Ectopic Heartbeats does anyone else suffer?

I've suffered from Ectopic Heartbeats for around 14 years now and each year they get worse. They make me go white, feel sick, weak, shaky, nauseas, breathless and panicky. I've had numerous tests over the years and whilst they've diagnosed the Ectopic Heartbeats they say they are harmless - although the Doc's seem to give me the impression they don't believe me as to how ill they make me feel.

I've been advised to cut the things out which cause them. They are mostly random occurances as they can come on if i'm stressed, happy, relaxing, exercising or sleeping. Despite what you think of me because of my Peak Oil posts I am a very relaxed layed back person; my mates and girlfriend say if I was anymore layed back i'd be asleep and I don't get in to confrontations and although I like to debate I walk away from arguments. I exercise regularly, I try to eat well although some times my diet goes off and I tend to eat too many take-aways but I get control of the situation pretty swiftly. I don't do drugs and when I drink alchol I only drink lager and I had a 1/4 pint of soda water to 3/4 pints of lager as I like american light beer and I find this mix makes it a perfect match. I've cut out caffein and soft fizzy drinks (especially coca cola), I've never been that interested in chocolat and if I have 5 snickers per year then thats pushing it.

I've currently been prescribed Flecainide Acetate 50 mg 1 tab twice per day and at first they worked real good but after about 3 weeks things went back to normal. I had to have the drug intravenus for the first dose then tablets afterwards.

So what i'm asking is does anyone else or as anyone else suffered with this condition and do you have any advice on how to prevent them, i'm getting towrds my wits-end and real ****** off as they are really spoiling my life!!! There are so many things I have miss out on which i'd love to do - simple things such as going on roller coasters etc.

Any help would be well appreciated, i've searched the net high and low but have yet to find my holy grail.

Have your been shown techniques to comat stress and anxiety?

Were you ever prescribed any other medicines before the one you name?

I would have expected simple 'Beta-Blockers' to have been tried earlier.

Is 'arrythmia'/'palpatations' your only sympom?

Can I ask if it took them a long time to diagnose? I've had numerous tests (resting ecg, 24 hour ecg, echo and MRI because I also having murmurs) due to having a resting pulse of 120 and had it put down to being a non-specific tachycardia and am taking beta blockers. I also have occasional bouts of nausea, dizzyness and extreme breathlessness when going up stairs etc. which my doctors have never seemed to connect to the heart problem.

The beta blockers have helped a lot but I'm starting to suffer symptoms again and my heart rate is rising. I'm fed up of my GP who even recently suggested I stop taking the medication (which was prescribed by my consultant cardiologist) because I think he saw the word stress on my records (which my asthma was orginally misdiagnosed as), seems to have put my tachycardia down to this and they appear to have no interest in sorting out the problem as the original tests didn't appear to show anything seriousl wrong. I'm no longer under the care of the cardiologist as I was having to travel 300 miles for every appointment when I was at university. It's got me tearing my hair out as the murmurs aren't likely to be 'innocent' as they were only detected in adulthood, I find it very difficult to exercise without feeling like I'm going to collapse (even though I'm young and fairly 'fit', I walk everywhere as I don't have a car). I just don't know whether it is worth pressuring my GP into referring me to a cardiologist here if they are still unlikely to find anything.

There is a better 'medical description' but I do believe that the body does get used to Beta-blockers over time and as such theiy are not a 'cure-all'.

They do, however, help bring a conditrion under control whilst other remedies are considered.

Have your been shown techniques to comat stress and anxiety?

 

Were you ever prescribed any other medicines before the one you name?

 

I would have expected simple 'Beta-Blockers' to have been tried earlier.

 

Is 'arrythmia'/'palpatations' your only sympom?

I have been prescribed Beta-Blockers a couple of times but they made no difference also as my heart is a healthy 40-50 beats at rest they only lowered my blood pressure and took my heartbeat down too slow. You see I don't get the racing heartbeat I get the ectopics also known as missed beats but when they start they last until I lay down and sleep them off, now when your away somewere this isn't always possible.

My other symptons are smetimes extreme fatigue which comes on from out of the blue.

I 'suffer' from this, but it just leaves a slight amount of breathelessness and feeling little dizzy.

I am a massive rollercoaster fan, and it always concerned me before it was properly diagnosed, but I don't see why you shouldn't go on them. What with it just being a mis-timed heartbeat the heart is pumping exactly the same amount of blood, or so I was told.

Has your GP specifically told you not to ride them?

Anyway, as for trying to combat it, try wearing less layers of clothing. Mine tend to flare up when I get too hot.

I 'suffer' from this, but it just leaves a slight amount of breathelessness and feeling little dizzy.

 

I am a massive rollercoaster fan, and it always concerned me before it was properly diagnosed, but I don't see why you shouldn't go on them. What with it just being a mis-timed heartbeat the heart is pumping exactly the same amount of blood, or so I was told.

 

Has your GP specifically told you not to ride them?

 

Anyway, as for trying to combat it, try wearing less layers of clothing. Mine tend to flare up when I get too hot.

My Cardiology told me the sensation I feel is because my heart is pumping before its fully filled up with blood.

And yes i've been told to stay away from anything too exhillarating untill i'm sorted but its been going on so many years now I'm doubting I ever will be sorted. Even though I started with the complaint 14 or so years ago its the last 5-6 years i've been having near constant tests etc. and zip they keep hitting a road block. I keep telling myself "well at least i'm still breathing" but it is getting in the way of my life and at 33 I don't feel i'm living how I should.

Like I say they are random when they occur, they could occur whilst watching TV, on the PC, training at the gym, walking the dogs etc. but once they kick in they don't stop until I go to sleep, which makes so awkward for me.

My mum suffers from these- and also feels profoundly unwell when she has a spell of them. Unfortunately, because the attacks aren't happening predictably, every time she gets tested it seems to miss attacks, and her GP has refused to see her and get an ECG when she knows that she's having an extended run of them, so she has yet to be tried on medication to help.

Whether or not they're actually 'harmful' in the traditional sense is irrelevant to how much of an effect they can have on your life.

My mum suffers from these- and also feels profoundly unwell when she has a spell of them. Unfortunately, because the attacks aren't happening predictably, every time she gets tested it seems to miss attacks, and her GP has refused to see her and get an ECG when she knows that she's having an extended run of them, so she has yet to be tried on medication to help.

 

Whether or not they're actually 'harmful' in the traditional sense is irrelevant to how much of an effect they can have on your life.

I used to hit this brickwall, even being called an hypercondriac by a doctor and told to go home and drink a cup of hot chocolat. I just pointed out that a hypercondriac is someone who complains about having everything and any illness, I just have these damn palpitations. I promptly changed doctors.

I was hoping to find out if there is a cure as they do make you feel lousy but all medications don't seem to stop them, or the ones i've tried.

My heartbeat does strange things sometimes.. sometimes I just get a few weird beats like its got confused... other times, often just when I'm trying to go to sleep, feels like I've just run a marathon as my heart is beating so fast and won't slow down... and it takes ages to chill out.

I think it runs in my family.. I don't get it that often so I haven't been to the doctors yet, apart from to the NHS walk in centre once, but by the time I'd waited hours in the waiting room it had calmed down to almost normal!

I've suffered from Ectopic Heartbeats for around 14 years now and each year they get worse. They make me go white, feel sick, weak, shaky, nauseas, breathless and panicky. I've had numerous tests over the years and whilst they've diagnosed the Ectopic Heartbeats they say they are harmless - although the Doc's seem to give me the impression they don't believe me as to how ill they make me feel.

 

I've been advised to cut the things out which cause them. They are mostly random occurances as they can come on if i'm stressed, happy, relaxing, exercising or sleeping. Despite what you think of me because of my Peak Oil posts I am a very relaxed layed back person; my mates and girlfriend say if I was anymore layed back i'd be asleep and I don't get in to confrontations and although I like to debate I walk away from arguments. I exercise regularly, I try to eat well although some times my diet goes off and I tend to eat too many take-aways but I get control of the situation pretty swiftly. I don't do drugs and when I drink alchol I only drink lager and I had a 1/4 pint of soda water to 3/4 pints of lager as I like american light beer and I find this mix makes it a perfect match. I've cut out caffein and soft fizzy drinks (especially coca cola), I've never been that interested in chocolat and if I have 5 snickers per year then thats pushing it.

 

I've currently been prescribed Flecainide Acetate 50 mg 1 tab twice per day and at first they worked real good but after about 3 weeks things went back to normal. I had to have the drug intravenus for the first dose then tablets afterwards.

 

So what i'm asking is does anyone else or as anyone else suffered with this condition and do you have any advice on how to prevent them, i'm getting towrds my wits-end and real ****** off as they are really spoiling my life!!! There are so many things I have miss out on which i'd love to do - simple things such as going on roller coasters etc.

 

Any help would be well appreciated, i've searched the net high and low but have yet to find my holy grail.

about 10 years ago i was very bad with panic and anxiety attacks,couldnt go anywhere in public i thought i was going crazy.i was put on medication ,over the years i have got myself better,not cured but better,and then around 7 years ago i started with palpatations,heart missing beats, had ecgs number of times that was ok. then i started with my heart racing that fast couldn tcount the beats and this sounds strange but when it was happening iwas constantly going to the loo every few minutes .when i saw my doctor she told me that was because of the adrenaline running through my body would lay awake for hours untill it went off ,and then it left me exhausted dizzy legs like jelly.then my doctor sent me to see a cardiologist .he did tests and said i had a good strong healthy heart.and said it was blood pressure and put me on beta blockers they were controlling my blood pressure but it was still happening, and each time i asked him why it was happening he said in a very arrogant way its your blood pressure .its still happening the other night i was sat watching tv calm and it started ,i asked my husband why ,but he is just as puzzled as me ,but i think i have realised that when iam anxious or worried it does come on .but i am agreat believer in herbal remedies and i started taking st. johns wort and and bachs rescue remedy and when iam stressed or anxious i put 4 drops on my tongue and it does help me.however i am going to see a doctor next week to see if i need to have my beta blockers increased . but its good to hear of other sufferers and to know we are not alone .but the doctor told me dont worry your heart is not going to stop. some comfort .

about 10 years ago i was very bad with panic and anxiety attacks,couldnt go anywhere in public i thought i was going crazy.i was put on medication ,over the years i have got myself better,not cured but better,and then around 7 years ago i started with palpatations,heart missing beats, had ecgs number of times that was ok. then i started with my heart racing that fast couldn tcount the beats and this sounds strange but when it was happening iwas constantly going to the loo every few minutes .when i saw my doctor she told me that was because of the adrenaline running through my body would lay awake for hours untill it went off ,and then it left me exhausted dizzy legs like jelly.then my doctor sent me to see a cardiologist .he did tests and said i had a good strong healthy heart.and said it was blood pressure and put me on beta blockers they were controlling my blood pressure but it was still happening, and each time i asked him why it was happening he said in a very arrogant way its your blood pressure .its still happening the other night i was sat watching tv calm and it started ,i asked my husband why ,but he is just as puzzled as me ,but i think i have realised that when iam anxious or worried it does come on .but i am agreat believer in herbal remedies and i started taking st. johns wort and and bachs rescue remedy and when iam stressed or anxious i put 4 drops on my tongue and it does help me.however i am going to see a doctor next week to see if i need to have my beta blockers increased . but its good to hear of other sufferers and to know we are not alone .but the doctor told me dont worry your heart is not going to stop. some comfort .

oh and by the way a coupl of things iwas told to do pinch your nose and blow and suck ice they work sometimes for me