ectopic beats with exercise and daily patterns

[CGI]

Thanks for all the posts here - it's so useful. And reassuring that there's so many people out there with the same problem, and who've all had the same feedback from their doctors...

The post from Mikke, quoting the doctor, was a very interesting read. That's certainly the wisdom of someone who's seen it all before!

My personal eptopics have improved slightly - still getting 10+ a day (small fry compared to some of you!) but the pattern has become less defined. I'm getting them a bit more randomly. My attitude to them has improved recently though - I've simply got bored of worrying!

[CGI]

Interesting nose holding tactic below, may be of interest to people...

I was trying to research the Vagus Nerve - which I've read can have an influence on palpitations...

PalpitationsQuestion

I started to have palpitations about six weeks ago. I went to the doctor who did two blood tests, I also had an ECG done and both results were fine. The palpitations stopped for about two weeks and I have now started to have them again. It can happen in the day at anytime and sometimes I can feel them in my throat. I don’t smoke and don’t drink often; I don’t really exercise apart from horse riding now and again. I do have a three-year-old daughter who keeps me on the go all the time. Should I go back to my GP?

Answer

Young fit people often get palpitations, and these are not usually serious, just a nuisance. You don't say how long these go on for or how long they last. If they last more than a few seconds this is called tachycardia (that's the medical term for fast heart rate). They do not usually do any harm, but can be distressing, especially if they occur frequently, disturb sleep, or go on for a long time.

It is reassuring that you have had a normal ECG and blood tests. Unfortunately patients rarely have the palpitations when they are actually having an ECG. It may well go away on it's own and not come back. You don't drink much or smoke, which is good.

What else can you do to help? I think it would be a good idea to stop taking coffee and tea in any more than minimal quantities, because they contain caffeine and this can be an irritant to the heart. Don't forget that some soft drinks like Coca-cola and Pepsi also have caffeine in them. Decaffeinated tea and coffee are available.

Taking physical exercise often abolishes palpitations, so it might be a good idea to increase your exercise activity, by brisk walking or cycling, playing some sort of game, or visiting the gym.

There is a little trick that you can try to stop a palpitation called the Valsalva manoeuvre. What this does is gently stimulates the vagus nerve, which helps control heart rate, and can stop a palpitation in its tracks. You do this by holding your nose to block it, taking a breath, and then closing your mouth, trying hard to breath out. This creates pressure in your chest and stimulates the vagus nerve reaction. You will now if you've done it properly because your ears will ‘pop’.

If it still does not settle down, then go back to your doctor. He or she may suggest you try a tablet like a beta-blocker for a short time that may abolish the attacks. In the unlikely event that they continue, it is possible to be fitted with a special type of portable ECG device that will record the electrical activity of your heart while you are having an attack, and this can help pinpoint the diagnosis. This usually means referral to hospital.

Don't worry about this, it is not life threatening, nor does it mean you have a weak heart. It is more a nuisance, but I am sure one you would rather do without. In my experience, most young patients who present with this problem find that it settles down after a few weeks and rarely bothers them again. I hope you find that this is the case.

Yours sincerely

Dr Keith Barnard, GP
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/heart...od/201404.html

[timmymagic46]

Hi!!

Its crazy, i could have written those posts, its exactly how i feel.

The part that gets me, is when im not having palps i feel SO good....like u know when u think, man i can beat this, they r in my head...and then BANG u have one and u sink again.....its SO frustrating.

I used to think people who had panic attacks were faking for attention. Now i cant believe how wrong i was. I think this is OUR challenge in life now, to beat this. I WILL NOT let this Illness, coz it IS an illness beat me or take anything else away from me. We all have to FIGHT so hard.

I saw a pasycho dude today in harley street london who prescribed me diazapan and some CITALOPRAM which will apparently reduce the anxiety...we will see...positive thinking and all that!!!

I am also going for CBT, why did it not work for you?? was it one on one CBT??? thats what i want i think.....

This website is so great as i thought i was the only one.....can u imagine if we ran a business together?? wed never get anything done and we would always be checking our pulses.... lol. U have to see the fdunny side right??? ;-(

Anyway!!! Hope everyone is well, writing this has cheered me up no end!

Get all your problems off your chest, excuse the pun, i say!!!

Tim

[Vanilla Sky]

Hi Mikke, im so glad i read your replies! How reassuring you are. Can i ask you, if i can pm you ? A doctor on a site like this? everyone will be after your advice !!! Paige

[CGI]

Timmy - "The part that gets me, is when im not having palps i feel SO good....like u know when u think, man i can beat this, they r in my head...and then BANG u have one and u sink again.....its SO frustrating."

I know what you mean, this is why I have a heightened sense of tension at all times - because there's one thing worse than getting a Ventricular Thud and that's getting one when you're unawares and in a great mood - coz it brings you right back down. Today for example I got as far as I have in over a month in my walk to work without getting a single ectopic. Then just when I started to relax feeling chuffed with myself, someone asked me directions. I answered, walked off and BOOM, BOOM got two in a row! I'm pleased how I reacted: coughed, deep breathe, analysed the situation. But was pretty annoyed.


I am also going for CBT, why did it not work for you?? was it one on one CBT??? thats what i want i think....."

As for CBT. It was ok for me. I had one on one therapy for once a month for just over 12 months. I learnt a bit about myself and my anxiety, its history and family connections. And I learnt some tools for relaxing: it's definitely worth doing, and you'll know when the time is right to stop going, as you'll feel you're not learning any more.

For me it's all about trusting the doctors and the cardiologists. I need to keep learning about the heart and understanding it. And I need to stop giving the ectopics the attention I do - they don't deserve it.

All the best everyone...

[Mikke]

Hi there Paige!

I should have quoted better in that post.
I'm not a doctor! These were words from a doctor on another forum, that comforted me as well.
In fact, after reading this, my ectopic beats are more or less gone

[timmy33_uk]

Hi im tim also its like looking in the mirror reading some replies i have has these ectopic beats for some time now sometimes dissappear somethimes there real bad glad see im not alone i seem to be much worse with exercise etc dunno why fast walking etc and thud makes ya jump i know ,i hope things improve for u all and we can beat this together
regards tim ( a sufferer no longer alone)

[battlecircus]

I have had ectopic beats all my life. I can remember having "thuds" in my chest when I was about 3 or 4 years old and not knowing what they were.
In my 20's I started experiencing a worsening of these and started having "palpitations" on a regular basis.

They got so frequent that my GP referred me to a cardiologist and I was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation. The ectopic beats were causing this.

I lived with this for about ten years or so until it completely took over my life and I was having episodes almost every day which would last for anything up to 24 hours. For those of you who know what the "thud" feels like, the Atrial Fibrillation sensation is quite similar, only faster and lasts much longer. When having an episode of AF, I have about 3 or more "thuds" every couple of seconds without a break. It is a horrible sensation and I would much prefer to have just a few "thuds" while walking down the street.

I have been on medication for the last 7 years now. I had been on Flecainide up until this February.

I was recently taken off them though as I was feeling unwell and I felt that my symptoms had changed. The irregular heart beat felt somehow "different" to me and in order to investigate I was given an exercise stress test on a treadmill.

When my heart rate reached around 150 bpm on the treadmill, I started having ectopic beats and then almost collapsed as my heart went into a completely different rhythm. This was a Broad Complex Arrythmia and it was the worst thing I have ever experienced.

I had to go into hospital and come off the Flecainide as it was felt that this was what was causing this different Arrythmia.

I had an Electro Physiology Test done and it was again confirmed that I have Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation. I have been on Bisoprolol for the last 3 months and they seem to have helped a lot.

My Cardiologist (Electrophysiologist) advised me to get back doing some moderate exercise when things settle down with the beta blocker.

I have tried to exercise but every time I do, I get the ectopic beats. (something that did not happen to me when I exercised before).
Now I am frightened that I will get another Broad Complex Arrythmia whilst exercising and am trying to avoid it if I can.

[jalba]

Ii

I have had ectopic beats all my life. I can remember having "thuds" in my chest when I was about 3 or 4 years old and not knowing what they were.
In my 20's I started experiencing a worsening of these and started having "palpitations" on a regular basis.

They got so frequent that my GP referred me to a cardiologist and I was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation. The ectopic beats were causing this.

I lived with this for about ten years or so until it completely took over my life and I was having episodes almost every day which would last for anything up to 24 hours. For those of you who know what the "thud" feels like, the Atrial Fibrillation sensation is quite similar, only faster and lasts much longer. When having an episode of AF, I have about 3 or more "thuds" every couple of seconds without a break. It is a horrible sensation and I would much prefer to have just a few "thuds" while walking down the street.

I have been on medication for the last 7 years now. I had been on Flecainide up until this February.

I was recently taken off them though as I was feeling unwell and I felt that my symptoms had changed. The irregular heart beat felt somehow "different" to me and in order to investigate I was given an exercise stress test on a treadmill.

When my heart rate reached around 150 bpm on the treadmill, I started having ectopic beats and then almost collapsed as my heart went into a completely different rhythm. This was a Broad Complex Arrythmia and it was the worst thing I have ever experienced.

I had to go into hospital and come off the Flecainide as it was felt that this was what was causing this different Arrythmia.

I had an Electro Physiology Test done and it was again confirmed that I have Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation. I have been on Bisoprolol for the last 3 months and they seem to have helped a lot.

My Cardiologist (Electrophysiologist) advised me to get back doing some moderate exercise when things settle down with the beta blocker.

I have tried to exercise but every time I do, I get the ectopic beats. (something that did not happen to me when I exercised before).
Now I am frightened that I will get another Broad Complex Arrythmia whilst exercising and am trying to avoid it if I can.

If you have atrial fibrillation you should also be taking an anticogulant/anti-thrombotic because you are at risk of stroke and or heart attack.

[mr_boo]

Hi all,

This is also my first post in this room and may I say that it is extremely comforting to know that I am not the only person who has experienced these. I first became aware of mine of Saturday, and I must admit that I did indeed first think that I had a bad case of indigestion but after much poking, proding and pulse taking I then realised my heart was skipping a beat. After noticing this my anxiety kicked in and up to the hospital I rushed. After 4 hours, an ECG, chest Xray, blood sample, urine sample and 2 x blood pressure tests I was informed that these were being controlled as a result on my constant anxiety. I have noticed that these do seem to happen when I am focused on myself and thinking of these beats. Does anyone else think they feel like they come from their stomach and have an acidic almost indigestion like feel to them?