I have a slow heart beat of 53. I have fluttering feelings in the middle of my chest going up to my throat and my heart seems to 'run for about 20 beats or so and then settle again. I am always exhausted and feel I can't take a deep breath to fill my lungs.
Going for an ECG and heart scan on 21/8/17.
Anyone else got these symptoms? Thank you
Plenty I'm sure but it does not mean it is AF. It is an arrhythmia but not all arrhythmias are AF. Try not to jump the gun. All will eventually be revealed I'm sure. You are having the right tests done.
Thank you
Hello and welcome to the forum. I can well relate to the feeling of not being able to get my lungs to open properly so that I can take a breath. It just means that you have some kind of arrhythmia - could be ectopic beats which are horrible and usually harmless or AF which is a nuisance.
Tiredness goes hand in hand with any rhythm problems as your heart is not pumping efficiently. Taking your pulse might give you some idea of what is going on. Hopefully, the ECG will be able to provide information for a diagnosis.
In the meantime, relaxation and deep breathing (when you can) is helpful in calming anxiety on which arrhythmias feed. Do feel free to ask any questions - someone will be able to help.
Thank you so much for this reply. I have been through chemo for breast cancer 2 years ago + I had Herceptin so I thought it might have been heart damage. I have a heart scan on Monday and they will do an ECG then too so we'll see. Some days I am absolutely fine and can have a run of four weeks feeling OK then it all starts again with breathlessness, flutterings and fatigue.
Hopefully, your scan will be satisfactory, but your ECG might also be 'normal' if your heart is behaving itself at the time of the ECG - which is not helpful. If that happens, explain that the flutterings come and go and ask if you can wear a monitor to catch them.
Best wishes, both for your on-going health and for Monday. xx
Thank you.
I found this early stage the most difficult as you probably don't know a huge amount about it, you are worried and everything moves so slow. This will pass but it all takes time and is very frustrating. Try to be patient, read as much as you can and then try to not think about it all the time. Generally its disconcerting but not fatal!
Good luck 🍀
Glad to hear it's not fatal!!! lol It all makes sense now with the symptoms. Will see how the ECG goes and if it is OK then I am going to relax.
As mentioned by others, often the ECG does not pick it up if the arrhythmia is not happening at the time. If this happens you should ask for a 24/48 hr monitor as this might pick it up. The most important thing at this stage is a diagnosis. It may not be AF but you need to know.
Had my heart scan - results not back yet. ECG and heart rate normal as was blood pressure on the day. Still got low rates from time to timed hopefully the heart scan will show how effectively the heart is working.
Thank you for your replies and support.
New to AF and this forum
New to all this! Meds/supplements advice much appreciated
New to this forum
New to Afib
New to this AF nightmare!
