Dear RLR,

I first want to say I have appreciated the time you have put in to answer a couple of my other posts when I have been bewildered by things my heart has been doing.   You have been reassuring and sensitive to the concern I have had, and I thank you.

I come to you today because I recently happened upon an article on Web MD (no, I don't go looking for explanations for my symptoms -- I learned the hard way about that) about things you shouldn't do for your heart.  I though well, of course the usual stress, coach potatoe, smoking  ....  and of course those were listed, but then I ran across a section that stated "Don't overlook those flutters."  It proceeded to kindly tell my that if you experience flutters with any other symptom like light headedness, faintness, or actually fainting then you need to seek immediate medical attention.   Great.  I've experienced this over a year now, and still do.  Sometimes the flutter, or thump, even a dropping sensation comes from the upper part of my chest, or sometimes the lower.  I get a strange feeling in my head -- almost like a rush, and I feel buzzed for a little time after.  This most often occurs if I am having a bout of hyperventilation.  This morning I had a few runs of this and I am a bit alarmed.  I actually had a pretty good, peaceful weekend and I was practically symptom free, so it was like I had my peace so now it wants to come back in full force.   :'( My chest is feeling "unsettled" now and I can tell my breathing isn't regular because I am stressed about this.  No doubt, these things have made me even more agoraphobic than I was.  

In the past I had an echo 4 years ago and all was fine -- I just have MVP, and all my EKGs over the last years were normal (my last one was almost two years ago prior to surgery -- to remove a third adrenal paraganglioma and one of my adrenal glads -- I've worried this may be causing my more intense heart symptoms.  Blood work last year was perfect, and a CT scan of my abdomen last August was normal).  I didn't start experience this kind of thing until a few months after surgery and especially more so after some losses I had experienced.  

In any event, I am concerned I am having arrythmias. Never been diagnosed with them, but my uncle on my dad's side has them -- but I don't think he had weird head feelings with them -- like light headedness, buzzed, or just an "off" feeling.  

Thank you again for your time, and I wish you well.

Jennifer ~

Glad you get the chance to talk through your symptoms with a doctor and be assured that nothing is wrong.  I know that has been helpful for me.  I'm sure you will hear only good news!

Okay, you'll have to direct me to the article so that I can read and interpret for myself. Remember that these articles are most often written by physicians or professionals from the medical community whose target audience is the physician and specialist. A good deal of misinterpretation often arises due to lack of the background often absent from these articles unnecessary for physicians in most instances.

Once I've read the article, I'll return and discuss it by comparison to your concerns. In the meantime, you need to take a deep breath and relax. Nothing is going to happen to you at all. You're in no danger whatsoever, regardless of how frightened or irrational the palpitation events may cause you to feel.

Your ECG will turn out just fine.

Best regards and Good Health

8. Never mind when your heart flutters.
A fluttering feeling in your heart that causes chest discomfort, shortness of breath, the feeling you could faint, or actual fainting could be a sign of a heart arrhythmia. That’s an electrical problem with your heart, causing it to beat either too fast, too slow, or just irregularly.  

If you feel a flutter for a second and it goes away, that’s no big deal, Goldberg tells WebMD. You can probably chalk that up to caffeine, chocolate, asthma, or maybe some cold medications you took. But if it happens frequently or is associated with other symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

Okay, what we have here is a physician-reviewed, non-physician crafted synopsis of guidelines for basic heart health. You need to understand that this sort of information is entirely unsophisticated and speaks to a portion of the population that operates on a marginally adequate educational level that are good hard-working folks that simply don't draw the requisite attention to signs of heart problems.

The paragraph regarding arrythmias also does not address duration in the proper context. True arrhythmias arise from an actual underlying heart or cardiovascular problem in most instances and persist commonly for 30 minutes or so before remitting, or persist without remission at all. It's not hidden from detection through diagnostic evaluation at all, but rather simply dismissed by the patient population mentioned above such that it is never evaluated. The true difference, however, between benign palpitations of the type you suffer and the presence of a true arrhythmia are night and day. People with anxiety who experience palpitations or other odd sensations invariably seek to learn the worst possible consequence that can occur and then the brain simply works to make the connection, regardless of how implausible. You can't simply search out symptoms and force them to fit your circumstances.

You're just fine and there is absolutely no correlation between the intent of the health article and your actual circumstances.

Best regards and Good Health