Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Heart paused for 3 Seconds twice today.

so to give a little backround i have had Skipped beats for about 3 months now, my Haulter monitor picked up about 1,200 missed beats in a day...   i have had almost every heart test you could possibly imagine, multiple EKG's  Echocardiogram, Haulter monitor, 30 day event monitor, Stress test,   my Cardiologist told me "yep you have a minor heart murmur but you should be able to lead a healthy life" and told me to come back to see him after 3 months,  well i took what he said as a relief and stopped worrying about my Skipped beats, but while i was sitting at my computer today i felt it skip in my chest and instinctively checked my wrist,   i felt several beats followed by a Long 3 second pause, i thought i was gonna die , then i felt a very Hard uncomfortable Beat and then my heart rate went back to normal,  this happened again while i was driving my Car i felt a Hard beat... pause ________  and then back to normal, does anyone who's reading this think i should go back to my Cardiologist and tell him?   im starting to think maybe i may have something serious and my Haulter or Event monitor never picked up whats going on with me..   AGAIN  MY EKG'S CARDIOGRAMS AND STRESS TEST CAME UP CLEAN....   so i think if there was something seriously wrong it would have picked it up..   im just scared that next time it pauses its gonna stop for good and im gonna be home alone or something and pass out because im a college student who lives home and have a single parent that works 12 hours a day..

also my skipped beats have gotten way Worse probably feel a skipped beat every 15th or so normal beat.. sometimes in clusters of 3 or 4 at a time..    i have also had my Bloodwork Done multiple times both in and out of the Hospital      (before i went to a cardiologist i went to the er every time i felt skipped beats and they didnt do **** but give me an EKG and send me on my way )  
7 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal

First, it is a Holter Monitor, named after a scientist named Norman Holter.

Second, even though you and I and others are totally freaked by numbers like these, 1200 extrasystoles (funny beats) in a 24 hour period is nothing, My heart is structurally normal. I run about 5k per day, and no doc, on seeing my EKG, even turns a hair.

What you are describing sounds lie the classic PVC, or premature ventricular contraction, one of the minor but very  common irregular beats that everyone--everyone--experiences. The interesting thing is that not everyone feels them.

To be more sure, we need to know your age and family history, but the odds are that are you are experiencing this quite normal phenomenon, which is disturbing but not dangerous.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm 20 years old healthy weight 215 6'00 tall no history of heart arryhtmia in my family
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My pause lasted 3 seconds I counted 3 mississipii
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Since you are young, your weight is generally OK, your family history is clean, and your heart has been tested several ways and found to be in good shape, then what you are experiencing and describing is probably harmless but scary premature ventricular contractions.  Everyone--that is, *everyone*--gets them, but not everyone feels them.  Those of us who do can become needlessly frightened or even obsessed by them.

This is what happens in a PVC:
Every heart cell is naturally contractile; that means that each little bitty heart cell is perfectly capable of contracting all by itself.  By common consent, however, they 'agree' to contract at the rate of the fastest cell in the heart, the 'Pacemaker.'  That agreement determines our basic heart rate.

However, each cell still has the capacity to contract on its own, and for some reason not yet understood, this does happen in perfectly normal hearts.  A few cells 'decide' to fire off when they want to, causing the heart to beat a little earlier than usual.

But the chambers of the heart are elastic, and when there's an early beat, the chambers haven't had a chance to get a huge fill-up.  As a result, the 'premature ventricular contraction' is weak.  Generally, it is so faint that you cannot feel it with your finger on your pulse.

After any heartbeat, there is a natural pause while the heart's electrical system re-sets itself, and when there has been a PVC, that natural pause is just a tiny bit longer.  That faint, early beat PLUS the pause that follows are what you perceiving as your heart 'pausing.' In a sense, that is what it happening, but it's not 'stopping.'  That pause allows the heart to get a somewhat larger than usual fill-up, and the normal heartbeat that follows is a big, strong BOOM!  

The BOOM is what most people feel and what frightens them.  But it's just the heart doing its usual job, which is pumping out all the blood it receives.

The sensation is disturbing to people with very sensitive nerves, but it is not harmful when the heart is healthy.  It becomes a matter of understanding and accepting that, which can be difficult.  Some of us here have benefited from psychotherapy and medical treatment of our anxiety about this matter.

There is a good online explanation of PVCs and other weird heart sensations.  Just copy this into your google search box:

cardiology/forums/backup/topic-24286.html

and look for John Kenyon's answers to the discussion, " Do PVCs lead to v-tach?"
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for the very informative response.

I very frequently feel my PVCs and its only scaring me because the pauses I'm feeling are getting longer and longer and I also get pain in my chest when the PVCs come in clusters

I get them in clusters when I get up quickly to go do something or when my heart rate is slowing down from excersize I also get them when my heart is beating fast during excersize I'll feel my heart pounding in excersize and the pause and start again and that makes me out of breath

I've been scared to excersize like I used to before I started having arryhtmia for this reason
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
First, it is important--very important--to understand what is going on.  It is NORMAL, perfectly normal, for you to feel more of these when your heart is slowing down after exercise.

Even though it is hard to take information in when you are worried, I urge you to read what's in the link I gave you.  Again and again, until you get it.

Second, the more worried you are, the more adrenaline you generate and the more frequent these odd beats are going to be.  Fear is your worst enemy.  

From the health standpoint, given that your heart is healthy, about the worst thing you can do is to stop exercising.  You are not an invalid.  The problem is that you feel these beats more intensely than is warranted.  They mean nothing.  It is like a hiccup of the heart.

I strongly suggest that you return to your doctor and tell him that your anxiety over your ectopic heartbeats is interfering with your life.  Ask him for a referral to a psychiatrist who deals with this kind of thing.  I have found that the shortest route to reclaiming a healthy, normal life is talking with a good shrink and maybe using a low dose of an anti-anxiety drug like Zoloft plus maybe a small amount of Xanax to get you over the hump until the Zoloft kicks in, which takes about two weeks to a month.

You do not have to live like this.  The hardest part is picking up the phone and making that first appointment with a shrink.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
So I forgot to mention when my heart starts to beat irregular I get really lightheaded and out of breath

The best way I could describe the arrythmis is
Thump thump thump th__________thump thump______thump thump THUMP THUMP THUMP.   And then back to normal
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Heart Rhythm Community

Top Arrhythmias Answerers
1807132 tn?1318743597
Chicago, IL
1423357 tn?1511085442
Central, MA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Salt in food can hurt your heart.
Get answers to your top questions about this common — but scary — symptom
How to know when chest pain may be a sign of something else
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.