I have been suffering with palpitations for around 3 years now.....since having x2 covid vaccinations! I asked the cardiologist if that could be what has caused them and they just brushed me off.
I have been referred to cardiology, had a 24 hour monitor, ECG and echo. Everything came back normal and I was discharged. The clinic letter mentioned extra beats, nothing worrying and that I could be discharged, but prescribed a beta blocker if they became persistent.
I have periods where they disappear and I can go months without anything....then they come back.
I started to have them quite frequently again so was referred to cardiology again. I had a telephone consultation with a cardiologist who said my symptoms were low risk but he could arrange a 5 day monitor if that would put my mind at ease. I am waiting for an appointment for that.
In the meantime I ended up going to A&E because the palpitations became really bad and I felt dizzy as well. I had a trace done and bloods. Bloods all normal but the trace showed an irregular heartbeat. The doctor in A&E put me on 20mg propranolol for 2 weeks. They didn't really do a thing at all....if anything they made the palpitations worse. I contacted the cardiology department about what to do as I was coming to the end of the tablets and the secretary said the consultant had reviewed my ECG and it showed ventricular ectopics and he has prescribed me 1.25mg of bisoprolol. I did ask what ventricular ectopics meant and what could be causing them and he said it's just extra beats and the bisoprolol will suppress them.
This is now taking over my life. I am constantly stressed and anxious about what is going on with my ticker! I am a 35 year old with a young daughter and all I can think about is that something awful is going to happen too me. They are first thing in the morning and then again in the evening and on and off throughout the day. I have been having them on a daily basis now since 15th July 2024!
The other day, I walked up the stairs in my house, felt really breathless at the top and my smartwatch said my heart rate was 115! That settled really quickly and went back to normal. I'm not sure if anxiety is playing a part as well because I have managed to get my self so worked up about it all. I am also getting married in November so have that added stress.
Any advise is appreciated.....I feel like I'm going round the bend 😊
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sounds like you’ve been through the mill emotionally. Suggest you stay away from dr google and get a better understanding of your heart health so you understand more about your condition. You feel feel less worried. I personally found yorkcardiology tube videos useful. He s a bit waffle but he does actually explain quite a lot in more details than you get from cardiologists in general. Don’t be afraid to ask for a second opinion either. Good luck
In 2019 I began to get irregular heartbeats which were worse at nights. Had X-rays ultra sounds & several holter monitors fitted & spent 5 days in hospital. I saw cardiologists on NHS & also privately & was told the same that they are not life threatening & some people feel them & some don’t . In fact one said he has them but doesn’t feel them. I was given Bisoprolol which didn’t suit me as I have a very low pulse. After 3 years of suffering & awful nights sleep( or lack of it) & thumping heart, I visited my GP who offered me amitriptyline . I looked on google & it said it could cause irregular heartbeats so I refused. After several more months of suffering I went back & she said just to try it, so reluctantly I did only the lowest dose 10mg. This has saved my life, not feeling my heartbeat & sleeping a lot better. I know it is used for anxiety & for nerve pain, not sure if it could help you but if you are like me & constantly worrying about your heart it maybe worth a try. All the best
That's interesting. I was prescribed it too, for the same reason, but having read the side effects, decided not to use it. Now I might give it a go. Do you take it every night?
Is there a point in visiting a medical professional and then ignoring his advice by scrolling the internet. Seriousely I would try them first and if they had any of the side effects you were scared about then see your GP with a view to stopping taking them. The number of posts from people here who decide to ignore their health professionals in favour of the many adverse internet comments seems to me to be outragous and just wasting your medics time.
You're making an assumption - I never said I consulted the internet. I merely read the PIL. Please don't make unfounded accusations. We are all ultimately responsible for our own health, aren't we?
Within our capabilities yes we are like a good diet, exercise as advised, not smoking etc but most importantly complying with your medical experts advice and taking your medications as advised which is what I was talking about really and any doubts I would have about medication I would discuss with my GP. If you read the PIL on almost all medications and assume the worst you probably wouldent take any at all.
BTW, I was prescribed amytriptiline before PMR diagnosis to help me sleep and hopefully deal with some of the pain... As usual, it was assumed to be OA.
Ah look I apologise if my post came across as unkind as that was not my intentions at all and honestly its unbelievable the number of people that apparently can not tolerate any medications at all and make their mind up on social media and newspaper articles. Most of these medicines have been tried using the placebo method where 50% of the people were given placebos. The results were that the group on placebos were suffering from as much side effects as the 50% that were on the medication. I just read a recent clinical study about this regarding Atorvistatin and the 50% that were on sugar pills basically developed muscle pain, erectile dysfunction etc which ceased when they went off the sugar.?? You know amytripiline was just to relax you and possibly stop the palpitations and of course is not necessary for you at all. So once again sorry for the confusion.
It's awful when these things happen because we always imagine the worst.Arrhythmias come in all shapes and sizes , and at all ages , no matter how healthy you have been before you got the symptoms.
The thing about Arrhythmias is that you can have them , but because the are linked often to microvascular or electrical messaging in the heart you can still have a very healthy heart mechanically and clear arteries , all heart tests can come back normal , even an ECG won't show it unless it is taken at the exact time a symptom occurs.
Some people have arrhythmias and also have no symptoms at all. Others get symptoms but the condition can be intermittent, only happen when we are also ill or stressed . Some need treatment , some don't and just require monitoring. If they cause regular but mild symptoms you may be offered a medication or preventative medications to reduce your risks of other things as you grow older but with those medications and a few adjustments to diet and lifestyle you will live as long a life as anyone else.
And even 100% healthy people get things like ectopic beats and irregular beats to some level every day without even knowing it, even the occasional periods of Atrial Fibrillation can occur if you are ill or overstressed from exercise or work. It's usually the number of beats and duration that counts and is assessed by using Holter results by a person called an EP to decide if or what treatment is right for you as an individual.
Sometimes these Arrhythmias can go as quickly as they came with no understanding as to why , even if we had needed treatment to control it. Sometimes they can go for good or for many years.
People often speculate about what triggered an Arrhythmia but very few of us , including doctors, can say ABC definitely caused DEF. more often it's an accumulation of daily living and lots of little normal stressors adding up until at one point the bath spills over a bit.
Of course , when they start they feel awful and it doesn't stop us worrying that things are going horribly wrong.
One big positive is that you seem to be being taken seriously and getting all the tests you need and preventative medications while you wait for more testing. After the next Holter they may choose other treatment or medication or leave you on the same medication and give Self Care advice. In some cases you might receive other treatments if it's thought that will be successful to stop this permanently for you.
The best thing you can do at the moment is try and reduce your stress and distract yourself from dwelling on thoughts of the negative because added anxiety can make these sorts of things worse.
One big way we can help if we get these issues is to learn lifestyle pacing and relaxation and breathing techniques because these can help you to prevent doing too much mental or physical activity , good or bad , which can be the most common trigger for our symptoms( as this is what Stress is not just the scary stuff) . Pacing yourself and not packing too much into a day is good for everyone , not just those with Arrhythmias but it's certainly a great Preventative helping your heart to stop missing a beat.
Finding your triggers, like going up stairs quickly or exercising too much is a really good thing to do . Try keeping a diary noting down what you were doing just before and in the hours before a episode comes on , you'll spot a pattern , then it's a matter of adjusting the way you do something to help your heart out.
Like having a drink of water and a few deep breaths and going more slowly on the stairs .
Or, giving yourself more time to get up in the morning and not jumping straight out of bed but having a sit up and a drink of water first.
If you eat a big meal or rush around to help your child with bedtime in the evening. eat lighter and have a slower more relaxed bedtime pattern, for example.
You will probably feel all at sea with this at the moment but there is support and tips from others with all different types of arrhythmias which helps you feel more confident and normal. I'd suggest joining the Arrhythmia Alliance and Atrial Fibrillation Support forums on HU as well as BHF because you can post all your questions there and will find lots of people with arrhythmia issues just like yours whom can give you a reassuring virtual hug and will have patient experience, including positive ones of dealing with these things as well. Keep talking to people it may take a bit of trial and error but you will see that life isn't so dark even with a skipping heart.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply with such a lengthy and very helpful post ☺️ It doesn’t help that I have always been a worrier! My mom always said I could work my way through a health encyclopaedia 😂
I’ve been too sacred to drink anything lately because of how bad they’ve been. It’s my hen do this weekend but I will not be going mad. I’ll have a couple of glasses of prosecco and then i’ve got myself some alcohol free beers to drink ☺️
The main thing is if you've had an echocardiogram and it says a structural normal heart, then to trust in that result. I have over 10,000 ectopics per day plus associated heart/neck/arm pain and light headedness, but echocardiogram has always shown structural normal heart and it can be difficult not to worry, but anxiety will definitely make your palpitations worse. As the other poster says, watch some of the York cardiologist YouTube videos they are very reassuring. Also many on here including myself get some relief from using Magnesium supplements (although there are many different types which absorb differently in different people so it may take a few goes to find which type helps)
Yes I find magnesium helps, but mainly root ginger capsules. I tend to get palpitations connected with bloating after meals and the ginger works wonders with this. It's all connected with the vagus nerve.
Hi Emmalmmadingdong I understand what your going through, I have had the same probems, palpitations ventricular Ectopic s off and on for over 20 years. Low heart recently awaiting results from a heart monitor. I don't know if you knew, stress can make it worse, for me also caffiene, alcohol and lack of sleep. So I need to watch, my blood pressure seem to be low. It does make you crazy especially at night and you are more aware, when trying to sleep. I am not on any medication, for now as I do not have any dizziness, chest pain or breathlessness. Hope your Anxiety levels come down, meditation and controlled breathing can help me. Good luck.Take care. Sunday Gupta on you tube is amazing, check him out.
hey, I’m 33 with a 9 year old and a 9 month old and I’ve also had them on and off for 3 years. I know the burden it can have on your life and the worry it causes, especially with young kids. But I’ve been reassured that they aren’t dangerous and that a lot of people have them. My anxiety is definitely a key culprit. I found trying to keep that at bay, my skipped beats don’t happen nearly as often. Hope you find something that works. Look into the vagus nerve and how breathing can help. I was sceptical of breathing exercises but it can help to keep you calm etc x
I only had palpitations when my thyroid was very overactive. Once I was diagnosed with Graves disease and treated they have gone away. This won't help you, but just putting my pennyworth in!
I’m on my third day of taking that and I must say I am not noticing them as much so I’m hoping maybe this will be the start or sorting me out….love the username by the way 😉😂
I had ectopics for years. They happened at random so no tests picked them up . Y ou're lucky yours have been seen and diagnosed. Most ectopics are completely benign but they are most definitely made worse and more frequent by anxiety. Once I knew mine were harmless, I gradually stopped worrying about hem and they gradually disappeared. I never had any tablets for them. I just controlled he anxiety and they became fewer and fewer . I can still get maybe one or two bouts a year b ut they go away quickly because I ignore them.
hi, they may go away as fast as they came.? Don’t be thinking they are going to kill you.! Iv had them for decades on and off and I’m still here. Iv had loads of scans,tests, blood tests etc etc and every doctor,cardiologist, and the EP have all told me although they are awful they will not kill me. They can start playing with my mind after a few weeks of constant missed beats and thuds and thumps etc every day especially when I’m at work trying to concentrate.!! See how you go and maybe visit another doctor just to get peace of mind.👍
Not sure if this is helpful or not. I had palpitations really badly about 2 months before I got married in 2010. Dr told me to cut down caffeine, (I was drinking about 6 cups strong coffee a day) and get married as she felt they were stress related. This worked and a couple of days after the wedding they died down. I still had them now and again but nowhere near as bad. Moving on to a couple of years ago and I had an ecg as part of my health check. Outcome of that was that I had a left bundle branch block. Many tests later and the results were that although I had this electrical fault there was no underlying heart disease and no need for medication. This condition for me seems to be aggravated by stress and anxiety. I may even have had it since birth as looking back I can remember odd occasions of palpitations even from a young age. I just never bothered to get it diagnosed as just thought it was normal (for me anyway) The point I am trying to make is that palpitations in themselves are not necessarily harmful but once you notice them it is very difficult not to notice them and you become very aware of your heart and of course you worry which can make them feel worse. I am not going to tell you not to worry but you are being monitored and the cardiologists know their stuff. I hope you get it sorted out soon.
I think your best evaluation and advice would be obtained from a cardiology electrophysiologist. This expert advice would give you great peace of mind. Do you think your GP would refer you to such a specialist?
hello there so sorry your experiencing all this, I can only say I’m going through exactly the same thing at the moment, mine too started up July just literally came on made an appointment with GP had ecg/bloods normal - few days later felt shocking my husband insisted I went to hospital - had ecg there which showed a lot of ectopics, I’ve since received an appointment for a 24hr holter monitor which is 4th September I know it’s not but it seems ages off - Just to give some background I had SVT some 40 years ago during pregnancy so have been in an anti arrhythmia drug since but this is new to have these on a daily basis, problem is they consume all your thoughts so probably like you trying to carry on as normal and your right of course people want to say oh ‘you have anxiety’rest assured that has probably started because of what’s happening you just want to feel normal- just wanted to let you know your not alone not much help I know but take care xx
Thank you. It’s horrible isn’t it! The bisoprolol seems to have worked! They’ve really settled down this past week or so. I’ve been having them today but it’s the first day in over a week that I have really noticed them. Waiting for an appointment to have a 5 day monitor fitted so hoping that will get me a little further in finding out what is going on ☺️
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