my ectopics

[kirst2203]

Hello everyone
I am 21 and have these sensations in my throat where it feels like my heart is ‘fluttering’. It’s like it’s missed a beat/thump and it takes my breath away, then I feel beating in my throat and then i go back to nroaml. It is normally for a split second and then it’s gone. They started a long time ago and for ages I just ignored them but then at Xmas 2010 I had one that lasted a few seconds longer than usual and it really scared me. I went to my doctor who diagnosed ectopic beats and said they were nothing to worry about. He said reassurance was enough for some patients. He gave me an ECG but said that he probably wouldn’t catch anything on it since they weren’t happening all the time, as expected it showed nothing. Dr said I needed to ‘get over them’ (he wasn’t being rude; I think he was simply trying to show me how little he was concerned). He said if this reassurance wasn’t enough for me I could have beta blockers for the anxiety. So they went away for a long time but the anxiety that something would happen was still there. (I will constantly think about it. It takes over everything I do – I think that I am going to go into a nasty rhythm or drop deadL. The anxiety causes a lot of what i would call phantom ectopics – ones that are in my imagination. I think I have some mild OCD which I don’t know if is similar to my anxiety with ectopics – I check all doors before I leave the house and look through the letterbox to check the dog hasn’t magically escaped without me seeing somehow. I go to catch my bus, get half way down my hill and come back to check again). After a while I went back and asked for the meds. I have been taking Propranalol 40mg for 4 days now with little-no effect. Tonight I had a huge ectopic, the longest ever; about 5 seconds. After reading many forums I realise that I am not suffering half as much as some poor people; I sympathize greatly with anyone with ectopics but I am so terrified. My concern is that my doctor is missing something. What if these aren’t ectopics but something more serious? Many other sufferers feel the ectopics make them want to cough; i never feel that. Also, why are they sometimes tiny and sometimes HUGE? When they are tiny I feel that I can almost pass them off as nothing but the big ones trigger huge panic attacks where I cannot relax and feel a massive urge to seek medical attention.
I think that my anxiety is made worse by the fact that I am a student nurse on placement in coronary care. Gaining knowledge of the heart just seems to be making this worse! I have spoken to some of my colleagues there who all say ‘oh don’t worry about ectopics’ but I really can’t do it. I understand that my course could be causing stress but I honestly don’t feel it.
I have also been getting some dizziness which I can’t seem to link to the ectopics – it’s never at the same time but I have heard that they are associated with one another.
They affect all aspects of my life. I wake up in the morning and it is not long before I think ‘oh yes I have something wrong with me, I wonder what will happen to me today’ and a sense of doom. I go to work and can’t concentrate because I’m worried. I can’t relax at the end of the day because I’m worried. I am happy with my life; I’m a year away from graduation, a new house, a new job, I’m getting married in 2015 and although these all sound like things that would stress you out, they don’t make me feel like that – I like organisation and planning, it’s actually something that allows me to take my mind off the ectopics!
I am trying to lose weight and im hoping this will help. Does anyone know if being overweight is linked to this problem? I am also finding that i have a high diastolic bp e.g. 120/100 or 90. Could this be linked to it?
As I’ve said my main concern is that my doctor has it wrong; this is something serious. Or, he is right but they develop into longer lasting episodes (like many others have been experiencing) or something serious like AF or VF and I need cardioverting or i drop dead L.
Does anyone else have the same things going on?
Thanks for listening

[CJA09]

Hey Kirst x
Just wanna send you big hugs as I know how horrible and scary they are. I suffer with them and have been suffering big time since I mucked up my anti depressent dose and have now had a week of palpitations. I was so scared I even ended up in A&E on friday! They did an ECG and took bloods and said all seemed ok. I know I didnt have any palps whist having the ECG so i'm scared they missed it. Dr at hospital has said I need to have a 24 hr ECG to put my mind at rest - so thats what I'm going to do. I also know that when I think about them I get anxious and panic and then cause the palps, it's a vicious circle. I have found coughing (even though I dont want to) helps to stop them.
It sounds to me like you suffering with anxiety and it's possibly due to many reasons, health anxiety, work stress, ocd, etc. I'd talk to your dr again and explain what you have to us and say how scared you are and how your experiencing dizzyness and loss of breathe too and then ask that you have further test to ease your mind and also that you may need some theraphy to help with you anxiety?
also have you read the "palpitations" section on this site, it explains it so well!
Dunno if any of this helps, just know your not alone and dont give up asking your dr if your concerned. Really hope you feel better soon xx

[kirst2203]

Its so nice to hear that im not alone. I would like a 24 hour tape to put my mind at rest but i think my dr will tell me i dont need it. I have read the palpitations section on this site and the palps 101 by RLR (not sure if you've come across that one) and it really seems to have helped as i have been alot calmer throughout today. My doctor did say that I could have cognitive behavioural therapy (cbt) if i wanted it but there is a long waiting list. If things get any worse then i will consider it. Do you find that your palps are sometimes worse than others? I feel that I am learning to live with them and then all of sudden BANG a huge one comes along, bigger than ive ever had beforre and thats when i start thinking well surely if they're getting worse then its something serious.
Nice to hear from a fellow sufferer x

[Typer]

Glad you Visited RLR's - what a comfort that site is.

It is so disappointing when you think "I have a handle on these" and them wham, you get a really bad one, or bad set of them

[decca]

They really are frightening aren't they ? I've had them for years,long periods of missed beats,sometimes on every other beat sometimes on every 4th or 5th beat and sometimes a bit of a mixture.
I've had two heart attacks over the past 10 years with mitral problems and regurgitation so my heart isn't as strong as it could be, my GP's and my Cardiologists have checked out the palps and have told me they are normal skipped beats,nothing to worry about any part of the heart is capable of firing of a beat and this is what's happening, I'm now learning to ignore them and they are gradually reducing, so that's my advice to you ,ignore them and they'll go away.

[kinnygirl1]

Hi Kirst. I suffer too with these and today is a particluarly bad day for me. It's not so much ectopics today as a real awarness of how my heart is beating. It feels a bit fast and fluttery, as though it is weak or something.

Had an ECG 2 months ago and all was normal but like you nothing happened whilst I was having it so am worried that a problem has not been picked up. Would ECG show underlying problem whether or not it happended in ECG? 2 Diff docs have listened to heart and said it was ok and blood test have not showed up a heart prob (would it? ) but on days like today I am scared witless. This woke me up at 2 am this morn and I just cannot put it to the back of my mind today. Sorry for going on on your thread. Hope you are feeling better today.

KG x

[kirst2203]

kinny; you don't need to apologise for coming to my thread.
im having a bad day too. ive had a big thud in my chest and since then panic, depression and more fluttering :( i only went back to my doc yesterday. i had a blood test to look for thyroid problems and/or anemia (both of which can cause palps). Hope your symptoms go away. Fingers crossed for me too :( *hugs* xx

[kinnygirl1]

Thanks so much -Hugs to you too...

Just thought I would mention that my blood tests did show up that I was very slightly aneamic which may have been contributing to my palps but my GP thought it was disproportionate because I wasn't that aneamic ie/ I seem to be getting more palps then he would expect for someone with my aneamia. Would be really interested to hear what your results are too.

Hope tomo is a better day for you too.

Kinnygirl x

[kirst2203]

So what is your doc gonna do next? How often are your palps? & what are they like?
I feel like i'm getting on my docs nerves keep going back but im in living hell and sending myself into depression. I want a 24hr tape and/or a echo (heart scan). My doc is going on hol for 2 weeks so ill be discussing my results with a different doc, another opinion might be helpful. Fingers crossed I get somewhere cos this is awful :(

[kinnygirl1]

My doc is treating me with fluoxetine which is an anti depressent that I have had before. I think the plan is that once my anxiety is under control with the fluox, we will see what sypmtons are left over and if my palps are one of them I will be referred for 24 hour ecg (however I am gonna push for that sooner cos its getting me down). I am on iron for the aneamia and a recent blood test showed that my iron levels are getting back to normal.

Today my palps have just been like a fluttering jittery feeling under my left breast that has been there all day with the occasional thump thrown in every now and then. I woke up at 2 am last night with what felt like my heart beating in a strange rythum and have been worried since then. What are yours like today?

KG x