Heart Palpitations Forum

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Heart Palpitations Forum >> Symptoms and other concerns >> JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
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Message started by TOOTS on Feb 27^th, 2007, 6:08am

Title: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by TOOTS on Feb 27^th, 2007, 6:08am

Been having a bad time with them just lately - thank you RLR for the answer to my query about sitting or being in different positions - something else I have noticed is that when I feel I am having palpitations or skipped or missed beats, I can feel my pulse and my heart is beating steadily and this seems to depend on where I can feel the missed beat which can occur in about three different areas often quite away from the heart - the times when my heart does seem to miss a beat when I check my pulse is when I feel it near my heart. I feel I am getting quite irrational about them at the moment and wonder if just me thinking about them at the start of each day sets them off - a lot of it I know is to do with my digestion and of course my anxiety but I seem to be thinking about them all the time and becomming almost obssessive about them. Sorry to go on but just writing about them to you seems to calm me down.

Title: Re: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by saab on Feb 27^th, 2007, 11:14am

I have a similar thing, Toots. For two years since these ectopics began, I have only been able to feel them when I take my pulse. I used to take my pulse if I was feeling anxious - if my pulse had no missed beats I began to feel less anxious. (If I could feel missed beats, I felt worse, obviously). But a few weeks ago I began to feel a flip-like sensation in my chest on occasion. Sometimes I would take my pulse and the missed beat would be felt in my pulse, occuring just after the flip sensation. Other times I can feel the flip, but there is no missed beat. This has alarmed me quite a lot - but I think RLR has explained somewhere about the sensation in your chest being related to where the extra beat/missed beat originates. The thing to remember, I guess, is that however/wherever you feel them, if you have been checked out and told you are ok then these sensations cannot hurt or harm you, even though they are upsetting. I have had spells where I have been totally obsessed about my heart - being afraid to go to sleep because I thought I would die in the night (this was before I could even feel them!).

I would also say that there have been times when I have felt missed beats and my husband says he cannot feel them in my pulse - it is not always easy to take a pulse correctly. To be honest I am trying not to take mine as I think it often just alarms me more - also, I have to learn to accept that it does not matter what my pulse or chest is doing - these sensations cannot harm. Easier said than done, though.

Title: Re: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by TOOTS on Feb 27^th, 2007, 1:14pm

Thanks Saab for your quick reply - I think what annoys me so much about them is that I

Title: Re: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by TOOTS on Feb 27^th, 2007, 1:16pm

SORRY HIT THE WRONG BUTTON
No what annoys me about them is that I can get quite a long patch without them at all and start thinking well they have gone now and then without warning they are back again - I think my main problem is that I just think about them too much - but thank you Saab for replying and take care.

Title: Re: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by RLR on Feb 27^th, 2007, 2:52pm

I agree that you're beginning to obsess about the palpitations and this can be quite discomforting emotionally.

Checking your pulse is not necessary since the palpitations is merely a superimposition of a Vagal stimulated heartbeat upon the normal sinus rhythm. Remember that when the palpitations occur, your sensory qualities can be deceived by what they may be providing you in the way of feedback. It is a very fleeting event and very often, patients can interpret the outcome quite differently depending upon when the superimposed beat occurs. Regardless of the character of sensation, all of the palpitations are the consequence of Vagal nerve stimulation and do not represent different events of a more or less serious nature at all. Your heart's never going to suddenly stop or have trouble of any kind as a result of this type of palpitation. You'll be just fine. Promise.

Best regards and Good Health

Title: Re: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by TOOTS on Feb 28^th, 2007, 2:45pm

Bless you RLR that was very re assuring.

Title: Re: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by TOOTS on Mar 1^st, 2007, 3:55am

I am sorry to be a pain but another question which probably has been answered before is to do with hunger - my palpitations do seem to come on when I feel hungry - does this go hand in hand with the vegus nerve again ?
many thanks.

Title: Re: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by RLR on Mar 1^st, 2007, 7:34pm

Indeed it can. Changes within the GI tract can stimulate the Vagus nerve because the gastric nerve is part of the Vagus nerve tract. So the increase in frequency of palpitations is no mere coincidence.

Best regards and Good Health

Title: Re: JUST A FEW QUESTIONS
Post by Kathryn on Mar 3^rd, 2007, 12:12am

Hi

Just to add, sometimes when I think my heart feels like it's beating a bit weird, my husband listens to my chest and says it's normal but he can hear bubbles and gurgling in my chest, so sometime I think air trapped can occasionally cause the same sensation as a missed or odd beat.

Last anxiety management class next week.

Kath x