I am plagued with ectopic heartbeats and have lapsed int...

Heart health and blood vessels
61

Hi Shamrock

I am also suffering with ectopic beats since almost one year now and have a history of stress and anxiety related palpitations for almost 10 years. I did all my medical check ups from holter monitors, echos, trade mills and ecgs and a lot more, they all resulted negative. I travelled to India to see a very good cardio physiologist and he repeated all my tests and told me the same that they are benign and coz no harm but he suggested I take beta blockers , do walking exercise nd yoga which I do. I still get them on daily basis . I get horrible panic attacks, and really don't know how to cope with them. How do you? I thought I might help me to learn from you or any one else in this forum. The mis beats I get some time go on for hours and make me more panic.

Any help???

Muna 

62

I wasn't talking to you.  

63

Hi Leah saw your past is from a year ago and firstly would like to know how you are today.

I have been getting these for years but would love to know whether you have found anything out which is possibly going to help all of us other sufferers.

Amanda x

64

You haven't siad who you were talking to, so I siad something back.

65

Hi, I have had ectopic beats for 7 years. Male 27 years. I am fit and play sports regular. I remember 7 years ago getting the odd ectopic beat every couple of months, although I didnt know what it was and started to worry. Over the 7 year they have been worse, getting them daily (5 every minute) sometimes, but sometimes I can do days/weeks with out. I also get chest pains, like nipping/stabbing every so often. I had loads of ecg / blood test     / echo heart scan / trips to A+E and all results were nnormal. 

66

Hi all,  I am 27 year old male and have had ectopic heart beats and chest pains for over 7 years. I have had ecg which caught the ectopic beats/blood work all ok/full echo heart scan all ok/ chest xray all ok/ and numerous trips to A+E all turned out ok.  I think I have figured out what causes ectopic beats for me. Everyone I have had a test result or been told by Doc/Cardio all is ok and nothing

to worry about, all my ectopic beats and pains stop for a good few weeks. They seem to start again when I get put in a stressful situation, and also when I start to   worry about my health.  An example:  if I panic and start to rush a job at work so I am not late home. I have found that keeping the mind occupied really helps. It s also proven and confirmed by my cardiologist you can NOT get an ectopic beat when the heart is beating fast, ie during exercise. I go for 3mile runs and never get 1 when running. Also after a good run I think it help de-stress the body . So overall to help almost stop the ectopic beats try keeping calm plenty of exercise(if told you are healthy) don't worry about your health to much, drink plenty of water and I also found cutting out all caffeine helps too. Stick with it, it'sa controllable condition not an illness... Feel free to reply

67

Hi All,

I'm a 38 y/o male and have resisted the temptation to read about ventricular ectopic beats for about twenty years now; I've had them for as long as I can remember and put them to one side in an effort to deal with it. When I was young, early teens I should think, I had ecg's and an examination even that once, on an ecg machine, that threw up loads of them, I was having a particularly bad day; the cardiologist at the time acknowledged I was having several, but said they were not putting me at risk. However, I CAN CONFIRM, without doubt, there is a direct correlation between trapped wind, anxiety and ectopic beats; I can honestly recommend red wine as a remedy; its calming effects take me, almost instantly, to a much more relaxed state, and subsequently the ectopics calm. I would say on average I have 30 to 40 individual ectopics a day, and on EVERY occasion can burp, which instantly relieves a pressure in the center of the chest that immediately corrects the pace to a regular rhythm; nonetheless though, every ectopic brings a wave of anxiety - I believe it's a circular type thing; you get the ectopic, a wave of anxiety, which develops more tension in yourself, which develops wind, which develops an ectopic. I'm certain I get a mild hyperventilation going on too, which leads to, sometimes, tingling in the tip of your nose and even left hand / hands; you then think you're about to die / heart attack, then you need to break the cycle - red wine; which I appreciate isn't an ideal cure. I'm also a little overweight, and tend to walk around subconsciously sucking my gut in, something I think I might have done for years, probably too much red wine (lol), which in itself loads an upward pressure up the gut, which again causes wind, which will cause an ectopic.

Can anyone identify with all of this? I'd be intrigued to know.

As I'm getting older, I'm thinking I need to do something about this. Firstly, I need to get a bit of weight off, and just relax, which is easier said than done.

68

Hello I am not sure how old your post is. But I conform with you on the GI issue being part of the ectopic heartbeat. I was diagnose in 2009 in the emergency room after having experienced several episodes of this irreguar heart beat.  I was given a form and told to follow up with a cardiologist and I did and he could not duplicate the beat eventually he had me come in for a stress test and I then diagnosed with the ventriculare Tachicardia.  So the whole ectopic thing went out the window.  I was put on sotalol and monitored every six months.  I told the cardiologist that was still expriencing some issues. I tried explaining to him that sometimes it would happen to me after eating and due to other GI issues.  He looked at me funny and then said he wanted me to wear a heart monitor for a couple of weeks ( I did this several times) and could not find a problem for the times I pressed the record button on the monitor. I was on sotalol for 3 years and then started to get some bad side affects from it.  I asked to come off of it and the doctors agreed because the subsequent 6 months stress tests never caught anything else. Well after being off the sotalo for about 10 months I am experiencing these stronger than before, but again they cant duplicate it.  I believ that there is a connection with GI as I was suffering some serious GI issues and they could never find anything. the GI doctor put me on a reflux medicine which never helped my symptoms. So i continue to suffer from these irregular beat and other GI issues.  But not one Doctor can find the problem.  I am so uncomfortable right now; i decided to go online to see what causes it and noticed this post.  This thing has consumed my life and I think there is an underlying issue.  I noticed that they said it could be that the heart is fighting some infection and that is what can cause one of the types of ectopic heartbeat.  I don't know where else to turn anymore. I hope that what I have said here comes in handy for you.  I hope you can begin to find some relief soon.  I will pray for you. 

69

I have great sympathy for all the people who suffer from this horrible condition. I am 67 and have been suffering from multiple ectopics for 25 years ,I was medically diagnosed 20 years ago and subscibed beta blockers , these helped to a degree but they certainly didn't eradicate the problem. Little did I know at the time that this was the first step in a near fatal journey.

Around 15 years ago I suffered a PE , the beta blockers had reduced my heart rate to around 50 , I was a smoker and had a job that involved me in long periods of inactivity ; a lethal combination ,especially so when I was subsequently diagnosed with SLE and anti phospholipid syndrome.

I am now on life long Warfarin , which I am really thankful for , because I believe that there is a real danger of blood clots being created from the turbulence in circulation that accompanies ectopic heart beats.

Based on my experience I firmly agree that there is a definite connection between ectopics and GI upsets ; especially flatulence and without doubt once you are diagnosed with "benign" ectopics you can expect little or no help / sympathy from the medical profession.

Unfortunately I still suffer from this miserable condition and I would love to be able to pass on some useful tips for controlling it ; but sadly I can't.

70

Guest how you. I am an African, Zambian who has had a history of ectopic heartbeats. First i started by having fast heartbeats which stopped at some point. But last year, 2014 December i got an attack of a serious missed beat feeling which got me hospitalised. I started taking gigoxin , aspirin and other medicines and it went away. Just a week ago i got another attack and was rushed to hospital. I am now on Nifedipine, diazepam, and fexofenadine. Now what i want to tell you all is that i suspect the last two attacks have been due to spray paint as in the last attacks i have used spray paint for my art paintings. So kindly evaluate your self and check if you have had exposure to such things.

71

I am so happy to find someone who is experiencing the very same horrible symptoms I have been. Life is not what it use to be and there is a definite GI connection. I have had 2 ablations, the 1st one cured my SVT but the 2nd one did nothing for the ectopics. I continue to research cures and am ashamed of the medical community.

72

Thank-you!  I will try as I am at my wits end and at level 15 also.

73

Thank-you so much as you give me hope for a horrible conditon.

74

You are not alone and we all together will find the solution to these ectopic beats that are trying to run our once happy lives. Yes, I do drive while having them as I do not get dizzy.

75

I would suggest an ablation to cure the SVT as it cured mine but a second ablation did not cure my ectopics which are daily and nightly. Don't give up hope and please post any solutions.

76

Thank-you, I will get my blood tested asap.

77

Yes, I get them every day and every night and they really depress me.  I will try to get the blood tests others have spook of and obtain Ranexa and Magnesium Verla and report back.

78

I've suffered from Ectopic beats since I was a teenager...I'm now 73, and while I've often found them most annoying, I've learned to live with them...and also some ways of 'losing' them.  Distraction was/is always the best for me.  Focusing on and doing something that required my minds attention.

However, six months ago I was diagnosed with AF, put on Bisoprolol (5 mg) and Warferin..and prepared for Cardioversion.  One of the things I noticed with the AF, was what I would call 'an attack'....lots of fluttering, chest discomfort. rapid beats..all causing anxiety, making the experience far worse.

The cardioversion treatment worked for 36 hours, before I went back into AF. My medication of Bisoprolol was upped to 7.5 mg to help combat any pulse increases..but the 'attacks' kept coming,  which left me and my doctor baffled, but it was all put down to anxiety and a psychological aspect of my AF experience.

However, after keeping a close watch on how the Attacks materialised, I'm convinced, as are others here, that the stomach plays a part in this situation.

I also know from my doctor telling me a few years ago, that there is a main nerve that runs down/alongside the oesophagus that plays a big part between the stomach and the heart.

Since my cardioversion, my Ectopic beats have become more noticeable...as they were in my ECG immediately after my cardioversion.  and as my AF returned 36 hours after the cardio...I now find that a mix of AF with Ectopic beats can be disturbing.  I can have 2/3 days of being perfectly okay, doing things quite normally with the AF and medication to control it..then I'll feel that Ectopic start and hope that it's just an odd one or two, and not ongoing for a few hours or day. When does the ectopic beat start...always after eating or a cup of tea.  Not everytime thankfully...but eating, or my cup of tea after a meal can signal the start of Ectopic beats.  So, I sympathise and agree with many other comments here.....There is a definite link between eating and the start Ectopic beats.

Thinking back, when I was in my 30's...breakfast on many an occasion would bring on the Ectopics....though work or other intense focus would relieve me of the damn things...

79

Hi just found this site. I also suffer with ulcerative colitis and with medication and cutting out red meat I have now managed to control it better. I also suffer with ectopic heartbeats which are normally beat beat pause thud! This has been continuous for over a week and seems to kick off around the time I eat in the evening! I have had holler treadmill test etc and the heart is fine and I need to put up with it, but it's very hard when it has such a big impact on your normal everyday life. The only people that understand are the people hat Havel live through it!

80

Hello fellow ectopic sufferers.  I just want everyone to know how awesome you all are as this forum has helped more more than anything! Just to know we are not alone or crazy or it is all "in our heads" etc. When I need some inspriation due to some bad bouts, I just come here. Thanks for sharing. I think back to life without these ectopics and then remind myself there are worse conditions.  But we all need to pat ourselves on the back for being brave to live our lives the best we can with them.  Yes, the gastrointestinal tract along with the vagus nerve has alot to do with these ectopics. many posts speak of "after eating" etc. It must be some mechanical way we are built inside that triggers these off beats. I always remember my doctor saying "they could go away on their own." Well, that would be great but until that time, we need to keep sharing what life style changes we have done to help and learn from each other.  Personally, eating my last meal early, and alcohol ending early also, not overeating, managing stress and listening to what helps others REALLY helps me.  Thanks for listening and keep posting my friends.