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Heart skips beats
I am a 27 year old female who has recently, in just the past 3 months started with heart palpitations. I have an aunt on my mothers side who has heart palpitations and my grandfather on my mothers side died of a heart attack. I have no insurance so I don't know if I need to see a Dr. or if this is normal. About every 2 to 3 days I start out of nowhere with a heartbeat that skips around the 9th to 13th beat. After the skip I get a tightness then a heart beat in the lower front part of my neck where it connects to my body. This can go on for hours or even last through my sleep. I do get lightheaded sometimes and suffer with headaches fairly often. I don't know if they are related or if the Stacker 3 diet pills may be the cause. I just passed a kidney stone so I have felt really tired lately and felt as if I couldn't get enough sleep. Again, I don't know if the feeling that I am fatigued may be related to the heart issue. A nurse that knows my mother told her that it may be acid reflux but I feel that this may be unlikely because I started taking previcid and I am still experiencing the heart skipping. I checked my pulse as the skipping just stopped again and noticed that it is at 105. What should I do and will the ER see me if this is needed without insurance? Sometimes I get so worried that I think that I could go to sleep and not wake up because of this and I debate making a will. I do suffer from anxiety and this situation is not helping.
Best Answer
No one can say for certain what you have but it sounds like you very well may have pacs or pvcs. The sound isolated enough to not be considered a danger. In an otherwise healthy heart isolated pvcs or pacs are generally of no consequence to your overall health. Even runs of them that do not sustain for longer than 30 seconds are not considered a danger in an otherwise healthy heart. Stomach issues and stress will definitely make these extra beats flare up. Though you may be taking the prevacid it may not completely eliminate the issue. These extra beats are not generally linked with classic clogged artery heart attacks but the fact that you do have a family member you did have heart trouble and you are experiencing symptoms it might be prudent to get yourself evaluated to ensure your heart is indeed healthy. If it is healthy and what you are experiencing is not causing major issue with your ability to function, shortness of breath, dizziness, or passing out, then it is likely you will not need to do much more than work on your stress levels. But again, if you may want to get yourself checked out by a doctor to gain some peace of mind that you will likely not die in your sleep from this. If you choose to go to an ER, they generally will just check you to make sure you life is not in imminent danger. It is probably best to go when you are symptomatic but for a full work up you will need to see your GP and or a cardiologist. If it makes you feel any better there are a lot of people on this forum who get the ectopics beats like yourself so you are not alone. I get them everyday and get them stronger when I am stressed and after I eat and was told I have nothing to worry about. But getting checked out to make sure you at least have a baseline of good health is a wise idea because only a doctor can really sign off on your health. Take care and keep us posted on how you are doing.
Hello Xena,
I would see a Cardiologist to ease my mind. If you don't have access to one through insurance, then yes I would use the ER as a means of being evaluated. It sounds to me like with your symptoms of lightheadedness, tightness following the skipped beat and pressure in your throat, you may be experiencing PVCs or preventricular contractions. PVCs are beats of the heart that can be benign in most folks but can causes problems for some. Considering your family history (which is very important here) and symptoms, I think you're more than justified to be seen by a professional for a true clinical evaluation. I would write down a short list of symptoms and concerns to take with you. Walking into an ER is so intimidating and it's easy to blank out when giving your information.
I hope you feel better soon and wish you the best. Take care.
Marell
I would see a Cardiologist to ease my mind. If you don't have access to one through insurance, then yes I would use the ER as a means of being evaluated. It sounds to me like with your symptoms of lightheadedness, tightness following the skipped beat and pressure in your throat, you may be experiencing PVCs or preventricular contractions. PVCs are beats of the heart that can be benign in most folks but can causes problems for some. Considering your family history (which is very important here) and symptoms, I think you're more than justified to be seen by a professional for a true clinical evaluation. I would write down a short list of symptoms and concerns to take with you. Walking into an ER is so intimidating and it's easy to blank out when giving your information.
I hope you feel better soon and wish you the best. Take care.
Marell
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