care
Cathy xxxx :hugs:

[Rachey poos]

Oh everytime I have a barney i get loads,,,,, ive just woke up with heart goin all ova .... ectopic around every 5th beat or so, but can tell it is wind as when i burp its easing them..... my fault for having chips and barbacue sauce from chinese before bed! i deserve it lol....... calming down a bit now xxxxx:yesyes:

[Vicki08]

I have these strange heart beats too! my heart does some weird stuff, it misses beats, beats heart, fast, slow, it wobbles it shakes and sometimes it feels like it has stopped altogether!
I get so freaked out by it and have been to the doctors soooooo many times.
The last time I went (which was about 2 weeks ago) the doc pretty much shouted at me and told me that I need to stop worrying and get on with my life because I am fine. Easier said than done huh?!

I have been told by my doc that your heart cannot get damaged by these beats and it doesnt really work any harder then a person with a 'normal' heart beat. My doctor said that they only time he would get a bit concerned is if I was in my 90's and had a weak heart.....I think I am pretty safe in that respect!!

Its really hard to get on with life when you are so aware of every little thing your body does. The other day I walked up about a million stairs and didnt feel any weird beats but then last night I woke up from my sleep with my heart missing beats. Its so strange as you would have thought your heart would have been nice and relaxed while you was asleep!

I think we have just got to trust our hearts a bit more. Your heart is a very powerful muscle and it is not designed to just give up with a few strange beats. If that was the case then there would be thousands of people just dropping dead everywhere!! Our hearts will keep us going until we are very old and in our rocking chairs - this is what I tell myself when it happens (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt!)

Hope this helps you in some way!

Love

vicki x

[Rachey poos]

Thanks Viki and cathy yes your comments do help,i am so jelous that you both have been to the doctors to confirmyou are ok... do u think I am ok...I have had it on and off for yrs, I have just had a panic attack @ my sisters, I am here now... I had something to eat then the old heart started going fast ...then all wonky.. and I felt like I couldnt breathe or get a breathing pattern... when I felt my pulse my heasrt seemed fine just fast with the odd missed beat but in my chest it felt so weird like big bangs... every other beat was like a big thump!!...but pulse fine.... does anyone have this? Then when the heart calmed down I shook for ages...Is this a classic panoc attack or a heart moment LOL..... xx sorry for annoying you all xxxxx:hugs:

[Cathy V]

Hi Rach, hey...the very fact that yve had it for years means that its ok you plonker...we're all plonkers really arent we, wotr we like! :D even when other ppl tell us about their 'wonky hearts' we're like "hmmm, but hers dont sound exactly like mine!" Like ive said in a few of my posts, this started for me when i was 22 and now im 54, so ive been waiting for my heart attack for 32 years. I think it safe to say, uncomfortable as it bloody is, our hearts are really strong hearts and we'll be ok...we're not only the 'anxies' we're the 'ecties'....a bit special we are you know! :noangel:


Cathy xxxxx

[Vicki08]

Yeah I agree with Cathy, You have had it for so long now that it cant be anything serious!
The only reason I went to the docs was to put my mind at rest and to see if there was anything I could do to make it go away (which the doctor replied 'chill out' humph. If only it was that easy!)
It might be an idea to go see your doc just to put your mind at rest. He will probably be able to explain to you better what happens when your heart does the weird beats and he might be able to give you advice on how to cope with the panic attacks.
Ive had my funny heart beats for over a year now and I'm still going.. Cathy has had hers for many years and she is still going strong.
The weird thing is with me, is even though I have had tests and I have had it for a while and it goes away when I calm down, it still scares me stupid.
I had a few weird beats last night when I went up the stairs and I started to
worry which lead to a panic attack. Its a vicious circle.
But hang in there, you will be fine and just remember that you will be a stronger person because of it. This site is a great support and we are all here to help!:hugs:

[Rachey poos]

Thank u so much you lot for your support :bighug1:.... you know the funniest thing happened tonight... All afternoon I have had the most lovely beating heart...no flutts, nothing,,,then this evening I thought Oh my god ...where is my heart beat gone as I normally feel it poundin all day long...i felt my pulse and it was weaker than normal...well this sent me into a little panic attack...................... how stupid.... a panic attack cos my heart was calm...its cos i aint used to it lol...can u believe it eh! nutter!:sign20:

[pele33]

Hi
I know exactly what u going through, i am sittin at my laptop scared to go to bed coz of skipped beats etc. I suffer from a fast heart rate when resting it shoots up to 120 bpm plus sometimes it slows down to 45 so i freak out in both instances, my heart skips beats has extra beats both in the upper area and lower ventricles. I have been to a and e 20 times had a 48 hr holter monitor twice a echogram angiogram and stress test and been told dont worry. Do you thinki would learn no i dont i still fear it.
Bottom line is if its not goin to kill you but not goin to go away we have to learn to live with it and trust the experts.
I know this wont help but if your dr aint worried you have to accept his word and maybe things will get better.
By the way im sure you already know this but stress, alchohol, caffine can all make skipped beats worse.
:yesyes:

[Rachey poos]

Its hard to believe it when its banging away out of snync.... i just want to get better...i am fed up with it...i would give my right arm to not have this (and I mean that ):winks: thanks for your support hun