I am plagued with ectopic heartbeats and have lapsed int...

Guest how you. I am an African, Zambian who has had a history of ectopic heartbeats. First i started by having fast heartbeats which stopped at some point. But last year, 2014 December i got an attack of a serious missed beat feeling which got me hospitalised. I started taking gigoxin , aspirin and other medicines and it went away. Just a week ago i got another attack and was rushed to hospital. I am now on Nifedipine, diazepam, and fexofenadine. Now what i want to tell you all is that i suspect the last two attacks have been due to spray paint as in the last attacks i have used spray paint for my art paintings. So kindly evaluate your self and check if you have had exposure to such things.

I am so happy to find someone who is experiencing the very same horrible symptoms I have been. Life is not what it use to be and there is a definite GI connection. I have had 2 ablations, the 1st one cured my SVT but the 2nd one did nothing for the ectopics. I continue to research cures and am ashamed of the medical community.

I've suffered from Ectopic beats since I was a teenager...I'm now 73, and while I've often found them most annoying, I've learned to live with them...and also some ways of 'losing' them.  Distraction was/is always the best for me.  Focusing on and doing something that required my minds attention.

However, six months ago I was diagnosed with AF, put on Bisoprolol (5 mg) and Warferin..and prepared for Cardioversion.  One of the things I noticed with the AF, was what I would call 'an attack'....lots of fluttering, chest discomfort. rapid beats..all causing anxiety, making the experience far worse.

The cardioversion treatment worked for 36 hours, before I went back into AF. My medication of Bisoprolol was upped to 7.5 mg to help combat any pulse increases..but the 'attacks' kept coming,  which left me and my doctor baffled, but it was all put down to anxiety and a psychological aspect of my AF experience.

However, after keeping a close watch on how the Attacks materialised, I'm convinced, as are others here, that the stomach plays a part in this situation.

I also know from my doctor telling me a few years ago, that there is a main nerve that runs down/alongside the oesophagus that plays a big part between the stomach and the heart.

Since my cardioversion, my Ectopic beats have become more noticeable...as they were in my ECG immediately after my cardioversion.  and as my AF returned 36 hours after the cardio...I now find that a mix of AF with Ectopic beats can be disturbing.  I can have 2/3 days of being perfectly okay, doing things quite normally with the AF and medication to control it..then I'll feel that Ectopic start and hope that it's just an odd one or two, and not ongoing for a few hours or day. When does the ectopic beat start...always after eating or a cup of tea.  Not everytime thankfully...but eating, or my cup of tea after a meal can signal the start of Ectopic beats.  So, I sympathise and agree with many other comments here.....There is a definite link between eating and the start Ectopic beats.

Thinking back, when I was in my 30's...breakfast on many an occasion would bring on the Ectopics....though work or other intense focus would relieve me of the damn things...

Hi just found this site. I also suffer with ulcerative colitis and with medication and cutting out red meat I have now managed to control it better. I also suffer with ectopic heartbeats which are normally beat beat pause thud! This has been continuous for over a week and seems to kick off around the time I eat in the evening! I have had holler treadmill test etc and the heart is fine and I need to put up with it, but it's very hard when it has such a big impact on your normal everyday life. The only people that understand are the people hat Havel live through it!

Hello fellow ectopic sufferers.  I just want everyone to know how awesome you all are as this forum has helped more more than anything! Just to know we are not alone or crazy or it is all "in our heads" etc. When I need some inspriation due to some bad bouts, I just come here. Thanks for sharing. I think back to life without these ectopics and then remind myself there are worse conditions.  But we all need to pat ourselves on the back for being brave to live our lives the best we can with them.  Yes, the gastrointestinal tract along with the vagus nerve has alot to do with these ectopics. many posts speak of "after eating" etc. It must be some mechanical way we are built inside that triggers these off beats. I always remember my doctor saying "they could go away on their own." Well, that would be great but until that time, we need to keep sharing what life style changes we have done to help and learn from each other.  Personally, eating my last meal early, and alcohol ending early also, not overeating, managing stress and listening to what helps others REALLY helps me.  Thanks for listening and keep posting my friends.

I've just discovered this forum. I'm told by my wife that i shoudl never look on the itnernet, as it only makes things worse, but naturally, i want to know more about what's wrong with me!

I'm a 30 year old healthy male, from teh UK, currently living abroad in Hong Kong for one year, seconded by my company in London. I had a few missed beat in the past 2-3 years, nothing partocularly bad and never went to the doctor about it as my mother had suffered the same missed beats and had lived with it for years.

2 months after a stressful move to Hong kong, finally convincing my wife to move here, starting a new job, new culture, totally new envionrment, and mostly on my own on the other side of the planet, I suddenyl felt unwell one day and went to A&E. I had blood pressure taken, chest xray, ECG, consultation from a dcotor after a 6 hour wait! Anyway, she said I was fine, all normal nothing wrong. I might add, a month before I left for HK, I had a full check up as I had taken some Valerian Root one evenign in London to relax me, which ened up keeping me awake with palpitation, again a visit to my GP the next day said everythign was fine and i was healthy.

Anway, back to HK, about 1 week later, I knew I was not fine, i was feeling dizzy now and had more of these palpitations, I thought something was seriously wrong, and a colleague in my office recommened a super cardiologist in HK at a private hospital. I went to see him, and after 5 mins of listening to my chest he said he thought I was suffering from RVOT ectopic beats, but needed to conduct some tests to be certain there was no heart disease. I had a thorough check. Blood test, ECG, echo of my heart, 24 hour holter monitor and 2 consultations. They all came back fine, apart from some slightly raised white blood cell count from a recent throat infection which is clearing up now slowly, BUT the 24 hour holter monitor showed around 2500 ectopic RVOT beats (fortunately no AF), that's around 3% per day.

The cardiologist finalyl said, they were nothjign to worry about uinless it reach 10%, which may tire my heart and may eventually cause some damage in the future, he perscribed Beta Blockers for 2 weeks, and said see how I go. At the end of just 5 days, I felt so low, depressed and dizzy, aweful, truly, that I had to stop. It didn't even realyl resolve the ectopics. I went back 2 weeks later, and he told me that it was good I stopped taking them, and then gave me two options. He percribed Calcium Channel Blockers (Diltiazem) 3 times a day which i've started taking, and said the second was a RF ablation. He then added that he felt that the stress and anxiety, not only from not knowing what was wrong with me, but from the move to HK, a new life, and struggling to help find my wife a job (as she is sick of not working here after just 1 month which i can understand) has made the sumptoms worse, that I must have had them my whole life, and only now have then suddnely become worse.

1 week into the CCB's and they appear to have reduced teh frequency of ectopics. I still get them every day, but not so many, I still have some dizziness, but in spells rather than constantly. They also gave me hot flushes and tingling in my limbs, but apparently this is a known side effect of teh medication, especially when it is new to the body.

In the past, the only times I've felt anything even remotely similar to this was extreme times of stress or if I had been on a boozy stag weekend, the following 1-2 days afterwards i felt a few missed beats. I've totally quite alcohol, all caffeine, I swim 0.5-1Km per day every week day, and hike 10-15km every weekend (as that's good to do in HK to escape the city). The ectopics seems to be very infrequent or never when exercising, it's mainly night times and morning when they appear. I've also noticed that eating can sometimes cause them, especially salty Chinese food that is full of MCG (which i try to avoid, although difficult here).

I can totalyl relate to everyone on here, as my wife does not fully understand and is convinced it is all in my head, or at least 80% of it is. I must agree with a number of people on here that accepting the condition, trying to distract the mind, being mindful of what your putting into your body and generally beign healthy helps a lot and seems to have reduced them.

I'll keep everyoine posted on here of progress, as it is good for me to hear from otehr people if they are progressing and gettign better and how they have done it. I've also found breathing excersise and yoga are helping. I don;t want to be taking these CCB's all my life, so going ot see hwo it goes and stay healthy. It is also SUPER hot and humid here in HK this summer, which I think has made thigns worse on top of the stress.

We can all get through this in our own way. Don't let it control you, you can control yourself with lifestyle adjustments and mindfulness. I think staying positive really helped my mother control her's, so I'm following her lead as she seems to be fine now and is 65 and healthy.

Hi, Great to hear your story as it helps to know we are all in this together and you are not alone. Tell your wife it is not all in your head but getting your mind on something else really does help. You are figuring it out it sounds, life style changes, keep track of what starts the ectopics etc.  Some one will find a cure for this and I love that most of the posts say the majority of the time, the meds only make you feel worse. I continue seeking a natural cure.  Keep us posted. Mine are every night when I try to lay down but I just try to ignore, sit up in bed and stay positive. 

Hi, I just found this forum and thought you might be interested in my recent experiences. I am 57 on Thursday and got my first Pacemaker fitted at 38 due to severe Attrial Fibrulation and two other Heart conditions. The Pacemaker sorted out the life threatening stuff but I have for all these years been plagued by severe Eptopics so painfull that I shout out and jump when they occur, my family and friends are so used to them now they don;t react we all just laugh and call them my Ticker Torrettes.

What my friends don't know is that at meal times the Eptopics become so bad that I often end up white faced and curled into the Feotal position and that is'nt funny.

Two days after christmas I suffered what I thought was a Heart Attack with all the classic symptoms, four days in Hospital followed and I was diagnosed with a Pulminary Embalism caused by Plurisy, I have fluid on my left lung cased by multiple broken ribs which I suffered in a Motorbike crash in April 2015, I am waiting to have the fluid drained.

I have been suffering intense chest pain and Epictopics since being discharged and asked my Doctor for help and suggested I may be suffering from GORD, he put me on 30mg of Lansoprazole daily 6 days ago and today I have had no pain and incredibly no Eptopics for the first day in 19yrs!. I know it's a bit early in the treatment to jump to conclusions but my heart feels different, calmer, more normal today than it has since this whole nightmare began.

I am starting to think that the diagnosis I was given is wrong and it is all down to GORD, anyway I just thought you might find all of the above of interest.

Good luck and Best Wishes.

Steve Payne.P.S. sorry about my appaling spelling!

I have been having ectopics for 10 years now which has almost ruined me. I also strongly believe that it is caused by stomach problems ibs gas bloating somehow I 100% believe this is the cause I don't drink I don't smoke I don't do drugs I exercise regularly and I get them every single day we need more answers I feel for anyone who gets them it's horrible.

Hi like yourself i have had my life ruined by eptopic heartbeats but at 55 im still here! I have been on all sorts of anti arrythmia meds but noting has worked to date although i had some relief by taking magnesium i have had my recent bout now for 4 months night and day would appreciate any kind of feedback as i feel exhausted and at the end of my tether my consultant does not seemed to be at all concerned about my condition!

Hi to all. Born with Fallots Tetralogy, and after 3 open heart ops, I'm well used to the occasional Flutter. A few days the palpitations got so bad and lasted for so long that I was taken to A and E then admitted for overnight treatment. I had very low phosphates and low potassium levels, partly due to diet, partly due to effects of IBS !! 12 hours infusion phosphates, added potassium, and now lots better, palpitations just very occasionally. Getting dietin order, hopefully this will help me longer term.

I am not a doctor, so can't be sure this is a full solution for me. May be worth discussing this with your doctor... Good Luck all. ! G.