Ectopic? Advice

[dodo]

I was sat at work today, minding my own when I had this pressure build up in the centre of my chest, in my heart and my head went a bit like it was filling with blood. Then it went. It was slightly painful. I would say the whole thing lasted only a couple of seconds and my pulse felt find after the event but it scared the hell out of me.

It didn't feel like a normal flutter and felt like my heart would burst out of my chest.

Can a normal ectopic, a harmless episode feel like this or should it warrant further investigations?

[paula lynne]

Hi dodo, have you had anything like this before?

[dodo]

I've had flutters before and had an ECG and echo back in august which were normal.

Every time I mention new things to my dr she isn't concerned, always says anxiety.

[paula lynne]

If youve been given the all clear cardiac wise, it seems to be an anxiety related thing. I notice a lot of your posts center on your heart worries. I understand as I suffer ectopics and they are a pain in the gluteus maximus........

Try not to dwell on it, put it out of your mind. The more you dwell on it, the more it feeds the anxiety, Im sure youve been told that 100 times..........youre ok. x Take care x

[dodo]

I was just lead to believe that if it was at all painful then it was something serious.

Not worrying is easier said than done isn't it.

[paula lynne]

Oh sure, not worrying isnt easy. Obviously if youre worried, see your gp, or maybe ring NHS Direct? RNR has sent me a great PM to ease my worries regarding my Aortic Reflux, maybe if you PM him, he can help you too.

[dodo]

Aortic reflux, yikes, don't like the sound of that.

[paula lynne]

OOps...I think its RLR not RNR. Confused in me old age.....you can find loads of his posts on palps threads........Aortic Reflux is basically blood going wrong way. Will eventually lead to heart failure and will have to have an operation in ten years or so...I was out of my mind with worry, but his reply to my PM really helped me so much. Why dont you PM him dodo

[dodo]

Omg. Please tell me normal tests pick this up?

I was told an echo was closest they could give me to an all clear but I'm still worried there is something wrong.

[paula lynne]

I was diagnosed in July from an Echo, they saw it straight away. Dodo, Im sure you dont have it love, my cardiac consultant says my ectopics are nothing to do with my Aortic Reflux, Ive had ectopics for 2 years, and they are because Im peri-menopause.
Im not suggesting for a second you have this too. If you did, it would have DEFINATELY been picked up, because the blood that goes the wrong way is a different colour....I told the technician I was a nurse, and he turned the screen to show me, so Ive seen the difference myself. Please dont worry. Your tests were normal.x

[dodo]

Thanks :)

[dodo]

Does anyone else have any input on this? I am convinced I am on the verge of a major heart attack :(

[NervousNellie]

Hi dodo! If you are on the verge of a major heart attack, then I dropped dead from the same thing a long time ago, lol!! I've had palpitations that stopped my in my tracks, took my breath away, etc. I've had all kinds of cardiac tests - everything has always been normal. I spent 2 years of my life worrying that these "painful" ectopics were actually my heart getting ready to fail. Then as I talked to people about it (because that's ALL I could focus on), I found that my husband gets them that badly, my mother, my sister, etc. Pretty much my entire family (on my side and in-laws) have all experience ectopics like that. Logically speaking, it would be impossible for ALL of us to die of the same thing. When I brought it up to my doctor, his response was "So what? It happens. Nothing to worry about". So I finally came to the conclusion that it was normal! :blush: The wonderful part was....at that point, I was finally able to relax and not worry about them (because I realized that almost everybody has ectopics) and they went away. I still get them once in a while, but not to the extent that I did before. Try to accept that you have them, they are normal (no matter how horrific they seem) and they won't hurt you!!

[dodo]

Thanks for your reply. None of my friends or family have had anything like this.

I am having a really rough time worrying about this now. Previous skipped beats I've had have not been very forceful. Just a little flutter and gone. But this was my actual heart and my mind instinctively knew this was my heart. I imagined this would be how a heart attack would feel if it had lasted longer.

[NervousNellie]

Thanks for your reply. None of my friends or family have had anything like this.

I am having a really rough time worrying about this now. Previous skipped beats I've had have not been very forceful. Just a little flutter and gone. But this was my actual heart and my mind instinctively knew this was my heart. I imagined this would be how a heart attack would feel if it had lasted longer.


Well here's one bit of advice dodo.....if you were having a heart attack, you wouldn't be on a message board, lol!!

My father suffered from anxiety and panic for years. It was at it's worst in his late 20's and early 30's. He was agoraphobic. Somehow, he finally snapped out of it. He is now 61 years old. Four years ago, he suffered Acute Coronary Syndrome from a blocked artery. He had 2 stents put into his chest. I think this is when my anxiety started. Since my fear is always about heart related illness, my father took the time to talk to me about what happened to him. When he suffered from anxiety, he would have chest pains and palpitations that he thought were from having a heart attack. Once it actually happened when he was much older, he said the "horrific" pain that he felt from anxiety and panic was NOTHING like what it feels like to have a blocked artery. He said there is NO mistaking it when there is a real medical problem - you don't have to wonder if there is something wrong....you KNOW something is wrong!! It's like your body and mind instantly take over and it is a feeling completely different from anxiety and panic. Bottom line is if you've been checked out by your physician and told that you are healthy, then you have nothing to worry about!

Just because your family and friends don't suffer from ectopics doesn't mean it's not normal. It probably just means that you have family and friends that don't let stress get to them, because ectopics tend to come on during times of stress or for no reason when you have anxiety.

By the way, if you're anything like me, hearing about my father's ACS is probably sending you into a panic right now....try not to focus on that part (because that was not the point, but it was an important part of the story) and know that my father has been a smoker for over 40 years and ignored his high blood pressure and cholesterol problems for over 20 years. He went against his doctors advice and didn't take medication like he was supposed to. My father was never one to take care of himself, yet luckily he's in very good health right now.