Heart skipping beats

[angie3077]

Does anyone else get this[?]
My heart skips beats all the time every day.
The only way I can describe it is like a thud that I can feel in my throat and my chest, if I am taking my pulse when I have one then my heart does skip a beat, or an extra beat I don't know?
It is awful and very scary, my GP says there are nothing to worry about and that they are just ectopic heartbeats.....but hey this is my heart I am talking about and I am very worried, what if it skips a beat and does not get back into a regular rythm? I have all these thoughts and questions going through my mind (mostly bad ones)...but thats what I do best I guess! lol
There is no particular time they occur though, I could be sitting doing nothing or excercising and when they happen my heart rate speeds up then goes back to normal, but I don't know if thats because when I get them I suddenley panic or get the over whelming urge to cough or take a deep breath ! weird I know but thats what happens
I do not take any caffiene before anybody asks, I stopped that along with a lot of other things when this started happening(a long time ago), I do not smoke and occasionally drink alchohol.

Angie

[sadie]

Hi Angie,

I get this too and I find it quite scary also. I keep getting advised too that they are nothing to worry about so i am trying hard to do just that. Your doctor couldnt lie to you!!

I also feel mine seem to occur when Im doing nothing to stressful and I always tend to feel that I want to burp..similar to you with the coughing thing!!!

They are just caused with anxiety and its when your heart just seems to react to any small stimulus much quicker....I have had every sensation possible I think with my anxiety and this seems to be the next thing that worries me at the mo!!

You are definetly not alone with this one. Everytime you get one try and just say..'here come these silly heart beats again..ah well they wont hurt me' or words to that affect!! I know it may sound stupid but apparently the less you worry about them and the more you show them you are not scared they disappear!!

Also exercise is supposed to abolish them too!!

Well I hope this makes you feel a bit better.

Take care

sadie

[Tilly]

Hi Angie

I have this problem too. I've had lots of tests and my heart is fine. Which is reassuring but its still scary when it happens. I always try and take a deep breath or cough aswell. Thought that was just me!
Do you find yourself taking your pulse often? Its become a bit of a habit with me. Im very concsious of my heart beating and sometimes Im convinced its stopped because I cant feel it beating in my chest so I take my pulse to make sure. Now Ive typed that I realise how utterly ridiculous that is. If my heart had stopped I'd be a heap on the floor wouldnt I?
My doctor assured me I would not drop down dead and neither will you! Try and remember that. I'm starting to get annoyed with it rather than scared and thats helped a bit.

Havent really got much advice to offer, but wanted you to know that you're not alone

Tilly x

[Meg]

These are some of the most common symptoms of all.

They are extra beats of the atrium chambers of the heart, top ones that are storage chambers rather than the ones that are being pumped out of.

There are dysrhythmias where your heatbeat is not entirely stable , most over 70 year olds unknowingly walk around with one of these every day.

Having a few or indeed lots of extra beats does not affect the pumping efficacy of your heart , if you like , the pumping part is on a different fuse circuit to the origin of these missed/extra beats so not dangerous at all to the overall doings..

Ty to downgrade their severity in your mind to that of a run of sneezes or run of hiccups.


Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[sadie]

Hi tilly,

I used to take my pulse all the time. In fact I actually hurt my neck due to proding at it all the time whilst taking my pulse. I now do my best to not do this as it only makes your heart beat faster...i do still get the urge to do this throughout the day but I just dont anymore.

It is reassuring though to know that there is others experiencing the same sensations and thoughts as you. Its easy to worry that there really IS something wrong with your heart when you think you are the only one feeling these sensations.

Well I hope that your heart gets the message soon that your'e no longer scared of its eratic beating and it stops!!! (that is the eratic beating not your heart!lol)

Take care

sadie

[bananarbabe]

Hi Tilly,

Skipped beats are a symptom that still bugs me. I definately get them when I'm really stressed out. If you're really concerned, you might want to consider doing a 24 hour holter test. It might help put your mind at ease.

It sounds like you're on your way to getting better. You seem to have made some good lifestyle changes!

Chris

[angie3077]

Hi Tilly,

I too am always checking my pulse, people must think I am really weird sometimes as I walk around with my fingers stuck to my neck checking my pulse...awaiting the next 'skipped beat'. It is very frustrating and tiring too.
Its very annoying, as you said.....I have a week where I won't get any and I feel really happy and then out of the blue they start happening all the time again then I get really anxious , so bringing them on more.
I can reason with my self a little as I can say that I know that the anxiety and me being a pretty tense person brings them on more but also because I worry so much about every little health issue...be it a cold, cough, rash I worry so much about this heart thing more than anything! as I too keep thinking things like my heart will stop or go into a funny rythm and something terrible will happen....and so on and so on it just never goes away.
For instance today I have had a headache and the thoughts that have been crossing my mind are meningitis, brain tumour/heammorrage, I know this is ridiculous but I can't stop the thoughts it gets me down a lot.
This place is helping though, its great... I look forward to reading more of the posts every day when I get home from work its very nice having others that know a little about how you feel, thier opinions really matter.
Anyway hope you are ok and keep posting
Speak soon
Andie
x

[uryjm]

Angie
I've had heart palpitations on and off for years and haven't dropped dead yet. It is hard to describe as you say, and it feels as if my heart is stumbling or gurgling before returning to a steady beat. Caffeine definately brings it on and makes it worse. Even before these started though, I often felt my pulse on a regular basis and found it reassuring. I still do, and can now quite accurately guess within seconds what my beats per minute will be! I look on it as a bit of a personal talisman - some reach for the cigs, some for the bottle, some for chocolate and me for my pulse.

Jim

[sadie]

Hi everyone,

I am suffering these missed/irregular beats all the time at the moment and I am trying so hard not to worry too much about them!! Anyway, last night and today i have had them constantly and this is scaring me. Should I be going to my doctor as Im having them all day or not??
I have mentioned it to my doc before and he said its just down to anxiety etc but should I get one of these 24 hour tests just to be sure???

Also I have had a lot of excess 'air' gurgling around my body last night and today and I have had pains around the breast bones too..can this excess be causing the fluttering or not? I remember Bryan mentioning to me before that this could cause this, does anyone know for sure?

Also, where is this excess air coming from, is it due to 'shallow breathing' or something??

Any thoughts/help would be appreciated!!![:0]


sadie

[sarah]

Hiya Sadie

Just to try and put your mind at ease a bit....I get these irregular/missed beats too. I can go for months without them and then whoops it comes back for a few days and scares the life out of me!!!!

love Sarah
xx