Ectopic heart/beats - some help

[redlandcat]

Hi - I`ve just joined this forum. I have had ectopic beats since I was young - I am now nearly 64 (female). My ectopic beat come and go - I can be a year without them and then they suddenly start up again. My cardiologist assures me that they are harmless. My current difficulty is that I have always been afraid of them and now seem to have little resilience - ie my fear takes over. At the moment they are going on all day every day with some breaks in between for normal heartbeats, so most of the time my heart is beating irregularly and I can`t think of anything else while it`s happening. I have to go overseas next week and am terrified of being away from home. Could someone else tell me if they have ectopics that are this frequent and persistent? To know I`m not alone would help so much. Thanks.

[TracyL]

Hi

Yes I know exactly what you mean. I have had stages whereby I have them constantly. I too have suffered with them for many, many years. I have had numerous tests etc and all came back normal. I was told that virtually everyone has them but some people just don't feel them (I can't imagine how you can't though lol).

Take care and know you're not alone.

Have a great time overseas and try not to worry as that only makes them worse.

luv
Tracy

[Typer]

Dawn, thank you for your reassurance

[Arcady]

I used to have lots of ectopic beats, very annoying and scary. But after getting checked out by the doctor and reassured they're nothing to worry about, I decided to try to ignore them. Easier said than done, but I read somewhere that exercise gets rid of them for many people and found that indeed it did for me. When I say exercise, I don't mean going to the gym or anything like that, but just doing something that made my body move around a bit, such as housework or go for a walk. They gradually decreased in frequency and now I seldom have them at all.

I think sometimes these things run in families. My mother also has ectopic beats, she used to feel really faint when they occurred so she had a full investigation at the local hospital, but no reason for them was found. She still gets them and finds them annoying but since she's stopped worrying about having a sudden heart attack she finds them much less scary. BTW, she's 92 and in excellent health, so that proves you can have these beats and still hope to make it into your 90s!

The poster who said acceptance is the key is correct; accept that you have them but also accept your doctor's reassurance that they're harmless. When you stop worrying so much about them, you may well find they decrease in frequency and severity.

[Typer]

Thanks for the info on hydration. I used to drink a lot of water but I have to admit, I do get a bit dehydrated. Thanks to Dizzy for giving us hope