I don't feel stressed buuuuttttt....

[blondielady]

In the past, I've had issues come up that caused me a great deal of anxiety. Last year around this time of year I had too many things going on and I felt that weird almost like internal vibration feeling, off-balance, insomnia, tiredness, and a lot of panicking while in the car. I mean full blown I had to pull of the road and take a bunch of deep breaths because I was convinced something terrible would happen while driving. My doctor found nothing wrong and then 2 weeks later I was in the ER having a spell of tachycardia (something I've had for 20 years) and they found I had low potassium. So, I had a 3 hour potassium IV and then made sure to eat lots of bananas and drink coconut water almost every day of the past year. I'm not sure if there was a direct link, but I did start sleeping better, the dizziness went away, and I haven't really had problems while driving either. I had a lot of financial problems last year and this year they have improved quite a bit. So, I've been feeling pretty good overall. Well, up until Saturday anyway.

This past week I've noticed a few heart palpitations, but I get them every once in a great while so I wasn't too alarmed. I tried to make sure I was drinking my coconut water and eating bananas in case my potassium was dipping. Then Saturday I was out shopping and I started getting palpitations regularly to the point where I was feeling such a thud in my chest that I figured I better go home and relax so I wouldn't bring on a bout of tachycardia. When I got home, I sat down and noticed my heart was having long pauses between beats and then thumping really hard. I'd say it was anywhere from every few beats to once or twice a minute. I've never experienced them that frequently in my life so I decided to go to the ER just to get it all checked out. They did an EKG but it didn't catch anything (just happened to be like 30 seconds where nothing happened... grrrr) and quite honestly I'm pretty annoyed that the EKG was so quick because I know if they'd have left it on for even a couple more minutes they would have easily caught one. They hooked me up to another heart monitor and my husband could easily see the palps on the monitor, but the woman watching the monitor in the other room didn't notice anything (WTF??!!). We told her that while I laid there I had at least 10 palps and my husband noticed each one and she was like "hmm.. I must have been looking away". They did an x-ray too and that didn't show anything. So, I got sent home and the palps have continued since then. I feel like they maybe are getting a little less noticeable now, but they are still there, sometimes coming a couple in a row.

Now I know they say anxiety can cause palps but I've never experienced anything like this where they come on so frequently and for days. I've googled like crazy and I know they are either PACs or PVCs, because i get a couple beats closer together, a long pause, and then a thud. The first day that I had them, I had a faster than normal pulse, often between 90-100 just resting, when most days my resting is anywhere from 60-75bpm. However, yesterday my pulse was around 60-70 almost all day and I could still feel the palps regularly. As I sit here now, my pulse is at 73 and as I've typed this I've had at least 10 palps. I have a Fitbit HR so it is easy to check pulse. I've calculated my palps out to being probably 2000 a day if they are happening while I sleep, but the ER doctors acted like this was nothing. I was told that a lot of people get this and they don't even realize it. I don't know how someone could NOT realize their heart has extra beats and skips because I feel a rather profound THUD quite often.

I have an appointment with my family doctor tomorrow. It is hard for me to accept that this could just be anxiety because it is so regular and frequent. Other than this, I've felt pretty decent. I've broken down in tears a few times this weekend because it is making me anxious. I've tried to ignore the palps which works a little sometimes but then they come back and I feel defeated. Last night I slept decent and couldn't really feel them, but when I woke up, I could feel them a bit. They are not as noticeable lying down, but when I'm just sitting or slouching or bending over a little they are very noticeable and frequent.

I was thinking about taking a walk today hoping that maybe a little exercise would help, but it scares me. The day that these came on I had gone on a walk, and I haven't really been exercising much at all the past few months. I tried doing a workout video a couple of weeks ago and I had palps like crazy when I was increasing my heart rate. I had to keep my HR under 155 or my heart would start pounding and going bonkers.

Anyone ever been through anything like this? I'm actually a candidate for ablation for the AVNRT that I have occasionally, but I'm scared of surgery. However, this weekend made me wonder if I should just go ahead and get it. Of course I've heard some people who get it get palps worse than ever for a few months after. So yah.

[Fishmanpa]

You say you don't feel stressed but everything in your post says you are. It's kind of a Catch 22 in that you feel a palp and that gets you anxious which gives you more palps which makes you more anxious etc.

Also, once your body is in an anxious state, it takes time to cool down. It's like a campfire. Under stress and it's burning hot. You may calm down but there are still hot coals just waiting to ignite anything you throw on them.

Hope you feel better soon. Let us know what your doctor says.

Positive thoughts

[mill6tee7]

Are you sure your intake of potassium might be too high?, too much in the blood can have an affect, the heart muscle needs a delicate balance, perhaps cutting down on the bananas might help

[blondielady]

I wouldn't think it would be too high. I don't take any vitamins and have one cup of coconut water every morning which has less than 1/4 the daily recommended amount (but gives me the reassurance that I'm doing something to put potassium into my body). Bananas are occasional. I eat them on days that I am out of coconut water. I don't eat a whole lot of veggies and fruits, or even potatoes, so I know getting potassium might still actually be an issue. So my initial hunch is that if anything, it would probably still be too low. I was reading somewhere that sometimes blood tests don't detect when you're actually low on potassium and electrolytes until it is very severe. So I wonder if maybe I'm showing up within limits but maybe still a little on the low side? I just really don't know. It is frustrating because I never actually see the charts the doctors have and I don't feel like everything is really gone over well and explained to me.

[mill6tee7]

Mmm, as you said you are going to see your doctor, explain more or less what you have posted here, and ask for the EKG to be done again if that's possible, just for peace of mind, what ever the outcome I wish you well, I've had palps for twenty years, if you are under anxiety the vagus nerve gets over excited which in turn aggravates the heart, sometimes the palpitations can be felt from the stomach a sure sign the nerve is acting up..

[blondielady]

I'm actually wondering if they tested for anemia. They took 5 vials of blood so I'm thinking they must have, but you never know. I was in the shower today and while I was shaving under my arms, I started seeing stars. This has been happening off and on when bending or turning my head really far for extended periods of time. I'm also noticing I feel like head rushes a lot when standing and starting to walk. I'm pale... but I'm always pale. I remember a week or so ago looking in the mirror though and thinking I looked more pale than usual, but chalked it up to maybe just having an "off" day or weird lighting.

So, I took an iron tablet figuring at the most it may help and at the least it won't hurt. Palps are still going this afternoon. My kids were gone over the weekend at their dads so now I worry about having issues while they are around. My oldest is 9 and youngest is 7 so they still need me to do a lot for them.

[blondielady]

Well... I made that doctor appointment for tomorrow morning and guess what... the palps are almost gone! I took an iron tablet midday today and have been drinking a relatively small dose of a magnesium/calcium drink a couple times a day. I was still having a lot of palps all the way till about 4:30PM. Then I took the iron tablet and sat down in the recliner for a while because bending forward seems to aggravate palps. I had to cook dinner for my kids a bit later and I noticed that I had way fewer palps, and the ones that I still had were very minimal... definitely not as strong as the ones I'd been having the last 2 days. I spent most of the evening in the recliner and got up to take care of random household things, getting the kids ready for bed, etc. and had NO PROBLEMS with palpitations. There were a few times I felt like a super minor palp or two, but not these big thuds that make me want to cough.

So... thinking about cancelling that doctors appointment for tomorrow morning because I don't think she will find anything and I'll be out $125 (she doesn't take my insurance!). I finally found a new doctor that takes my insurance so I'm going to get set up as a new patient and get this heart thing evaluated a little later since not much is going on right now.

I don't know what I did that might have helped... because they didn't suddenly disappear, they kind of just started to become less and less. I drank the magnesium drink, took some iron, and ate bananas. Also quit slouching and leaning to my stomach side. So... it could be anything, I suppose.