Ectopic beats

[JDM8109]

Hi, I had Cryo abalation for AF march this year which wasn't successful. Repeat scheduled for 20 Sep. In the meantime I was admitted to hospital for a few days for atrial flutter. They stopped the flecainide I had been on for years and put me on 100mg Atenolol. This slowed by hear rate to about 50. In the last week or so I have had constant ventricular ectopic. I have suffered with them since 1980. I have a drink problem and have not touched a drop in 7 weeks. The constant ectopic are making me depressed and very anxious and I don't want to self medicate to calm myself down.

I can feel the ectopic with my pulse, shorter beat followed by pause and then back to normal. The double beat is noticeable. My previous experience with ectopic was noticing the pause only as the rogue beat was so close to the first one they just felt like one beat. Now I can feel two beats closer together than normal.

I thought being alcohol free, excersing in moderation would help but I am now in a permanent state of anxiety due to the frequency of the ectopics. I am starting to think something else might be going on (being the glass half empty person I am). My resting pulse is now closer to 70 and that is with a high dose of Atenolol.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Jack

[CDreamer]

Have you tried the breathing techniques we talk about here?

It helps anxiety and many people find that it can help ectopics.

You need to practice daily, whether or not you have ectopics, and you need to continue to breath that way for at least 5-10 mins.

You need to slow your breathing down to as low a number as you can - aim for 6 breaths a minute - and you need to practice diaphragmatic breathing - i.e. Breath in belly pushes up, breath out beloy flattens.

I find that closing eyes helps and breath in for a count of 7, hold for 1 second, slowly breath out for 11 and hold before taking breath in.

It takes a lot of focus to be able to do this and therefor you stop all thoughts but if you can also focus on creating an image which represents the word - balance - if your mind wanders just come back to this image,

Hope that helps.

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jack, as the normal heart rate is 60-100 beats per minute your 70 is really good so there's no worry with that. Alcohol is a known trigger for AF, so you are right to avoid that - well done there!

CDreamer has offered some good advice with the breathing exercises, they can really help so I urge you to try them. They can bring down both the heart and pulse rate, it's quite amazing.

Is it your heart rate making you feel ill, or is it the worry about it that is doing that?

I've spent 12 years with AF and at the start, like you, I worried over every wonky beat and at times was convinced I was going to die. I can honestly say that I've discovered that the more thought you give to AF the worse it becomes. So try not to concentrate on what your heart is doing, push it from your mind if you can and take yourself off for a nice gentle walk in the countryside, or visit someone. I found that sitting still I couldn't help but concentrate on what my heart was doing and to be honest sitting still rarely took my heart back to its normal rate.

A lot of people on this forum have recently said that cycling or walking up a hill can bring them back in to sinus rhythm. I can vouch for the fact that moving around can help bring your heart rate back to normal. Sometimes just having shower has taken me back to sinus rhythm and I'm sure that was because of the bending and movement in general.

Please let us know how you get on, we understand totally what AF is like.

Best wishes.

Jean

[JDM8109 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks for the reply. Its the constant ectopics that worry me. You always think there is something "new" going on that the cardiologist hasnt seen. AF is easier to cope with as it lasts for a specific period of time but the ectopics can go on for weeks. Any links to the breathing exercises?

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to JDM8109]

Yes, I understand that 'something new' feeling. You think no one cares or understands how bad your are and that you'll surely die this time.

For you AF may be easier to cope with, but not for me and some others on this forum. My AF didn't last for a specific amount of time I could have it constantly for months, while I waited for a cardioversion with a heart rate around 120-130. It quite disabled me and I was breathless, unable to walk very far and had to go slowly.

Now for me personally, ectopics aren't a big deal, they're just like a flicking in my heart and yes they can go on for a long time too.

The thing with AF is we only know it to be as bad as we get it. Some experience it a lot worse than others and those that don't suffer too badly wonder why everyone else is making such a fuss.

Could you perhaps have a word with your GP about your constant ectopics and how disturbing they are for you? If your surgery has an ECG machine they may well test you and see just what is going on.

The breathing exercises CDreamer has written for you are good to try. If not a search on Google will soon show up more.

I hope you soon feel better.

Best wishes

Jean

[Barry24]

Hi Jack,

Simple question, has you ectopics got worse since your Cryoablation?

Regards

Barry

[JDM8109]

No. They have only reappeared the last week or so

[Sam72-]

Hi jack so sorry to here your having trouble with the horrible ectopic beats. It takes a lot to admit you have a drinking problem so well done to you sir .

Sometimes stoping alcohol abruptly after drinking say every day or a few days a week can cause a lot of ectopic heart beats. And a lot of anxiety, I don't like to use the word anxiety as people on here will no ! But it is real and in certain situations it can cause ectopic beats more in us with AFib than people without it . I don't no if you stoped drinking alcohol quickly or over a period of time. I would try to drink plenty of water, avoid caffeine and try cut down on sugar for about a week and see what happens. You have done so well not drinking jack . Stay hydrated though as when dehydrated ectopic beats 💗 seem to like that . Also speak to your doctor about magnesium oil spray !! Because when we drink alcohol over a long time we tend to get rid a lot quicker of that in are urine . Magnesium can do miracles for everything in are body's " from brain , to heart ❤️, skin and muscle pain. It also is amazing for anxiety and ectopics. But speak to your doctor before you try it as your on a lot of meds . Also I would recommend the spray in magnesium as the tablets can give you an upset tummy were oil spray is ideal as you're body will only absorb what it needs 👍🏼 I couldn't be without my magnesium. Good luck jack , and let us no how it goes for you 😊❤️🤞🏼

Best wishes

Sam X

[sann]

Hi there I have a Magnesiumspray and find it excellent, but I didn't think to use it for muscle pain etc I will try it, thanks a lot. Take care SANN

[Sam72- in reply to sann]

Hi Sann , yes it's a mineral that is used in athletes after heavy sport . They use it in a bath , or massage with the oil . It's amazing what it can do for the body , arthritis pain and many many more muscle pains . It doesn't work strait away though as needs to be used twice a day and rubbed into the area. Takes about a week or 2 before you will start to feel the benefits. Some people go wrong as they give up to quickly as they think it's not worked . Stick with it and see the difference 😊👍🏼