Hello, I am a 24 yo male & have had an EKG, echocardiogram, and wore a Holter Monitor for 7 days. My cardiologist told me that my heart is perfectly fine & there is absolutely nothing to worry about. With that being said I am experiencing what i feel is palpitations several times a day. It mostly feels like a skipped beat that stops me in my tracks and causes me to take a deep breath. Last week I was feeling my pulse with my hand and felt a normal heartbeat & then a quick contraction - followed by another normal heartbeat. The sensation that went along with that is the exact feeling that I have had. I have been taking Magnesium, fish oil, and multivitamin.
Im confused why the doctor just says its perfect & has not diagnosed me with PVC nor PAC’s.
I am going May 13th to have a second opinion with all of my current records from tests that were just done. I dont know why this is happening if my heart is “perfect”
It’s scaring me and ruining my life.
Anyone else has similar experiences or advice please HELP.
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guthrie04
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What you are describing sounds like a PAC. At least that's what they feel like for me. I get way more PVCs than PACs. For me, and I think for most people, when you are feeling your pulse at your wrist, and you feel your regular and steady heartbeat and then all of a sudden it feels like there is a missed beat and then it continues on, that for me is a PVC. When you're taking your pulse at your wrist, and your heart is beating normally and in rhythm, and all the sudden there's a little jerk, and it feels like an extra beat has been added in between, that for me is a PAC. If that's all you're feeling, then I would agree with your doctor that there's nothing to worry about. Now, having said that, I remember very well the very first time I felt that, and it scared the living crap out of me as well. Over the course of the next year, they seemed to get worse and more frequent, and I was in the hospital to get checked out at least six or seven times. Every time, it was either PVCs or PACs, or both. Believe me, all of us who suffer from this know exactly what you are going through. I know it's very hard to wrap your mind around the fact that you know that your heart is sometimes beating irregularly, and you are concerned about that, but everybody is telling you not to worry about it. It's a hard thing to do, I know. It will take you a good long time to figure out what your triggers are, and what helps you. Just because everybody's taking magnesium doesn't mean that that will work for you. For me, potassium seems to work the best for me and I take it only when needed. And I take it in the form of low-sodium V8 juice which has a lot of potassium in it. Whenever you start feeling the palpitations coming on, that is something you could try, a nice big glass, about 16 ounces, of low-sodium V8 juice, and see if things calm down after 20 or 30 minutes. For me, taking too much magnesium seem to make things worse. One thing you'll realize, with a more reading you do and the more forums you are in, is that every single person that's different. There is no single solution for everyone. My PVCs got so bad one night that I was having them every other beat, and that went on for hours, until finally, when I took my pulse at my wrist, I suddenly felt a completely different type of pattern. It was very fast for a few seconds very slow then very fast and just chaotic. That resulted in a trip to the hospital and a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, which to this day, I believe was brought on by the hours of PVCs that we're coming every other beat. Once you have AFib, when you look back on PVCs and PACs, you hardly even notice them anymore. But the treatment, at least for me, is the same for all three irregular heartbeats. The goal is to try to prevent them from starting in the first place. And as I said, there are different triggers for different people, but for me it took me well over a year to discover that it's usually an electrolyte imbalance in me that causes things to go haywire. Forget about the hospital blood tests that tell you that your electrolytes are in balance, for me, those numbers mean nothing. Your electrolytes are a balance between magnesium, potassium, and sodium. And when you take potassium, it reduces the amount of sodium that you have. So it's important that you don't take too much of any of those three things otherwise you're going to throw things out of whack. After I got PVCs, I read every internet forum there was four months, and if there's one thing that I did discover, is that there are people that have had these palpitations for 30 or 40 years and they're still around to talk about it and are alive and well today. If you can feel the palpitations in your wrist, and in your chest, then they will show up on a Holter monitor. If they occurred during the seven days when you had the Holter monitor on, then ask your doctor about them. He or she may just be afraid to tell you what they are, and that they are benign, so that you don't worry. But ask them specifically what they are. Good luck, and if you experiment, you will eventually find things that help you, and things that bring them on, but it's not going to happen in a day, a week or a month, it may take you well over a year or more to finally nail it all down. But they can be managed quite successfully in many people, and hopefully you'll find what works best for you. Good luck. Oh, and one more thing. Actually two. I don't know what your situation is, but two of the very best things you can do that will at least help you hopefully, is to get regular, restful and meaningful sleep at night. If you are shift worker I know that's hard to do but if you're not, try to make sure you're getting quality sleep every night. That's one of the single best things you can do not only for this but for every other type of ailments you have. And if you are overweight, and only you can be really truthful with yourself about that, lose 10% of your body weight. That, along with getting quality sleep every night will probably do wonders for you as well.
Wow, I have come to notice just how common this is. I guess you are right, everyone’s body is different and there is more or less something stressing my body an creating the resurgence of my palpitations. You answer was comforting and I appreciate your post. My doc told me to take Magnesium & so I have been trying that, i went and bough some saturated sports drinks and v8’s today and hopefully if it is a mineral inbalance it can be corrected. I’m sorry you have afib - my uncle who is vastly overweight was recently diagnosed and has had an ablation with little relief. I believe the doctor that my heart is fine, however I am experiencing these palpitations for some reason. I know I have a irbbb (incomplete right bundle branch block) I also have a very low resting heart rate in the 40’s that does increase when I exercise, so I was told “thats a sign of health” its all so scary, I am young and if going into sudden cardiac death can be prevented I want to be active in its prevention.
I experience PAC’s often. My trigger is definitely caffeine & dark chocolate sometimes alcohol & dehydration. I currently take a beta blocker which helps. It took awhile to figure out which one worked for me. You may also want to get your thyroid checked as that also may trigger palpitations.
They are usually benign and normal but if ectopics are causing symptoms such as passing out then you have to keep on at your Cardiologist, if they aren't causing significant symptoms Drs aren't interested and you have to learn to live with them.
I've had them for years, sometimes 20,000 a day and I've had enough, finally my Cardio is taking it seriously coming up with a treatment plan.
I have 0 to 5,6 a day that are brought to my attention, and I can physically feel them. I could not imagine 20,000 a day. I would have to imagine I would fine myself in the ER if that were the case. I am doing my best to live with them, I just get tied into WHAT IF’s when they happen. What if I go into SCD (sudden cardiac death) so unrelenting & scary.
What you've been experiencing happened to me when I was about 30 - ectopic heartbeats, palpitations, etc., with all the tests going - and I completely agree with you, it is all very worrying. I still have those symptoms - they come and they go. It will very likely be the same for you. Try to accept your symptoms. I accept mine. And I am now 78. Take it easy. Try not to worry. What's happening to you is very, very common.
Sorry Guthrie, this should have been adderssed to you >>>
What you've been experiencing happened to me when I was about 30 - ectopic heartbeats, palpitations, etc., with all the tests going - and I completely agree with you, it is all very worrying. I still have those symptoms - they come and they go. It will very likely be the same for you. Try to accept your symptoms. I accept mine. And I am now 78. Take it easy. Try not to worry. What's happening to you is very, very common.
That is good to hear. Somethings are out of our control and all we can do is live as healthy as possible, I appreciate your kind words. I hope I can learn to embrace them and live normally as they come and go.
I have a cardiac arrhythmia and I was told the same thing that my heart was fine and it was nothing to worry about. My doctor even tried to convince me that everything I felt was just a mental health issue, when I first told him about how I was having palpitations, feeling like my heart was going to come out of my chest because I could feel each beat, I was having trouble catching my breath, and then I was having pains. Before the evaluation he looked me in my eyes and did not believe I had a cardiac arrhythmia even though I've had it my whole life. He asked me if I felt I had anxiety. After hearing my heart he goes " oh wow you have a cardiac arrhythmia". He did an ekg and said everything was fine and yet still this day I am having the same issues.
Hope they figure things out, prayers going up for you!
I'm glad you got a number of other responses since I posted my reply to you yesterday. I hope you're feeling a little more comforted, and although it's hard to do, try not to worry. Believe me, I know how you're feeling, and 4end formonths after I started getting PVCs, I thought too that I was going to die at any moment. It's unfortunate that these are considered normal and we just have to live with them, but you will eventually come to accept them, and hopefully you can find out what triggers them and reduce their frequency. As you will read, again and again, the anxiety that you put yourself through worrying about this is often what also feeds and starts them back up. If you can rid yourself of the anxiety, quite often you can get rid of most of your palpitations. And when it comes to actually dying, sometimes you have to take a step back and realize that we are all going to die one day. It's just a matter of when, and how. And try to realize that both of those questions are completely out of our control in most cases. So, it took me a long time to accept this, but eventually I just adopted the motto and the lifestyle of: UNTIL YOU DIE...
Yes guthrie04 , have recently had a bad episode of svt for which I need adenosine to get heart rhythm back to normal in a and e , all a bit scary ! Since then , getting plenty of missed beats , extra beats , palps for a few weeks now ! All very uncomfortable and unpleasant! Have had an echocardiogram and 24hour Holter which didn’t show anything too untoward ! Seeing an EP today regarding the svt with a view to getting an ablation , which may sort all this mess out ! A lot of anxiety from these funny beats , so I do sympathize with you , , I am taking beta blockers at the moment which make me feel yuk ! So will post again after seeing heart EP on Monday , fed up !
I’m 33 and have been having them for awhile. I also have anxiety which makes it worse. Wearing a Holter for 2 weeks currently. I sometimes get 5-6 flutters in a row or sometimes just one hard thud. So darn scary! Cardiologist did tell me that it is usually normal.
I had similar symptoms after my AstraZeneca vaccine, and more I had a blood clot 3 weeks after, then heart palpitations, high blood pressure, collapsing, speech slurring, brain fog, dizzy, headaches, haemorrhaging in my right eye, anscoria in my left eye, this turned to 40% heart failure dilated cardiomyopathy, brain damage, also constant muscle and joint pain, weight loss, constant headaches and tinnitus, then exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, my doctor and hospital thought it was anxiety, I had to pay to see a cardiologist who confirmed heart failure. You know your own body, if you are concerned keep pushing for answers.
Sometimes people can feel like their heart is palpitating and on ECG their heart is beating perfectly normally. If your cardiologist told you you have a structurally normal heart (which is what it sounds like) then you need to lose the anxiety about your heart (easier said than done I know ) but the anxiety you are experiencing will drive these things. I’ve had ectopic beats since my early 20’s - sometimes for weeks on end - and I’m still here. The more hung up you get about them the more panicky you will feel and the worse they will get (adrenaline can cause your heart to beat irregularly). 😊
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