Sorry for beeing thick,but can someone explain to me what exactly is an ectopic beat and how does the feeling differ from other arithmic

beats,ie palpatations,af episodes etc.

[Hidden]

Hi, I am no expert but my diagnosis of Ventricular and Supraventricular Ectopics on top of my PAF means that your heart either skips a beat or puts an extra one in, and they need not be single beats they can be two or three or several all together, most of the time I do not notice them but my heart monitor app on my smart phone picks them up, I guess the more they clump together the more noticeable they become. Perhaps someone else may be able to explain it better than I can.

[shirljo in reply to Hidden]

heart monitor app on your phone? explain how that works please (amazing what apps are available eh!)

[Hidden in reply to shirljo]

Hi shirljo, I have an android smart phone below is the link for Heart Beat Rate app, there is an app on AFA for an iPhone, If you want you can search for it on Google for other types of phone. I think it depends on the sort of phone you have how well it works, my friend has a different android phone to me and can't get on with it. The reviews on the whole are very good, on settings you can set your gender and age. Take a look, I don't obsess with my heart rate but as I have Bradycardia I keep on eye on how my tablets are lowering it even more. I suppose you can use it as a bio feedback to relax and lower your heart rate, I have just altered mine to 30 secs as it normal calibrates and shows you 15 secs. Quite fascinating really when it picks up extra beats and even skipped ones. Ha ha one morning when I was having bad palpitations it flat lined me and then showed heart beats then flat lined again, never caught an afib attack before not sure if it was one. It is a free app but I think you can upgrade it and then it actually keeps a history record. Anyway here is the link.

play.google.com/store/apps/...

[Nannadee in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the link. I've just installed it on my phone, brilliant.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Ms-J-W it,s just a lot of the time people come on here and say they,ve got such athing expecting every one to know all about it and not explain just what it is.If people just put a small explanation in sometimes i,m sure it would help especially for those new to the forum.Thanks again argzxoni61

[BobD Volunteer]

Ectopic actually means out of place. In cardiac terms it usually results from the ventricle contracting before the atria has filled it so it feels like a missed beat on your pulse.as there is no blood there to pump. All people get them up to 200 a day but of course we AFers get rather too focussed on our hearts and feel every one. On an ecg the T wave goes down rather than up but unless you are good at reading ecgs then you wouldn't know that. I only found that out recently. They can come in singles or clumps, the more the not merrier for you.. Sometimes they form a definite rhythm. I had several weeks when my heart was doing the waltz., One two miss one, one two miss one. which got a bit boring to say the least Hope that helps.

Bob

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob,It helps a lot when you understand all these different ailments what people put down on the forum

[seasider18 in reply to BobD]

I called mine my Victor Sylvester beats..

[kakapo]

I have had ectopics over 20 years. Nearly always when resting, and they would be there for a few weeks and then gone up to a year. To me it just feels like your heart stops, just for a second but quite disturbing when you don't know what it is. Unfortunately after 20 years I also got paroxysmal atrial fibrillation which to me often feels very similar to ectopics only continuous. Normally I get one to 2 weeks of normal sinus rhythm followed by a day or two of increasing ectopics and then 6 to 8 hours of AF. Some days like today the AF is barely noticeable with just the odd bang and thump in my chest other days it just like continual but variable ectopics.like Bob says ectopics often run in series in my case usually five beats and then a miss.

[Lucybod in reply to kakapo]

Does your heart rate go over 100. If it doesn't and just is irregular heart beats, your problem is exactly like mine I get rid of it by walking fast up a long incline, it doesn't work all the time, last time it didn't work for about 40 hours, then on a walk I tried it again and my heart went into sinus. The attack usually happens when I am resting, if I can get up quickly and move fast it may go back. But last time I was having dinner out and couldn't just jump up so it continued. Deep breaths seem to help sometimes.

[Hidden in reply to kakapo]

Thanks kakapo I understand a lot better now

[Hidden]

For me AF feels like an irregular heart beat and when it was bad, like a rabbit trying to jump out of my chest, but more usually like little knocks. My ectopics, which come in bundles, is more of a wobble and when bad, a shaking. My ectopics are lower down and more central, whereas the AF was higher up and to the left. The AF was generally a lighter feeling, but the ectopics more physical.

Koll

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks koll

[Aprilryan]

I agree with Koll, mine really shake me and I am totally aware of them. It is like something trying to jump out of your chest.

[Hidden]

Yes, my ectopics come in little groups and it's very strong. If I have eaten or drunk something I probably shouldn't, I definitely get more (did at Christmas)...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Eatsalottie

[jan-ran]

I'm very interested in this discussion, thanks to all for their input. I have been getting gradually more anxious about my ectopics, which appeared out of nowhere about mid January. At the same time, my af episodes have decreased, which is lovely! But the ectopics seem to be happening all day and every day. Certainly whenever I do my alivecor reading, I get up to 5 ectopics a minute, no matter what time of day. I don't notice them at night, which is good. But 5 a minute suggests 300 an hour!!! I'm sure that's too high. I do feel them all through the day. I made the mistake earlier today of looking up a site about the subject, and it scared me into making an appt with my gp, prior to seeing the consultant, which is end of April. I don't think I can last that long, Having said that, I can't see my gp for a fortnight! Next step, an emergency appt, which I don't like doing as I have already discussed this with another gp who told me not to worry. At least I have some pretty good readings on the app, to show the docs. Is there any medication for this? Also, sorry to repeat a question Bob, can you remind me of the name of that practitioner you mentioned a week or so ago?

JanR

[loobylou777]

Hi jan-ran. Could you tell me what a alivecor reading is? I am new to the site and not heard of this. Thanks

[CDreamer]

Hi loobyloo and welcome, AliveCor is an app and a device which is a cover for smart phones with which you can take you own ECG tracing. This can be a godsend if you have PAF and have difficulty getting a recording from your A&E dept or your dr as inevitably the AF stops as soon as you go near one of their ECG machines. Until you get a clear ECG recording of an AF episode you can't get a diagnosis and therefor have a treatment plan. It means you can take your own ECG wherever you are. Check out their website. alivecor.com there is a link for the AFA site.

[Maitha]

It is very annoying to feel those ectopic beats during night specially in my case with the clicking of my artificial valve.

I'm having those extra beats all all my life , I think due to my valve problem , recently I'm suffering a lot of them after my recent ablation two weeks ago and stopping sotalol , hardly get a sleep at night

Hope it will calm down soon .

I clearly noticed that if I'm busy or outside I'm not noticing most of them , but during my rest time or trying to sleep it is really annoying .

Some of them really scary , shake all my body ! And get me light head and dizzy.

Maitha

[rkoac1 in reply to Maitha]

Hi Maitha.

Im hearing you. Everything you wrote is almost a carbon copy of what Im going through. Mechanical valve with AF ablated a month ago. The AF is gone but now Im left with strong ectopic beats every 3rd to 4th heartbeat. I hear and feel each strong beat and it shakes my body. The fact I also have a biventricular pacemaker compounds the strength of each heartbeat. I have to sleep propped up on pillows and havent slept more than 5 hrs each night in the past month. I wake up from sleep with a jolt and cant get back to sleep again. Very prominant when trying to rest but when active isnt so noticeable. Its like a living hell.

How is yours going nowadays?

[ronz11 in reply to rkoac1]

I'm in a similar position. Prior to pace and ablate when I'm on AF heart beat can be very loud and this scares me. Like you said, when resting like going to bed that's when it is more noticeable. Post pace and ablate I don't notice skip beats but I still get fast heart rate between 85-110 bpm. I don't know if this is normal and I'm wondering if the AV junction ablation worked.

[Loo53]

To me it seems like a quick run of beats then my heart seems to disappear like its been snatched away.. I get them during the night if I wake up from REM sleep or when I drop off to sleep and then it wakes me up...or is that AF I dont know...Its quite scary to think I've been lying there dreaming while my heart has been running a marathon....pity I wasn't thinner when I got up in the morning that's the disappointment!