Terrifying irregular heartbeat

[ann88]

Ok, i was just led in the bath and suddenly my heart went mental. I have had ectopics on and off for 3-4 years but this was totally different. It scared the living daylights out of me. I sat bolt upright in a total panic, coughed, stood up, thought I was about to die. It only lasted for about 5 seconds but it was absolutely terrifying and i had visions of dying. I've had several tests on my heart over the last 3-4 years and everything has been fine (except one ECG in hospital which showed something wrong with the electrical signals in my heart, but no one ever told me what was wrong and they can't find it on my records, and I never felt anything funny while the ECG was being done).

I came on this forum to try and find some other posts about this to help me calm down, and ended up reading a post from somebody who has also suffered with ectopics/flutters for years but then one day was lying in the bath and his heart went crazy, and he had to go to A&E and they did all sorts of things to try and get it back into a regular rhythm, which eventually it did of its own accord after about 4 hours. Now I'm absolutely terrified that it's going to happen again, except next time it might not stop after 5 seconds. I'm so scared :weep:

[ann88]

Ok, i just re-read that post I mentioned about the guy who had an irregular heartbeat for 4 hours, and it turns out he had a heart murmur which caused it. I've had an echo recently so I know this isnt the case with me, but I'm still scared. I don't even want to leave the house today as I'm so scared of it happening again.

[kirstyt]

Silly question ann but do u suffer with acid reflux?x

[ann88]

I don't generally get acid reflux, can that cause funny heartbeats?

[kirstyt]

Yes it does.my heart goes crazy wrn my acid is bac.it can cause ectopic beats!was ur bath reallh hot?because my friend who doesnt suffer anxiety or panic had a hot bath the other day and she said wen she got out her heart was goin crazy!x

[ann88]

Well I do tend to have hot baths, and I always notice that my heart beats faster when I'm in the bath, I read somewhere that your heart beats faster to try and cool you down (or something like that!). This just scared the life out of me because it was so strong, like it was really irregular and beating really hard but I was in too much of a panic to actually sit still and take note of what it was actually doing. I've been eating a lot of chocolate lately (it's Christmas!) and I suppose I have been quite anxious, so maybe it's just yet another anxiety thing. I just can't help my mind running away with me and coming up with all kinds of awful ideas. I have an appointment with a cardiologist a week tomorrow so I'll mention it to him and see what he says. If I last that long... !

[kirstyt]

Well i read that chocolate is a stimulant which can make it beat more irregular.i have had to much chocolate which i dont usually est and my heart rate seems faster than usual.im sure u will b fine and still here nxt week xxx

[ann88]

Aah thanks for that, I hope so. I stopped drinking coffee and smoking about 3 years ago because I was worried that it might be causing the ectopics, yet I eat chocolate like there's no tomorrow! Think I need to cut back on that. Thanks again for your replies x

[kirstyt]

Ur welcum.my problem is i still smoke so i know im not helping myself.but i dont drink alcohol or caffein anymore.or have any stimulants that may trigger it.just got to stop the dreaded nicotine xxx

[Ella_Jayne]

There are many many MANY causes for Ectopic beats. Stress, anxiety, coffee, coke, excess sugar, lack of sleep... etc. But at the end of the day they are harmless in a structurally normal heart which you have since your ECHO came back fine.

I have suffered with Ectopic beats since I've had panic and anxiety so about 15 months or so and they have sent me to A&E more times than I can actually remember.

It's only of late that I can accept them for what they are, although unsettling and scary they are harmless.

It sounds like you just had a little run of them, a few in a row and did exactly what I used to do when i got them and that's instantly panic!

You don't have to be anxious to get them, as everybody gets them no matter how healthy you are, they just happen.

Your heart is perfect hun. Please don't worry about it. You've had tests and they have come back normal, remind yourself of this when/if you get more of these ectopics.

At one point I had an ectopic every other beat for about 5 hours and I'm still here. It was just stress and anxiety that caused it. Remember again, in a structually normal heart ectopics are harmless and your heart is fine so you can let your heart skip jump and pound but it will NEVER come to anything serious. Never.

x

[kirstyt]

:emot-cheering:thanks for that ella its even made me feel better and its not even my post hehe xx

[countrygirl]

Thank you for your post Ann88 as I now know someone else who is getting same thing as me! I have had ectopics for over 20 yrs but about 4 months ago I suddenly got what felt like totally irregular heartbeat that like you lasted about 5-6 seconds and even though I breathed deep and coughed it did not go away immediately and I felt faint and funny. I am not sure if the faint and funny is because I panic or because my heart is not beating right but it scared me witless. I had a 24hr ecg and of course it did not do the run of whatever it is but it did pick up alot of ectopics and told I even had a run of 5 but still classed as a normal ecg. I have seen a cardiologist who says he thinks I am getting a run of ectopics but he said if it is short lived then it will not be harmful. I have to get some sort of event moniter on Thursday for three weeks and if I feel it doing it again I hold the "thing" against my chest as cardiologist wants to capture it so he can be 100% sure its harmless- should I take bets on it not doing it in the three weeks.
Everytime it has happened ( 3 times in last 3 months) it is after I have eaten a big meal and am bent forward slightly - usually within 5-10 mins of finishing eating so maybe like has been said my stomach is the cause as I do have hiatus hernia and reflux although no reflux at times of attacks just a full tummy.

[ann88]

It's scary isnt it! I too have had ectopics for a few years but this just scared the life out of me as I have never felt anything like this before. It was definitely something different to ectopics. Don't worry about getting a run of 5 ectopics, i sometimes get runs of 10 or more and they feel awful but I'm still here! They tend to come in phases, I'll get some for a few weeks or months and then almost none for several months. I didnt get any for over a year and thought I was free of them but unfortunately they returned!

I'll mention it to the cardiologist next week and see what he says. I guess I'm worried because it's never been caught on a monitor, and even if I had a 48 hour monitor the chances of it happening at the right time are almost impossible, so how will they know whether it's anything to worry about or not? :huh:

[countrygirl]

Snap- the cardiologist said to try the three week event moniter for me and I said a I doubt it will happen in that three weeks and b how on earth do I get the moniter on to my chest in the 5-6 seconds that they last so I too am not hopeful of catching them. They can implant a moniter but not sure I want that either, scary thought having that done.

[cooley2274]

totally agree my heart does it aswell went to the doctor and turns out its noyhing its when your heart beats really fast thats when you want to be concerned.it will be choco and stress...:)

[Going home]

Ann, Kirsty is right about the hot baths. If you raise your body temperature then your heart will beat faster...the same thing happens during the menopause with hot flushes, so my guess is like Kirsty said, the bath was maybe a bit hot....which is always tempting at this time of year I know. And if your heart is sensitive to the ectopics and flutters then raising your body temperature will produce these too and again it happens during hot flushes...hormones are so much fun! Don't give up the baths, but don't have them so hot...not because it can harm your heart but only that when your heart reacts it scares you so much....perhaps a shower instead then? :)

Anna x

[candicemarie88]

I'm also having really bad ectopics at the moment. they are so scary and i just had a HUGE one then which took my breath away, i immediately sat up and took in a deep, hard breath, but im still so anxious. My chest and arms are hurting, i feel breathless and weak. I can't eat or sleep. You say they're not dangerous, but what about if they keep taking your breath?

Mine are getting worse by the day. I've had them on/off nearly 2 months and i can't handle them. Seeing my gp tomorrow, but still really anxious about tonight.

Why are they taking my breath away? i do feel anxious because i think im breathing too fast, so can this cause ectopic beats too? im so scared right now, im shaking, shivering and feel like jumping off a building because i can't handle this.

:(

[ann88]

Hi candicemarie,

How did you get on at your GP today? I hope you feel reassured now. I know they are scary but ectopics can't do you any harm. It's a fact. I got scared when I had a funny episode but only because it didnt feel at all like ectopics, but more like an irregular rhythm. Your chest and arms will be hurting because you're tense all the time, and I would imagine (if you're anything like me) that your mind is convinced that these ectopic beats are doing some kind of damage to your heart - which they aren't - and that is also probably contributing to the sore arms and chest. It's amazing what tricks the mind can play on us. The important thing is to look after yourself, eat little and often and eat the right things 0 plenty of fruit and veg rather than chocolates and sugary things. Try to avoid caffeine and smoking and drink plenty of water. I'm sure you've heard all this before! But the most important thing is to try and accept that these ectopic beats WILL NOT do you any harm whatsoever. They will just make you feel uncomfortable for a while, but that's all. Let us know how you get on x

[Caitlin221]

Did you ever find out what was causing your pulse ti feel all over the place?

[Caitlin221]

did you ever figure out why your pulse felt off?

[Fishmanpa]

This thread is 13 years old and the OP hasn't been on the site since 2015.

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