I had just showered and dressed this morning and was fixing my hair, and I had the most awful palpitation ever! It was one of those "quivering" kind, where my heart skipped and then fluttered and didn't feel like it was going to get back into it's normal rhythm. Of course I got frightened, and I felt very hot and then broke out into a sweat and felt shaky and just a bit lightheaded. Of course, my heart started beating normally again, even though I was sure it was not going to, and in five minutes there was no more sweat at all. I am in menopause and have been having a lot of hot flashes lately but I have never really sweated with them. I have read on a menopause board that you can have palps either before or after a hot flash though. So I am wondering if this palp episode was just a variant of a hot flash, or if I need to be concerned. My husband is out of town, and I am alone this weekend, which of course makes it worse. I though for sure I was going to drop dead this morning because this episode was so frightening....I desperately need some reassurance. Please. This happened about a half hour ago....I think I am fine now but am of course terrified it will happen again....
:'( :'(

Beadbabe,

Thank you so much for responding. I do seem to feel okay now although I am afraid of it happening again and the fact that I am alone this weekend isn't helping. Have you ever had those quivering kind of palps? I don't mind a skip here and there, I am used to those, but these kind, the ones that feel like your heart is not even beating, but just quivering in your chest, those are so frightening!! My grandmother used to have them, and she described them as a fish flopping around in her chest. That's a good description I think. She had palps all her life and lived to be 87...she just passed away this past April.....

I just hope the rest of the day is okay....so far, so good although I am too scared to go anywhere or do anything today....

Tina

I have never had one of the fluttery variety of palps caught on EKG or on a monitor. But you are right, these kind are always sef limiting and don't last very long at all. It just FEELS like an eternity when you are having one of these kinds of palpitations.

I am sure that the fact that my husband is out of town is making things worse. I am more anxious when I am alone and I guess it makes sense that I might have this happen since I am all tense and nervous.

I still feel okay, but can't seem to stop crying. My husband called me a bit ago and I told him about it and he was rather abrupt with me and told me to stop worrying about it and learn to handle it better. That didn't help me. I needed his understanding and reassurance and didn't get it.

If you would like to kee in touch via email I can PM you my email address. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about these awful palps....

Hugs Tina...

I know you are scared...  But you know what?  You lived.  You will keep living regardless of the way these palpitations feel.  I know they feel just awful at times and we worry when they change in any way.  Because for us change means, something is wrong.  That is not true though whatsoever.  Palpitations can cause so many different feelings.

For instance...  The other night I was laying in bed.  Trying to fall asleep.  I was feeling my pulse because my heart just didn't feel right.  Well, when I felt it, there was nothing for like 5 seconds, then it kicked in a strong beat and I felt a jolt go through my head.  Talk about scary!  Here I have been handling these pvc's well, regardless of the frequency, which is STILL every 3-4-5 beats all day, everyday, with some breaks in between, BUT then that feeling like my heart stopped which seemed like an eternity, had me worried.

THEN I got to thinking....  Well, I survived it, and nothing bad happened.  So I had 2 choices.  

1.  I could have sat awake scared and worried if it would happen again and ruin my whole night and be irritable the next day because I didn't get any sleep with worrying and thus, cause MORE pvc's.

OR....

2.  I could worry a bit, but then tell myself, "I am OK, and nothing bad happened regardless of the sensation."

I chose #2.   Of course, it takes time to train your thought patterns and lessen the anxiety over these, but I chose #2 because I decided I will be fine and I was and am.  I drifted off to sleep shortly after and that was that!

You will be OK, Tina.  I know its so hard to think otherwise at times when you feel these, but keep reminding yourself that these are benign, that anxiety WILL make them worse and that you have been thoroughly checked out and your heart is healthy!

I have had times when my husband was out of town in the midst of when these PVC's, or rather "my mind in dealing with the pvc's and worrying constantly" and I know that when I had them in this frequency I would cry and call my husband for reassurance.  Like your husband, mine said:

"Steph, stop worrying!  The Dr said you are fine and the Dr. on the website (RLR) said you are OK and those are benign, so stop worrying, nothing bad will happen to you."  Well, over time he got sick and tired of repeating himself.  I can't blame him really.  I mean, sure once in awhile I still like reassurance, especially during bad moments, but in all reality he is right!!  He sees things logically when I am not feeling logical.  He does not get palpitations, but he is looking from the outside and has seen me worry over and over again.  So he understands what the my Cardiologist has said, and I have read to him a couple posts that RLR wrote me and he says:

"makes perfect sense to me."  It makes sense, perfect sense to others who feel more logical.  Us with anxiety have a hard time believing in the logical truth.  And that is where the problem lies....

We must not worry endlessly about the palpitations.  

Some advice I have for you in dealing with these...

1.  When you get a pvc(s), try DISTRACTING yourself.  Seriously...  It really, really helps.  Even when I am getting pvc's every other beat (beat, pvc, beat, pvc, beat, pvc and on and on) instead of sitting down focusing on them, I get up, clean the house, or do whatever, but I do not focus on them.  WHY?  What would thay solve?

2.  Try deep breathing..  it helps too!  Focus on something that makes you feel happy.  I know that sounds corny, but try it!  I focus on the beach and walking in the soft sand and the warm breeze on my face... etc....

3.  Work on the anxiety.  We all have it!  Give your fear a name..  And DEVALUE IT!  Do not let your fears rule your life!

And lastly.  HUGS...  We have all been where you are.  and we got through it.  I still get angry and scared at these..  But mostly I just go on with my life regardless of their constant companion.  I figure I have had the testing, all was fine..  Now it's time to move on.

Am I ALOWED to get upset?  Why sure..  It's not a sin to get upset.  We have feelings.  We cry..  We scream...  We feel anxious....  It's not the end of the world.

BUT we also know how to work it out.  We can sit and cry all day if we choose.  Get so anxious we make our symptoms worse...  We can feel sorry for ourselves..  Sure we can do ALL that.

BUT that is not truly living....  We must learn and retrain ourselves HOW to LIVE a happy life and not be scared all the time.

When we can do that we are living again.

I choose to live again.

Worry is no fun.  Palpitations are no fun.  We control more than we think.  

take care and vent all you need to.  Noone is here to judge and we certainly care.  No question is stupid.  

Love,

steff

Hi there
Feeling better today? I hope so.
A stress test is in fact nothing to worry about - when your heart beats fast because it is meant to (eg. exercise) you don't even notice it and it doesn't feel weird because it is doing what it is suppposed to. you may get some weird beats and you may notice those, but you may not because you are in motion. Aren't palpitations always felt the most when you are sitting till, or lying in bed.

What Steff says about distraction is what I try to do... if you distract yourself you can find something  more interesting and fun to get engaged in. Okay, it might be just housework, but it's more useful to you than palpitations worries.

A stress test is fine - you would be completely safe. I hesitate to say you should ask for one to put your mind at rest, because I have a feeling that you will have one and then just find something further to worry about. (Because if you are a worrier about your heart, then it's almost a compulsion to worry.) But if you really really think it is worth having a stress test you could go for it but you do need to draw a line under it all then. But you haven't been sent for one because your doctors don't think you need it - HURRAH!

bead x