I have been on here reading about people having ectopic beats and glad I am not the only one although not that I like hearing people suffered these stupid awful things!
I had a hysterectomy last July 2022, and four to five weeks after the op I started getting pauses and thumps in my chest. No pain touch wood. Left it and kept feeling more and more and eventually after two months I got it checked and they said it was ectopics but that my heart beat was normal sinus rhythm. 126 ectopics on 24hr holter which after research I have heard is nothing to worry about and doctors were not concerned.
I recently went back as they have gotten worse where I feel them everyday and getting more. Although they aren’t painful it’s now the fear they create and it drives me nuts when they don’t know a reason. they asked if I was anxious but I’ve always been a bit anxious and never had this before. I used to have a racing heart before the hysterectomy but that was due to always being anemic.
I eat well, not over weight, don’t drink or smoke and always active with juggling two jobs on my feat all the time. However there is room for my fitness to get better which I’m working on, but also a bit scared my heart will pack in with these mad skips and thuds happening!
Wondering if any woman in here have experienced something similar? Wondered if it could be linked to hormones at first especially after the type of operation I had and my hormones possibly declining since it only started after the op. Will be 40 this year.
Had bloods done and they are fine so I don’t have answers. I just clutch my chest at times dealing with these horrid things and look like a dramatic maniac 🤣
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KimG21
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Hello. Yes i am male and suffered with these since my mid 20s. I think after a few nights of drinking i developed these. Not sure if i had them before this. Either way i noticed them around this time. Fast forwars 10 years i was rushed to hospital with suspected heart attack and heart failure of 12% ef rate. I was a gonner!
Anyways meds have improved things as well as lifestyle changes. But one thing i have noticed over the years is that fitness is the number 1 thing that silenced those ectopic beats. A mixture of jogging and body weight exercises. 1 day cardio, a run or jog, next day weights, then 1 day rest. Etc. A good exercise routine really does help the heart. They virtually vanished when i was deep into exercise. Try this. Also helps with aniexity. Good luck
I do experience ectopics but nowhere near the region that you do; it sounds awful and I understand what you mean about them causing worry and frustration.
I think the key takeaway for me was being told that ectopics are harmless although uncomfortable at times; it might help you to practice some mindfulness techniques when you’re finding your anxiety rising during an episode. I try the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method which is all about using your different senses to ground yourself, bring your awareness back to present and refocus your mind and breathing. For me it’s really helpful and I do it as soon as I hear myself starting to catastrophise what’s going on in my chest.
Still listen to your body and my goodness if you ever find yourself experiencing pain or breathlessness or any of the other symptoms that are risky for hearties then don’t ignore them but or brains are incredibly powerful and can trick us into believing that we are in danger when that isn’t the case.
Regarding a link to hormones, I honestly have no idea about that but might be querying with your GP at your next check up?
I hope I haven’t come across as diminishing your experiences as that isn’t my intention at all.
I think you’re really brave through what is clearly a difficult situation for you and it sounds like you’re doing lots of proactive things to try and combat it.
Hi, I understand that there is a link between ectopics/ palpitations after the menopause linked to hormones. Have s look at some of the blogs by the consultant at York Cardiology. I have found them really helpful. I know how frightening they are, I have been doing breathing exercises which do help to stop the anxiety of ectopics
Hi Kim, sorry you are having the ectopics they are distressing and anxiety provoking, somehow they seem to trigger anxiety as a matter of course. I have had 14,000 registered in a day by holter monitor and still my cardiologist was unconcerned. As he said in twenty four hour period if heart beats at 75 beats per minute then that equates to 108,000 beats in a twenty four hour period so my number was ok given my heart was sound and had been checked out at length and in great depth. Uncomfortable and horrible but not dangerous.
I seem to have them in episodes for days or weeks then they subside of their own volition. Sometimes they are triggered by stress, others by gastric issues flaring, sometimes I have no idea why.
Have you had your thyroid checked and hormones, worth asking your GP to do some blood tests. Given they started after your hysterectomy and you seem to think that might have been a trigger then follow your gut feeling and ask for tests.
Breathing techniques and mindfulness can help somewhat to calm these horrid critters. Of course if you have any other cardiac related symptoms always get checked out. I am not medically trained in any shape or form just a long suffering cardiac patient since 2009. Best wishes, calmness will help, easier said than done. You are not alone, amongst friends here. Good luck.
Some people have had tens of thousands a day for decades and still the doctors seem unconcerned. This is a very under researched area.
Basically those with ectopics often have digestive problems or are overweight/not fit or have circulation problems. most ectopics are probably connected to problems with the vagus nerve. If you haven't googled it that would be worth doing.
A good suggestion is to try 'tonal stimulation'. That can manifest itself with singing or humming for 5 minutes. If you have an indoor bathroom the extractor fan is a pefect way to get the right tone without others thinking you have gone mad!
this made me chuckle at the thought of me trying to disguise the sound 🤣thankyou, and yes I looked this up today after reading your post - very interesting and it made a lot of sense, thanks again 😃
I get them every few months lasting for a week at a time.! One ectopic every 2 minutes and they do my head in.!!! I can’t pin point what triggers them. Iv tried everything from deep breathing to exercising.
Try not to worry about them because they won’t kill you. They will disappear eventually. Iv been like this for years and im still here.👍
Ectopics are weird old things aren’t they? I was about 26 when I first noticed them, lying in bed and I could feel my heart stopping - I thought I was going to DIE. I remember going to the dr and getting fobbed off a couple of times and then going a year or so later with a chest infection and when she listened to my chest she was like “did you know you have a heart murmur?” And she explained to me about the ectopic beats, I felt so much better.
Having read the other posts in can confirm that they definitely get worse if you have been drinking (and recovering the next day!!) or if your really tired.
I have now cut out caffeine from my diet, opting for caffeine free tea and coke…still have chocolate though! I don’t know it helped my heart but it certainly helped my sleep, and yes, I’m sorry to say that exercise does have a positive influence. I wish I could tell you it didn’t and you could stay on the sofa 😂😂 Of you do exercise though you will tend to have a few as you are recovering - very very normal. I’ve been put through stress tests (I have other heart issue, nothing to do with my rhythm) and they always casually observe that I have the ectopics not when I’m at “maximum” but as I come down from it.
I think one of the reasons that there is very little research is because they just know that they are absolutely harmless. There have been stories of patients in their 90s having had them their whole lives with no issues.
I think the “harmful” thing is the anxiety it can cause you, especially if they happen frequently and you notice them. They can be scary and I can totally understand why they would make worried. Try the breathing exercises and if they get unbearable you can talk to your dr about a beta blocker which will slow your heart rate down a bit.
Good luck and don’t be afraid to ask more questions on here or completely ignore us 😂😂
Hello and yes and yes. Anxiety is a physical feedback loop. You feel the ectopic = body goes on high alert = negative thought = higher alert = more ectopics. People who feel ectopics are often sensitive people. Everyone has ectopics, not everyone feels them. You are sensitive to the sensations.
Ectopics occur for all sorts of reasons the thing to focus on is how to lessen the frequency and intensity and learn to ignore them. Easier said than done, I know, believe me I know.
Try breathing exercises first - whilst some find salvation in exercise - exercise increased my ectopic burden and just made me really ill - especially if I bent over.
thankyou so much for all of your kind comments, this is very helpful - I have watched dr Sanjay Gupta and find my anxiety lessens as he explains things so well. I’ve also tried the breathing excercises and they did help. Im just inpatient and wish they would just disappear altogether 😂some days are better than others but I do get them every day. I’m trying to work out triggers and cut coffee from my diet, eating properly, getting more exercise etc but I need to push exercise more. I had my thyroid and hormone levels checked but they said they were ok 😑I think if I knew why they were happening I would be less worried but I perhaps need to accept that I have been told I am ok and that they are harmless - I just always have that worry that creeps in… thank you all for being so helpful and kind and wishing you all good health and love xxx
I had really bad ectopics and my anxiety was through the roof. I'm on HRT and I thought that may stop them - it didn't. I was then found to have low Vitamin B12 levels and after taking a tablet a day for a week, I hardly have any - unless I have a high carb meal. 😊
I have had ectopic beats since 2005, they started when I was 44.
Had lots of tests which all came back negative. When I first started getting them they scared the hell out of me, especially when I felt like my heart had stopped and then had that awful great thud in my chest.
18 years later I still have them all day every day but notice them more when resting. Funnily enough I never get them when exercising which I was told was common.
At their worst I do worry a bit but all in all I have learned to live with them. X
they are horrible aren’t they! I’m trying magnesium as well but not sure if they are helping. You are so brave putting up with it for so long but that’s also good u got it checked and everything is ok 🥰
I was on holiday in Europe when they started. Went to hospital and had lots of tests and they put me on beta blockers. When I came home my dr sent me for more tests and also stopped the beta blockers.
Tried magnesium, cutting out coffee etc all to no avail.
I guess after all this time I have resigned myself that I will always have them.
I developed ectopics around 30 years ago. Like you they scared me and seemed t o get worse. My GP sent me for all sorts of tests,; a holter monitor for 3 days, numerous ECGs and nothing ever showed up. FInally I was sent for a stress test ( The treadmill). I have severe spinal problem so even standing up caused a lot of pain so the test was cut short and I was told to sit down. Once again it showed nothing at all but fortunately they didn't unhook me from the machine when I sat down and I suddenly had a long run of ectopics that showed on the trace. They were able to see where they were coming from and just told me they were completely harmless. They didn't explain f urther. It took a while to get my head around the fact that my heart could "have hiccups" like that and still be harmless but as I got used to it they reduced in number . After around 6 months they pretty much stopped. I realised that stress and worrying about them made them far worse. I had been very stressed when they started. I still get them occasionally but they are my signal to slow down and calm down and they go away.
When something happens only occasionally it can be really hard to trace it so I suggest getting your GP to arrange a holter monitor first to see if it shows them.
2 THINGS i missed which i read on here before is a way to reset and sometimes even gets rid of thr ectopics... Is
1) GO FOR A WALK!
Works wonders for aniexity and also ectopics. Either the exercise silences them or your busy so you dont notice them.
2) BREATHING TECHNIQUE-
5 normal paced deep breaths then one big 6th breath which you hold it in for as long as comfortably possible. You may notice your heart slow, it may feel funny in ways. Then relax and breath normally
Repeat couple times. This actually works wonders for me and many times gets rid of the ectopics but calms the aniexity too.
thanks you so much again to everyone, done the breathing today and it definitely helps, also walking my dog helps as well. I’m in my feet with my work all day and lifting heavy items and I teach three days at a school for young people with adverse childhood experiences so this can be challenging and stressful, so trying to pay more attention to calming down as well as that won’t help. I was always healthy and care free then from 34 onwards it’s been one thing after another 🤣thanks again to you all, so kind 🥰
Hi just read your post and can't help but relate so much to it. Been having ectopic beats for about few years now well mainly two years was driving me insane I was convinced It was all in my head at first because my heart rate would be normal and then I had a ecg at A&E and came back normal and I had so many holter monitors and finally they found I have Ventricular Tachycardia so I'm on verapamil 40mg for it and it's sooo much better. Are you on any meds for it? Sounds like you should be. They can literally drive you insane the slightest movement starts it off and can last for hours and some times days! Hope your doctors can sort this for you
thankyou, god you have been through alot! Glad you got the right treatment to control that 💕no I’m not on meds they said they don’t need treatment as it’s few in the grande scheme if things and they said they are harmless, however I am getting more which is why I’m getting another ecg but had the holter which picked up the ectopics and they said everything else was fine apart from some ectopics. I doubt the ecg will pick them up as it’s not a long test but if things still don’t improve I will persist - seems to many of us have to persist for our health these days which isn’t right x
I've been having ectopics and palpitations since my heart attack and stent fitted in December 2021, so just over a year.
I've had ECG's when I've gone to A&E several times because of chest pain but they said things were always normal. I've had palpitations and a pulse rate of up to 120, even when I called an ambulance they said 120 BPM wasn't critical, even when I said it's not normal for me.
So last week I went to A&E for an unrelated problem (pains in my temple from trigeminal neuralgia), also palpitations and they did an ECG first and found I was in AF (atrial fibrillation). That was unexpected! I was in hospital for 12 hours and my BP was around 100 to 130 for a good few hours.
Now I'm on Edoxaban for it.
I've read quite a few stories on here about people saying that they feel that there's something wrong with them for ages but they are dismissed mostly by their GP saying it's anxiety.
We know our own bodies and what feels right for us, and I've been saying for over a year now that something just doesn't seem ok for me; luckily the AF has been picked up and now I'm on more tablets 🙁.
I've had ectopics for about 40 years. I quite like them. I like the comfort of knowing my heart is alive and kicking. For me there's a familiar rhythm that goes with the ectopics. A few things come to mind.
1. Some 30 years ago, I needed a medical for a job which required being fit because other people's lives depend on your wellness. I asked for a referral to a specialist cardiologist. He had no concerns and suggested that if I went for a run before any further medicals it would stop the ectopics.
2. The way he explained it to me was that the body's own electrical charge goes round and round in the heart. Typically the heart beat gets fired in the same chamber over and over again. In an ectopic beat, all that happens is the charge bypasses the chamber and fires a bit later usually from a different chamber. So the big thumps are simply because a bit more time has elapsed allowing a slightly larger charge to build. More charge means a bigger beat.
So it's still going round and keeping the heart beating.
3. My ectopics can be 'regular' say every 7th beat. Or vary by random beats. They can be so small I only notice if I'm taking my pulse. They can be very noticeable and make my torso bounce against a seat or chair back, which is very funny. They can disappear altogether. Mostly they don't hurt and the occasional one can slightly wind me. The only ones that irritate are when I have GI issues and a bit of reflux (thanks covid 19) and then it can be a bit achey. I guess that's actually the feeling of the inflamed esophagus and not the heart.
I watched many videos (YouTube) on ectopic beats, from Dr Sanjay Gupta a York Cardiologist. (There are 2, make sure you select the one grom York) Will hopefully put your mind at rest! :). I started Magnesium based on one of them and it helped. He is really good! Good luck and remember to be happy! Animal videos work wonders for me.
I have hypertension and on meds. I had my gallbladder removed in July last year.I am getting ectopic beats all the time now.Eaiting to see Cardiologist now.I wonder if op.caused change in heart pattern?
hi, yeah I have been wondering by the exact same and I know someone else who had surgery and same thing happened… it’s just frustrating waiting trying to get answers- it’s too easy for them to say ‘oh everyone gets them blah blah’ … I’m sure we all do but if they they become so often and noticeable then surely somethings changed… hopefully you get it sorted and all returns to normal! How soon did yours start after your op?
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