extra heartbeats in pregnancy

[ddonnelly]

I was 29 year old when I first noticed extra beats, a few days after having my first child.  I was exhausted, breast feeding was causing me difficulty and was wore out with lack of sleep.  I thought that caffine may have been responsible also given that I had been without coffee throughout my entire pregnancy.  I mentioned this to my GP who told me not to worry that It was very common and not related to the pregnancy or caffine given that I didn't take excessive amounts.  This happened on and off over the next year, no symptoms with the beats just worry causing the odd panic attack, I noticed that it got worse with certain types of coffee, so I switched to drinking tea mostly.  The incidents became more frequent at one stage so I went to my GP and had a full history taken, an ECG and blood tests - all came back normal.  I had a further bout of a few episodes every day for a few months so I went back to my GP who referred me for the holter monitor test, at this stage I was also pregnant with my second child - fortunately/unfortunately no incidents took place while the monitor was on - again my GP told me to forget about them - It still happens once or twice a week, less than before but still annoying - should I try to ignore it?

[kcgrant]

Get on the internet and research under the acronym POTS. I have been experience tachycardia for months and have been through a gambit of doctors and tests. I finally got so frustrated when I kept getting generalized answers and passed on to someone else that I researched everything I could about SVT, tachycardia in general and the extreme fatigue I was experiencing. I found a condition similar to Chronic Fatigue in that your body develops an inability to regulate your heartbeat with postural changes. (laying down to standing up). It strikes mostly women in their younger years--frequently after pregnancy or a viral illness--and teenage girls during puberty. Most of the doctors I worked with didn't understand POTS. They understood the idea behind it (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) but had little knowledge about how to diagnose or treat it. If this sounds like something that rings a bell, check out potsplace.com
Good luck.

[Bromley]

Hi. I had a lasting tachycardia that was eventually ablated. In many ways I am better now. It was a relatively small thing as these things go, but it took some perseverance on my part, and a good deal of patience from my doctors and family to get through it.

If I have anything to say on this board, it is usually to encourage people to think positively, critically, and to take an active roll in their medical care.  But there are some very emotional issues here.

Thank you for your thoughtful note. It is great to read the perspective of someone who has had similar experiences, and is willing to share their insights and interpretations.

God Bless you and your loved ones.

-B.

[momof6]

Hi, Ive already posted on here a few times and dont want to sound like a broken record but you can check out some of my other post and see how Ive had these darn things too! I think the only thing that really gave me peace about the pvc and pac and what ever else I get is that I had all the cadio work up done. Nuclear Stress Test, Echocardiogram,blood work,chest xray,several different monitors,ct scan, Im not saying you need all that done but I would at least do a monitor and an echocardiogram. A stress test would help them see what your heart does when it is stressed. When I wear my monitor Ive had the 24-48hr monitor done and the event monitor for a month I do things that would stress my heart out like work out ect. It probably even helps when the kids are stressing me to see what my heart does. I think you will have a better peace of mind if you can get a good cardio work up done. As long as you dont sit there and think ok what if they missed something? Because even if you do get a "normal" cardiac work up the next time you get a scarey irregular beat thats what will cross your mind. Believe me I know I lived 10yrs now with these! We all do it. Well now it seems that my irregular beats have changed some.And we think we need more testing, but the truth of the matter is they do change and your beats can be extra,maybe skip one time have a rapid beat the list goes on there are so many kinds of irregular beats. Not to say that if you stay in a irregular beat for about 20min. I would seek medical help. I know some on here have episodes that last days but they are usually under medical care and know what to do and when it warrents a trip to the ER. Im in my first trimester of pg this being my 7th where the hormones increase rapidly and have expierenced a few fast beats but it only lasted  a few beats. I try to keep a positive attitude and not let them control my life. Hope you find peace with yours and can get beyond them and live a fear free life! I know its hard but you can.Wishing you all the best ~momof7tobe:)

[Gaye]

Just a quick note:  When I was pregnant with my second child, the PVC's started.  Every single doctor thought I was nuts, until I found a woman doctor who explained that they were very normal.  They have continued on throughout my life (still having them 9 years later!).  You get used to them and learn to ignore them.  Good luck and hope you get some sleep!

[Bromley]

Hi.  There are a couple of parameters your doctor uses to gauge the severity of this.  I dont see them covered anywhere in your post, so with no monitor results its impossible for anyone to know what's up.  When you see your doc, you want to be sure to tell him or her whether you experience any chest pain, how long your palpitations last uninterupted, and exactly what symptoms you experience. Saying that you experience anxiety might not be specific enough of an answer. Do you experience vertigo, dizziness, or shortness of breath?

I am not trying to be overly critical here, just trying to help you get to answers.  I use to have a very annoying tachycardia. It took me a very long time to get the answers I needed --- there was no good reason for this --- if I had been smarter, more communicative, and more perseverent I could have got my diagnosis and medical treatment sooner, saving me years of worry and inconvenience.

Regards.

-B

[Cleveland Clinic]

ddonnelly,

Thanks for the post. It sounds like you have palpitations which if you look over the forum A LOT of others suffer from. The best bet to catch an episode would be an event monitor. If you have an otherwise normal cardiac evaluation, these are an annoyance and carry no long term negative prognosis.  

good luck.