Hello,
Please, if you are still on this site, message me. I have some information I would like to share with you regarding an illness I was diagnosed with last year. Your complaints sound so similar to mine, and I was misdiagnosed for six years. Who knows -- I may be able to help, hopefully.
Thanks, and best regards,
Brandi
I do know what you mean when they get going really bad that it just feels like your heart is all over the place. I am with achillea. Really do what you need to do to try and work through stress and anxiety. Find some books, research online, see a therapist if it feels right. If you can figure out how to let go of control of the things in your life that you really can't control you may find that your stress goes down and your ectopics go down as well. I might also suggest trying to give yourself a good coughing fit when it seems like the little buggers get caught up in a flurry. I do think like an svt the ectopic beats can get kind of stuck as well so see if you can disrupt them some way and get them to stop. But make sure you do your best to also center and steady your breathing as much as possible. Calming your breathing down can work wonders to calm the heart down. Well I wish you much luck as you navigate your life and taking care of your dad. It is tough when loved ones get sick but just remember to take it one day at a time or even just one hour at a time and maybe the overwhelm feelings won't feel so overwhelming. Take care and stay strong.
"but I suffer from the darn palps. I have them EVERY SINGLE DAY. some days worse, much worse than others. I take Metoprolol to try to eliminate some of them.. and Enalapril both used also for blood pressure. I have xanax for the anxiety. But I am so TIRED of the palps every day. Some days they are minimal...but then I get on a roll with them, and they are relentless...I try to lay down to sleep, and its skipping and jumping...I just feel like any moment will be the last beat. What a way to live, huh? "
We may have discussed this before, but during 'bouts' of these things, I have close to 5K per day. As you say, it's nerve-wracking, but we both understand (right?) that after so many exams, our lives are not in danger.
I always say that it's a matter of going to the right doctor for a problem. If we have bone and joint issues, we go to an orthopedist or a rheumatologist. If it's cancer, we go to an oncologist. And if it's fear, then we go to a nice shrink, who will find a way to help us control the fear, even if we cannot control the extrasystoles.
This approach helped me get my life--and the pleasure in my life--back. If you have not tried it, I recommend it. A warning, I guess: Some medication may be required, and ironically, for those who have a fear of medication, medication MAY be necessary. ;-)
For those totally opposed to any meds, a lovely and cheap little old paperback by Dr. Claire Weekes might be helpful. It's titled "Hope and Help for Your Nerves." She provides info about the physiology of these odd heartbeats as well as little mental exercises to deal with them.