Worried and scared...heart Palpitations

I have the same thing. It started 13 years ago right after my duaghter was born. I did go to one doctor, he had me wear a monitor and they found my heart to be fine. He said it was probably stress and to have a glass of wine. After it continued, and yes I was freaking out, I found another doctor who actually heard it with a stethoscope. I had an ultrasound of my heart and they found I have Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP). I guess it is very common and most people dont even know they have it. I feel mine most right after I excercise, have caffeine, or get stressed out. If I were you I would ask for more tests to find out what it is. I also have a hole in my heart which they say is minor and may never affect me. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

I have the exact same thing. I have had it for a long time... as long as I can remember. My EKG was normal... slight irregularity.... never have found an answer to it though.

I feel like it comes more when I am extremely over tired... or stressed. So I think it might be an emotional thing. But i still think getting it double checked is a good idea. I just haven't gotten around to it yet... or I am scared of what they will say....

good luck. hope everything is ok

Do whatever follow through you need to assure you that you are getting the care you actually need. There could be a physical problem that indicates medicine or surgery. There may not.

I've had flurries of palpitations for about 30 years, often connected to exposure to household chemicals/perfumes. My husband has also had an occasionally premature beat that happens a lot some days and sounds exactly like the pause you feel. We're in our 60's and expect to live for many more years.

My husb. is actually a runner and in exceedingly good shape for his age, but his doc says there is sometimes no known medical treatment for the occasional lack of rhythm, beyond perhaps caffeine and a change of position, as when he lays down at night.

Try not to stress about it too much – some people's hearts (mine!) are very reactive to stress.

i have had this for as long as i can remember. mine is an emotional thing. when i get them i know that something is wrong with someone in my family. often is not something that i can change so i have taught myself to breath through them and try to relax. My sister mom and my moms family have the same thing. ours is not a medical problem. your could be especially with a family history. my sister has tried to go to Dr's about hers but the only result she has gotten in the last 15 years is sky high medical bills and NO MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS. if you want to start small and save your self the extra grief start trying to relax. my sister has terrible problems with it because she lets it take over her life. i just ignore it and relax it away so mine have not gotten very bad. I hope it turns out to be nothing for you. Just breathe and when they come on try to figure out what is really bothering you. i simply sit down and tell my husband every silly thought that is in my head at the time and often the problem makes itself known and i can fix it :)

I to have these and I noticed that it acts up if I'm under a lot of stress or around that time of the month. I try to drink more water when it's going on and that seems to help. They can't tell me what causes it and I've had all the heart test done a number of times my mom and aunts heart do this also. Stick to your guns and keep pushing if your not happy with the answers your getting or get a second opinion.

I've had issues with this for a few years. Mine seem to be triggered when I drink too much caffeine, or with use of some over the counter medications that contain Pseudoephedrine. I've gone through the entire cardiac workup as well, and it was found to be benign. In my case, if I stick to 1/2 a cup of coffee in the morning, I don't have any symptoms, but if I increase the amount, I experience them. It's good to get it checked out though. Best wishes!

Hi there! First of all, take a deep breath and relax...I know that's easy for me to say! I too have the same experience to a tee! I am 30 yrs. Old and healthy. That being said, I was born with a mitro valve prolapse on my heart...which is basically just an extra valve that flaps. When I have those experiences, its kind of like having not enough or too much blood to/from the heart. Mine isn't a big deal, I do not take any medication for it except when I go to the dentist, I premedicate with antibiotics to protect my heart from infections if it were to happen. I did wear a monitor a couple years ago because I thought it might have been an issue and plus I was going to a new dr. And he just wanted to check things out. I also had an ultrasound done and everything is fine. I have developed some anxiety over the past year or so, which is pretty common now adays, lol! I do have the lowest dose of xanex to take which is rare for me. With your moms condition, I would suggest an ultrasound just to make sure. Good luck and hope you get some answers! Take care!
K.

I've had that twice during my pregnancy and my doctor is having me keep a log of how often it occurs and for how long. I had it happen occasionally for a week straight (before pregnancy) as well. Anyway, I was told that pregnancy often uncovers issues we may not have known we had or it may create issues not previously existant. My doctor says if it happens more, she'll refer me to a cardiologist for a follow up, but it's probably nothing since I have no other symptoms with it.... Are you having other symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, etc? I'm not. She also went ahead and drew labs for thyroid because sometimes the palpitations are related to thyroid hormones. I have a couple of ladies that I work with who have also experienced palpitations during pregnancy.... nothing came of it, but if you're worried, I'd definitely have someone else follow up if your physician isn't taking you seriously. Keep a log of when it happens and for how long it continues. Check your pulse for a minute to see how fast it's actually beating and record that as well. Just some thoughts. Hope this helps. :)

Yup. I've had this for a while now myself. I worried about it when I first started experiencing it. I got hooked to an EKG. They noticed a slight arrythmia (sp?). Since I had just given birth they said that hormones were the cause and it should return to normal. I still experienced it though for a good year after I had my son and then I mentioned it to my doctor. I got a test done on my heart and it came back just fine. So I guess I just have an arrythmia every so often. Sometimes it's pretty uncomfortable. It seems to get worse if I drink a lot of caffeine. You might see if caffeine is your culprit. Do you drink energy drinks? A lot of coffee? Good luck!

This also happen to me and I found that if I am stressed out or over tired it happens more often. I find that if I take time for myself to relax, sleep, read or whatever it is I am not doing at the time it goes away. Life get crazy and we tend to not take care of ourselves because we are so busy taking care of our families but if you don't take care of yourself you can't take care of your family. Also remember when you go to your doctor you are in charge not them.....if you want something done make them do it, your paying for it.

I have not read the other responses so I do apologize if this is a duplicate. My husband had something like this a few years ago. He, like you, went to the doc & had an EKG. Nothing showed so they had him wear a monitor for a few days. Nothing came back on it either but I know it was there b/c if I put my head on his chest, I could hear his heart race & then pause. They think it was a heart murmur that he has had all his life. They think possibly its stress related but I will say that he has not had any re-occurrences in quite some time. They told him to watch his caffeine intake but he really isn't a coffee drinker, just has an occasional pop.

If your instincts are telling you to follow-up, please don't ignore them.

If you're seeing your Primary Care physician, they're very accustomed to running EKGs and interpreting them, but they're not experts. You can call your insurance company and see if you require a referral to see a specialist.

I've been in this situation (cancer not cardiovascular) where nothing other than instincts were suspicious, and because I pressed, I was diagnosed appropriately and early.

Good luck! Hoping all turns out very well.

Heart palpitations makes me think of an over active thyroid. I'm sure a cardiologist would also check your thyroid out as a possible source of problems.

I would opt for a cardiologist. They know more than a PCP. I too have heart palpitations. My heart will beat fast or/and beat and then skip. I had it checked out and found out that it is caused by stress and anxiety.
You should asked to be referred to a cardiologist. If your doctor does not find another one. If your insurance allowes it find a cardiologist yourself and make an appointment.

I have the same thing. I have had these for as long as I can remember. The cardiologist said about 70% of people have the same issue. It is pretty scary and can be controlled with Beta Blockers. I no longer take those, just because I have been trying to free my body of all medications as much as I possibly can.

Anyway the condition is called PVC. Premature Venticular Contractions. You should eliminate ALL caffeine from your diet. Caffeine causes this condition to worsen, making your heart more prone to skipping a beat. Also any type of medication that can cause your heart to race... such as the drug to speed up labor, can cause really bad side effects.

It is not immediatly life threatning, but sad to say it can be. I would ask your doctor about this condition.

The symptoms I have are either my heart would race out of control then my heart would skip a beat or I would just have spells where my heart would skip a beat without my heart racing. At times I can become dizzy when this happens. And it really is pretty scary.

Good Luck!

Start with the cardiologist. If their tests come back normal, then speak to your GYN. There are several female conditions such as enometriosis that can cause this. Usually if you have endometriosis you'll have additional symptoms like heavy periods, anemia, insomnia, numbness in the hands, phantom cramping...

If those tests come back normal too, then it probably is just stress and anxiety and your PCP can prescribe a sediative.

M.

I would definitely follow up with your doctor. I had the same issue after my 2nd child was born. My PCP actually heard the irregularity during a routine visit. I had an ultrasound done & it turns out I have Mitral Valve Prolapse. According to my doctor, it is the most common heart irregularity & can be triggered by having a baby. He said most people have the irregularity since birth, but the symptoms usually come about after something traumatic happens to a person's body (childbirth, for example). Good luck. I hope all goes well.

My mother gets this. We believe (as advised by her dr.) that it is caused by anxiety. It is terrifying for her and she says she actually feels like she will die! Then of course, the more scared she becomes, the more anxiety & etc. I believe her dr. finally gave her a mild tranquilizer to take when it happens. Go and talk to your doctor. Try to pinpoint anything that's going on when it happens.....keep a journal of your symptoms/date/time/current activity, etc. It may help your doctor. Good luck.

You need to insist to your doctor for an ECHO to be done. It is noninvasive, an ultrasound of your heart. But that can look at the functioning of your heart and the valves. You may have mitral valve prolapse which may have worstened, feeling the palpitations more. But it gives you a definitive diagnosis for valve functioning, a hole, etc. The monitor to wear is still good, but only detects the different rhythms you are experiencing. I almost surprised she didn't order that when you first went to her. Good luck, but please insist an ECHO be done.

I had this happen to me about a year ago. I actually wore the monitor for 24 hours, and the results indicated nothing was wrong with my heart. There's a name for it, but for the life of me, I can't think of what it is now. I was told to take fish oil every night at bed time (keep it in the freezer and take it right before bed - no fish burps that way). I was also told to pay attention and would probably notice that it happened more often around the time of my period. They were right. It eventually stopped, and every now and then I have episodes of it, but not as severely. It sure scared the heck out of me though, so I understand how you feel. When in doubt though, have it checked more thoroughly.

S.,
You could request that your doctor sends you to a cardiologist and if she doesn't then change doctors. Don't be afraid, but be firm in that you want a specialist or a second opinion. This is your health you are talking about and you need to feel comfortable with your doctor. I have similar symptoms, where my heart all of the sudden goes very fast and I feel somewhat funny and even short of breath, it only lasts a couple of seconds. I went to see a specialist and he told me that there is a small abnormality, but that I would definitely not die from that. I don't even take medication for it. So don't be worried, but go and check yourself out with a specialist. I'll keep you in my prayers.
I.