My heart won't stop skipping

[lrforge]

Seriously, I am so scared. My echo from last week was normal which I found out on MOnday, I was good and happy until Tuesday night and now I am so scared again. I am waiting for a holter result which won't be in till tomorrow. I can't wait anymore. I am on the verge of losing it, I can't stop thinking about it. Its the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing at night, all day, everyday and I get like 50 skipped beats a day. Should I call and see if the results are in today you think?

For those with skipped heartbeats, how long has this been going on? Has anyone ever had anything on their tests that came back bad? For me its been a year and a 1/2. And if my echo was good, I should be ok right?

Please help. I am frightened I am going to drop. I have a little one and a great husband.

I just started atenolol 12.5 mg 2 days ago (but there again, scared of side effects)...

[Laura xx]

About a year ago I suffered really bad with ectopic (skipped) beats. I was fitted with a monitor for a whole week - the results showed frequent ectopics (probably about 4 a minute)

During some of this time I was at the end stages of pregancy, and then they carried on after for about 7 months.

I was told they was nothing to worry about at all and Consultant even allowed me to have a homebirth.

Then they just went, but not sure when and I only occasionally get them now.

I know they are SOOOO uncomfortable, but please do try not to worry, they are usually harmless and caused by anxiety or stress.

[kittykat]

I get these on and off, ive had them for a few years and never had them checked out, did say to the doctor once but he wasn't concerned. They do scare me at times, but are more noticable at night with me when im relaxing ( not thta i do that very often). I have cut out caffeine and find that helps unfortunatly if i could stop worrying that would help even more......lol. I'm sure you will be fine, just try to relax and just think there are loads of folks that suffer from them so you are not alone xx

[mickh555]

Before i got rid of mine by learning how to breathe.I was able to stop them by using a technique my old Doctor showed me.This involves using two fingers to press on the jugular vein in the neck.Apparently the heart will notice the pressure and regulate itself.

[lrforge]

Thanks Laura. You found similar to mine, for as often as you got it.
I got mine about 1 month after I had a c-section and they just haven't stopped. The are everyday, they did stop for a little bit, maybe 2 months once, then about 2 weeks another time. They are back with a vengence.
I don't know how to get past thinking that they will stop, that they are harmless. Waiting for results are just really bringing me down, although I know my echo was normal...

[lrforge]

What the jugular vein? Where?

[mabelina]

Ive had heart flutters/skips since i was 16. Im 33 now and have had two nervous breakdowns because of the fright they give me. The last nervous breakdown was two weeks ago. I think ive been to Accident and Emergency at least 20 times in these years. Ive had 8 ecg's and 2 24hour monitors and have also seen a Cardiologist. All came back normal except one which said i had Supraventricular Ectopic Beats, nothing to worry about what so ever. I just cant shake the fright off though when they happen so i know what your going through:hugs:

[House fan]

Hi Irforge

I've sent you a pm, hope it helps.

House.

[lrforge]

Thanks for the replies guys, and house fan, thank you for sending me that. This site has been so helpful, I am amazed. That did help quite a bit, SO...with that said, I should be good until tonight:doh: I think that I get so scared because of the missed beats, then anxiety, or vice versa. Such a cycle, and then to get them when you are feeling great, you are healed, and bam, back to square 1. I think it just surprises me that it does it everyday for this long. My husband had Atrial Fib. and since then, my heart has been a worry. And he is perfectly ok and no worries on his side. Then I am the one that worries...weird how that works! Looking back, I so totally had the worry/anxiety thing in high school but didn't know what it was. Feelings just passed and I didn't worry anymore. I hope I can get to that point again.

[Shelly80]

Thanks for the replies guys, and house fan, thank you for sending me that. This site has been so helpful, I am amazed. That did help quite a bit, SO...with that said, I should be good until tonight:doh: I think that I get so scared because of the missed beats, then anxiety, or vice versa. Such a cycle, and then to get them when you are feeling great, you are healed, and bam, back to square 1. I think it just surprises me that it does it everyday for this long. My husband had Atrial Fib. and since then, my heart has been a worry. And he is perfectly ok and no worries on his side. Then I am the one that worries...weird how that works! Looking back, I so totally had the worry/anxiety thing in high school but didn't know what it was. Feelings just passed and I didn't worry anymore. I hope I can get to that point again.


I know how you feel, and how cool is to to come on this site and find people that can understand and support our specific type of anxiety. I suffer from heart palpitations and skipped beats as well and they scare me so much. At night its worse and then the fear just builds and builds. I was having chest pains last night and was sure I was having a heart attack, the anxiety was and is creating so many symptoms. I seem to be alive this morning though.

Leave it to the UK to come up with such a cool website, I'd love to get there for a visit one day....my fear of flying is another thing I need to work on :yesyes:

[lrforge]

Honestly, I thikn deep down we can all realize its probably just anxiety, but you think about it 24/7. Do you find yourself scared to go to sleep?
Flying, thats another. I have NEVER been on a plane and my sweet hubby wants to go to Scotland for our first trip. I would love to, but I wish it was next door where we could drive. I am in Minnesota.

[Shelly80]

Honestly, I thikn deep down we can all realize its probably just anxiety, but you think about it 24/7. Do you find yourself scared to go to sleep?
Flying, thats another. I have NEVER been on a plane and my sweet hubby wants to go to Scotland for our first trip. I would love to, but I wish it was next door where we could drive. I am in Minnesota.


Yes, I do feel like it I think about it 24/7 and it constantly find myself afraid to fall asleep. I sit at my desk at work, looking up my heart symptoms so often I don't get any work done! It consumes too much of my day but I have a hard time stopping.

I was on a plane for a trip to New York over Thanksgiving (I live in CA) and it is wasn't easy. I hate flying.

[Misscroft1982]

Hi I am the same I had all the tests done and the doc says I'm ok but I am still covinced I will drop down dead any minute do you find that your family and friends are supportive or no?

[Shelly80]

You know, most of my family understands because it seems to be genetic. I'm finding out that my dads entire side of the family has had these types of things happen, my dad, his sister, their father. So that should make me feel better right??

My friends have a more difficult time understanding. They lose patience with me so I find myself not sharing with them how scared I am or how obsessed I am with my health. Thats why a board like this is so cool. I can vent to people that get what I am thinking!!

[thehillbill]

These palps are driving me crazy! i have had a load today, probably over a hundred in 3 hours. a 2 min gap then a 3 palp flutter

when will they end?

Andy

[marius]

Hi, Irforge
I think you should dig a little deeper. Just ask urself if u are prepared to spend the rest your life counting your heartbeats, then the skipped heartbeats, then freakin`out about the number of the skipped heartbeats then about the fact that your heart is galloping then... It`s a never-ending story and also a very counter-productive attitude.
Needless to say that you are only 27 yo, which makes improbable that u have a heart disease. I wish I could say "impossible". But, honnestly, I can`t. :) We must accept that some things are above our powers. Then, why don`t we concentrate on the things that we can do? Why should I ask if anybody came back with bad results, when the obvious answer is YES!? Does this mean that if it happened to someone else it will happen to me? NO! OK, this is the right way to deal with the problem.
Then, I know that anxiety may cause a lot of symptoms: tachycardia (accelerated pulse rate), precordial pain (it`s not the heart, it`s anxiety), even skipped heartbeats. I will say that it is highly probable that your skipped heartbeats are caused by anxiety. I wish I could say that there can be no other cause for your ectopic heartbeats. I can`t: there are other possible causes. Usually they are not life-threatening. I wish I could say "They are always harmless, but I can`t...
But let me quote from an article released by Mayo Clinic "In fact, the average healthy person experiences some 50 to 100 skipped beats a day, usually without noticing them." WHOA! How many skipped beats do u have? 40-50 a day? You must be very ill. :)
This may sound a little beat ironical. In fact, it is. Why? Because u are gathering the "bad" news while "skipping" the good ones.
Let me remind you: a healthy person can have 50-100 skipped heartbeats everyday. This is because the heart beats 100 000 times a day and the cells responsible for this rhythmyc heartbeats are not always responding in a propper manner. This means that the other 99.995 times, your heart DID its job. Cool! Then, ectopic heartbeats are usually harmless. And, finally, they can be triggered by anxiety. Good news again! There is at least one thing you can do: overcoming the anxiety. Anxiety can cause a lot of trouble, but there are many ways to cope with it. You are here not to feed anxiety, but to understand it and deal with it. Never forget why you came here. Look at the bright side of your life. Stop counting and start living. Share the best person you can be with your husband and with your child. Get in the plain and visit Scotland, Ireland or whatever... I tell you, plane is the safest way to go from one place to another, except the Hovercraft. Yet, we feel good in the car! If I were to go somewhere, I would always take the plain: it`s safer! :)