Hi. Anyone suffer from ectopics? Mine started 3 yrs ago when i was pregnant and are getting worse. Had ecgs...48 hr ecg ( which of course only showed a couple) echo and ct angiogram which im waiting the results for but wanted to know how many is normal? For the last 5 days have been really bad and tonight in the space of an hour as i counted them i had 16..just so typical that when i had my 48 hr ecg a few weeks back i was having a good few days so of course the cardiologist said all looked normal. Just wondered if people suffered with these and what the outcome has been? Its really getting to me and worrying me now. THANKS.
Hi Emily,
I suffer ectopic beats and have done for years. After several tests and holter monitor cardiologist is not worried, I have a loop recorder fitted inside my chest which records the beats and i have had that for 2 years, still they are not worried. I may get a few a day or loads in a day. I have started to take magnesium which has calmed them a little, It is very worrying I know and scary when it happens. I'm sure you know to give up tea, coffee, chocolate and liquorice. All have caffeine and liquorice has an ingredient in it which causes irregular heartbeat. Also small meals frequently helps as the stomach puts pressure on the heart if you have eaten a big meal. Hope this help you Emily, Ann
Hi Ann
Thanks for your message. So how come they fitted a loop recorder in your chest? Yes i try and cut out all of the above including alcohol...which makes them really bad. The eating little and often is interesting. I will give that a try. What makes it really annoying is that some weeks i can just have a few but then other weeks i will get them all day. Im 33 and have a feeling they are just going to get worse the older i get?
Can you give me an example of a bad day for you? Thanks
Hi Emily,
They fitted a loop recorder to catch the ectopics and monitor them. A bad day for me would be fromthe time Iwakeup they will start,continuing all day non stop.I get very tired when this happens.Another day there could be nothing.I never know how a day is going to be. Apart from the holter and an ECG have you had any more tests done. I had a ESPN test a long time ago and they discovered ihave an extra pathway in my heart. They didnt want to do the ablasion as it was too close to my own natural pacemaker.Something to think about.ann
I don't want to alarm you Emily but I have suffered ectopic beats for the last 47 years! They developed during my daughter's pregnancy and have never gone away despite ECGs, specialists, wearing monitors and panic-stricken hospital visits. They are now waking me up in the night. On the plus side, sometimes they go away for months on end and it is absolutely wonderful to live a "normal" life. But then they come back with a vengeance and I may get harrassed for months on end. I don't know what the answer is quite frankly but they are horrible even if they are supposed to be nothing to worry about.
Hi both
Thanks for your comments. Yes mine started in pregnancy 3 yrs ago.
I have had 48hr ecg...echo scan, blood tests and ct angiogram which im getting the results for tomorrow.
Well the last 24 hrs i have only had a couple which has been nice 
Just baffles me that some days can be fine then others can be awful. I get quite stressed when i start getting them and it ruins my day.
Just strange how all of a sudden they just develop. Im guessing they will only get worse with age and never go away.
Nice to hear from people though that are in the same position. Thanks both.
Hi Emily
I have ectopic heart beat 24/7. It's awful isn't it. I've learnt to live with it. Occasionally I go into af which isn't nice but managed with a tablet called flecanide. Ectopics themselves are not life threatening just a nuisance. You can get beta blockers to regulate them but I was too sensitive to that drug, horrible. I try and eat regularly and healthily. I avoid caffeine and sugar replacements and also sugar itself where possible.
Hi,
Yes, my ectopics started about 2 years ago and I thought I was going to die for sure until I found this wonderful forum that shows we will not die but they are sure annoying! Life style changes and there is a GI connection. Anxiety is a pre cursor. Mine get better with good sleep and low stress and eat early, exercise etc. Hang in there and they will change, it took a long time for mine to get better and an ablation did not help.
Well hello. I have just seen the new comments. Thanks both for your replies.
May i ask everyones age thats answered on here please? So mine started when i was 30 and am now 33.
Its nice to see and share everyone elses experience of these awful ectopic beats. I try and talk to my partner and friends about them but think you can only understand if you have experienced them yourself.
So i had my follow appointment with my cardiologist on tuesday regarding my ct angiogram and all fine which is great. I mentioned that i had been getting the bests quite bad over the last week and she said...did you go to a&e to get them recorded?? Well no i didnt...i know that by the time i got there and someone had stuck an ecg on me they would have gone.
Well last night for the 2nd night since ive started getting them i was getting them in my sleep as i could feel them and would wake with them. When i told my cardiologist on tuesday that i was getting 16 an hour she said that its really not that many and would be something i would have to live with and doesnt want to put me on beta blockers because of my age.
I hate them and am starting to worry about going to bed now just incase i start getting them again in my sleep..
I agree that good diet and good sleep can help with them but at the moment i have a 2.5 yr old that is really playing up at night which also stresses me out as i get interupted sleep.
Anyways i was thinking about getting my own moniter to shove on if i start getting them but have no idea where i would go or look to get one? Any suggestions.
And also the magnesium supplement i think that someone mentioned...would i get this is a chemist and does it really help?
Im so happy that all tests have come back negative and my heart is ok but still have this dreaded fear that as they havent actually seen a whole bunch of these ectopics on an ecg that they are missing something 😕
Oh and sorry for such a long post and awful spelling. I have just been woken by a crying toddler which my partner is trying to deal with so half asleep. Does stress and anxiety really contribute towards them???? I can feel as relaxed as can be and still get them!! But have definetely had them in stressful situations but not sure if thats just coincidence.
Hello again, Yes, I know you can be calm in bed at night and they will happen. My EP doctor insists they happen to more anxiety prone people. It is hard to figure out what brings them on but try to keep a log of what you were doing, eating etc. when they come on. We are all in this together and hopefully can find a cure!
Hi Ann whats an ESPN test?
My heart issues started in my forties and I am mid 50 s now. Interesting to read all the posts from people in there 20s and 30s also leading athletic and healthy lives. I am a very active, healthy person otherwise by the way I continue the search for a cure...........a natural one, not taking a bunch of pharmaceuticals if possible.
Hi Emily
I am 72 and have had ectopics for 47 years! They never fail to put me on edge and it doesn't help that I am a nervous person anyway. I can go for months where there are none and my life is bliss and then they come back with a vengeance. Recently they have started to give me bad nights so I take a Nytol to blank it all out! It is comforting to have found this site and to know that there are so many people with them though I have never met anyone who has them and that makes me feel "odd"! I cannot pinpoint any triggers at all - I don't smoke or drink and have a good diet.
Thanks both for your comments it really does effect people of all ages!!
Im fed up....came up to bed half an hour ago...nice and relaxed going to read my book...and in the space of half an hour had loads of crappy beats....why???? Im relaxed!! I get so angry with them. Go away!!!
Mine started in my 30's I'm 45 now. They tend to be worse at pmt time and if I am tired and run down, not eating well etc
Hi, I know the feeling as mine mostly come at night when I am so tired and just want to sleep. I think it is mechanical, our GI system, stomach, vagal nerve position etc. It is funny, in the morning while still in bed, no ectopics! Try eating earlier and that goes for alcohol too if you engage. I have had them for 3 years now and I am trying to live with them but sometimes it gets real depressing. Hang in there and keep in touch.
I used to love a glass of wine or 5 but totally put off drinking now because it does make them worse. If i do have a rare drink i prepare myself for a crap night 😊
So...went to Holland & Barrett on Monday and bought some magnesium tablets...have heard these could help with the beats. Watch this space will keep you updated. 😕
Any updates Emily? Hope your well. I have just started with mine a few weeks back. Had ecg (fine) but didnt have any flutters whilst on ecg machine. Currently awaiting 24 monitor. Awake now having them every couple of mins....so scary. Cant stand them grrr. Hope your okay 😉
Hi Mark. Sorry to hear your suffering. Its horrible isnt it . Hopefully they will catch them on the 24 hr ecg and confirm to you that they benign. Well...i am very pleased to say that since taking the magnesium supplements i have not had ANY bad episodes. Ive had the odd one here and there but i can live with those. I hope im not jinxing it buy saying that i havent had any bad episodes and maybe the magnesium isnt actually doing anything...but as long as they stay away im going to continue taking it. Let us know how you get on with your 24 hr holter moniter. X