Palpitations/extrasystoles, any past or long term sufferers?
Discussion
I've had these for 5 weeks now every day and most of the day except for the first hour or two after waking. I can feel the extra hard beat in my heart every second or third beat and it makes me feel not quite with it with a slight throbbing in the head and back of neck. I also get a slight ache in my sternum.
I'm not under excess stress, have stopped coffee and only drink a little alcohol. I have had slightly elevated blood pressure in the past but now take 2.5 mg of Ramipril each day and it's fine.
I went to see my GP after 10 days of it and he gave me an urgent ECG and blood tests in the surgery which all came back normal apart from the ECG registering the extra systoles. The blood tests were TBC, Thyroid and Troponin and something else. So he just reassured me and told me to go back if it continued. It continued for another 10 days or so unabated so I went to see got to see a registrar at the surgery at short notice who after a long chat and listening to my heart decided the only course of action was to refer me to a cardiologist which will take some weeks apparently.
I'm currently on holiday in Thailand and it's detracting from the enjoyment and does give cause for concern.
Has anybody else suffered from long term palpitations without dropping dead following simple intervention or found them to disappear as suddenly as they arrived?
I'm not under excess stress, have stopped coffee and only drink a little alcohol. I have had slightly elevated blood pressure in the past but now take 2.5 mg of Ramipril each day and it's fine.
I went to see my GP after 10 days of it and he gave me an urgent ECG and blood tests in the surgery which all came back normal apart from the ECG registering the extra systoles. The blood tests were TBC, Thyroid and Troponin and something else. So he just reassured me and told me to go back if it continued. It continued for another 10 days or so unabated so I went to see got to see a registrar at the surgery at short notice who after a long chat and listening to my heart decided the only course of action was to refer me to a cardiologist which will take some weeks apparently.
I'm currently on holiday in Thailand and it's detracting from the enjoyment and does give cause for concern.
Has anybody else suffered from long term palpitations without dropping dead following simple intervention or found them to disappear as suddenly as they arrived?
Another here. Had them for years. Passed out twice from them and have the extra beats every single day. Had 2 procedures and nothing could be done. Cueenrly changing Diego to help it, a have a recorder implanted in my chest in case of another blackout.
Don't stress about it too much and tr to enjoy your holiday. I find tem completely random BUT being relaxed seems to help.
I understand its pretty common these days too.
Don't stress about it too much and tr to enjoy your holiday. I find tem completely random BUT being relaxed seems to help.
I understand its pretty common these days too.
Yep, also started getting these in about 2006. At the time I was pretty fit, a normal weight, no illnesses or pre-existing medical conditions. Had never had any cardio problems before, and I had been well aware of what my heart was always doing through my running training.
I always used a HRM for training, but after a while, you get used to feeling your heart working in your chest anyway, and the rate of rhythm. I could give you an accurate pulse reading right now, just sitting down, without having to feel an artery - I can easily feel it and my pulse, because I have got so tuned into it over the years. My BP is still pretty normal.
However, back then I WAS conducting a fairly 'high-stress life' work-wise, which included a monster commute, shift work and many long hours / night shifts and strange sleeping patterns.
I started to suffer exactly the same type of symptoms you describe. An investigation and ECG showed up an arrhythmia called 'right bundle-branch block'. This is a relatively minor heart-block of the electrical conduction pathway, lower down in the heart, between the two ventricles. It means that when the heart beats (or de-polarises) the signal doesn't reach the right ventricle through the normal pathway, and only contracts a fraction after the left ventricle, when it receives a residual signal from the left side.
The 'thump' you feel in your chest is because you are occasionally getting an incomplete de-polarisation across the whole muscle, which means that your heart does not eject the complete amount of systemic blood from the left ventricle's incomplete beat; hence the next beat has to eject a larger amount of blood (this is known as a higher cardiac pre-load), which you feel as a bit of a thump in your chest. However, if you're generally fit and well, this doesn't necessarily impinge upon the important measurement of total blood flow, or 'Cardiac Output.'
My Doctor and the Consultant Cardiologist weren't that bothered at the time, and their lack of panic combined with my own research on the issue, has resulted in me basically ignoring it, not worrying about it, and I don't generally notice it now after 8 odd years.
It only really flares up for me when I get stressed, or drink a lot of alcohol, or go without proper sleep for a few days. It is definitely stress-related, as are a lot of these types of arrhythmias. But often the prognosis for life is basically as normal, with the usual advice to exercise, drink enough fluids, eat well, get enough sleep, avoid alcohol (which I don't at all
) and above all try and avoid too much stress.
Anyway, I've been training to be a medical clinician now for the past couple of years, so I now regularly have contact with many patients presenting with, or living with, similar symptoms to you and I. So I have also seen both how common it is, and how easily it can be managed. Plus the fact that it generally doesn't cause any long-term issues. When you've seen and interpreted as many ECG's as I have so far, you quickly get an idea about what is a major concern, and what is of no consequence, or just normal for the patient. I've seen quite a few 'abnormal' looking ECG's at first glance, which turn out to be normal for that patient. So if your ECG didn't even show up anything as abnormal, then I might suggest that initially, there's no major worries to be had so far.
I hope this helps a bit to manage your concerns? However, as always, I should stress that I am both a trainee clinician, and just someone on the internet. I am a billion miles away from being a Doctor, let alone a Cardiologist - so do continue to follow up those appointments, and if you're still not happy - then keep on making yourself a nuisance.
In my own personal experience - if the Doc sees a normal ECG and a normal blood test (i.e. electrolytes normal, no elevated Troponin levels etc.) then they will just 'shoo' you out of the door, and put you down as a hyperchondriac! So unless you're completely satisfied, don't be pushed away easily.
HTH and let us know how you get on
I always used a HRM for training, but after a while, you get used to feeling your heart working in your chest anyway, and the rate of rhythm. I could give you an accurate pulse reading right now, just sitting down, without having to feel an artery - I can easily feel it and my pulse, because I have got so tuned into it over the years. My BP is still pretty normal.
However, back then I WAS conducting a fairly 'high-stress life' work-wise, which included a monster commute, shift work and many long hours / night shifts and strange sleeping patterns.
I started to suffer exactly the same type of symptoms you describe. An investigation and ECG showed up an arrhythmia called 'right bundle-branch block'. This is a relatively minor heart-block of the electrical conduction pathway, lower down in the heart, between the two ventricles. It means that when the heart beats (or de-polarises) the signal doesn't reach the right ventricle through the normal pathway, and only contracts a fraction after the left ventricle, when it receives a residual signal from the left side.
The 'thump' you feel in your chest is because you are occasionally getting an incomplete de-polarisation across the whole muscle, which means that your heart does not eject the complete amount of systemic blood from the left ventricle's incomplete beat; hence the next beat has to eject a larger amount of blood (this is known as a higher cardiac pre-load), which you feel as a bit of a thump in your chest. However, if you're generally fit and well, this doesn't necessarily impinge upon the important measurement of total blood flow, or 'Cardiac Output.'
My Doctor and the Consultant Cardiologist weren't that bothered at the time, and their lack of panic combined with my own research on the issue, has resulted in me basically ignoring it, not worrying about it, and I don't generally notice it now after 8 odd years.
It only really flares up for me when I get stressed, or drink a lot of alcohol, or go without proper sleep for a few days. It is definitely stress-related, as are a lot of these types of arrhythmias. But often the prognosis for life is basically as normal, with the usual advice to exercise, drink enough fluids, eat well, get enough sleep, avoid alcohol (which I don't at all
) and above all try and avoid too much stress. Anyway, I've been training to be a medical clinician now for the past couple of years, so I now regularly have contact with many patients presenting with, or living with, similar symptoms to you and I. So I have also seen both how common it is, and how easily it can be managed. Plus the fact that it generally doesn't cause any long-term issues. When you've seen and interpreted as many ECG's as I have so far, you quickly get an idea about what is a major concern, and what is of no consequence, or just normal for the patient. I've seen quite a few 'abnormal' looking ECG's at first glance, which turn out to be normal for that patient. So if your ECG didn't even show up anything as abnormal, then I might suggest that initially, there's no major worries to be had so far.
I hope this helps a bit to manage your concerns? However, as always, I should stress that I am both a trainee clinician, and just someone on the internet. I am a billion miles away from being a Doctor, let alone a Cardiologist - so do continue to follow up those appointments, and if you're still not happy - then keep on making yourself a nuisance.
In my own personal experience - if the Doc sees a normal ECG and a normal blood test (i.e. electrolytes normal, no elevated Troponin levels etc.) then they will just 'shoo' you out of the door, and put you down as a hyperchondriac! So unless you're completely satisfied, don't be pushed away easily.
HTH and let us know how you get on
Thank you for that great input Ray. It continues unabated. I got up at 5.20 yesterday heading for three appointments in Surrey/Berkshire. By the time I got to the bottom of the M40 after 2 hours drive I was really thinking about phoning my first two appointments to say I was feeling too unwell to attend. It was that intrusive. However it eased a bit once I got close to the first appointment and I knew I was on time.
However that was an unusual day, I mostly sit in my office at home running a mostly low stress e-commerce business, though it does have its moments ensuring I fulfil the larger more demanding orders. I have certainly encountered a great deal of stress in past years in business, divorce and the death of both parents late last year within 12 weeks of each other. Perhaps there is a cumulative delayed effect.
Yesterday evening it was so bad, every beat or two, and I was feeling so unwell that my partner was insisting she took me to A&E. However I declined and it's OK this morning sitting at my desk at home.
I have an appointment with the cardio-respiratory people at the hospital next Tuesday the 16th though I wish it was today. It all takes so long. I do worry that long term damage is being caused to valves by having this taking place several hours a day.
I could send you an ECG taken at the GP's surgery if you like
However that was an unusual day, I mostly sit in my office at home running a mostly low stress e-commerce business, though it does have its moments ensuring I fulfil the larger more demanding orders. I have certainly encountered a great deal of stress in past years in business, divorce and the death of both parents late last year within 12 weeks of each other. Perhaps there is a cumulative delayed effect.
Yesterday evening it was so bad, every beat or two, and I was feeling so unwell that my partner was insisting she took me to A&E. However I declined and it's OK this morning sitting at my desk at home.
I have an appointment with the cardio-respiratory people at the hospital next Tuesday the 16th though I wish it was today. It all takes so long. I do worry that long term damage is being caused to valves by having this taking place several hours a day.
I could send you an ECG taken at the GP's surgery if you like
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