Irregular heartbeats

[CathyA]

I have been plagued with these for about 20 years. When I was in my early 40's, I developed alot of "ectopy" (irregular heartbeats) right before dinner and it would fade away as the evening progressed. I had testing, but it was all normal.

Then it started up alot again in my 50's and I got tested and all was fine.

Now recently, its going crazy again. Seems to happen alot in the Fall. I'm thinking it has something to do with FSH levels or GERD. Its hard to believe that its caffeine, since I drink so little each day.......but maybe I'm just super sensitive to it.
Anyone else have some of these benign irregular heartbeats? Since its been a couple years since I was tested, I'm a little worried about them. But I have no other symptoms, other than hot flashes...........no weakness, nausea, etc. I'm getting really tired of it, even if it is benign.
I take calcium and magnesium supplements and have for many years.
Anyone else so sensitive to caffeine that you just can't have any, or you'll get irregular beats?
Thanks.

[Frugalifec]

YES! I have had them on and off all my life. They last for about a minute and I can physically feel my heart beating irregularly (kind of like a fish flopping around in the bottom of the boat). When I was about 25 I stopped caffeine just to see how it would affect me. After about a month of zero caffeine the issue went pretty much away. I rarely have them now and almost always when I do, can associate it to caffeine usage in the last few days. I now reserve caffeine usage for emergency only times when falling asleep could be dangerous (driving). I've talked to several doctors over the years and they say it's not a big deal, it happens to everyone and maybe I'm just more perceptive of it. It's never been associated with any kind of panic or impending doom feelings, just an odd feeling. So I just avoid coffee and it's not really an issue.

[lmerullo]

Anyone else have some of these benign irregular heartbeats?

No, but dh has just been diagnosed with SVT - which is not benign. He had a lovely (insert sarcasm smiley) three day hospital stay to back it up. In hindsight, he had been having episodes for years and had earlier put it down to too much sugar causing a racing heartbeat. One time in particular, he had two pieces of cake with icecream (birthday celebration) and was up all night with the racing heart.

So, having noticed the connection for my dh to past diet intake, the doc put him on a low glycemic diet. He is much improved, and feels his blood sugar is more stable than at any other point in his life.

Since you first noticed it before dinner, could yours also have some dietary tie-in? Also, with the seasonal differences, do you eat more fresh foods in the summer, and then transition to more processed stuff in the fall? Just a thought.

Of course, I'm not a doctor - but I would think since this is something that is of concern to you, another check with your physician would be in order - especially when it's happening if possible.

[bae]

I get PVCs if I consume too much caffeine *and* am under stress at the same time. Since I was about 25.

I can handle stress or caffeine fine, just not together.

[Rosemary]

Also get PVCs here, and I've linked them to:
- insufficient sleep
- caffeine
- stress
- reflux
- diet. I don't get them when I'm off sugar, dairy, and wheat, but I've not been able to determine which specifically might cause them.

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone. Even when they are benign they are pretty scary.
I've been wondering if my cpap treatment isn't working as well, although my numbers are still pretty much the same.
I really think its my hormone fluctuations because I had a migraine aura yesterday, and that's usually always present with hormone fluctuations.
I've been in menopause for 7 years, but I think there are some of us who just take forever to get completely through it. My hormones have always messed everything up when they fluctuate.
Its hard to believe that some people don't feel these, but my doc said alot of people don't. Wish I didn't!

Another thing I'm wondering about is a hiatal hernia. I don't know why doctor's discount problems with those. They can give you irregular heartbeats, alot of burping and alot of fullness in your chest. I have all of those. Hey....I'm having alot of fun! :~)

[JaneV2.0]

Most calcium/magnesium supplements are weighted toward calcium, which I think is a mistake. I'd err on the side of more magnesium.

Also, low blood sugar can kick off "palpitations." On the rare occasion that I experience this, I just thump myself on the chest and pop a magnesium capsule. Problem solved.

[Gardenarian]

Hi -
I am extremely sensitive to caffeine; I never touch it. Whenever I hear that someone has a problem with anxiety or panic attacks, the first thing I do is tell them to cut out the caffeine. I also have a bad reaction to other vasoconstrictors (I can't use epinephrine at the dentist.)
I drank coffee for about 8 years before I developed this sensitivity. Then I switched to tea, and that seemed okay for a while, but soon I couldn't tolerate that at all. It is simply poison to me.

I have had occasional bouts of PVCs, though not for several years. They seemed to be related to hormonal changes for me, as well as stress.

[Tussiemussies]

Yes, when I was in my twenties it was really bad, so I was in the hospital for testing. Everything was normal. As I got older they have become less frequent but I still do get them. I cannot drink regular caffeine at all or I have a lot of problems with it and I will have the irregular heartbeats.

When I get the irregular ones I breathe deeply and. That seems to help...

Hope you can put your finger on exactly what is causing it.

Christine

[Zoe Girl]

I have some of that and it is considered benign. I didn't want to go through lots of tests for something that was most likely not a big deal. However it IS uncomfortable. I typically have a really low blood pressure and heart rate. I even meditate a lot and that doesn't seem to make any difference. Then my heart rate will jump to 150 beats per minute. My body would shake and I got tired out.

So my DR told me that you can stop it in the middle if you strain like you are going to the bathroom (okay icky) and then apparently your heart rate will pop back to normal. I have had some success but also at times it didn't work.

[Wildflower]

I have the same problem, CathyA. Doctor recently put me on medication for it along with high blood pressure that suddenly arrived with menopause!

Less caffeine and sugar helps too...

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone.
My PVCs used to knock me in the chest really hard and make me cough. The ones I'm having now must originate from a different area of the heart, because they are softer, but I still know they're happening.
Just a little caffeine every day was really helping with fatigue. Sometimes it seems like everything good has a down side.

Wildflower..........I, too, developed high blood pressure during perimenopause. I don't think I have it any more, but have stayed on just a little bit of a beta blocker for other reasons. What's weird is, the beta blocker caused me to have alot of irregular beats............and its supposed to get rid of them!

An interesting aside about those of you with sudden fast heartrates ..........in the ER, if massaging the carotid didn't work to slow it down, we would get a pan of ice and water and dunk the person's face in it. Its a natural reaction to being in cold water to slow the heart down, so that's how it would work.

Fortunately, I don't have that problem with my heart. Knock on wood.........

[Mrs. Hermit]

I get them when I take magnesium. I have a neural defect to the nerve that controls the heart (vagus nerve). Magnesium makes your nerves work more efficiently. So, when I take it, I get irregular beats.

[CathyA]

Mrs. Hermit........how was your vagus problem diagnosed? One of my theories is that my esophagus is irritated and since the vagus nerve runs by there (and on to the heart), that that's why I might get irregular beats when my esophagus is irritated.
I've also always had an over-active sympathethic system, which could be from a damaged vagus nerve. I think that's why the beta blocker helps to calm things down for me.

[domestic goddess]

I think most of us have irregular heartbeats at some time or other. Many people seem never to notice them. I see them all the time in my patients, and it makes me realize that without a monitor, most of us would never know. Since you tend to have these episodes in the evening, have you ever worn a holter monitor for 24 hours? On a log you would write when you are feeling them, and it can be correlated with the EKG strip. Since you have been told they are benign, I would be inclined to just let it go. If you are disturbed by this, maybe it is time to talk to you gyne about the possibility of this being due to hormonal changes, and maybe there is medication that will help.

[Mighty Frugal]

Cathy-is your carotid artery on the side of your neck? I'm interested in that slowing down heart rate.

I had palpitations a lot in my late 20s early 30s. I was tested and all normal. I even had the stress test where I had to walk on a treadmill hooked up to monitors and I was so happy it happened there-so the cardiologist could see it. He looked at the 'fish flop' (Love that comparison) and shrugged and said it was normal and not worrisome

But it is frightening. Usually it last under 5 seconds but sometimes when it carries on for 10 seconds I get worried and deep breathe.

I still get it now but far more rarely and usually when I am thinking of something stressful or if I drank too much caffeine. I limit caffeine to 3 day a day-all in the morning and 2 of those are instant so about half the caffeine

I have to admit, it makes me feel better to see so many others suffer with this

[treehugger]

I think most of us have irregular heartbeats at some time or other. Many people seem never to notice them. I see them all the time in my patients, and it makes me realize that without a monitor, most of us would never know.

This is me. I had never noticed anything "off" but when I was being evaluated to donate my kidney, I had the standard EKG and they found I have PVC. So, I had a follow up ECG and it was determined that there is nothing to worry about. I have still never felt it, so I'm not gonna worry. I bet you're right, domestic goddess, that lots of people have them but never know it until they have a scan for something else.

Kara

[CathyA]

MightyFrugal.........you have a carotid artery on both sides of your neck. But I don't think I would try to massage it by yourself, if you haven't talked to your doc about doing it. Sometimes you can slow it down too much.

Its odd how some people can drink caffeine all day and it doesn't seem to affect them. Lucky them!

[Mrs. Hermit]

Cathy A: after fainting several times, experiencing a consistently elevated heart rate, and catching all kinds of cardiac nonsense on monitors, the cardiologists sent me to Mayo Clinic. They were the ones that put it all together: the digestive issues, the lowered blood volume, the cardiac problems, the kidney issues. All come (probably) from the vagus nerve problems. My brother has it as well, but not a severely as I do; so the thought is that it is a birth defect.

[CathyA]

Those symptoms must have been really scary for you Mrs. Hermit. Are they under control now?
What kind of digestive issues? I seem to be having spells of gastroparesis, which I think are Vagus related. I also spent alot of my years feeling like I was going to pass out........but the doc said that was common in panic syndromes. What's interesting is that they completely go away with the beta blocker.
I hope you're doing better these days!

[Mrs. Hermit]

Yes, the symptoms are under control now, as long as new doctors don't start messing with the meds! The symptoms were quite frightening, especially for my children to see Mommy go through all this. I think that might have been the motivation for the oldest 5 to become EMT/Medics! As far as the digestive issues, I experience times when my stomach just doesn't seem to be digesting anything. I also have several documented malabsorption problems. Coffee (decaf) works to encourage my stomach to empty, and doctor prescribed vitamins in large doses seem to be making inroads on the deficiencies. For the low blood volume issue, I HAVE to eat SALT~Gasp! I think my cardiologist enjoyed telling me that when so much of the time he tells people to lay off the salt. He also told me I was drinking too much water! I need to drink other things like juices and milk in order to help get the building blocks for blood cells. So, I don't have to do anything extraordinary to control things. Just have to be mindful.

[CathyA]

Thanks Mrs. Hermit.
I might send you a private message soon. This syndrome (or whatever its called) of having a defective vagus nerve is really starting to make sense to me. I have had strange problems my entire life. Granted, they could be psychological/emotional, but I really had my doubts. Even in the 5th grade, I began having spells like I was going to pass out. One time I was rushed to the doctor's and he said I was just trying to get attention. :( Maybe its not a vagus problem, but I've been leaning towards that for a couple years now. Its all starting to make sense, if I look at things from a vagus disorder.
So rather than go on about this here, I'll just p.m. you later, okay?