Ectopic beats everyday

Hi there, I'm new to this discussion and am trying really hard to cope with these ectopic beats to show my husband I'm trying not to give into them but it's so debilitating. I feel them in my neck, my abdomen, if I bend, stretch or do none of these things.... I sought reassurance from the arrhythmia alliance charity and some You Tube videos all of it helped but I feel really quite upset and fear the frequency I'm having won't calm down. I'm getting yet another holter monitor tomorrow, I've increased my beta blocker but I feel sluggish.... grrrrr! ☹

Hi Suzy,  Sorry you are having to deal with these horrible ectopics. Interesting you mentioned the arrythmia alliance and you tube. Can you be more specific?  Just my opinion but I think the beta blockers just make you tired and do not really help, from others that have tried them. But you let us all know. Stay positve and try to ignore them and know we are all here for you and each other and givning feedback on what helps. I wish some prominent doctor would get them and then fight harder for the cure. Keep posting. For me, eating smaller meals, little to no alcohol, yoga and cardio exercises, sleep, keep stress under control and this site is the best medicine so far.

Hi there,

Thank you for replying to my message, I spoke to a cardio nurse at the arrhythmia alliance charity (their website is UK based) the information that I thought might be worth sharing is this regarding ectopics:-

Triggers can include:-

Physical triggers - Strenuous physical exertion or exercise, lying on one side, dehydration, sleep apnoea, fatigue or illness

Psychological triggers - Stress, anxiety and emotional trauma

Medication - Off the shelf cold and flu medications and natural remedies

Dietary triggers - Eating large meals, especially in the evening; chocolate, curry or spicy food. A substance called tyramine found in the

following food groups:

Meat – most pork (except cured ham) processed meat

Dairy – most cheese, sour cream, yoghurt (except soft cheeses like ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese)

Pickles and sauces – shrimp paste, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, sauerkraut

Fruit – bananas, pineapple, aubergine, figs, red plums, raspberries

Beans and nuts – broad beans, green bean pods, romano beans, tempeh (soy loaf), peanuts, brazil buts, coconuts

It is important to remember that these are only potential triggers for arrhythmias so not absolute causes. I was further advised that maybe by keeping a diary, it may be posdible to associate some of these foods with episodes and identify which to cut down on if necessary?

There was also the mention of the vagus nerve potentially causing these ectopics and or arrythmias - that there may be a connection between your arrhythmias and the vagus nerve as I said I often experience episodes after bending, sleeping on your left hand side or eating large meals.

This quote by Philippe Coumel, a founding father of arrhythmia research said “Patients with vagal AF not only have the number of their attacks clearly increased by beta-blockers (as well as by digoxin), but they also tolerate these drugs poorly when in sinus rhythm.” While this is more specific to AF, it may also be relevant to atrial tachycardia and ectopics and is an avenue worth

exploring?

I have an appointment this week for a second opinion - I've everything crossed.

S

.... and yes, this website is proving a source of reassurance for me, for something that is so common???, I know of nobody else personally that suffers with this torment which makes you feel alone and under pressure to convince EVERYONE that it's not anxiety BEFORE the symptoms.

Seems like this discussion has opened up again recently.

Im still on the magnesium but having a bad couple of weeks. So far today had about 100 ectopics. Making me so stressed and angry i just want them to go away.

Let me know how you get on when you try them.

I agree with you about the food thing. Its just pinpointing what triggers them. ALCOHOL is the worst. I know if im going out fir drinks i will have to endure a bunch of beats. Puts me off drinking as i enjoy a glass or two ☺☺

Hoping someone will come across this thread one day with a cure so we can all go on and enjoy our lifes ☺☺

Hi Emily,

I'm glad I came across this discussion - all of the comments made by everyone strike accord.

Does anyone have regular appointments with their GP or Cardiologists? I'm pushing to have at least 6 monthly checks - I'm don't want to settle for going home with 'they're not life threatening', I am determined to stay on the radar!

Hi Suzy. Good that your pushing for 6 monthly checks.

No i dont have checks, after getting a referal to a cardiologist last august and having 48hr ecg, echo and ct angiogram which all came back ok i was told to ignore the ectopics.

Im trying to learn to live with them now as i know i dont have underlying heart disease but do struggle when they get bad. Im still convinced they arent normal and to have so many.

It is reassuring to hear so many people get them and to hear other peoples stories and experiences.

I would like to think that maybe they might dissapear once and for all but have a feeling the older tou get the worse they become 😠

Have you tried exercises to relax the vagus nerve. Deep breathe between lower abdomen and bottom rib. Fill it like a balloon with air and hold and then release with pursed lips about 5-10mins each day or when ectopic so annoy you. I found it works to calm somewhat. It doesn't get rid of them but if you can accept even half the amount it's something right

Hi Emily,

I've an appointment this Thursday and I'm going to ask as many questions as possible... I don't want to whip up folks emotions but if it helps I'll feed back.

I'm getting through each day a day at a time and I'm on the watch out for them which is probs not helping but they've got me alert and v tired and emotional... I want some peace back.

Take care

S

Very interesting. I think Mr. Coumel is on the right track. It is the vagal nerve!  How can we cure it now! Keep us posted and thanks for sharing.

I will keep sharing. Have a lot of questions for my appointment and will be asking a few from this discussion thread .

Can I ask if folks have experienced what might have been more than one ectopic beat in a row?

Take care all

S

Hi,

I know this thread is a couple of months old but I thought I would leave my experience of cardiac rhythm issues here in case it informs someone else or brings reassurance. I'm 27 year old female, non smoker and relatively active I would say. I first noticed my ectopic beats 3 years ago. I was extremely out of breath on minimal exertion and experiencing real episodes of tiredness. It wasn't until my mother in law checked my pulse and told me my pulse was 'crazy'. I went to A&E and was admitted onto a cardiology ward where I was kept for monitoring. I was diagnosed with RVOT ectopics. A holster monitor showed 27% burden which means i was having around 27,000 ectopic beats every 24 hours. these ectopic beats behave in a bigeminal pattern (in couplets). This freaked me out!! I was put on bisoprolol 2.5mg and became very dizzy and fatigued as my heart rate was super low (47bpm). I soon adjusted and got used to these ectopics and after about 20 visits to A&E i decided to believe my consultant that these were harmless. fast forward through the pandemic I had ablation number 1. This ablation was unsuccessful however it did lessen the burden of my ectopics. 6 months later I had a second ablation and follow up tests showed that it had successfully brought the burden of my ectopic beats down further (8%). I was then discharged from cardiology. I remember crying with relief and happiness on the way home... ONE WEEK later, I had (out of nowhere) a suspected SVT episode and the ectopics and palpitations have returned. I am currently still under investigation as to whether i experienced SVT or IST with lots of PVC's mixed in. I was started on nebivolol, didnt work and made me feel so awful. Then i was prescribed Tildiem Retard 90mg x2 daily, these definitely took the edge off the palpitations but my heart races upon wakening, mild exertion and carrying out normal daily activities (110-150) and doesnt come back down on resting for a good hour or so. I was prescribed proporanolol in addition to tildiem by a GP until my cardiologist took this off me as my BP was in my boots. Im persevering with the tildiem but it does make me feel a bit crappier than how I originally felt. I've been referred for a third trip to the catheter lab for both diagnostic and treatment purposes to find out whether I have been experiencing SVT or IST with frequent PVC's. I still experience ectopic beats constantly and lots of palpitations, my consultant is STILL not concerned. This is really still affecting my life so much even after all these years. I genuinely believe the life style changes I have made have not had much of an impact on the recurrence/frequency of my ectopics/palpitations.

I feel the main thing that helps me is educating myself about the heart and learning how to read ECG's. I bought a Kardia Activcore Monitor from Amazon for about £150 and it is a 6 lead ECG. It can read rhythm issues and help you understnd what is normal and abnormal for you. I hope this helps at least one person. 😃

dear all i had a consult with a consultant cardiologist his name is dr gupta of york cardiology . he puts a lot of stuff on you tube which might be helpful . he has helped me understand ventricular ectopics . magnesium and anaemia and he also suggested a thyroid test as the latter two can cause ectopics . hope this helps everyone. unfortunately i suffer with anxiety and that is not helpful at all. i wish everyone well and look him up xx