1. Community
  2. Heart Health
  3. Cardiac Arrhythmias

Ectopic beats everyday

Posted , 139 users are following.

emily1982
emily1982

Hi. Anyone suffer from ectopics? Mine started 3 yrs ago when i was pregnant and are getting worse. Had ecgs...48 hr ecg ( which of course only showed a couple) echo and ct angiogram which im waiting the results for but wanted to know how many is normal? For the last 5 days have been really bad and tonight in the space of an hour as i counted them i had 16..just so typical that when i had my 48 hr ecg a few weeks back i was having a good few days so of course the cardiologist said all looked normal. Just wondered if people suffered with these and what the outcome has been? Its really getting to me and worrying me now. THANKS.

4 likes, 228 replies

228 Replies

Prev Next
  • ann35714
    ann35714 emily1982

    Edited

    Hi Emily,

    They fitted a loop recorder to catch the ectopics and monitor them. A bad day for me would be fromthe time  Iwakeup they will start,continuing all day non stop.I get very tired when this happens.Another day there could be nothing.I never know how a day is going to be.  Apart from the holter and an ECG  have you had any more tests done. I had a ESPN test a long time ago and they discovered ihave an extra pathway in my heart. They didnt want to do the ablasion as it was too close to my own natural pacemaker.Something to think about.ann

  • diana06006
    diana06006 emily1982

    Edited

    I don't want to alarm you Emily but I have suffered ectopic beats for the last 47 years!  They developed during my daughter's pregnancy and have never gone away despite ECGs, specialists, wearing monitors and panic-stricken hospital visits.  They are now waking me up in the night.  On the plus side, sometimes they go away for months on end and it is absolutely wonderful to live a "normal" life.  But then they come back with a vengeance and I may get harrassed for months on end.  I don't know what the answer is quite frankly but they are horrible even if they are supposed to be nothing to worry about.
    • Guest
      Guest diana06006

      Posted

      Hi Diana, I came across Emily's thread looking for reassurances I'm not alone today and reading your reply gave me a degree of relief that given you have been suffering unfortunately with ectopic beats all this time then I am not alone.

      I had a successful ablation for SVT 8 yrs ago but after that the cardio (whom I had to convince a week later) that there was still something not quite right, discovered I have another pathway but because it's so close to my SA Node it can't be ablated and as well as this being an atrial tachycardia, I also suffer single ectopic beats as well as suffering a couple in a row - I would get at least two or three a day and then days and weeks I could go without getting any of them but this past couple of weeks they've kicked up a notch and I struggle to ignore them, I really do but your post gives me a little hope. I had an ECG done on Monday night and again this morning with the usual comments 'they're not life threatening' .

    • lynn20963
      lynn20963 diana06006

      Edited

      i have had them for 15 years Just randomly one day it happened and they will last for a month, and then go away, sometimes I will feel just a few here and there, and then they come back with a vengeance and last all day long and it causes me tremendous anxiety. I especially get them if I didn’t sleep well. They scare me so badly

    • jan43537
      jan43537 diana06006

      Edited

      Hi Diana, I have been suffering from Ectopics too. They started 7 years ago then went away. i had all the tests plus a cardiac MRI scan. They were diagnosed as RVOT benign. They stared up again about a year ago and have got so bad. I am having another MRI on Thursday after seeing my cardiologist again. I also get a really bad cough when they start, do you get a cough with yours. Im in a vicious circle ad the more i get, the more i panic and the worse they become.

    • margaret07629
      margaret07629 diana06006

      Posted

      Are you on any meds or tried some? I've tried numerous different ones and found none help. I have good days with few, then some bad days with a lot of strong ones that stop me in my tracks. I'll try anything to help. Docs all say same... don't worry about them. Impossible not to!

  • emily1982
    emily1982

    Posted

    Hi both

    Thanks for your comments. Yes mine started in pregnancy 3 yrs ago.

    I have had 48hr ecg...echo scan, blood tests and ct angiogram which im getting the results for tomorrow.

    Well the last 24 hrs i have only had a couple which has been nice smile

    Just baffles me that some days can be fine then others can be awful. I get quite stressed when i start getting them and it ruins my day.

    Just strange how all of a sudden they just develop. Im guessing they will only get worse with age and never go away.

    Nice to hear from people though that are in the same position. Thanks both.

  • Mazza44
    Mazza44 emily1982

    Edited

    Hi Emily 

    I have ectopic heart beat 24/7. It's awful isn't it. I've learnt to live with it. Occasionally I go into af which isn't nice but managed with a tablet called flecanide.  Ectopics themselves are not life threatening just a nuisance.  You can get beta blockers to regulate them but I was too sensitive to that drug, horrible. I try and eat regularly and healthily.  I avoid caffeine and sugar replacements and also sugar itself where possible. 

    • Penropennies
      Penropennies Mazza44

      Edited

      I can't beleive what I read. Its almost identical to me. I get AF sometimes and used fkecanide to

      Restore rythym.

      I use deep breathing technique. Slowly fill up pit of stomach count to 7, hold for 3 and exhale slowly and then hold my breath for a few moments. Its to aleviate the ectops somewhat.

  • k3rivers
    k3rivers emily1982

    Edited

    Hi,

    Yes, my ectopics started about 2 years ago and I thought I was going to die for sure until I found this wonderful forum that shows we will not die but they are sure annoying!  Life style changes and there is a GI connection.  Anxiety is a pre cursor. Mine get better with good sleep and low stress and eat early, exercise etc. Hang in there and they will change, it took a long time for mine to get better and an ablation did not help.

  • emily1982
    emily1982

    Posted

    Well hello. I have just seen the new comments. Thanks both for your replies.

    May i ask everyones age thats answered on here please? So mine started when i was 30 and am now 33.

    Its nice to see and share everyone elses experience of these awful ectopic beats. I try and talk to my partner and friends about them but think you can only understand if you have experienced them yourself.

    So i had my follow appointment with my cardiologist on tuesday regarding my ct angiogram and all fine which is great. I mentioned that i had been getting the bests quite bad over the last week and she said...did you go to a&e to get them recorded?? Well no i didnt...i know that by the time i got there and someone had stuck an ecg on me they would have gone.

    Well last night for the 2nd night since ive started getting them i was getting them in my sleep as i could feel them and would wake with them. When i told my cardiologist on tuesday that i was getting 16 an hour she said that its really not that many and would be something i would have to live with and doesnt want to put me on beta blockers because of my age.

    I hate them and am starting to worry about going to bed now just incase i start getting them again in my sleep..

    I agree that good diet and good sleep can help with them but at the moment i have a 2.5 yr old that is really playing up at night which also stresses me out as i get interupted sleep.

    Anyways i was thinking about getting my own moniter to shove on if i start getting them but have no idea where i would go or look to get one? Any suggestions.

    And also the magnesium supplement i think that someone mentioned...would i get this is a chemist and does it really help?

    Im so happy that all tests have come back negative and my heart is ok but still have this dreaded fear that as they havent actually seen a whole bunch of these ectopics on an ecg that they are missing something 😕

    • Mazza44
      Mazza44 emily1982

      Posted

      Mine started in my 30's I'm 45 now. They tend to be worse at pmt time and if I am tired and run down, not eating well etc
    • Andy9998
      Andy9998 emily1982

      Posted

      the app fibricheck on phone works then when the app tells you the rythym is irregular i pay £10 to app and they come back with frequent ectopic beats and now csn show doctor how regular i get them

      well worth getting the app

  • emily1982
    emily1982

    Posted

    Oh and sorry for such a long post and awful spelling. I have just been woken by a crying toddler which my partner is trying to deal with so half asleep. Does stress and anxiety really contribute towards them???? I can feel as relaxed as can be and still get them!! But have definetely had them in stressful situations but not sure if thats just coincidence.
Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.