skipped beats

[Rdiehl01]

hello everyone Having some skipped beats tonight, looking for words of encouragement

[KiwiBlake]

Kia ora from New Zealand (this is a truly global forum)

I'm assuming that you are new to this forum.

I was first diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia (AFib) about 2 years ago. For me it was a bit of a grieving process, but I have come to accept in the end.

On this forum you will find heaps of information and get advice from a diverse range of people of all ages who have a wealth of knowledge. I recommend that you seek advice from your doctor who may refer you to a cardiologist, specifically an EP who will guide you through options in terms of medications and potential surgical interventions, depending on your age, your condition, and your overall health. Everyone is different.

Seek out ways to manage the situation through diet modification, supplements, exercise and access your caffeine and alcohol intake, and stress levels. What I found really helpful was a diary to take notes on what I ate, any stress event, physical activity, in the hours or day(s) leading up to an episode. Try and work out any potential triggers.

Above all the best bit of advice I can give you is to try and remain positive. As hard as it may sound, getting stressed or anxious about irregular heart beats can make matters worse.

Kia Kaha

Blake

[Rdiehl01 in reply to KiwiBlake]

thank you ma’am

[jeanjeannie50]

Although it may feel like it, you are most unlikely to die through having an AF attack. Attacks at night always seem to feel worse and I would convince myself that I would surely be dead by morning as my heart felt as though it was bouncing around in great distress. Here I am after 17 years of attacks and still alive, as are many others on this forum who have posted here for a long time. Try hard to relax and breathe deeply. Honestly, anxiety is like fuel to a fire with AF.

Some people find that sleeping on their left side can trigger an attack, so try lying on your right or back. Do not scrunch your insides by bending your legs towards your stomach, stretch out. If you can, bend your arms then stretch your elbows as far upwards above your head as you can, hold this position for a while, then relax. I have a list of exercises that may help and I'll go and find them and post here:

Jean

[jeanjeannie50]

These are exercises recommended by other people on the forum over the years.

I am a therapist in private practice for over 20yrs.One of my therapies is yoga based. Having quite an accurate knowledge of anatomy,neurology and physiology also having PAF I have found this technique helps me immensely when my heart is fluttering like crazy. Make yourself comfortable either on a bed or lying on the floor,position a pillow under you head, Raise your left arm in an extension position as if you are doing the backward crawl,Stretch as much as you can and imagine that it is stretching your heart muscle...I bend my arm and position my hand under my head palm upwards.. Stay in that position for as long as you can or until the fluttering subsides...At the same time I think of something pleasant.It does not matter what you think about as long as it is a pleasant thought for you. This stops my heart jumping about almost instantly....I also place my right hand over my heart area...Don't panic and just keep calm thinking pleasant thoughts....I do hope this helps you. Kind Regards.C

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As someone else who finds yoga breathing and some positions helpful, I would love to try (xxxx) suggestion, but lying down flat tends to make things worse for me. My most helpful position, taught me by a lovely yoga teacher, is based on a yoga forward bend. I sit up with my legs outstretched in front of me and a pillow under my knees, and then bend forward from the hips not the waist, with my arms relaxed but outstretched towards my ankles, and breathe deeply and slowly. It's not so good on a full stomach and is more comfortable with your knees slightly apart, and I guess you have to be a bit flexible to find it comfortable, but it has proved to be a great help.

I agree with (xxxx) that staying calm and focusing on something pleasant is a must, and I've even fallen asleep like this as most of my episodes occur at night. All the best Liz

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, like AV nodal re-entry, some people have recurrent rapid rhythms that are infrequent and easy to self-control by using various methods to increase neural slowing to the AV node (so-called, "vagal maneuvers"). Using these maneuvers, one can sometimes stop the arrhythmia. These maneuvers include:

Bearing down forcefully like you're having a bowel movement for 5-10 seconds, then slowly exhaling.in the neck while lying down for approximately 5 seconds

Placing very cold (soaked in ICE water) cloth on the face abruptly.

Coughing forcefully

Rubbing the carotid artery

____________________________________________________________________________________________

There's a yoga breathing exercise that has worked for me before. Lie on your back, bend your knees up so they are above your hips and your lower legs are at 90 degrees. Take a breath in for a count of 4 then breathe out for a count of at least 8. As you breathe out, bring your knees into your chest so you curl into a ball. When you think you've got all the air out of your lungs, try and breathe out more! Breathe in again for 4 and release your legs out to the starting position. Repeat several times. It helps to reset the diaphragm and focus should be on a good long out-breath.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

So, after discovering that making myself sneeze stops Afib. I have discovered another novel way to stop an attack. It involves drinking a litre bottle of water while holding my nose. It's especially effective if I experience almost panic as I can't get a breath. I don't always finish the bottle but find that's not always necessary to gain the desired effect. Works especially well if I catch an attack early. Kenny

[Snowgirl65 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks for posting those -- I printed out a copy to keep handy when in need!

[Slidingdoors99]

There’s some fantastic suggestions here! I 🙏 that some of them will help you. It’s a horrible feeling, I know.🙃🙃

[JOY2THEWORLD49]

Hi there

I had 2 second pauses on Metropolol but not on Bisoprolol or Diltiazem.

These pauses were at night. My stroke was at 2am. Sore head.

Not sure what your bP is or H/R is.

These numbers may mean you are not CONTROLLED.

You need to be.

Helpful are your meds and numbers. Thanx.

I had 3 24hr monitors last year after each med change.

Diltiazem a CCB CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKER changed my life.

CONTROLLED now but care on dosage must be monitored .

cheers JOY. 73. (NZ)

[Singwell]

Hi. Are you in AF or talking about ectopics? There are different types of ectopics (missed beats) and if they're not continuous they're usually considered benign. Although I know they're still disturbing! Many of us find that slowing down the breathing to about 6 breaths a minute will see off ectopics. Always works for me. Here's how I do it:

1. Sit or lie comfortably so that your abdomen can move easily when you breathe in. If you're lying down, this is easier on your left side.

2. Take a breath in.slowly through your nose. I usually count a slow two. Let your abdomen relax when you do this so it moves out gently.

3. There is a natural pause for most people after the inbreath

Try to tune into it but don't force it.

4. Let the breath out again all in one go - don't worry that you'll be out of breath - there's always air in the lungs.

5. Don't be surprised if you feel another pause after the outbreath but again - don't force it. Keep tuning in either to the feel of the air moving through your nostrils or the sound.

6. If you need to breathe out through your mouth purse your lips slightly as it helps to feel the breath and know we're in charge of it.

7. Repeat for as long as you need it.

[CliveP]

skipped beats?

Is it AF or ectopics?

Ectopics are more likely, and more benign. They are however often much more noticeable.

I too had a successful ablation 6 years ago and occasionally get runs of ectopic beats. They feel quite alarming but once I identified them I was much less concerned.

They tend to come on if I eat too much sugar so I try to manage that despite my sweet tooth!

[Ppiman]

If you are concerned an Apple Watch or Kardia will show whether these are "normal" ectopic beats or AF. I get runs of ectopics and they are disturbing but I'm told they are safe.

Steve

[GardeningMK]

Hi there I am from UK! 😎 skipped beats sometimes happen with perfectly healthy people, so it might well be nothing, but I suggest you definitely talk to the doctor , get them to do ECG and it will show if there is a pattern. There are several treatments including ablation which I had 2 Mk this ago but you need to investigate. It is very common condition however you need to know what is behind it. Does it happen again, and sometimes arrhythmia happens when you are at rest or just going to sell, my cardiologist said it is noticeable more when you rest but it happens at any time. So my encouragement would be ~ if it happens again and again, then to investigate it and get the treatment, and please don’t worry about it , it’s common!

[MikeThePike]

Hi there, did you have AF or just ectopics?

[frazeej]

I managed to catch a missed beat on my Kardia and showed to my cardio guy. He said not to worry unless you skip more than 60 beats a minute, then worry. Haha. Got to love a cardio guy with a sick sense of humor!

[brlund]

Just a quick bit or encouragement -- I've had missed beats (2-10/minute) since my 20s and I'm now 82, and physically able.

I was diagnosed with ectopic beats in the 1960s and A-Fib (flutter + missed beats) in 2019. I decided against any intervention because, despite strong correlations between A-Fib and stroke, there is, in my view, a lack of unequivocal evidence that A-Fib (or indeed arrhythmia) causes strokes. Instead, the "company" that A-Fib often keeps seems more likely to yield a cause. These are things like high blood-pressure and HDL cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and poor diet.

These "risk factors" do not apply to me. My heart ejection fraction is 57% (55-73 normal) and I'm not on any prescribed medication.

I'm not a "model" of any kind but I do hope your fears are reduced a bit by knowing it's possible to live 82 years, with missed heart beats for 60 of those years, and still be active, without intervention.

Good luck

Baz