For the past several months, I've noticed my heart skip a beat sometimes. Or, it feels that way anyway. It's just a half of a second, and then the very next beat, it beats harder, faster and louder. I almost feel like a thud in my chest and my face gets kind of warm and I almost feel a very slight loss of breath. It happens with exertion and also while at rest. This fluttering feeling has caused me to actually take my pulse when it happens, and I do feel my heart beat "pause". When I told the doctor this, he recommended a Holter Monitor. I wore it for 24 hours and I was instructed to write down any "skipped" beats that I noticed and the exact time as to when I noticed them. I did this. When I got the report back, it stated: "Patient was in normal sinus throughout the study. There were 9 premature ventricular contractions and 4 atrial contractions. There was no atrial fibrillation, though the patient reports skipped beats. She was in sinus rhythm with a rate of 80 and 95 respectively." When I asked my doctor about this, she said that the "skipped" beats were not from my heart's electrical system because they were not picked up by the Holter. I asked about the PVCs and PACs, and my doctor said I didn't even feel them because I never wrote anything down when they occurred, and that everybody gets these. I feel confused. How can my heart's "electrical system" NOT pick up the skipped beat, when I physically take my pulse when it happens and actually feel it being skipped? I guess I don't understand. Apparently I do not have a heart problem because I had a bunch of tests, including a transcatheter procedure, where a cardiologist actually went INSIDE my heart by going through a vein in my groin area to take a look at things. He said my heart looks fine. Perhaps these "skipped" beats are from anxiety? Has anyone experienced this? I am scared to death to do anything. I don't want to exercise, I don't want to laugh too hard, I don't want to exert myself in anyway for fear of my heart stopping. I am trying to get over the fact that nothing is wrong, but why am I feeling these?
Posts: 11 | Location: New Hampshire | Registered: September 05, 2007
I was having some heart skippy beats over summer. I had some blood tests and then a cardiac stress test with high contrast ultra sound. Nothing! According to the cardiologist I had a very fine, healthy normal functioning heart. I had MORE in depth blood test to find my anxiety symptoms were explained by my thyroid problem (Hashimoto's to be exact) and having adrenal fatigue from taking prednisone for another issue. I am on thyroid meds and no heart skippys, no trouble breathing, NOTHING!
I also had the SAME symptoms several years back and it ALL was anxiety. Like you, I could not accept that "nothing was wrong" and ran up a $20K bill to be certain. It may just be anxiety. I would ask your doctor about the thyroid thing and adrenal thing as both can cause anxiety symptoms. Worth a check!
"Afterall, everybody only hears what he understands." by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Posts: 2628 | Location: Chicago West Suburbs | Registered: November 13, 2005
I have the heart racing Plapitations my heart rate going to almost 190 and I didnt have this really till I started take Xanax but now can not get off xanax less I take a beta blocker but the doctors all say its severe anxiety My only thing is my fear of taking medication of any kind because of the severe side effects now they are wanting to put me on lexpro in able for me to get off the xanax but the heart palpitations ( skipping heart beat ) and racing heart is anxiety and this is causing me to have severe panic attacks
Posts: 53 | Location: texas | Registered: December 10, 2006
Stress was the factor when I went through a divorce and noticed the skipped heart beats. Went to a Cardiologist and he did an echocardiagram which told me that I had MVP. Apparently I was born with it though never diagnosed until this event and I was 30+ years old. It's no big deal and I am learning to recognise and relax the stress symptoms before it gets hold of me. If your issues are stressed based keep working the Program and you will probably have fewer and fewer of them as you gain control over your responses to life's stressors.
Posts: 172 | Location: San Diego, California | Registered: April 27, 2007
Tornado I would think that xanax would lower your heart rate. What is it normally? What batablocker do you take and do you have any side effects from it?
Im not on any beta blocker right now they are wanting me to take atenolol 25 miligram but I have been on the xanax for over 2 years the same miligram the whole 2 years and the xanax alone is making me very depressed and yes the xanax does slow the heart rate down but when it wears off the heart rate picks back up and I just feel really bad and sluggish since I have been on this xanax but they are wanting me to take atenolol to also help with my Bp cause it is staying so high in between my times I dont take the xanx
Posts: 80 | Location: texas | Registered: May 12, 2007
sorry hit the wrong button rebka I know xanax is to be lowering the heart rate but I have been on xanax for 3 years and I have been on a .5 xanax the same mg for 3 years so its really not working on me its just taking the edge off and Im not on any beta blockers Im not on any meds but xanax the doctor said he would like to see me off the xanax but I have been on it 3 years and it is really causing me severe severe depression and Im housebound now and the doc told me in order for me to be able to get off the xanx Im going to have to take Lexpro or an anti depressent to be able to get off it the heart doctor wants me to get on a beta blocker because in between the hours Im not taking the xanax and its wearing off and sine I am ammune to the mgs now my heart goes to racing and skipping beats Im just scared to death to try any other meds of any kind because of the way xanax has done me and doing me
Posts: 53 | Location: texas | Registered: December 10, 2006
Originally posted by kristymay_c: For the past several months, I've noticed my heart skip a beat sometimes. Or, it feels that way anyway. It's just a half of a second, and then the very next beat, it beats harder, faster and louder. I almost feel like a thud in my chest and my face gets kind of warm and I almost feel a very slight loss of breath. It happens with exertion and also while at rest. This fluttering feeling has caused me to actually take my pulse when it happens, and I do feel my heart beat "pause". When I told the doctor this, he recommended a Holter Monitor. I wore it for 24 hours and I was instructed to write down any "skipped" beats that I noticed and the exact time as to when I noticed them. I did this. When I got the report back, it stated: "Patient was in normal sinus throughout the study. There were 9 premature ventricular contractions and 4 atrial contractions. There was no atrial fibrillation, though the patient reports skipped beats. She was in sinus rhythm with a rate of 80 and 95 respectively." When I asked my doctor about this, she said that the "skipped" beats were not from my heart's electrical system because they were not picked up by the Holter. I asked about the PVCs and PACs, and my doctor said I didn't even feel them because I never wrote anything down when they occurred, and that everybody gets these. I feel confused. How can my heart's "electrical system" NOT pick up the skipped beat, when I physically take my pulse when it happens and actually feel it being skipped? I guess I don't understand. Apparently I do not have a heart problem because I had a bunch of tests, including a transcatheter procedure, where a cardiologist actually went INSIDE my heart by going through a vein in my groin area to take a look at things. He said my heart looks fine. Perhaps these "skipped" beats are from anxiety? Has anyone experienced this? I am scared to death to do anything. I don't want to exercise, I don't want to laugh too hard, I don't want to exert myself in anyway for fear of my heart stopping. I am trying to get over the fact that nothing is wrong, but why am I feeling these?
i woke up in the middle of the night about a week and a half ago with my heart beating really hard and fast out of nowhere and ended up in the er. they put me on the holter monitor. i have not got hte results yet. i will get these kinda flutters in my chest like you were talking about and so does my mom. when i was in the hospital on the monitor i was having them and it wasn't on there. but i think it is from my allergies and conjestion in my chest so it could that. i am kinda afraid to do too much with my rapid heart rate. i haven't worked out since the night it happened and i am worried about it all the time i am taking effexor and xanax. the xanax does seem to help a little i am on .25mg. i am with you on being afraid to do things. i am going to the cape this weekend with some girlfriends and hope that nothing wierd happens. good luck and try to stay positive.
Posts: 73 | Location: New Hampshire | Registered: November 05, 2006
Hi Kristy, I get the skipped beats all the time, sometimes one after another and I get so worried and sometimes my chest will hurt. I now realize that is from my muscles tensing up.
I had a holter monitor done, and numerous EKG's and an echocardiogram, all normal. Some of the skipped beats showed up on the holter, but on the EKG's....NONE! I feel them too, but I wonder if I am having as many as I think I am, or if it is just an irregular heart rate?
I am on atenolol, just a small dose for my fast heart rate, and since I started on it, I may feel a few skipped beats during the day. I only take 12.5mg daily and it controls my occaisional bp spikes too. Doesn't seem to bother me, like some of the other drugs have. Don't be afraid to exercise, start slow, the exercise actually helps the skipped beats. I just joined a yoga group and I start tonight too.
Trina
Posts: 110 | Location: Michigan | Registered: October 04, 2007
I have had them for quite a while but very randomly. Tonight I was just sitting at my computer and feeling just fine all of a sudden right out of the blue wham I got some it seemed like 6 or 7 beats it did it for I was really freakin out. Then I got the adrenalin rush and everything else that happens with this. It was just weird that I felt fine then it just hit me. Now of course I am a bundle of nerves just sitting here typing and listening to my heart beat waiting for it to happen again. I have been to the doctor for this when I was a kid and everything checked out fine. I havn't been since for this specifically but I have had some check-ups and such. I dunno it really freaks me out when it happens like that. I did just recently give up caffeine and I was laid off last week so maybe I'm just under more stress than I feel like I'm under. Any advice or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.
D'Angelo
Posts: 2 | Location: Van Nuys,Ca | Registered: October 18, 2007
I too get the skipped heart beats or premature heart beats. It started when I was about 19 and I am 30 now. When I first noticed it I went to the dr.'s and was told I was having premature heart beats. I asked the dr. if I could die from it and he told me YES. I soon became totally housebound for a year for fear of it happening when I was out and then thinking "what if I die at the store or while I'm driving because of it?" It did go away when I was pregnant, but I feel them again since having my second daughter. I too wore a 24hr halter monitor and it showed no skipped beats(I didn't really feel any that day). I saw a cardiologist and he too said that what I was describing was PVC. He said I do not have MVP. When I told him what the other dr. told me years ago about it being something that could kill me, he immediately apologized saying that dr. was totally wrong in saying that to me. He told me it was pretty common and that I could go on a beta blocker. I refused the meds because I am totally AFRAID of taking medications. Every time it happens I get the rush of adrenalin and then the panic attack. I can spend hours checking my pulse waiting to see if it will happen again. I am a single mom of two and I don't want to freak my kids out. I'm scared of being alone in case it happens and doesn't stop and I need someone to call 911. I'm scared to go out and extremely scared to exercise. I feel so trapped and at the end of my rope sometimes trying to deal with everything alone. My family just cannot truly understand what I go through.
Hello Bri, Honey, I totally understand, and please don't think anything bad will happen to you. Take it from my experience. The more you focus on them, the more you will have them. So as hard as it is, stop thinking about them and focus on something else. Mine are all but gone now, with occaisional ones here and there. I am a nurse, with background in cardiac disorders and this is pretty common in women especially. I have found mine are tied into any shift in my hormones, like my period coming on. So, I keep busy, exercise helps too. Go for walks or lift light weights while you watch tv, or use an exercise bike. I also take yoga, which has helped tremendously. Feel free to write to me anytime! My name is Trina. You will be just fine, don't worry!
Posts: 110 | Location: Michigan | Registered: October 04, 2007
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