Abnormal heart rhythm

[Shauuuun]

Hello,

I’m new here but I wanted to see if anyone could help me. I believe I have abnormal heart rhythm. Sometimes I feel a hard thump in my chest or I feel my heart flutter. It feels like I can’t breath and I feel like passing out. It’s driving me crazy. Any advice? I did an ekg and everything is fine.

[sturon]

Hi.

I would suggest you have a chat to your doctor to see if they would recommend a electrocardiogram monitor. You would wear this over a longer time period and if you experience a heart arrhythmia it would record this. Many people have what are called ectopic heart beats. These are 'extra' heart beats and are usually harmless and need no treatment.

Hope that's helpful.

Regards Ron.

[Shauuuun in reply to sturon]

Thank you for the response I will go ahead and look further into getting to know what’s going on!

[Recoder_Bill]

Hi Shauuun,

I've had arrhythmia for ... years ... maybe since the late 1980's.

To begin with I was diagnosed back in the 1970's with a heart murmur, a bi-cuspid aortic valve, should be tri-cuspid and this was monitored on a yearly basis.

The arrhythmia originally started as an ectopic heart beat, that's a heart beat in the wrong place,

e.g. lubdub .... lubdub .... lubdub ....... lubdub . lubdub .... lubdub .... lubdub .... lubdub .... lubdub .... and so on.

There was no regularity to when an ectopic beat would occur or specific condition/activity that would make it occur. I didn't have any noticeable palpitations either.

For most of the time I didn't notice this. The only time I would was in bed at night, especially if I lay on my left side. Over time this got more noticeable and I did get palpitations which made me feel really weird. When that happened I would just sit quietly somewhere trying to relax as best I could and within 10 minutes or so my heart would return to normal ..... but still with the arrhythmia.

My breathing was normal and I never felt faint.

In time it was decided that I should have the aortic valve replaced with a mechanical one which it was in 2005.

I still had the arrhythmia and the occasional palpitation after the valve replacement.

After some time ... I can't remember when ... I was diagnosed with permanent Atrial Fibrilation. The arrhythmia is now such that I don't get more than 7 or 8 beats in the right place and I still get the very occasional palpitation.

As you say, it can be very alarming but I've become used to it, it's the way I'm made!

My advice to you is to locate the best consultant cardiologist you can find, insist that you see the consultant not his/her registrar and ensure you have an ECG, an Echo-cardiogram and probably a 24hour halter - you wear a device like a mini ECG machine so that it can catch the arrythmia.

I say "insist that you see the consultant" because for some years I would only be seen by the registrar and each time all she asked was "how many pillows do you use at night". Well I only use two because I can lie flat with no problems. My GP eventually sent me to one of his cardiac buddies and within 6 months I'd got a new valve!

I hope the above helps. It is scarry. I thought my end had come when I knew my heart was misbehaving but I'm still here and kicking!!!

Regards,

Phil.

[Shauuuun in reply to Recoder_Bill]

Thank you so much! You have eased my mind. I will do more research!

[Qualipop]

I regularly get ectopic beats; a slight disturbance in the normal rhythm as if it misses on beat then quickly does another big one to make up. I was both given a monitor to wear t home and sent for a stress test to find out just where these beats were coming from. Did the stress test and not one extra beat; sat down and luckily they didn't remove the leads because it suddenly then did a couple which the machine registered. They were considered completely harmless. Many people get these extra beats. See your doctor to get tests to rule out any problems. You say you had an EKG. What did the hospital say about it?

[Shauuuun in reply to Qualipop]

Thank you! I will speak to a cardiologist sometime within a few weeks to see if we can spot anything.

[S11m]

You could consider getting an Apple Smart Watch 4.

They are not cheap - but they let you monitor your heart 23/24, and you can take an ECG whenever you get symptoms.

The NHS can work well... but you might have to diagnose yourself, and prove that you are ill, to get to see the right consultant!

I was prescribed antidepressants - when the problem was bradycardia, Atrial Fibrillation, etc. ...so I got a Pulse-Oximeter logger, and proved that I was ill.

[Shauuuun in reply to S11m]

Thank you! I’ll look into trying to get one!