Ectopic Beats

[Nan1]

Morning all, just wondered how you cope if you have a run of ectopic beats? I've had them on/off for about a week and I feel so anxious when I have them. Also does anyone do Pilates while you have the ectopics. Wish you well

[Finvola]

They are a total pain Nan, but Dr Gupta's breathing excercise works for me and for many others. Breathe in and out using your diaphragm, not your shoulders, using only 6 breaths per minute for at least 5 minutes. I count whilst doing it as it seems to help me concentrate and I usually keep going for 10 minutes.

The first minute or two is more difficult until you get your rhythm with it. I hope it works for you as it is also very relaxing.

PS - CDreamer's post today is an excellent explanation of why this exercise works.

[Nan1 in reply to Finvola]

Thank you Finvola for your reply. I will certainly try the exercises you suggest.

[Tessybear]

I have had ectopic beats intermittently since having my ablation 18 months ago. I am assured by the cardiologist that they won't harm me. It is my opinion that the anxiety they cause probably does me more harm than they do! Watching Dr. Gupta has helped me understand this too, and I do his breathing exercise.

I'm also pretty sure that eating too much sugary or heavily spiced food brings them on, so I try to watch that, and avoid caffeine and alcohol. Try not to get too het up about them is my advice.

[Nan1 in reply to Tessybear]

Thanks Tessybear for your advice. It's always reassuring to hear how other people cope with them. I have had such s long run of them. Will take your advice

[Alan_G]

They can be a real nuisance. I get runs of them from anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, and then can go days or even weeks without them. I dislike them because they can feel as though AF is about to kick in. I have found that relaxing and deep breathing works for me also and that they eventually subside.

The other night I got a bad case of them going to bed. I was convinced AF was going to set in. I lay there monitoring my pulse while relaxing and deep breathing until 5am in the morning when I finally fell asleep and they were gone. In the past I've been happier for AF to kick in because I know I can't do anything about that and so I just go to sleep. The problem with that is that I wake up in AF and it's sometime into the following day before I go back into NSR and so it is worth the effort really to try and conqueur the ectopic beats before they become AF.

[Nan1 in reply to Alan_G]

Thanks to you also for taking the time to reply. I have an appointment with an EP in May so will be interested on the management of them. Have been trying the deep breathing.