Palpitations for hours and hours

[Amy2Crazy]

I saw that a couple of us had posted on different threads talking about palpitations that go on for hours and hours. This is not 5 or even 50 a day, this is something that starts up and goes for hours and hours. The first time I went to the ER due to the palpitations, I finally went after reading on a website that if they went on for more than 20 minutes, I should seek medical attention. They had been going for about 7 hours, every other beat. It was pretty much one regular beat, a half-second of breathlessness, then a hard beat...so, basically, every other beat was ectopic for hours and hours. I was actually able to catch them on the ECG at the ER, even though all of the other tests came back normal. They sent me home after four hours, with a diagnosis of premature ventricular constriction (or contraction), still having them. In fact, when I went to sleep that night I was still having them, but they were gone by the time I woke up the next morning. In all, that day, I had them for about 14 hours that I knew of. After that day, I only was aware of them one other time, until today. This morning I woke up feeling fluttery in my chest, so I took my BP (my monitor has an irregular heartbeat detector on it) and it was borderline (140/90) pulse was okay, 75, but the irregular heartbeat was there. I had a bad night last night, up until almost 5am trying to calm myself by playing the games here in the arcade (brilliant addition, by the way), then awake until 7 trying to go to sleep....now I am afraid, because of the obviously disturbing sensation of your heart going wonky....
How many of us get these for hours and hours? I was starting to feel very alone, since most people describe only getting a few a day, and mine start and just don't stop, but I feel a little better having seen posts on another thread.....

Thanks everyone,
Always,
Amy

[debera]

hi amy
yes i can get them for hours and hours every other beat. when this first started i thought i was going to die for sure. i was so scared. but the doc reasured me it was just anxiety. i sure know how you feel though they are horrid. pm me if you want
debera

[Rachey poos]

I am with you.... what did they say to you... were they concerned at all as i getthen like this during a panic attack...my pulse misses every other beat! scarey but im learning to live with it..... no one knows do they!

[Amy2Crazy]

Thanks for the response... The docs all said it was nothing to worry about and that there was nothing that could be done for them.... Well, actually, the ER doc said "There is no treatment for PVCs" and my GP said "We need to figure out how to get the PVCs under control" so I don't know what that means at all....it is getting quite disheartening... I need to call a cardiologist he told me to call for a Holter monitor...not sure how much that is going to cost or if I can even afford it... Does anyone even know what a Holter monitor picks up? if it is the PVCs then I don't see why I would need that since they showed on the ECG...

One minute I feel like everything will be just fine, and the next I feel like I just don't know what is going on.....I am so tired of feeling this way...

Always,
Amy

[Rachey poos]

bless you ...it must put extra pressure for you at te fact you have to pay for your treatmrnt ! how awful... when i get these every other beat i feel my pulse miss then beat then miss then beat but when it misses in the pulse the part of my hert under my ribcage beats...is this what you get?

[debera]

hi rach
its horrid isnt it. i feel them like you do. well the doc said just anxiety and try to focus on other things. thats hard to do. i am so phobic of doctors and hospitals and dentists too. do you get them for hours and hours too
debera

[Amy2Crazy]

What I get feels like a little implosion in my lungs, like suddenly the air is sucked out, then I get a really hard beat... Sometimes I get a pain and pressure under my left ribs, almost like I've run a sprint... do you ever get that? Is that part of the palps?

yes, it is really hard to have to pay for everything... I am already looking at at least $3000 (USD, not sure how much that is in other currency) for the three ER visits. The doc costs between $55 and $100 per visit, which I have to pay when I am there. It is getting even harder, because I've cut myself down to half-time at work, and am seriously considering quitting altogether, since my symptoms always get worse when I am there (I work a 25-hour shift, but only get paid for 20 as I sleep there, used to work a 50-hour shift before I cut my hours). I worry about the added pressure this puts on my boyfriend, who will have to pull the extra weight. I worry about a lot of things, all the time....

Always,
Amy

[Rachey poos]

Well I really feel for you hun... I have a phobia of doctors and anything medical. even passing my doctors makes my heart start flippin all over the place and it really scares me x x Debra I have never ever met anyone who has them like me...to the extent of the heart going out of sync on after the other...its almost like you have 2 hearts going on in there.... please PM me...I wake up in the night with them so bad but I find that if I lay on the bedroom floor with my legs on the wall (ive heard the blood rusehes back to the heart ) it dont last as long.... its weird ..I also get them one after the other when I walk anywhere...this is making me agrophobic and scared to go anywhere.... please click on my blog and have a read... it tells you how bad i get these. But darent go the doctors!!!!!!!!!!!! i do know its anxiety...well im begining to believe it but how the hell can your ticker do this! i have been like this a yr after having a panic attack after riding 7 miles on my own to my mums on my bike when I was suffering panic attacks at the time..stupid thing to do ...soi think i relate heart flips to excersice as I even get a run of them after climbing the stairs x do you ?

[Worrier]

Hi Amy,

When I read your post it was like reading about myself a few years back. It all started Nov of 2002 and I thought I was dying. I couldn't believe that my body could feel like that and that I wasn't going to drop down dead. I had palps exactly the same as you 24/7 for 4 months before I finally broke down and went to docs. Was there 4 hours, had EKG, thyroid test etc etc. They finally put me on Lexapro (SSRI) and within a week the palps had gone completely. Honestly while I was going through it I thought I would die in my sleep and then I would have pains in the middle of my chest all the time with the palps. It was the WORST time of my life.

Try and talk to your doc about Lexapro (it is an anti-depr and general anx medicine) but it absolutely worked for me. I was on it about 2 1/2 years and then weaned myself off of it. I have been without meds now for 2 years and doing okay. Still suffer with health anx so now I worry about every little ache and pain but think it all stems from the palp thing.

I would be happy to talk with you or email (I am in Las Vegas) so if you are interested send me a private message and we can get in touch. I am happy to help you any way I can as I so understand what you are going through and also the stresses of paying for stuff here in USA.

Take care and I look forward to talking with you.

Natalie

[ronski]

Hi Amy

Try not to worry about them. I had a period about 3 years ago where I had 3 weeks of loads and loads of premature atrial ectopics. No treatment given by Gp, but they disappeared as fast as the came. I haven,t had a real problem since so it may be anxiety that is driving them due to your sympathetic drive of your autonomic nervous system.
Hope this helps
Ron