Missed heartbeats

[Kelm241982]

Hi back at the end of August out of the blue i started experiencing missed heartbeats like my heart is pausing which scared the life out of me im sn anxious person anyway i spoke to my gp who has run some test so far ive had bloods ecg and 24hr monitor which picked up some ectopic beats on there all the other test have been fine but im really struggling these csn happen without anything being wrong with your heart and im constantly living in fear of my heart not beating again or dropping down dead its really taking over my life i have a echocardigram in 2 weeks i just wondered if anyone else has been like this

[Hidden]

Don’t worry I have missed heartbeats all day every day and they are very annoying but sometimes you have to live with them and sometimes they go away on their own. I have had mine for over a year and sometimes miss between 13 and 16 beats in a minute then can go for a few minutes before missing anymore. I also take 300mgs of magnesium citrate.

Go on utube and watch Dr Sanjay Gupter a York cardiologist to see what he says about ectopics he is very reassuring.

[Kelm241982 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for replying that gives me a bit of reassurance they are just so frightening when they happen i take magnesium is that the same as magnesium citrate? Do u do anything when u get yours or do u just let them pass?

[bantam12 in reply to Kelm241982]

You need to be persistent with your Drs if this becomes really troublesome and you start to feel faint when it happens.

I was told for years that they were "normal" and nothing to worry about but a new Cardiologist and more tests showed I was having significant pauses which caused my symptoms.

Don't let them fob you off !

[Kelm241982 in reply to bantam12]

Yeah i have been quite persistent as the gp wasn't even going to send me for any test in the beginning

[bantam12 in reply to Kelm241982]

You need a Cardiology referral, GPs are not usually much help and some cardiologists are not much better so it can take a while to get anywhere !

[Kelm241982 in reply to bantam12]

Yes ive been to the cardiology department when i had my 24 hr monitor fitted and a cardiologist did a thorough check of the results plus i have to go back to cardiology in 2 weeks for a scan

[Hidden in reply to Kelm241982]

Magnesium from the supermarkets is a weaker magnesium I have solgar magnesium citrate or you can buy magnesium taurate they are more expensive but stronger.

I do meditation on utube and have also found Austin Goh on utube that does a 4 minute natural exercise to help stop the palpitations.

I also have an ILR fitted which if I have prolonged palpitations I can activate and the information is sent to a computer at the hospital. They would inform me if my palpitations and ectopics become dangerous and I would then have to go to hospital but the good news is that I have had thousand since it was fitted and not been called once.

[Kelm241982 in reply to Hidden]

Oh ok i will look into the magnesium and the guy on you tube to see if it will help me when im getting them as im willing to try anything to help me get back to my normal life instesd of living in constant fear

[Clairs1977 in reply to Kelm241982]

Magnesium only works if you are deficient in this mineral. Dont take anything until you speak to a cardiologist. You could be doing more harm than good as too much of it isnt good for you.

[Tessie28 in reply to Clairs1977]

It is hard to tell this as you can't get a good reading from bloods. Talk to your GP, mine okayed it.

[road2ruin]

I have them too. Sometimes frequently, other times not so. They seem to be worse at night, but it might just be that I notice them more then!

It has been more than a year for me too. I had an AVR and since then they have been on and off, but every day has been different. GP doesn't seem concerned and I have had no further tests..

Stress seems to make mine worse.

[Kelm241982 in reply to road2ruin]

Oh ok yeah found it strange when i had the 24hr monitor it picked up I was having them but i never noticed but when the machine was gone i notice every beat my heart makes which probably isn't helping

[AnnD_]

I've had ectopics for years without knowing what they were. I couldn’t tell if it was something to do with my heart or maybe a muscle spam in my chest.

When they started getting more noticeable and more often, I worried more, worry more and they become more prevalent!

Went to my GP and was referred to cardiology.

Over a year I had 24, 48 and 72 hr monitor, ECG, electrocardiogram and bloods.

The conclusion was yes getting ectopics but they were happening in the lower part of the heart and not a problem.

I have learnt to accept them and they have become less bothersome over the past year and hardly feel them now. Yes I do sometimes feel them more at night, particularly if I lay on my right side, but then of course everything is magnified at night.

I find if I get a series of them holding my breath till bursting point seems to stop them.

Go and get all the tests done, bloods are important as palpitations can be a product of anaemia, but that is something that is easily picked up, be patient and remember to breathe.

There is an app called Insight Timer it has loads of free meditations on there, or look up some mindfulness meditations on YouTube, they can teach you how to breathe into your abdomen which uses the whole of your lungs not just the top bit.It's very calming.

Easy to say, hard to do, but don't worry it really does make them worse!

Give the British Heart foundation a ring, the nurses are so helpful.

If you have any pain or faintness with them go to your GP, ring 111 or go to A&E.

All the best

[Ireness]

I had the same thing and was diagnosed with left branch bundle block (I’m not saying that’s what you’ve got though as lots of reasons for palpitations).I don’t need any treatment or medication and strangely once I found out it wasn’t really going to affect me they have mostly gone. I used to wake up in the night for hours with them so it’s quite a difference. I have noticed I get them when I’m stressed. They can usually find a cause and treat it.

[Kelm241982]

Thank you all for your response its really helping im just constantly worrying om going to drop down dead

[Surreychica_1 in reply to Kelm241982]

I know what you mean. But you will not drop down dead with ectopic beats.

[Clairs1977]

I had this out of the blue in the spring of this year. Mine can be very bad. They can be one after another all day, every day. Then they can ease off. The missed beats are getting harder in nature. I was diagnosed with ectopic heat beats in spring after wearing a 14 day monitor. I have had a ultrasound on my heart and o go for the loop to be fitted tonorrow. I cam feel quite unwell with them and light headed. I'm fit and healthy and they happen whether I'm working out or sitting down! Most important thing is to get to the bottom of why they happening as it can be a myriad of reasons why from a fib to 'one of those things'. For me a lady of 43 something like menopause can be a factor too. Magnesium made zero difference for me. Beta blockers made zero difference to me....they only served to make me feel unwell.

[pmspaul]

I have had ectopics myself as well for a little over a year now. Mine are PAC's. I've been to GP and Cardio for them. I can have them from not at all/infrequently, up to about 11,000 in one 24hr monitor test when it was bad. I experienced much of the same difficulties you do, with increased anxiety over it, feeling like I might just drop down dead, becoming afraid to do anything that might trigger them, etc. Dealing with them has been rough for me over the last 16 months, for sure. Like most people I know, there are plenty of other anxiety triggers to deal with these days which made it even tougher.

Get checked out by a Cardio and if they say all is OK, try to trust them. All I can say for sure is that as someone else mentioned, the more worry and anxiety you feel and focus on, the more noticeable and prevalent they become. And since I can't add a single hour to my life by worrying, I'm choosing (honestly as of only recently) to stop worrying and being anxious, realize that I have to live with the ectopics, and start trying to exercise again and live my life.

So yes, I have been like this too. If you need/want to chat more, just send me a message.

[Tessie28]

No don't get anxious will make the little buggers worse! Like Nanny says...after all Nanny knows best...watch the Sanjay Gupta videos. Magnesium citrate may upset your tummy. Look at Sanjay's website for the best type of magnesium. Taurate as Nanny says.

Now you can get Sanjay to look into this for you. On the website you can book a week's holter if you like. He has a short conversation with you first, they send you the so much easier than the NHS pads and at the end you send them back and he gives you a feedback. I haven't done this but am keeping in reserve should the little devils get worse. Costs a few hundred pounds. As you will find they present themselves in a variety of ways.

[Delilahh74]

Hi Kelm,

I've been getting eptopic heartbeats since about 2013/2014 - saw my regular cardiologist and he said they really are nothing to worry about. He told me that pretty much everyone gets them, but they're not always strong enough to be felt.

Had open heart surgery in July for Aortic Valve replacement and I'm still getting them. The thing not to do is panic - as has been said above, it will make them worse. Please be re-assured that these won't make you drop dead!

xx

[Kelm241982 in reply to Delilahh74]

Hey thanks for getting back to me i just find it hard to get my head round these would happen for no reason and they scare me so much but i don't want them taking over my life as if you get what i mean

Kelly xx

[Britishgas]

Hi I’ve been having ectopics since January which I also find very distressing. I can not identify anything that triggers them but I find it’s when I sitting down or in bed & can go on for hours beating in my tummy and my neck. I’ll then go a few days and think that’s it they’ve gone but no they come back. I find doing deep breathing for 5 mins does help. I have spoken to Dr Gupta who is very nice. I have just had a 3 day holter monitor on and am waiting for the results but they are reluctant to give beta blockers because my pulse is low. I have been going to a reflexologist who has been helpful & told me to take neutralactin which helps with the nervous system. I also have a ekg machine bought for £100 off Amazon which records your heart rhythm if you are worried.I do hope you are able to get the help you need but I do agree you need to be persistent. Best of luck.

[Surreychica_1]

I can sympathise with you completely. I felt like that when I first started getting them and it also makes you more aware of your heart, bearing in mind it is the engine. But I have told myself time and time again that they are harmless - which they are - so now I do not bother when they happen. They are benign and apparently everyone has then to a certain extent it is just that they do not feel them.

Hope you feel better about them soon. You are not going to have a heart attack because of ectopic beats. Try a few exercises when you have them. I gather deep breathing helps stop them and there are a lot more you can do to reduce them. Try not to stress out about them as stress does cause them to happen a lot of the time or make them worse.

[Kelm241982 in reply to Surreychica_1]

Hi thanks for getting back to me ut put my mind at ease that someone else feels similar when they have experience them i really hope i get to being able to live with them without living each day in fear

Xx

[Surreychica_1 in reply to Kelm241982]

Yes, let your fear go. You really are not going to have a heart attack. They are benign and as horrible as they feel, which they do. There is really nothing wrong with your heart. Usually it is the vagus nerve which sets them off. For example if I lie on my left side at night a get a few then and so I turn over. Nothing to worry about, but if you keep feeling afraid speak to your doctor so that you can get reassurance, also the nurses that you can speak to on here, will also help put your mind at rest.

[Kelm241982 in reply to Surreychica_1]

Thank you so much i really do need to let the fear go and relax i suffer with anxiety too which i know doesn't help just gets into a vicious circle thanks again xx

[Surreychica_1 in reply to Kelm241982]

Here is a youtube link which talks about fear causing ectopic beats. youtube.com/watch?v=vLTpv4b...(Not working as expected?)

I hope it puts your fears to rest so that you can get on with you life

[Kelm241982 in reply to Surreychica_1]

Aww thank u so much i will definitely watch that thanks once again xx

[Loopylou527]

I have been having ectopics for a year now. I have had 24hr ECG, echocardiogram and an MRI scan. My cardiologist and EP have both advised for me to have an ablation.

My EP said although ectopics generally are not cause for concern if having 10% or less a day, more than that can be. Mine are at least 18% burden on my heart and all the tests show they are coming from the RVOT. If not treated, over time they will start to weaken my heart and lead to worse conditions.

There doesn’t appear to be any trigger or pattern. Sometimes they are so strong they wake me up. Sometimes they are weaker but still there. People say deep breathing can help but I find it makes them worse.

Before I got a definitive answer I was being careful not to push myself to exercise or do too much because I worried my heart was too weak but after talking to my EP he has confirmed my heart is strong. He is confident that due to my age and where they are coming from in my heart there is a 90% chance an ablation will stop them.

I know it’s hard not to worry about them, when you feel them all the time but the more obsessed you get with them, the more they take over your life.

[Kelm241982 in reply to Loopylou527]

Thanks so much for replying yeah its really hard not to think about them even when im not getting them im so focused on my heart i feel ever beat and every strange sensation which im sure is not helping xx

[ETHEL103]

Yes exactly the same. They are horrible. Mine last for days then just go only to return a couple of days later.