Constant Palpitations since Saturday

[Jaynie13]

Constant palpitations!

I had a H/A last May, have done well in my recovery, but all of a sudden I started with palpitations/irregular heartbeats on Saturday evening. I've ended up in A&E twice this week and have been told that I'm having an increase in ectopic beats, my heart rhythm is irregular at times but my H/R isn't going above 100 so as far as they're concerned the problem though highly unpleasant is 'benign'. I suffer from anxiety anyway and I live alone, and this is terrifying me as the palpitations and fluttering have been pretty constant since Saturday. I'm having a holter monitor tomorrow to wear over the weekend and my cardiologist is changing me from propranolol to bisoprolol. Please can anyone advise or give me some reassurance as I'm so frightened at the moment

[10gingercats]

Yes. I get very bad palps. Frightens the life out of me. I do have a supportive and helpful husband whi is usually the one to cal 999.I have had them out sveral times in the last few months .Seeing cardiologist next weel. Gp is trying to be helpful.Paras are conscientious but when all looks good on their machines the A and E do not want to see me now.

[Jaynie13 in reply to 10gingercats]

I really empathise and my (dodgy!) heart goes out to you! The paramedics were fantastic and so reassuring as were the staff at A&E but the doctor told me unless I get chest pain/breathless or black out with them then not to worry! Sooo hard not to get anxious and worried when you have all this fluttering and pounding going on in your chest! I hope all goes well with your cardiologist appointment next week...please let me know how you get on and take care!

[Qualipop]

Wow you've been lucky getting a holter monitor so quickly. I had to wait months. I had really bad ectopics some years agonow. They tried monitors, ECGS but nothing ever caught them. Eventually I had a stress test which again didn't show anything but they left the pads attached after I'd finished and lo and behold I had a long run of them. They were able to see where they were coming from and said they were benign. My anxiety made them far far worse until they we re almost constant but when I eventually got control of that anxiety they calmed down and became so infrequent I can now ignore them. The monitor will allow them to see what's happening and when you get reassurance, you need help to control the anxiety. IT's not easy. What really helped me was being taught self hypnosis

[MydogBrandy]

Hi so sorry to hear you are so anxious. I know exactly where you are coming from. I was on bisoprolol for about 14 years with no side effects for constant tachycardia . I used to be in and out of A&E a few times every week.I have since had an ablation which thankfully has stopped it. They sorted the electrics out for me.

I still do not drink tea or coffee, not even decaf.

My best advise I can pass on if your heart suddenly starts beating fast is a tip I was given in Austria when I ended up in the A&E there and that was to drink iced water quickly , a few glasses straight off. This worked for me and tended to shock my heart back to normal.

Good luck and stay safe x

[Babsben]

Hi there,

Anxiety can be awful. I get anxious quite often and when I do my heart rate goes up a bit so I'll do some breathing exercises to calm myself down. I had an irregular heartbeat detected and I would get palpitations from time to time I've had tests done (still waiting for some results), and I'm on 4 lots medication which has pretty much stopped the palpitations one tablet being bisoprolol which lowers your blood pressure. I would get palpitations after an alcoholic drink or if I'd eaten a big meal and at times of stress. So no drink, smaller meals, don't eat processed foods, less sugar and salt in my diet, and I try change the way I cope with stressful situations and it's helped massively. Hopefully the change in Medication will help you.

I can understand how your feeling living alone, we are here to chat when you feel frightened. By just typing in this chat will take your mind off things I know it helps me. Always here if you want to chat away 😊 x

[Aopl]

I have had long bouts of palpitations on a couple of occasions in recent times. The first came out of the blue at the age of 62 (I am now 67) lasted 14 months (I kid you not) and were missed beats and I sometimes got hundreds each day. I had a holter monitor fitted at the outset and then an ECG a few months later. I was told that my heart was normal and that they were benign. They slowly subsided until I was blessedly free of them. Then about two years later they came back but this time as double beats which, strangely enough were easier to cope with but they were full on at times. This lasted about a year or so and they subsided again. I didn’t go to my GP about them but I did promise myself I would if they ever came back....... and they have (skipped beats again this time) but fairly mildly in comparison so I am still deciding on that. When I am not having palps I tend to have a fairly low but very regular heart rate. I think it could be menopause. I am in the category of not wanting to bother my doctor when so much is going on during these times.The one thing I did and do notice is that if I CAN manage to try and ignore them or just think of something else which isn’t too easy then they do seem to go, so it could well be anxiety although I have no stress in my life and am pretty laid back. I am having a few as I type this. So I am definitely of the opinion that the more you worry and think about them, the more you get or notice them.