After I've been doing so well for ages, I'm really needing a bit of encouragement, I guess.  My heart is driving me crazy!  The skipped beats usually come in waves which last around 3 -4 weeks, building up and then fading away to leave me in peace for weeks at a time.  This time, they don't seem to be fading away.  I feel the skips and gaps in the beat every couple of minutes, the sensation in the middle of my chest is horrible.  My mind knows they won't hurt me - and I'm suffering badly from bloating and gas (taking Omeprazole, doesn't seem to be helping at moment) which fits in with RLR has told me before.  But it is getting to me in a big way - help! Please! It's been a couple of months now, it should be gone!    And  yesterday and today my ankles have suddenly become painful when walking or coming downstairs, so my mind remembers something about bad hearts and ankles that I must have read once upon a time, so that's constantly whirling round my head too.  I think I may be going mad!  Please, someone pass on a bit of good sense!

Hello Rosekay and sorry to hear you're having difficulty. The problem here is with your GI problem. Realize that omeprazole is in a class of drugs call proton pump inhibitors and they act by shutting off the pumps within certain stomach cells that produce acid. Taking these drugs to relieve bloating or gas may or may not be helpful.

My suggestion is to speak with your doctor about dealing directly with the symptoms and not relying upon the Omeprazole to resolve the problem.

Once the GI disturbances have been resolved, you'll see a rapidly corresponding reduction in the palpitation events as well.

As for your ankles, there is a common association between edema and certain patients suffering from congestive heart failure. This is certainly not the case where you're concerned whatsoever and edema from CHF occurs throughout the body and is only more prominent in the lower extremities due to the effects of gravity. Again, you do not have a heart problem in this regard at all.

See your doctor about the GI problem and the palpitations will resolve correspondingly.

Best regards and Good Health

Thanks for any new information.

Hi Rosekay,

Tenosynovitis would not be a practical consideration here, which is inflammation of the sheath around the tendons. The pain is rather acute in nature and walking can be quite restricted in most cases.

Unfortunately, the forum is not an appropriate medium to seek diagnosis of an issue such as that being described, or in any instance for that matter. While I would not characterize it as serious based upon your description, the possibilities relative to cause are varied and your primary care physician can provide you with direct evaluation and testing to determine if treatment is necessary.

Best regards and Good Health

Indeed, people often transpose the meaning of palpitations to include many features related to heart function. Rapid heart rate is defined as that above 100 bpm and is termed sinus tachycardia.

Sensations of benign changes in heart rhythm that often vary in characterization but nevertheless fall under the same category, constitute heart palpitations. The reason for the transposition in terms is that on some occasions, rapid heart rate can follow benign palpitation events and it is difficult for some persons to distinguish one from the other.

Best regards and Good Health