Hi there
My ectopics have increased to horrible levels again (averaging six - seven per minute) - and I am worried because a new thing is happening with them. There seems to be quite a few random flutterings and thumps, then a strange buzzy sensation in my heart. This is when I am just sitting up in bed - totally relaxed. Does this sound familiar  to anyone?

also I am getting worried again because latest research is showing that ectopics are a bad symptom if you get them during recovery after exercise. Is this only a problem if you have blocked arteries or other heart defects? The articles don't really say. I get ectopics before during and after exercise.

HELP!! AAARGGHHH! This condition does nothing for my sanity.

bead xx

Okay, changes in frequency and intensity of benign palpitations does not suggest the onset or presence of pathology. Additionally, your interpretation of the literature you describe is incorrect.

We have found that some individuals experience a momentary and rather paradoxical rise in heart rate following cessation of exertion. It is the time period during which this increase and subsequent return to baseline that suggests higher risk of heart disease. An increase with longer returns to baseline equates with higher risk. There is also the circumstance where true arrhythmias appear because the heart begins failing under exertion, but that is strictly in the presence of actual heart disease and not your situation.

By contrast, there is no association to heart disease or risk and the presence of benign palpitations. The increase in benign palpitations can occur because of changes in vagal tone in the presence of exertion. This is not associated in any way with heart disease.

Remember that the most likely underlying mechanism for changes in frequency or intensity of benign palpitations is GI related issues. If stress creates changes in the GI tract, then it's highly likely that an corresponding increase in benign palpitations will be experienced.

You'll be fine. I realize that any change from what is normally experienced can induce anxiety and fear, but you must learn to apply logical boundaries to the extent of what possible consequences can actually arise, none of which are harmful and certainly not life-threatening.

Best regards and Good Health

Hi Bead,
sorry late replying to this post but I was away last week.
Just wanted to say that my palpitations seem to change as well. In fact I rarely get the classic ectopic anymore of beat-pause-thud, I seem to get more little flutters, thumps, brief irregular beats & other weird beats that I couldn't really describe. I find them very disturbing too but am trying really hard to just accept them as variations on the same theme.
When my ectpoics were really bad & I was also having as many as 6 or 7 a minute they really scared me but after a while I realised that I just had to get on with doing stuff while I was having them (which I know you do too) & eventually accepting them really seems to have made them so much better for months now.
However, as RLR says, when you get something that feels different it makes you worry again.
Maybe it's abit like anxiety symptoms in that when you first get a symptom it scares you, then you find out what's causing it, the fear goes & then the symptom goes but then another new & scary symptom replaces it.
I think I have also had that buzzy sensation.
Anyway, I'm rambling, but just wanted to say I know how you feel, as I'm getting lots of palps that feel different too.
Just hope it's all part of the same cause as I know these are worse with adrenaline & with movement, like getting up & walking around etc.
Hope you're feeling better!
love Seffie xx

Hi everyone.  It has been awhile since i have had a visit here, but have come back for some reassurance.  Mine too have changed from a flip flop in the throat then thud to a quivering in the lower throat then the thud.  Sounds similar to what you describe.  Over the past year, since I have posted I have been doing pretty well, still daily but not the 1500 a day when it started, but will have periods where they flare up and are all day long.  I recently had 5 days where I had absolutely none that I could feel.  First time in 2 years! Was like heaven, but then they crept back.  I know they are nothing to worry about but I fear that my heart will go into a complete state of continuious crazy beats.

Hi Saab,
yes I think it's hard when they come back after a good spell. Sometimes when you go through a long spell of having them you are forced to just accept them & get on with it but when they start up again it can feel awful & of course you start trying to work out why!

Mine seem to change all the time, just as I accept & stop fearing one type of palp a new one starts up & I find that hard to deal with. The other day I even said to my husband that I would prefer ectopics to weird flutters as at least I understand what's going on with them!
I seem to be getting more just when I start walking somewhere or when I'm standing talking & laughing with people-horrible!

You're right though Saab you just need to accept them & try to lose the fear & I'm sure they'll go away again!
Hope you're having a better day today.
love Seffie xx

Has anyone tried small amounts of anxiety meds and with any success?  I am not a big pill person and tried some CBT but not too much help.  I feel like I have low levels of constant anxiety- worried about kids at college, money, husbands past health issues, but nothing too horrific.  Just have become very sensitized-nerves are frazzled by overuse!

When I was super-anxious, panic-attack anxious, my GP gave me some half-inderal tablets. These are a mild beta blocker which she said would just take the edge off the anxiety. I didn't take them as I she wanted me to wait until after I'd had an ecg, by which time I felt a bit better. They can affect the heart though, slowing the heart rate, so they may not be suitable for everybody.

I know some people swear by Bach's Rescue Remedy, though I am personally fairly sceptical of claims for homeopathy etc.

Since the ectopics I have similarly become someone who worries about everything, general result being that I always expect the worse in every scenario. I expect a negative outcome to everything from health issues to going over the time limit on Tesco car-park.  I worry about things that haven't happened, are not likely to happen, and all the time jumping ahead and going through every permutation in detail in my head. CBT books have helped but you have to check yourself and say, 'Stop it, that's not helpful' when you are overwhelmed with automatic negative thoughts which is difficult when you have 'practised' having them for so long.

Strangely, after a really bad day on Tuesday, I have only felt a few missed beats since about Wednesday. When I feel like I do now, I feel I can take them in my stride, be logical, apply common sense and see I am not about to drop dead. But when they start up... logic goes out the window, I take my pulse every few minutes and expect to expire on the spot. My head is flooded with 'what if's..?'... the doctors missed something, the ectopics have changed, they mis-read the results, and a dozen other unlikely scenarios.

All I can say to those of us struggling at the moment is I am much, much better than I was three years ago. If I can overcome my anxiety to a large extent, so can everyone else. It does get better, it will get better. There will be setbacks and difficult spells, but it is possible to go back to being the person you were and enjoy your life again.

Hi there
I don't think beta blockers help anxiety for me - all they do is slow your heart rate - they don't do anything for anxiety symptoms other than that.

In fact for me they made my ectopics worse because the slower your heart rate the more ectopics can creep in between your normal sinus ryhthm.

As for Bach Rescue Remedy - yes, some people swear by it - but I would need a pint of it to work! Perhaps it works for people with mild anxiety in an 'if you think it's doing you good...' kind of way.

anything is worth trying though if you think it might help - you just have to find a solution that works for you. I don't think one thing is the answer - it's probably a case of trying to tackle your thoughts and generally getting happier with your situation in life. And getting happier doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong with your life (although for some people that could be the case), it may just mean your perspective on your problems.

Maybe you need more time for yourself doing what you really enjoy? I think for me this has been a big factor - the constant stress of my oldest child who just clashes with the whole family (this, and he's only 6) has led to my problems, I am sure of it. Constant stress has led to the anxiety in my case, as it has left me with a system that is constantly in fight of flight mode.

Hope you manage to find some answers here
x