Just got back from A&E. How can ectopics every 10-20 seconds be normal?!
Posted , 8 users are following.
Today I had another bout of bad ectopics. I can feel every single one of them. The flip flopping fish flopping around my chest. The horrible pause. The panic. Had them all my life but today were bad.
I've been having these non stop. I get 1 every 10 to 20 seconds. Sometimes I get more in a short space of time.
I decided to go to A&E to be on the safe side, just incase something was wrong or getting worse. But nope, got released and was told to visit doctor for holter monitor. Was told I'm all fine and my heart is fine.
I had high HR and BP but that was because I was so scared I was dying. 100bpm HR when usually it's 65 resting. White collar syndrome.
They did an ECG which showed sinus tachycardia and left axis deviation. All the other numbers are in normal range. Doctor literally said to me "You're fine. I have these a lot too. See your doc, get a holter and if meds help consider those too".
At no time during testing did the skips happen. Just my luck!!!! I've been getting them constantly all day but when hooked up to the ECG nothing. The doctor did hear it on the scope though and wasn't concerned.
So now what? I just live with these and go for my checkups?
These are positional too. Lying on my belly now I am getting so many it's unreal. I am testing myself to get used to them. Lying on my right side they go away. Standing up I hardly get any. It's strange because these happened after I ate today at 4am. Then they went. I ate dinner at 7 and they came back with a vengeance.
I am fed up. They are ruining my life!
Please tell me I'm not alone and someone else has had this problem. I need to know how others cope with this.
2 likes, 6 replies
bluenoodles1 james63103
Posted
Always best to speak with your GP
Best wishes Neil
terence68672 james63103
Posted
I have had exactly the same, and find it just as frightening as you. In fact after being discharged from A&E I went straight to my docs as it was getting ridiculous-bigeminy, and catching my breath. He listened on the steth but said it sounded fine. I said that's because it is more or less keeping in time, and the extras were not making a valve noise. I said ''I'll give you a £100's if you do an ECG NOW, I can guarantee it will be abnormal!'' but he refused saying 'it doesn't work like that'. Well he does earn a good wage. This happened everyday after eating and was like that for a week. I think there is a food and anxiety link, but also a predisposition too.
jx41870 james63103
Posted
James, yes, my situation is much like yours. I even went to a cardiologist, who got me to wear an event monitor, that's like a holter but calls up a service as soon as it sees something or you push a button, and the service will tell you if it looks bad or OK to them. Well, for me, it fired twice at night but never during the day, but I had some bad arrhythmias so I pushed the button, but each time the service said, just carry on, and when the doctor reviewed a week's worth, I swear he literally said, "I'm not going to worry about these." Like right out of a cartoon.
I've since done this and that to reduce frequency and intensity, but it's a long way from gone. Below a certain level apparently doctors just blow it off - well, what can they do, the couple of drugs available aren't very good, and the surgical ablation procedures are pretty iffy, too. Apparently it won't kill you quick, because I've had it to one degree or another going on seven years now.
But it can clearly be physically constraining, it can be associated with psychological fear and probably with physiological effects that cause fear. And then you get a doctor "who isn't going to worry about it."
janco james63103
Posted
Hi James
Your stomach can have a big influence on Ectopic heartbeats, and there is a strong vagus nerve connection.
Read this post, it will give you more info and help
http://www.myafibheart.com/ectopic-heartbeat-vagus-nerve-palpitations/
But I understand your frustration. The Dr's don't really explain the ectopic heartbeat phenomenon and that created fear in me and I know in lots of other people.
Good news! They say it does not kill.
lori080869 janco
Posted
Oh am I with you! Just coming off a flare up of ectopic beats that lasted 3 solid weeks. 6-10 per minute at it's worst. ALWAYS at least 1 per minute. It would go 4 beats, skip, maybe 20 then skip, then maybe 7, then 17, then 42, then 4. Whenever it got to 80 beats without skipping I would start getting excited that maybe it was slowing down, but nope. The scarier parts were when a few times my heart would seemingly misfire like a pinball machine for a few seconds and then take off racing (still not sure if that was Afib or SVT). I did everything in my power to stop it. Went on a non-inflammatory diet, started resting more, eliminated stress wherever possible, eliminated all stimulants (caffeine), started taking a supplement cocktail and relied heavily on Xanax to keep me from totally freaking out. Then out of the blue the stopped 2 nights ago and are hopefully gone for a good long time. Do what you CAN to control them and relax as much as possible. They SWEAR ectopics are completely benign and don't start to worry unless they are 20% of all your beats for the day (that would be consistently one out of every 5 beats). Vagus nerve seems to play a big part in mine (I flare after eating and when lying down). Stress, over-adrenalization, stimulants, electrolyte imbalances, etc, can make your ectopic focci (sort of like a natural pacemaker) overtake your normal sinus node system. I was just reading that hypercalcemia (too much calcium) can excite these focci in your heart and send them into overdrive. Since I, personally, was eating about 30 tums a day for about 6wks prior to my flare up, I'm curious if that is what sent mine off. It seems the reason a flare up can atop just as quickly as it starts is that the normal sinus node finally becomes more dominant than the excited focci. In the meantime, do your best to provide your heart, mind and body as much supportive care as possible. I feel for you, I know your pain. The struggle is real.
janco lori080869
Posted
Thx, for the past 3 years I'm AFIB free, and Ectopics are under control, and I do not stress about them if they come. They are nearly always linked to my stomach.