Sinus Pause, PVC, Palpitations.. Whatever it is, I have something.

Okay. I will start from the beginning.

In 2006 I was vacuuming the upstairs of my moms house. I was 19 at the time.
I had JUST gone through a small period of time (about 6 months) where I was a very heavy drug user. I was smoking meth, doing cocaine and partying, drinking and acting like an idiot. One evening I had gone over with a friend to some guys house and we did coke with him all night long into the next day. That next day I watched him have a seizure from overdosing, and I threw the rest of what I had into the toilet and I never touched it again.
About a week later, maybe a little longer, here I was vacuuming. Suddenly out of nowhere, I felt my heart skip a beat, flutter, pause, whatever you want to call it. I freaked out, because I NEVER experienced them before this day. I made a doctor appointment, was told my blood pressure was sky high and was told to start exercising to help with my blood pressure. I never knew what palpitations were, or how they happened and I never got an explanation that day, either.

I started experiencing these several times a week, they were small, but I could feel them. They felt like little hiccups, and I just told myself it was probably from the drug use.

Fast forward a few years later in 2009. I noticed around this time that these were getting bigger, I definitely felt them now and they were starting to interfere with my day to day life. I saw my first cardiologist who ran tests like crazy, blood tests, EKG, stress test and an Echo as well. They told me everything looked normal. They told me I "Might" have a sinus node dysfunction, and told me it might be from heavy drug use over a short period of time. I was asked if I wanted to be on meds for it and I refused.

2011 My best friend died and I went off the edge. This is when I started experiences Panic attacks.
I had NEVER had these before, but the trauma from dealing with my friends sudden death did a number on me. I was put on xanax for a few months to help with the attacks. I would run to the bathroom everytime I would have one, and hide until it subsided, sometimes 15-20 minutes. I noticed I was starting to get these heart palpitations again, and after experiencing all of these panic attacks on top of that, I decided to see another cardiologist to make sure I was not next in line. I was 24 at this time.
Cardiologist did a few tests, not as extensive as the prior, and found nothing. Offered beta blockers, I said no. I wanted to help fix these on my own, and I dont want to take drugs.

The palpitations sort of disappeared for a while. They would hit me on and off once in a while but then go away for a long time. After my friend passed I did a diet change, I lost 50 pounds and started exercising and quit caffeine, processed foods and anything that was unhealthy.

2013- I would be running on the treadmill and all of a sudden BOOM! I would get those flutters again. This time, though- They were lasting longer than normal. The only way I can describe it is it feels like my heart stops for a second, I lose my breath and have to bear down and then it restarts. It would do this while I was exercising, sitting, laying down, walking around- Whatever I was doing, they had come back and they were stronger than they used to be.

My heart rate stays at a normal range between 65-70 bpm sometimes lower. When I read about palpitations, it seems that a lot of peoples hearts "speed up" but that is not how mine feel. It literally feels like it stops for a second, then goes. Sometimes I will have one. Sometimes I will have a few in a row. Sometimes I will have 2 a day, sometimes I will count up to 14 a day. I have changed my diet, I have done yoga, I have done exercise, I have tried to alleviate stress.. I have done EVERYTHING I can possibly think of at this point to help them.

Now, here I am. It is 2018, I have been to two other cardiologists since then who tell me the same damn thing. A few months ago I saw someone who performed another Echo- Normal. EKG. Normal. Holter monitor after a few days- They saw some arrythmias but nothing that stuck out to them. When I go to the ER they tell me its anxiety.

My heart palps now are scarier than ever because not only do I still get the big ones that almost knock me on my ***, but I get light headed too when the big ones come. I feel like I am going to pass out most of the time. I have been monitoring them for the last month, and I HAVE noticed that I do get them more about a week or so before my period. This is the time where they are the worst, or seem to be- unless I am doing cardio then they are all over the place. I am going to see a OBGYN in March about a hormone imbalance test to see if MAYBE that has something to do with it, but at this point I am just throwing my hands in the air and asking God why can't I just figure this stuff out already?

It effects my daily life. I work alone in an office and a lot of the time I am afraid to go to work.
I am stressed, yes. I have had a pretty rough go over the last few years but surely that can't be the cause.
I moved around and lived in 7 stated from 2015-2017, I was in an emotionally abusive relationship with a narcissist and a sociopath for 6 months last year and I got away from that. I had to start over from the ground and get back to where I am now because I gave everything up for that little ****, and I am over it now. I do still suffer from anxiety and panic disorder which is a totally different subject, but I am managing. I do not take medications. I take aspirin ONCE in a while, I do not drink caffeine. I do not eat fast food regularly. I do not eat frozen foods. I try to watch my salt intake. I am not insanely overweight. I am trying to actively live a healthy lifestyle, I drink water constantly and I am doing all I can do. Can ANYONE here help me with some advice? Has anyone else gone through this? Is there anyone out there that can just please help me get to the bottom of this nonsense? I am at my wits end because I am 31 years old, I finally met the man I want to marry someday and move to Oregon with, and build our own home and I have a somewhat promising career at this point and I can't help but just be afraid that now that I FINALLY have everything going well in my favor, I will collapse and die from cardiac arrest or something because I can't figure this thing out.

So sorry for this rant. I just dont know what to do anymore.

panic disorder and palpitations go hand in hand.

Benzos really helped me get a grip on what feeling normal felt like and the palps subsided.

how were the palpitations when you were taking xanax?

What you are feeling is most likely PVCS or PACS.. I get this as well in addition to other arrhythmia's that I have.

They are not missed or skipped beats but are premature beats.. The sinus node like the conductor of a train is responsible for keeping the pace and the sinus node is where heart beats are supposed to come from... However, there are other parts of your heart that are capable of firing off a heart beat esp when the cells in that area are aggravated. If a wayward heart beat comes from atrium its called a premature atrial contraction and if it comes from the ventricle then its called a premature ventricular contraction.. I mostly get PVCS but do have PACS from time to time. In any case, we dont feel the premature beat itself but its the next normal beat that we feel. The reason for that is, once a heart beat comes from somewhere other then the sinus node, there is a pause. The pause is the sinus node resetting itself and preparing to fire. During this brief pause, the chambers of the heart have a tad bit more time to fill up with blood and so when the next heart beat comes its more forceful because it has to push out all that extra blood. For some people it feels like a hard thump and for others it feels like a flutter. I tend to get both sensations but the flutters bother me more then the hard thud.

The good news about these premature beats is that in a structurally normal heart (which your echo says you have) they are benign and will not harm you. Everyone on the planet gets them at some time or another, just not everyone feels them and some people for some reason tend to get them more frequently then others. I think some people are just more in tune with their body esp when they have any form of anxiety.

The very best advice that I can give you, is to try your very best to ignore them... The more you focus on them and think about them, the more you tend to feel them... You can do other things to lessen them as well... Like getting a good amount of sleep, stopping caffeine, if you smoke, stop... I know this one is really hard but try to limit stress... and if you struggle with anxiety, try and get it under control as best you can because all of those these things can contribute to ectopics.... Palpation's doesn't necessarily mean a fast heart rhythm.. Palpation's is anytime a person is aware of their heartbeat.

I know you dont want to take beta blockers but if you find yourself unable to deal with these, beta blockers can be a good option and you dont have to take them everyday.. You can take them as needed (periods when things are bad)... I have them but do not take them everyday. My cardio knows this and while he really wants me to take them daily for my SVT he says its okay to take them as needed for the premature beats.. A lot of people also find success with magnesium supplements. Magnesium relaxes muscles (heart) and so when a premature beat strikes its not as forceful and some people hardly even feel them while taking magnesium.. Of course you might want to ask your doctor before trying it and remember what works for some, does not always work for all.

Thank you so much for the advice.

The only reason I am afraid to take beta blockers is because my blood pressure is already pretty low, it usually sits around 112/60, and I know beta blockers lower your blood pressure.

I have thought about taking magnesium as well, since I do have a slight vitamin D deficiency(That's what she said.... but really), and I have read that you need to be taking magnesium when you take Vitamin D because they work hand in hand. I am just unsure of which one would work best for me, and since I am so overly sensitive to what I put in my body(I don't even take aspirin), that makes is harder.

I haven't smoked in years, I don't drink, I don't do anything anymore. Basically, I am boring, so I know it can't be any of those things that are contributing to this.

I was doing some research yesterday and read that if there's any damage to the vagus nerve, that can cause issues. I have had scoliosis my entire life, so I am wondering if maybe there is something to do with that. I also had intensive back treatment in 2016 to fix said scoliosis (which it didnt) by a chiro and I am pretty positive he tore some of my nerves. For several months I as weak when I would walk, and the light headed spells started up after all of that happened as well. Maybe it is all tied together somehow.

I know that having health anxiety does not help.

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Originally Posted by Malicek

Thank you so much for the advice.

The only reason I am afraid to take beta blockers is because my blood pressure is already pretty low, it usually sits around 112/60, and I know beta blockers lower your blood pressure.

I have thought about taking magnesium as well, since I do have a slight vitamin D deficiency(That's what she said.... but really), and I have read that you need to be taking magnesium when you take Vitamin D because they work hand in hand. I am just unsure of which one would work best for me, and since I am so overly sensitive to what I put in my body(I don't even take aspirin), that makes is harder.

I haven't smoked in years, I don't drink, I don't do anything anymore. Basically, I am boring, so I know it can't be any of those things that are contributing to this.

I was doing some research yesterday and read that if there's any damage to the vagus nerve, that can cause issues. I have had scoliosis my entire life, so I am wondering if maybe there is something to do with that. I also had intensive back treatment in 2016 to fix said scoliosis (which it didnt) by a chiro and I am pretty positive he tore some of my nerves. For several months I as weak when I would walk, and the light headed spells started up after all of that happened as well. Maybe it is all tied together somehow.

I know that having health anxiety does not help.

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Perhaps you can try a half of the dose of beta blocker and see how it works out??? They normally check your blood pressure before they prescribe them and if they thought your blood pressure was to low, they wouldn't prescribe them... I think your blood pressure would be okay with a low dose... Say something like 25mg of Toprol which is a really good beta blocker and you could even break that in half so you are getting just half the dose.. That is how I did it when I started out. It wont hurt to give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised even. Perhaps even try the magnesium first... You may find that it works for you and there would be no need to try the beta blocker. Do a Google search about magnesium and palpation's and see if its something you might want to give a try.... Most people do have good results with it.. I have seen a few cases where people say that it made their palpation's worse but those people really are few and far between.. For the most part, as you will see when you research it a majority of people end up having good results.

I am not sure about the Vagus nerve but maybe this is something you should discuss this with your doctor. I have done research years ago on this subject when I very first starting getting these crazy beats and it is true that problems with the vagus nerve can cause premature beats, though I didnt read enough to know if that was the case what the treatment would be, if any etc and so deff discuss your concerns with your doctor.. Do you notice if you tend to get them at slower heart rates??

If you were were hooked up to an ECG or a Holter monitor when you had this heart-pausing symptom and the doctors say it's fine, then it's fine. :)

What you feel and what's actually happening can be two different things, as I found myself when I saw the difference between the palpitations I felt and what an ECG actually recorded.

Premature beats are less efficient at pumping blood and a premature beat or two may be too weak to feel, and may seem instead like a single long pause with a slight drop in blood pressure. So that may be your answer.

However, if it hasn't been recorded yet, then that is what I'd suggest to do next. A recording is the only way to get the real answer.

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Originally Posted by Malicek

I was doing some research yesterday and read that if there's any damage to the vagus nerve, that can cause issues. I have had scoliosis my entire life, so I am wondering if maybe there is something to do with that.

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I started drinking full-fat milk after meals to soothe my throat as I strongly suspected irritation of the vagus nerve caused by GERD may be behind my palpitations as by far my worst series of palpitations both started within minutes of eating spicy meals.

My palpitations immediately dropped from perhaps 100 a day to only 5 a week. That was a month ago and it's still holding good.

So now I recommend everyone tries milk. :yesyes:

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I also had intensive back treatment in 2016 to fix said scoliosis (which it didnt) by a chiro and I am pretty positive he tore some of my nerves. For several months I as weak when I would walk, and the light headed spells started up after all of that happened as well. Maybe it is all tied together somehow.

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Chiropractors are dangerously ignorant and their field is based on nonsense. Proper physiotherapy is what you needed.

I agree about the chiropractors for sure ^^^

I’m considering beta blockers myself. My biggest issue is waking up shaking and having palpitations. I tried it for 9 days on got headaches, maybe I just need a smaller dose?

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Originally Posted by Ethansmom

I’m considering beta blockers myself. My biggest issue is waking up shaking and having palpitations. I tried it for 9 days on got headaches, maybe I just need a smaller dose?

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Yeah sometimes you get side effects from the beta blockers for a time and once your body adjust they go away for the most part... You can deff try cutting your dose in half... I mean of course if your not taking them for high blood pressure or an arrythmia etc... If you are taking them for any of those reasons you may want to speak with your Dr first... If your just taking them for benign palpations then you may find cutting your dose in half will alleviate some of the side effects and still help with the palpations.