Anyone else suffering with daily palp... - British Heart Fou...

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Anyone else suffering with daily palpitations out there?

Mustang88 profile image
25 Replies

I’ve posted here before regarding palpitations but is it normal to get them every single day? I’ve had holter monitors in the past, ecg’s and an echo ( still awaiting results) currently on bisolporol.

They say not to worry ( mind over matter), won’t do any tests and identified pac’s from my recordings but there’s no treatment plan and that’s it I’ve just to live with it for the Rest of my life.

Days like today are horrendous I’ve not stopped taking these paused beats , how can I cope with this daily forever surely there’s got to be a solution? Anyone out there feeling the same? I feel my life is now crippled with fear relating to my heart :( it’s affecting work, relationships the lot.

I’ve tried therapy and cbt to help the “heart anxiety” but it doesn’t stop the symptoms it’s literally driving my crazy.

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Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88
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25 Replies
Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88

The cardio team will discharge me if nothing is found on the echo :( they just don’t get the debilitating affect these beats have just tell you to try focus on other things etc a lot easier said than done.

They aren’t the easiest people either to get a hold of or get an appointment with :(

It’s sad but comforting to know other people feel the same, I sometimes feel like I’m living on the edge of a razor blade waiting for the pump to stop or I’m going to go crazy.

How are we supposed to Come to peace with these symptoms? Some days I will be great but today I literally feel like I’ve lost control.

I feel your pain , they have truly wrecked my life

What sensations do you get with yours? Have you had it investigated ?

Derbados profile image
Derbados

It may be worth you keeping a food diary on everything you eat, your symptoms and also your sleep.

I have worse days than others, but I have learnt that caffeine in coffee and chocolate make my heart palpitate more, along with getting a bad night sleep.

You mentioned that some days are better than others, so it may be worth investigating if there are any triggers.

When I first started experiencing symptoms with my heart, before I had all of my tests, results and diagnosis, I was worried sick. I became hypersensitive to everything. After my diagnosis I was still concerned for some time.

The way I overcome it... You can have a very long life and you could spend that time worrying needlessly and end up dying of something completely unrelated.

Easier said than done, I know. I hope you just end up becoming accustomed to it like I have with mine.

Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88 in reply toDerbados

Thank I thought I could identify some triggers but tbh they are so unpredictable so it’s nothing specific I can nail down :(

TroublewithAF profile image
TroublewithAF in reply toMustang88

My palpitations associated with 'high' heart rate 115-120 and quite often last most of 24 hours. What triggers the incidents -? No clear association with dietary items, alcohol,stress or sleep patterns having looked at what was going on over 2.5 years . At one stage definitely seemed to be 2 hours after taking diltiazem in the evening. That was improved by moving the medication to very last thing at night. Felt much better not taking that at all, Moved on to a very low dose beta blocker bisoprolol early March 2020 and the palpitation and AF tachycardia dropped off

Tinker2015 profile image
Tinker2015

Hi. I started with palpitations since 2018. Had tests cardiologists say got infrequent eptopicbeats which are of no concern no drug therapy they say I avoid anything that spikes it. You just live with it try not to worry it makes it worse I know.

I have a cardiac diagnosis of an idiopathic arrhythmia, so an irregular rhythm of no known origin. It’s well managed with medication and lifestyle choices, to the point I haven’t had an episode in 5 years now, however I get palpitations near enough on the daily. I get a few different sensations, but the worst ones are a strong, bounding pounding in my chest and throat which I usually get at night in bed. They’re really unpleasant, but after a couple of holters over the last 5 years, including a 7 day, an echo and an a couple of ecgs, they can’t find a sinister reason for them. Actually, they can’t find any reason for them at all. So you learn to live with them. These days, I’ve reached a stage whereby I shrug to myself, going if I die, I die, and turn over and go to sleep. You do learn to function through them eventually, although I’ve found there’s still a small element of (understandable!) anxiety when they’re particularly bad.

Advice about altering your diet to see what your triggers are is solid. I eradicated my SVT not by medication, although that really helps and I would have attacks without it, but by cutting out the things that increased my ectopics and thus triggered some of my episodes. For me it was all caffeine, dark chocolate, white chocolate, ginger, pseudoephedrine (found in cold and flu remedies, and some cough mixture). Alcohol worsens my benign palpitations, but I’ve had to go teetotal due to something else this year anyway. Excess stress and insufficient sleep are also known triggers of palpitations, and I do find that if I burn the candle at both ends I’ll suffer more for it beyond just being tired.

Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88 in reply to

Thanks for the advice I hope i get to the point where I can just ignore them :(

isobelhannah18 profile image
isobelhannah18

Caffeine can give me palpitations. : strong coffee, chocolate, coke etc.

Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88 in reply toisobelhannah18

Yeah I’ve been of all of that since last March and still they arrive! :(

Dennis2019 profile image
Dennis2019

I have also been having missed beats for the last 6months, have had ECG Echocardiogram and a monitor for 24 hours, which I am told by GP were all ok.

This has made me very anxious I have been having episodes of waking in the night with what I think are nocturnal panic attacks racing heart shaking sweating and nausea My GP says this is all down to anxiety, he has suggested I take antidepressants at the moment I haven't as I don't like taking pills, tomorrow I have an appointment with a Therapist to hopefully help with the anxiety . Palpitations I understand are one of many symptoms of Anxiety and the more we stress about them the more they happen, I have been told to relax easier said than done.

Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88 in reply toDennis2019

I’m sorry you’re going through that also.

It’s a lot harder to not worry when the symptoms begin

Stobban profile image
Stobban

Yea, seems very similar to what I experienced and the anxiety with worry it caused me. I was on Bisoprolol too which did help in the past. I was told the severe palpitations will be with you for life. Now you can guess how I felt. I started to diet seriously and lost a stone and the palpitations began to disappear. I was never told to do this but for some reason I was convinced this would word in reducing the palpitations. I'm not saying it may work with you but Hey! its worth a try. Good Luck.

Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88 in reply toStobban

Thanks I’ve tried eating more organic and more greens.

I was doing CrossFit classes 5 days a week and some small hillwalking before all this.

I can’t do anything now as the heart pauses take over :(

Such a hard adjustment

Malsch profile image
Malsch

Did you ever have your thyroid checked?

Imbalance can cause anxiety and palpitations.

I understand how you feel. Anxiety can overwhelm some of us.

Wishing you well

Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88 in reply toMalsch

Yes I had full bloods done and thyroid was normal so I know it’s not that.

I was thinking down the route hormonal but it never got mentioned at all

DannyBoon profile image
DannyBoon

I’ve had heart palpitations since around 2010 started off very minor but got progressively worse around 2016, had the holter moniters numerous times and nothing was being done. One day they was non stop and I was taken to Barts hospital they gave me some tablets which I can’t remember the name of them, that helped for a short while. But I asked them about ablation which went forward with. I had the ablation in 2017 and they changed my tablet to amioderone. Ever since then I’ve had a few palpitations to deal with but it’s been great. I hardly have any if I do it’s because I’ve done something extrovertive. But yh please look into that I know the suffering you are going through. All the best D B

Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88 in reply toDannyBoon

I actually thought about asking about an ablation to see if it would help me but they never mentioned it to me at all

in reply toDannyBoon

Unfortunately, ablation is only appropriate where there are certain types of arrhythmia present, usually forms of tachycardia such as SVT or AF, and not always effective assuming it’s even offered. Benign palpitations can’t be treated with ablation unless they’re caused by an arrhythmia, at which point they’re not actually benign.

Mustang88 profile image
Mustang88 in reply to

Thanks for the info Charlie.

I just dread the thought of having these paused beats permanently

in reply toMustang88

I can understand that, completely. I would have jumped at an ablation for my SVT but the doctors wouldn’t entertain it: 2 episodes landing me in resus and a couple dozen smaller eps a year for 5 years wasn’t considered debilitating enough, apparently 👀 Try living with them and then say that!! That said, even if it works really well for the arrhythmia, ablation can actually lead to a permanent and sometimes dramatic increase in palpitations post procedure, so I might not have been any better off than I am now if I had been offered it 🤷‍♂️

I wish I had some words of help or wisdom for you other than you’re not alone, but if all treatable causes have been ruled out, there’s very little else you can do. What I would say is that if anything ever changes with your palpitations, get it checked out. Just because they’re ok currently, that doesn’t mean we should ignore them completely. If mine were to change now, I’d treat it no differently to when they first started.

Have you looked into techniques like mindfulness?

Dicky-ticker profile image
Dicky-ticker

I too have constant palpitations. I was diagnosed in 2019 after various tests. I average 13 odd beats per minute 24/7

(Supraventricular ectopics) too many for an ablation apparently. Taking Bisoporol but these haven't eased the palpitations at all.

Cardiologist say "not to worry" 14 months into diagnosis I'm now being investigated for query thyroid issues, and dependant on outcome I'm due to have an ILR fitted to monitor heart over 3 years.

Don't let them ruin your life, you feel them, they can feel scary but, you're alive and breathing. Just think "I've got this"

Micron5 profile image
Micron5

Hi, I well understand how you feel - I've been a very stressful person the whole of my life and this only makes daily palps/ectopics much much worse-I'm intelligent enough to realise that worrying/stressing about everything is pointless & damaging to one's health but have never been able to'switch it off'. Also despite my advancing years (77) still try to cope with ALL necessary jobs/repairs at home such that flogging myself to death cleaning gutters out last weekend made me go into AF & admitted to A&E (2nd AF episode in my life but daily palps/ectopics)) came home with Bisoprolol & Edoxoban (previously on Flecainide for 12 years) The Bisoprolol has reduced heart rate to 48-55 which I'm concerned about but GP said if it steadies above 50 should be ok (something else to worry about!) I can really sympathise with your predicament but rest assured you are not alone & hope you soon find some relief. Micron 5

mrgrumppy profile image
mrgrumppy

After I had a further 3 stents in January I have been suffering with very bad palpitations during the night I had a 24 hour EGC but I don’t think it was done properly as they couldn’t find anything even though I can feel my chest pounding and my pulse racing/throbbing and can even feel them in my feet

So I don’t know what my next cause of action is as something isn’t right

jonneo profile image
jonneo

Check out York Cardiologist on YouTube. He is very reassuring and has advice for reducing palpitations with breathing techniques and taking Magnesium etc.

talipia profile image
talipia

Hi...likewise get them every day, a real nuisance but living with them. I have no other symptoms. Waiting for an ECG date and will ask then about getting an ablation...stay strong.

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