Major increase in ectopics

[MagsinYork]

I’m aged 66, and have had occasional palpitations all my life. I’ve had them investigated a couple of times, with the conclusion that they are harmless. Over the last few months, however, I’ve had a major increase in their occurrence - I’m lucky to go for one minute without any. When I realised they weren’t going to stop, I saw my GP a few weeks ago, who gave me a quick ECG and started me on a low dose of beta blockers. This has calmed the ectopics to an extent, in both frequency and strength, but I don’t know if I should go back to the GP and ask for further help. He was very rushed when I saw him, and hardly explained anything, so I asked Dr Google and Dr AI. I’m concerned that if I’m still experiencing the ectopics, I may be slowly weakening my heart. So sorry about all the waffle - the main question is should I seek further help?

[BeKind28-]

Hello

I am not an expert or suffer with ectopics but my Husband does he takes a beta blocker which he has had to up the dose in the past and even change the medication once this seems to have resolved it

He did go to the Hospital at one stage had all the checks and his heart is fine was told sometimes this just happens and there is no explanation as to why

But I would not listen to Dr Google I have just been talking to a pharmacist and got a little telling of for researching on Google over something else they gave me their professional advice knowing my history and finished with if you have concerns it is your Doctor you need to see

No one I believe knows their bodies better than themselves and if you feel your appointment was rushed you have more concerns and questions then I would make another appointment as you will have nothing to lose and at this moment it seems you have niggling doubts so I would go and get them answered and if nothing else you will have peace of mind

I am sure others that have been in your position will come and share their experiences when they read your post

Let us know how you get on x

[Chloeb13]

Hi, I have been a sufferer of ectopics for about 2-3 years now. I would say mine used to follow a pattern but then shortly after having my son 4 months ago, they became very frequent, to the point I was having thousands a day. It ruined the first few weeks with my son as it made me very anxious. I was already sleep deprived and full of adrenaline that the added anxiety only made them worse.

I have had multiple ECG’s, 24 hour tapes and about 5+ echos over the years due to a cancer diagnosis at 29. All of the tests have come back fine other than PAC’s and PVC’s and even though I felt as though I was having thousands a day, all the cardiologists have said they are benign and won’t cause any damage to my heart. I think that is the case with most ectopics.

Mine have eased massively now I’m not as sleep deprived and not full of adrenaline but they do go up in frequency if I’m extra stressed, anxious or tired. Could any of those apply to you? I use a breathing technique to stimulate the vagus nerve and that really helped alleviate them.

But always go back to GP if not happy and ask to be referred to a cardiologist for further advice or tests etc. I do get how horrible they are. They really have controlled my life the past 2-3 years and determined my happiness but for a good 2 months now they are well controlled (without medication which I was considering at the time).

Hope you find something that works for you x

[devonian186]

Age does affect things but as they have only recently started at this level it is worth asking yourself if anything has changed?

Spread the net far and wide. A move? Retiring? Change in a relationship. Money worries. New cleaning fluids. New smart phone. New car with lots of electronics A server position being changed in your home. New pylons nearby. A change in diet.

As you will be aware, some things are said to spike palpitations of which caffeine, alcohol, stress are some of the key ones.

Worth keeping a detailed food/drink and activity diary to see if you can identify any specific causes or if anything calms them down.

Bisoprolol is one medication that often helps but getting to the root cause is desirable. Armed with some data of your own it may then be worth approaching your GP again.

Do google the Vagus nerve. Doctors are often quite dismissive of the stress that palpitations cause as they are often considered "benign"

[honeybubs]

Hi, I had Bigeminy ectopics there are different named ones. It’s ok to say to you they aren’t serious but in my case because I was admitted to hospital with Myopericarditis for a week I was wired up and they discovered I was having 34,000 extra beats (ectopics) a day! When you have those many I would say it’s serious. See your cardiologist or if you can see one privately to start with to get answers and ask how many ectopics you are having because it can weaken your heart. I now have a cardiac resynchronisation therapy device fitted with defibrillator (CRT-D) and feel so much better. I’m still asking how many ectopics a day am I getting and they couldn’t tell me on my last appointment but said they would find out on my next one in May to tell me because I’m a person who wants to know everything whether it’s good or bad. Good luck and hope you get more information and investigations.

[Lexi72]

hi MagsinYork, my understanding is that generally if you have ectopics they are benign unless you have a very high ectopic load like me (20 per cent of my heart beats are extra beats ). I am lucky that I can’t feel my ectopics but I understand that these are really upsetting if you can. I have been told by an electrophysiologist that there is an emerging body of research which has found that a very high ectopic load (10 to 30 per cent) in my case probably linked to my bicuspid valve can damage your heart and sometimes an ablation will be considered to zap the extra beats if the level of beats cannot be reduced wit beta blockers or other drugs. You don’t want an operation unless your doctor is satisfied the benefits outweigh the risks. I am waiting for a cardiac ablation (hopefully later this month)as in my case this shioukd be beneficial if it works. Maybe if you could have one of the 24 hour monitors so they can see how many beats you have and the type of ectopic . I work on the principle that I should always follow the cardiologist’s advice but want to understand how they reached their conclusion so I really would try and get an explanation of the reason for any conclusion. best wishes

[bluemoon572]

In this day and age,patients with your history and symptomatology are best served by consulting a cardiology electrophysiologist. In this way you'll know that any testing deemed appropriate will be ordered and you'll receive the best advice,care and followup and thus have peace of mind.

[MagsinYork]

Thanks so much everybody, for taking the time to reply; all really useful. I’ve decided to start by going back to the GP and asking for a cardiology referral; if the worst comes to the worst I will go privately. Hopefully this will involve seeing an electrophysiologist, although I’m not sure how plentiful they are in Norfolk. Thanks again - really appreciate all of your input.

[MagsinYork]

Update: I saw a cardiologist, who detected a heart murmur and sent me for an echocardiogram. This found an enlarged left atrium, and two slightly leaky valves. He explained I am at risk for developing atrial fibrillation at a later date, so I need to keep monitoring myself using my Apple Watch to do mini-ECGs. He has also put me on a calcium channel blocker for the ectopics (Adizem 90mg x 2), which suits me much better than the beta blocker - hardly bothered by ectopics now, and hardly any side effects, other than needing a bit more sleep.

I forgot to ask about exercise. I usually do a reasonable amount - and a few months ago invested in a Peloton bike. I know it’s a good thing to continue with exercise, but is it OK to really push myself, or should I focus on endurance? I’d be grateful for people’s views.