strange palpitations

[car]

Can you please tell me something.  I have palpiations every day.  They feel like a big thump and then my heart seems to stop and and then start again and sometimes it feels like a couple of fast beats and then stop and go again and I kind of feel a rush down to my hands and heat like the blood stops flowing for a second.

This seems to happen approximately 10 times per day.  I really hate the feeling but I have seen an EP doctor and he has said everyone gets palpitations and not to worry about it.  They have caught a 5 beat run of PVC's on a monitor but say it is not conidered v-tach and not to worry because I have no signs of heart disease.

I am a 40 year old female with no other health problems other than this heart skipping thing I have.  I am taking a small dose of Celexa (10mg) every day because of my high anxiety level about my heart skipping.

If everyone gets these things why is it that my husband, my sister and many friends I have talked to do not feel anything strange happening to their hearts?  The doctor says I am no doubt just "really tuned" into these things but I question it who wouldn't be tuned into these things when you heart is stopping all of the time?  

My next question to you is usually once per week I will be sitting quietly doing nothing and my heart will start going irregular or does a couple or three of hard pounds and then stops and I feel like I am going to pass out for a split second.  I always take a deep breath and it seems to go back normal beating.  Once again the EP doctor says don't worry (as this is quite infrequent he says), but I really do when this is happening.  

Do you think it is just a run of PVC's that is making me feel like that?  Is that not a bad thing?  Do other people actually get runs of these horrible things?  Am I making a big deal out of nothing?   I hate it but would really like to know if other people get the same thing as I really let these things control me.

I thank you for any input you can give me about this as I really value your comments.

Thanks!

[sheryl]

I promise you that the more you think about the skipped beats, the more you prolong them.  If you can lose your fear of them the problem would resolve itself.  Not that you'd never have a skipped beat; this is common and everyone gets them though many people are not aware of their heart beating.  If your doctor says you're "tuned" into them, you are, and your fear of them actually causes it to happen more often.  I have a fear too; mine goes into an irregular beat when I bend over, but people who have answered me here on this forum have helped me a great deal.  Try to learn to laugh at your skipped beats; since you've gotten a clean bill of health from your physician, the skipped beats won't hurt you.  One person here told me my hiatal hernia could be causing my heart irregularity; now I just have to work on not being afraid!  It's hard, I know.  Good luck.

[MLS]

Hi Ajax,
I read your post regarding the strange "thump" in your chest and then a feeling in your throat.  I think these palpitations, extra beats, skipped beats, whatever they choose to call them come in different ways.  I too feel the butterfly in the throat, and the thump in the chest which is sometimes much stronger than other times.  Sometimes the butterfly only feels like it's fluttering its wings in my chest, sometimes only in my neck and sometimes like it originates in my chest and flys up into  my throat like its going to fly right out my mouth.  This usually makes me pause and cough.  The thump in my chest reminds me of when I was first married, 23 years ago and moved to the country. One day I was outside and heard this strange thumping noise that started out very slow and got faster and faster but just never "kicked over."  I thought, I wonder who this poor person is that trys all day to start his tractor!!  It turned out it was a partridge doing its mating dance in the spring.  Anyway...when my heart thumps in my chest...this is what I always think of, because it starts out with a thump and like it can't "turn over."  This has happened to me over the years off and on.  I'm very used to it...sometimes its more frustrating than others, but I defintely know it happens with being more tired, before my menstrual cycle, with caffeine, and eating to much.  This generally alerts me to the fact that it is that time of the month again.  This all began with me when I was around 21 years old.  I think that makes it harder to bear sometimes because we feel we are so young, why should this happen.  Everyone has some cross to bear.....maybe if we look at it as "there go I but for the grace of God."  I know I can deal with all these feelings.....we have no choice and things could be worse.  Its nice to know this forum is here for when we need hope and help. mls

[ajax]

I am 24 years old and have a prolapsed mitral valve, a heart murmur and a small hole in the right atrium of my heart.  About 3 months ago I started with severe heartburn and the GP thought it was a ulcer.  I ended up in the ER for a full cardiac workup and everything was okay.  I continued with chest pain, I then went for a ECHO, everything looked great.  I started with palpitations had a holter monitor, everything was good.  I stopped the Protonix that I was on, and the palpitations ended.  I had palpitations that felt like a "butterfly" when I was tired, hungry and a bit anxious.  Nothing since then until today when I I had a quick "thump" of my heart and then a strange feeling in my throat. Of course I got nervous and that just worsens everything.  I totally avoid caffeine and alcohol.  It is 1 week before my menstral cycle and I wonder if that has anything to do with it?  Does anyone else feel this way?

[Brandon]

Jonathan,
       I'm pretty sure the nicotine in cigarettes can increase the skip beats.  Try not smoking and see if you feel any better.

[Jonathan]

I too have been having cases of PVCs especially at night.  Right when I am about to fall asleep, it feels like my heart has stopped and I jump up and have trouble breathing I get so worried about it.  It has been happening more during the day too.  Im 19 years old and last year I was diagnosed with Wolfe Parkinsons White syndrome but I never had any cases of extremely rapid heart beats.  I was put on an EKG, ECG, 24-hour heart monitor twice, a stress test and chest x-rays.  The cardiologists that I spoke with (2 total) never mentioned anything about PVCs.  Sometimes (during the day) they feel like very hard and slow beats coupled with a lightheaded feeling every now and then and sometimes its a little hard to breathe.  At night, like I said, its more of a skipping than anything. I used to take Zoloft for depression but I stopped taking it about 5 or 6 months ago, and have smoked for a little over a year now.  I was wondering if anyone knew if WPW was in any way related to the fact that I have been having bad cases of PVCs.  And also if smoking can make these feelings worse.  I almost feel as if I need to start taking the anti-depressant/anxiety medicine again to deal with these PVCs.  Any info would be much appreciated.

[ZEET]

I have been taking Toprol XL since september 1999. In 1993 my heart started racing one morning, and it would slow down after a couple of hours. It has done the same thing everday since. In 1998, this one day it didn't slow down. I also began to feel fluttering, also I began to feel like a extra beat or a hard beat, you feel it once then it gone. Sometimes it is mild, sometimes it is stronger. Once I notice when I was  speaking and this happend, and it was a strong one, my voice jumped for a split second, when this hard beat came. I also get like a flutter, then my heart is either beating real slow, sometimes at this point I may start to feel like I might pass out, I cough or do something with a quick motion, then the beating picks up, I sometimes feel a warm or hot feeling, then this episode is over.
This scares the hek out of me, because I always worry wonder if when I cough, my heart beat doesn't beat faster, will I pass out. I know alot of it is panic when this episode comes on, because no matter how often it happens, it is scary and it is not something I can get use to. The fast heart rate I hate, but I am almost used to that, but not this other thing. Does anyone know what these different arrythmias may be? Also, if I take Toprol for a long time (I dont now how long I may be on it) is it safe?
I have tried to post these questions to one of the doctors on this website for the past year,  but each day I try so many times, and I always get the same page that comes up and says, this forum is no longer taking questions today.
Thanks.