Afraid of irregular heartbeats

Hi, I’m a new member here. I have suffered with anxiety for many years since I was a teenager. I have health anxiety very badly with many symptoms. For the past few weeks I have been having the most horrendous ‘missed heartbeats’. I have had them for about 30 years. I thought I was an expert on them and after several doctors telling me they were harmless, I wasn’t so afraid but they are hard to bear. I am very afraid just now because what I am experiencing seems different. About 8 weeks ago I had a nasty virus, and after a bad coughing bout I got the worst palpitations I had ever had, my heart was beating like crazy, racing and so irregular, this went on and on and wouldn’t slow down. I rang 111 and they asked me to take my pulse and count out loud, they then said I should phone an ambulance which I did. By the time it arrived my heart had settled down a bit. They said my oxygen levels were a bit low and took me to A & E. I had 4 ECGs, blood tests and chest X-ray. At the end of it all the doc said the blood tests showed I had a virus which I knew. Never said anything was wrong with the EGCs and sent me home. This virus was very nasty and lasted 6 weeks. About 2 weeks ago I was in bed and my heart felt funny like it was missing beats, but when I took my pulse it wasn’t like usual, it was beating one two, one two, one two, instead of one two three etc. the second beat was weaker. I would call them double beats, I don’t remember it ever feeling like this. I couldn’t sleep for it. I was so scared, and I live alone. I went to the doc the next day and she said she couldn’t notice it, but said I should have another ECG and depending on the results maybe a 24 hr monitor. I had one of those about 4 years ago. I have had to wait 2 weeks for the ECG which is tomorrow. I’ve had these heartbeats on and off during this time. The last 2 days they seem to improve somewhat. Last night I went out had and my friend got me a coffee which was very strong. After that I thought my heart was giving out. The missed beats were terrible, it was missing every other beat and felt very weak, this lasted for ages. Then went normal. Not long ago it was then missing every fourth beat. These 2 weeks I have been so afraid, I was stupid and googled it. The first sites said it was deadly. Some others said it was mostly harmless but some missed heartbeats are serious, then again some just said they were benign. I am sorry this post is long, but I would like to know if anyone else has experienced anything like these heartbeats. Also the last 2 days I have had two sessions of shaking violently. I would be grateful to hear from anyone who knows what I am talking about.

Hiya chinadoll19 and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

Hi chinadoll and welcome :welcome:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chinadoll19

Hi, I’m a new member here. I have suffered with anxiety for many years since I was a teenager. I have health anxiety very badly with many symptoms. For the past few weeks I have been having the most horrendous ‘missed heartbeats’. I have had them for about 30 years. I thought I was an expert on them and after several doctors telling me they were harmless, I wasn’t so afraid but they are hard to bear. I am very afraid just now because what I am experiencing seems different. About 8 weeks ago I had a nasty virus, and after a bad coughing bout I got the worst palpitations I had ever had, my heart was beating like crazy, racing and so irregular, this went on and on and wouldn’t slow down. I rang 111 and they asked me to take my pulse and count out loud, they then said I should phone an ambulance which I did. By the time it arrived my heart had settled down a bit. They said my oxygen levels were a bit low and took me to A & E. I had 4 ECGs, blood tests and chest X-ray. At the end of it all the doc said the blood tests showed I had a virus which I knew. Never said anything was wrong with the EGCs and sent me home. This virus was very nasty and lasted 6 weeks. About 2 weeks ago I was in bed and my heart felt funny like it was missing beats, but when I took my pulse it wasn’t like usual, it was beating one two, one two, one two, instead of one two three etc. the second beat was weaker. I would call them double beats, I don’t remember it ever feeling like this. I couldn’t sleep for it. I was so scared, and I live alone. I went to the doc the next day and she said she couldn’t notice it, but said I should have another ECG and depending on the results maybe a 24 hr monitor. I had one of those about 4 years ago. I have had to wait 2 weeks for the ECG which is tomorrow. I’ve had these heartbeats on and off during this time. The last 2 days they seem to improve somewhat. Last night I went out had and my friend got me a coffee which was very strong. After that I thought my heart was giving out. The missed beats were terrible, it was missing every other beat and felt very weak, this lasted for ages. Then went normal. Not long ago it was then missing every fourth beat. These 2 weeks I have been so afraid, I was stupid and googled it. The first sites said it was deadly. Some others said it was mostly harmless but some missed heartbeats are serious, then again some just said they were benign. I am sorry this post is long, but I would like to know if anyone else has experienced anything like these heartbeats. Also the last 2 days I have had two sessions of shaking violently. I would be grateful to hear from anyone who knows what I am talking about.

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Hello there, yes my anxiety started with monitoring heartbeats etc, from then on i knew there was something wrong as usually dont do things like that, yes its completely normal, but of course when you suffer with this it seems not so.

My heart actually skips beats when I go to measure it, when I 'forget' I'm measuring it, it goes down to a normal rhythm, I of course often assume I have some vague condiiton which has spawned no symptoms but it's there waiting all the same. If it's ruining your well being, explain your fears to a doctor and then get the relevant tests and then you'll know if you're good for a while or not.

Yes, when you have anxiety you are sensitive to everything and every feeling, it is totally normal when the heart skips beats, its doing so because of cortisol, a stress chemical that gets pumped in your bloodstream at times of high anxiety.

The vagus nerve, close the the stomach and diaphragm can set off the ectopic beats. I have had them for 40 years too, on and off, but theyw ere set off very badly by a cold and coughing a few months ago. It sounds similar to what you are talking about. Holding my stomach tightly, indigestion, and any pressure on my upper abdomen is currently setting them off again - very frustrating. Try finding a way to relax your stomach/diaphragm area......