Really sorry to hear that things are so bad at the moment. It is absolutely terrifying when you are trapped in the cycle of palpitations and anxiety. I know you are working on your anxiety and hopefully the tablets will take effect soon.

Have you thought of seeing a cardiologist privately to help to put your mind at rest? I rang Bupa once and the cost of a resting ecg with a doctor (not a cardiologist) was £35. I think a cardiologist then looks at it. I think it is about £100 to see a consultant. I didn't get one in the end because the anxiety lessened, but sometimes it just helps to hear a second opinion. Of course, you could end up going from doctor to doctor until you find one who will confirm your catastrophic thinking that you really are ill. I did feel a bit like going back to the doctor was pandering to my anxiety, but when you feel really bad you sometimes just need that reassurance.

Do you feel them in your chest or pulse or both? After Christmas when I started feeling them in my chest I would sometimes take my pulse and could not feel them despite the chest 'flipping' feeling. That suggested to me that even though I felt like I was having ectopics I was just having stress pains or anxiety tension, even though it felt the same as the sensation when I did have missed beats in my pulse.

When you are really anxious you are so totally tuned in to what your body is doing that every little sensation is magnified.

If it helps, I read on another heart forum a reply from a cardiologist about ectopics - it was the same as RLR says - he had never seen a case of benign ectopics leading to cardiac arrest when the heart was structurally sound and not diseased. There were people on that forum who were having thousands a day for 10 years or more. He went on to say that if PVC's etc were that serious they would treat them much more aggressively - ie with pacemakers and such - because US doctors are so open to litigation that they wouldn't want to risk not having treated a problem.  I'm not giving you the web site name, you'll just make yourself worry more! I really hope you feel better soon. Best wishes.

When I feel really anxious about my heart I go through all the times I've been told I'm okay (by different doctors, of course, because one could be mistaken!):

- by a consultant after my emergency overnight stay in A & E
- by my GP (who has a cardiologist friend who I think looked at my results)
- after another ecg which I had because I was still anxious
- by the anaethetist who did my second op
- several times by the consultant who did my second op; she was great and I trust  
 her opinion
- by the doctor on duty overnight after my second op, when the nurse got him
 because she noticed the heart monitor readings. He was young and had tachycardia
 himself after exercise. I asked him if what I had was as serious as what he had -
 he said no, and he had decided not to let his problem spoil his life.

Make a similar list. (This is CBT type stuff). What are the chances of a serious heart condition going undiagnosed by so many medics? They will have seen heart arrythmias that are serious and know the difference between a serious one and what we have.

I can't put my finger on why my ectopics stopped (or seem to have). All I can say is to keep working on the anxiety - I am sure my anxiety fed my ectopics. The anaethetist said they stopped during the op - if I had a serious condition they wouldn't. Lots of different tests by different doctors can't all be wrong, can they?

I have felt just like you feel - it has taken a long while but I am much better. I used to think I would give anything to be my self again - now I almost am. You will get better - be reassured by what you read on here from RLR and keep on with the CBT. Eventually the anxiety will lessen and, ectopics or not, you'll be on your way to recovery. Best wishes.

I initially thought that all my anxiety was heart-related, but looking back now I can see it started with other things. I became generally more anxious after being ill during my first pregnancy, then we had a car crash when he was 3 months old (fast motorbike crossed road and hit us). During my second pregnancy I developed an ovarian cyst which was removed at the caesarian. Then they found another one and I had two years of going back for scans - and it was never good news - until they operated, I was pretty ill, then they found the ectopics. Cue two years of misery. Can you see how you have a similar history of on going medical problems? Plus, having something misdiagnosed is going to make you expect another misdiagnosis.

So - point being - because of all this I now expect any medical thing to be a major illness. I don't wait to find out - I just assume the worst. CBT calls this 'catastrophic thinking'. And when it isn't diagnosed as fatal, I find it hard to accept. I should be jumping for joy that all I have are ectopics because of course there are people with real serious heart ailments who would love to have my problem.

When I went for my ecg to put my mind at rest about my anxiety, like you say, the leads are only on for 20 seconds. But remember it is as much about what they don't see as what they do - they didn't see a heart defect, they didn't see heart disease, they probably didn't see any ectopics. The other forum I look at had a doctor say that they don't necessarily need to see the ectopics to make a diagnosis. The heart must be the most researched part of the human body, I reckon, so I think it is the bit least likely to be misdiagnosed. If there was even the slightest sign of anything, they would send you for more tests.

Keep working on the anxiety. Eventually, peace will come. I used to say over to myself - relax, you're fine, it'll pass. It always did. Best wishes.