Agreed, and it good know other people are in the same boat as yourself and share experiences.
Ectopic Heartbeat....
- Thread starter scarab
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Agreed, and it good know other people are in the same boat as yourself and share experiences.
My first episode started 4 years ago to the day in 10 hours time... and ironically I'm halfway through having a 24 hour ECG today due to ongoing problems with it.
Initially it was alcohol, stress and fatigue related. Now it seems to be more stress combined with digestive issues.
Annoying, the last two weeks have been worse - around 60 or so irregular beats a day, normally the later half of the day. I put on the ECG today... and nothing. I had three irregular beats in the waiting room, another whilst attaching the ECG, and then nothing for 12 hours!
Initially it was alcohol, stress and fatigue related. Now it seems to be more stress combined with digestive issues.
Annoying, the last two weeks have been worse - around 60 or so irregular beats a day, normally the later half of the day. I put on the ECG today... and nothing. I had three irregular beats in the waiting room, another whilst attaching the ECG, and then nothing for 12 hours!
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On top of all my other maladies I've suffered form a hiatus hernia for years. Most of the time it's quite benign but when it troubles me I suffer shocking acid reflux. That nearly always sets off a spate of ectopics becoming worse.
Oddly it's playing me up today, first time in months and the ole ticker is booming away at the moment.
Haha I know the feeling. The only time you want them and they don't show! That's what made me think it might be mostly a stress/mental thing for me.
Yeah had these starting around a year back due to alcohol abuse and stress, cut my drinking right down and got back into bodybuilding and a proper diet and they have slowly stopped to the point I no longer get them anymore. Had all the tests - ECG, echo, 7 day monitor, stress test, everything OK so just ignore any I get now although tbh can't remember the last time I had one since getting back healthy.
Im getting these too
Started about a week ago, went to A+E got a heart trace and the docs said nothing to worry about
Very strange sensation when it happens and nurse caught a few in the heart trace
At the moment getting about 2 every hour on average (the ones I can feel)
Going GP tonight to request one of them 24 hour monitoring machines, just for peace of mind.
Glad to read they are not dangerous but this has put a whole new perspective on my life though, wake up call!
Started about a week ago, went to A+E got a heart trace and the docs said nothing to worry about
Very strange sensation when it happens and nurse caught a few in the heart trace
At the moment getting about 2 every hour on average (the ones I can feel)
Going GP tonight to request one of them 24 hour monitoring machines, just for peace of mind.
Glad to read they are not dangerous but this has put a whole new perspective on my life though, wake up call!
Sorry for the bump but I've just came back from my local medical centre after experiencing a run of these.
I've had them now for around a year but they've always been a one off or a couple of seconds (sometimes during 5 a side football and the one occasion after pushing myself on an eliptical machine where my heart went wonky for 15-20 minutes before resetting rhythm), the ones that happened earlier lasted a good 10-15 seconds with that feeling like your heart is flopping around in your chest, felt my pulse in my wrist and it was irregular.
Drove myself to the local primary care centre as this was a new sensation, ECG was perfect according to the doctor, I had a feeling it would be though as everything was fine at the time.
I have an appointment with a cardiologist next month so hopefully they can figure out whether these are benign or not.
I've had them now for around a year but they've always been a one off or a couple of seconds (sometimes during 5 a side football and the one occasion after pushing myself on an eliptical machine where my heart went wonky for 15-20 minutes before resetting rhythm), the ones that happened earlier lasted a good 10-15 seconds with that feeling like your heart is flopping around in your chest, felt my pulse in my wrist and it was irregular.
Drove myself to the local primary care centre as this was a new sensation, ECG was perfect according to the doctor, I had a feeling it would be though as everything was fine at the time.
I have an appointment with a cardiologist next month so hopefully they can figure out whether these are benign or not.
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Caporegime
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Are you in sinus rhythm now?
Caporegime
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It would have done yes. Ectopic heartbeats are not really a true arrythmia anyway, they are just where your heart beat is triggered from elsewhere in the heart rather than the usual AV node.
If you dont have any structural heart disease, they are very probably benign. Do you feel ill, nauseous or uncomfortable when they occur?
If you dont have any structural heart disease, they are very probably benign. Do you feel ill, nauseous or uncomfortable when they occur?
They make me sort of lightheaded for a few seconds and the sensation itself is rather uncomfortable but there's no pain and they've never caused me to faint or feel sick.
I don't know whether my heart is structually normal yet, I imagine the cardiologist will schedule and echocardiogram when I have my appointment next month.
I don't know whether my heart is structually normal yet, I imagine the cardiologist will schedule and echocardiogram when I have my appointment next month.
Caporegime
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Again, the ECG can often pick up structural problems. It's very unlikely though. I have structural heart disease and live with ectopics and short bursts of tachycardia constantly. If they are too problematic or possibly threatening, in a normal heart, thy can often cure them with an ablation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catheter_ablation
I can go days or even a week without them or at least without feeling them strongly. They aren't problematic as such or I would have ended up in an ambulance by now with the amount of times they've occurred, it's just very uncomfortable feeling your heart spazzing out and obviously anxiety kicks in and makes you think the worst.
I've read about ablation but I thought they only did that for things like afib and svt not the odd PAC/PVC or run of them.
I've read about ablation but I thought they only did that for things like afib and svt not the odd PAC/PVC or run of them.
Caporegime
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I'm sure they can be done for ectopics, but they normally try meds first. Usually a beta blocker like digoxin or metoprolol. The meds dont necessarily stop them but slow them and weaken the hearts contraction to a degree where you dont feel them.
I'm having them right now as I type this. Going to Barts in London next week for a 48 hour ECG to see whats going on. Due to my atrium changing shape, new dodgy circuits pop up a lot causing rhythm probs.
Caporegime
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If they get better with exercise then they are most definitely benign imo. But I am not a doctor. However I have read that on a highly respected medical journal.
I remember this thread! Oddly enough since I went on SSRIs for my anxiety my odd heartbeats have really become fewer and far between. I still get them now and again when I'm tired and stressed, but I don't worry about them like I did. So my doc was right, surprise surprise!
Provided the doc gives you the all clear (obviously this is the important bit), I can only recommend trusting them and doing your best to ignore them. I found it helped me cope to get angry at them rather than afraid. Pump up the metal and psych yourself up so you can give that squirt of adrenaline something else to do.
Provided the doc gives you the all clear (obviously this is the important bit), I can only recommend trusting them and doing your best to ignore them. I found it helped me cope to get angry at them rather than afraid. Pump up the metal and psych yourself up so you can give that squirt of adrenaline something else to do.