Results of holter monitor

[Friends31]

Hi I got my results back and although the cardiologist is reassured I refuse to live with these palpitations. Please can someone tell me who has lived with these kind of palpitations and had success on getting rid of them

[Bagrat]

The issue I feel is not necessarily getting rid of them but accepting they are benign and will do you no harm. Once we have become aware of ectopics it's very difficult to unlearn the feeling they give. Many people have ectopics and are oblivious to them. I am very aware of the machinations of my body and if I am anxious everything is worse. I can present with palpitations, dry eyes, irritating cough and nausea which all come and go. (how great it is they are not always there) I have found mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises help enormously. Should be built into your daily routine whether you are having a day with ectopics or not. There are various breathing techniques. I use 7 - 11 breathe in for 7 out for 11. Some use box breathing in for 5, hold for 5, out for 5, hold for 5. Or imagine breathing in right to bottom of left foot and out the same. Then swap to right foot.

Best Wishes oh and thegreatest freedom was when I started letting people know anxiety can be a problem for me

[Hidden in reply to Bagrat]

Just tried that breathing into bottom left foot and swapping. I felt like I actually felt it in my foot how funny but might help as distraction when anxious. Thanks. Making my feet feel ticklish though ☺️ Maybe I’m not doing it right. But anxiety makes everything so much worse so anything that helps is great.

[marypw]

I take 2.5mg bisoprolol for mine and they are pretty well gone. But the more you worry about them, the more you will notice them!

[Hidden]

Unfortunately, refusing to live with them isn’t really an option, because they’re going to happen irrespective of whether you refuse or not. Current medical belief is that almost everyone has ectopics (premature contractions), but that only a small minority of people notice having them. We do know that once we start noticing them our bodies become primed to notice them, so tend to become even more aware of both the ectopics and our heart beat in general. It can become a little bit of a vicious cycle then. For the vast majority of people, they genuinely are benign, though. Unless you’re having three or more ventricular ectopics in a row without a normal beat in between, or 10% of your total heart beats in a day are ectopics (which is going to be around 10000 ectopics a day allowing for an average heart rate of 70bpm), then they are something we have to learn to live with. Beta blockers can help some people, however, there are some measures you can try for yourself in an effort to minimise the numbers being had. I say this as someone that was having hundreds a day, and have got it down to about a dozen by going through the list below and making lifestyle changes where I found they were having an impact.

The following things don’t effect everyone, unfortunately, but ectopics are generally adrenaline mediated, meaning they tend to happen when we produce adrenaline and stress hormones, so the things medically known to be able to worsen or increase ectopics are:

Caffeine (all caffeine irrespective of quantity, including in herbal teas, soft drinks, medication, and chocolate)

Dark chocolate

Medication, including but not limited to reliever inhalers, antihistamines, decongestants like pseudoephedrine (found in cough and cold remedies).

Alcohol

Nicotine, including nicotine replacement therapy like patches

Recreational substances, primarily stimulants although not exclusively

Stress and anxiety

Insufficient sleep

In addition, there is a link between eating and ectopics in that the vagus nerve runs past the heart to the stomach, so some people find they have them after food, or certain foods. I personally have problems with ginger, but spicy foods are anecdotally a quite common trigger. They can also be positional for some people, with lying on a particular side (often the left) and bending forward both capable of triggering ectopics for those sensitive in that way. A tiny minority of people will have ectopics caused by exercise, but this is uncommon.

If ectopics are causing problems, I always say that people have nothing to lose by looking at the above and seeing if any of them are having an impact. But failing that, and having had appropriate tests, then it does just come down to understanding that although uncomfortable, they are benign and something we have to learn to live alongside. The anxiety and worry does settle with time.

[deniseinmilden in reply to Hidden]

This is such an excellent answer - straight forward, simple, accurate and just how it is.

Lifestyle changes can make a huge difference.

Ectopics can precursor other arrhythmias but even then it tends to be something you can improve with lifestyle and mental control.

The effects of the interventions - such as beta blockers and operations - are far worse than the ectopics and don't come with the benefits of possible lifestyle improvements, other than stopping the tablets in a controlled way and learning to live with the ectopics.

My cardiology team said that thinner people are often more able to feel them because they don't have a layer of fat around the heart to cushion the feeling of the slightly stronger catch-up beat.

[Hidden in reply to deniseinmilden]

I have SVT, which as you probably know is one of the arrhythmias that’s triggered by ectopics, and prior to making lifestyle changes, even with meds, I was having two or three prolonged episodes of arrhythmia a month, sometimes a week. That went on for 6 years before I decided enough was enough after another trip to resus for adenosine, and finally looked into it properly. Worked out which of those I listed effected me, made changes, and haven’t had a single episode of arrhythmia since that last major one in 2015. I need medication, and I still have both PVCs and PACs, but the situation is completely different for having made a handful of very simple changes.

[deniseinmilden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply supporting how effective lifestyle changes are - I hope it adds encouragement to those doubting whether "it is worth it" or not.

Unfortunately a lot of people don't want to make changes to help themselves, for some unknown reason, and I hope that if it is just that they don't believe that it will work, they will see how possible it is, try it and, as a result, get similar benefits to those that you, me, and lots of others get.

So many people seem to suffer from anxiety but don't want to self regulate and do the mind - and body - control that will help them, hence why I wanted to bolster the encouragement that you had given. I'm sure that someone will benefit as a result - I think that for some it's just a case of not really believing that something that they can do, relatively easily, can be so beneficial! In those cases it is linked to the placebo effect where the lack of belief in simple things being effective tends to put them off even trying. They think that if they are experiencing something and don't like it then it should be worth significant input from someone else to be taken seriously and therefore get results. It's curious isn't it? You'd think that everyone would want to be driven by results only and the simpler the cure, the better!

I'm glad you have had such effective results, negating the need for unnecessary invasive treatment - that's brilliant!

[Friends31 in reply to deniseinmilden]

Hi All hoping everyone can get this reply! Thank you so much for replying and giving your opinions. I get the vibe from some people that I may not doing things to actually help myself but let me tell you some of the things I have done for now over 5 months to no effect. I have changed my lifestyle completely because of these palpitations. Back in January I stopped all chocolate fizzy juice and caffeine and chocolate was something that made me happy and helped my depression but I gave it up, I turned to dark chocolate because I was told it could help anxiety then I gave that up because I thought maybe because of that my palps are happening and till date have not touched it. I have given up sooo many foods because I think is this the reason I barely eat anything I like. I don’t even eat to a full stomach because eating does make me uneasy. I lost a lot weight because of this lifestyle change. I started walking every day despite my anxiety first not letting me move but I done it. I refused medication from doctors because I wanted to do things naturally. I have spent money on a herbalist who has tried all sorts of things to get help the palps but she couldn’t help that but did get rid of the anxiety. I spent money on an osteopath who has been trying to unblock the vagus nerve as she thought that could be the problem but no result there, I have spent money on various supplements but no. I am now trying an acupuncturist. It is not anxiety now because thankfully everything has worked to cure that.

Also the reason I refuse to accept it is because before December I was completely fine with everything I ate and done which was 100 times worse than now and I was living without one palpitation and now my life has been turned around overnight and there has to be an answer why. I appreciate all the advice but I am not giving up on finding out the cause!

[deniseinmilden in reply to Friends31]

Hi!I think you've done really well and it sounds like you are really positive.

Thank you for adding your words to the thread of encouraging people to help themselves. I just wish it had improved your ectopics as well as the other improvements it's made - it would make all the sacrifices seem more worthwhile, wouldn't it? 🙄

What a difficult one.

I too have (eventually and very reluctantly) given up chocolate and, like you, its helped other things but not my arrhythmias so you so have my sympathy!

I was very tired when I wrote the above reply to what the previous person said about SVT rather than ectopics so I don't feel it has come across as positively as I meant it to but hopefully someone will benefit.

I don't know what to do about ectopics - it seems that lots of us just get them and unless they produce masses of seriously limiting symptoms, the Drs don't worry about them.

I totally take your point that there weren't there before, so why now? Goodness knows! I wasn't aware of them until I was 12 and have just had to live with them for the 38 years since. I have spells of heart block now too which produces some horrible symptoms and I've started passing out at night occasionally but I'll have to get a lot worse before I will be eligible for any treatment.

It's a tricky one. Good luck with your research. I'd love to hear how you get on.

[Hidden]

Dear Friends31

I am so sorry that you didn’t get the results to your diagnosis as you wanted, this is always disappointing and can seem that you have been brushed off.

Remember these results are just from one dept and you can question their findings and handling of the diagnosis at any time.

I am not medically trained so I cannot advice you on your results, other than to tell you that you would be shocked if you realised how many people live very happily with this condition at a certain level.

Many many more live with it without ever knowing, now is this any comfort or help to you? I would doubt it because like us, all you want is answers and closer.

You have to get that question to the right persons.

Good luck you are in my thoughts, please let us know the outcome.

[Identiy]

Mine were initially due to stress and then maintained by worrying about them - the worry caused anxiety could bring them on. As you are refusing to accept them and in doing so, labelling them as a threat, you are guaranteeing that they will continue as anything you label as a threat, will be focused on by your alarm system and they will occur.Accept them as non threatening and a normal variation, and they will disappear.

I am 72, train hard for around 1 hour 5 x weekly with a heart rate up to 155+ with no problems - in fact since the first early days, they disappear with the increasing heart rate which confirms that they are not dangerous - any body sensation that you decide that you want to go away, that decision will guarantee that they will stay as you have labelled the sensation a threat, and our mind is hard wired to subconsciously focus on threats

[deniseinmilden in reply to Identiy]

Super answer. Not necessarily what everyone will want to hear because mind control and self control are out of fashion these days but very true and should be reassuring.

Thank you and very well done!

[Identiy]

Forgot to mention that I have had then for over 40 years

[deniseinmilden in reply to Identiy]

Me too!

[Lizty]

Was it a 24 hour or 7 day monitor?

[richard_jw]

The results should be reassuring. My holter said something like 3% burden which is trivial. I started feeling palpitations after I sopped taking Bisoprolol 2.5mg. ODI did some research and found that magnesium has been found to be effective in reducing ectopics, and good for the heart in general.

I took magnesium pidolate (the version of magnesium found to be effective in a double blind test).

After a few weeks it seemed to be effective in my case.

I am not a doctor, and you should ask if taking it is OK.

[Lizty]

My af was only picked up on a 7 day monitor... after 3 days.

[Identiy]

Also forgot to to mention that life insurance companies don't load their policy if occasional ectopics are seen on the ECG.THEY ARE OUT TO MAKE MONEY, NOT FRIENDS, SO THIS SHOULD REASSURE YOU - they are not associate with premature death

[Blondie12345]

Did you have to write down if you experience symptoms whilst wearing the device?

[Friends31]

Hi All hoping everyone can get this reply! Thank you so much for replying and giving your opinions. I get the vibe from some people that I may not doing things to actually help myself but let me tell you some of the things I have done for now over 5 months to no effect. I have changed my lifestyle completely because of these palpitations. Back in January I stopped all chocolate fizzy juice and caffeine and chocolate was something that made me happy and helped my depression but I gave it up, I turned to dark chocolate because I was told it could help anxiety then I gave that up because I thought maybe because of that my palps are happening and till date have not touched it. I have given up sooo many foods because I think is this the reason I barely eat anything I like. I don’t even eat to a full stomach because eating does make me uneasy. I lost a lot weight because of this lifestyle change. I started walking every day despite my anxiety first not letting me move but I done it. I refused medication from doctors because I wanted to do things naturally. I have spent money on a herbalist who has tried all sorts of things to get help the palps but she couldn’t help that but did get rid of the anxiety. I spent money on an osteopath who has been trying to unblock the vagus nerve as she thought that could be the problem but no result there, I have spent money on various supplements but no. I am now trying an acupuncturist. It is not anxiety now because thankfully everything has worked to cure that.

Also the reason I refuse to accept it is because before December I was completely fine with everything I ate and done which was 100 times worse than now and I was living without one palpitation and now my life has been turned around overnight and there has to be an answer why. I appreciate all the advice but I am not giving up on finding out the cause!

[Friends31]

Also to mention I have been doing al sorts of breathing and mediation. Going for massages and I don’t even watch tv much and left all social media. This is just a few of the lifestyle changes. I have changed so much of who I am to stop this hell

[Qualipop]

I had the same some years ago and every ECG, holter monitor etc failed to pick them up . It took almost a year before they were finally " caught" after a stress test. They left the machine attached and running when I sat down to recover and thankfully they showed up. The explanation was the same as yours; they were from a part of the heart that didn't matter and were completely benign. JUst knowing that s topped me worrying and over time the ectopics lessened to almost none. I still do get an occasional one but I ignore them. I'm sure you will find that the reassurance that they are harmless will eventually lessen them.

[deniseinmilden]

I suggest that you join the Arrhythmia Alliance forum on here because there are lots of posts there about PVCs and PACs (ectopics) and what to do about them.

Someone just recently has posted about using Flecanide to control them but there are all sorts of things said about them that you may find helpful, or at least interesting.

All the best!

[Breesha]

Keep busy , and you will stop noticing them , it’s just one of those things, first detected when I was pregnant , and I am now 80:, it just seems to be a facet of some peoples heart rhythm . …