skipped heartbeats.

[roberttt]

hi, i'm 47 and when i was around 22 i was jogging and had a sharp pain in the center of my chest. ever since then ive had skipped heartbeats off and on. i don't have high b/p i don't drink. i do smoke but not heavy. had an ekg and they said it was ok. i've been having them again for about 4 months. i get dizzy sometimes. fatigue. i've gained alittle weight but have had them when i was thin. i don't need to be told about the smoking. have had them when i wasn't smoking. never had them before that day i was jogging 25 years ago. don't want to make a big deal i've lived this long with it. just wondering if i could have done damage to my heart in anyway. i realize i need further tests to determine that. i'm asking because of how they started. i don't want to get involved with anything if it's not necessary. any advice would be appreciated.

[is_something_wrong]

Premature beats are often "set off" by something scary that we relate to the heart. When that happens, we start focusing on the heart, along with an increase in stress hormones that provoke more of them.

I can, by 100% certainty, guarantee that you had premature (skipped) beats before the day you are referring to.. But you probably didn't notice them, you didn't focus on them or you didn't even know what they were. They can be mistaken for some gas, a burp, movements in the stomach, etc.

If you have had this for 25 years, you know it's not dangerous (else you wouldn't have been writing this..), but as they are bothersome, I would make a little investment in some cardiac testing. If all tests are fine, maybe it will be easier to lose attention to your premature beats..

[roberttt]

thanks for taking the time to respond. i agree that having them checked out would be a good idea. like you said i don't think the really know either. many people have died suddenly from heart faliure and we don't know what they were feeling. i'm not worried they are just fustrating. i'm 47 now and never really had a real workup just an ekg. the past 2 day's i didn't have any and know i'm having them pretty hard. i'll set something up in the near future. thanks again. Robert.

[MichelleP_3811]

Yeah, from what I have been told they really only intervene if a person is have somewhere around 20,000 a day.  Other than that we are pretty much left to learn how to cope on our own.  But the bottom line is the medical community does not deem them as important or a threat to your health.  That said, if they are worse then they use to be and you haven't had a work up of your heart in a number of years it may be a good idea to just go and get checked out.  Just for peace of mind which it sounds like you plan to do that anyways so goo luck.  I smoked for 25 years, absolutely adored it but got to a point where I had to quit but I did ask my cardiologist and he did not seem to think that smoking caused the pvcs. To be honest I am not totally sure they really know.  There is some literature that believes they are actually a safety device for the heart to ensure the blood gets properly processed.  In any event, they are nothing to worry about.   But yeah, go get checked out if you haven't yet just to be sure.  Take care.

[roberttt]

thanks for taking time to respond. i've done alot of research on my own and they say everyone has them and sometimes you don't even know it. it's just before that day i never had them. but i have gone for long periods without feeling any. i don't jog anymore but i have many times since then and never had a problem. i probably should have a stress test and an echo done. you're right they say good luck. my doctor doesn't seemed concerned. if it does stop i don't have anything to worry about.lol. take care.

[dolphin8808]

Done damage to your heart by jogging?

I would think not, but I am not a doctor. If you have skipped beats though, it is worth getting checked out. Just to make sure it is benign and you never know, there could be a medicine or something they can give you to prevent it in the future. If anything, for peace of mind.

Many of us who suffer from funky beats, well they just start out of the blue. I remember one day just waking up, getting my coffee and BAM, they hit me. No reason and ever since then I have been living with them. I got the full heart work up a year ago and that came back good, so... they said good luck! lol