Let me preface this by saying I’ve been to my doc, had 2 EKG’s, some bloodwork and have no chest pain or shortness of breath…. Everything was normal.

So these palpitations started out of the blue this last week. I can feel it happen and I’m quite sure of what it is. I’ve thrown an irregular beat or two on occasion in the past, a PVC or PAC typically. What’s going since Tuesday or Wednesday is the same, but a lot of them. My Doc and I chocked it up to stress, etc. I know him fairly well and he takes quite good care of me. It’s just odd how suddenly it started and I’d prefer it stop! Suggestions?

If you have not already, see a cardiologist. If not OK, you could be having panic attacks.

Anxiety? How is your caffeine intake?

You've been seen by your doc and had 2 EKG's since this started Tuesday? Or you haven't been seen since this started Tuesday?

I did see a cardiologist almost two years back for an unrelated issue that also turned out to be nothing. My GP Doc was completely ok with me going back to them again, but felt comfortable enough with his findings to not be overly concerned. An underlying panic attack could be possible suppose, but I’m doubting it.

Yes, see your cardiologist to rule out organic cause first. You are saying it's happening more and more. Do not just chalk it up to stress, anxiety or panic attack. EKG will catch nothing when you have no symptoms. A prolonged monitor would be better.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
You've been seen by your doc and had 2 EKG's since this started Tuesday? Or you haven't been seen since this started Tuesday?

I had one ekg a week and a half ago during a pre op clearance / checkup. That procedure got canceled because the hospital wanted over $5000 for their portion. It was related to my back and can wait… wasn’t anything critical.

Second ekg was yesterday, saw my GP specifically for then for this.

I have a history of afib and what you're describing is familiar to me. Could be a number of things, but until you've worn a continuous monitor for a month like 12131 says, you're not going to know what's going on. EKG reads what's going on at the time, and if these are intermittent, might not catch what's going on.

If it's afib, you're at elevated risk for a stroke.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Yes, see your cardiologist to rule out organic cause first. You are saying it's happening more and more. Do not just chalk it up to stress, anxiety or panic attack. EKG will catch nothing when you have no symptoms. A prolonged monitor would be better.

Fair enough…. I’ll follow up with the cardiologist Monday if no improvement over the weekend.

It might take wearing a heart monitor for a few days to a week to catch something. You don’t catch a fish by just dropping a hook in the water and pulling it out in a couple of minutes. AFib can come and go, but with time it will be more frequent. A good cardiologist should be able to figure it out and you’ll want to tend to it before it becomes an issue.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
I have a history of afib and what you're describing is familiar to me. Could be a number of things, but until you've worn a continuous monitor for a month like 12131 says, you're not going to know what's going on. EKG reads what's going on at the time, and if these are intermittent, might not catch what's going on.

If it's afib, you're at elevated risk for a stroke.

I appreciate that.. fortunately I’m not having runs of PAC’s or PVC’s. Just fairly frequent ones. I’ve forgotten more than I remember from my paramedic days, but I know I haven’t had any runs of A fib.

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Good. Please followup with the results. BTW folks can have asymptomatic Afib which still puts them at eight times risk of a stroke. Treated with meds unless severe.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Good. Please followup with the results.

Will do, I appreciate y’all’s quick responses!

I'm NOT a doctor.

However, I seem to have noticed some symptoms coincident with changes in bowel movement. Specifically constipation (something for which I've never had issues until I reached a certain age). This combined with more caffeine may have led to some intermittent symptoms for me.

I'm not sure, just speculation. But it seemed correlated and repeatable.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I'm NOT a doctor.

However, I seem to have noticed some symptoms coincident with changes in bowel movement. Specifically constipation (something for which I've never had issues until I reached a certain age). This combined with more caffeine may have led to some intermittent symptoms for me.

I'm not sure, just speculation. But it seemed correlated and repeatable.

Well that’s certainly interesting. I turn 53 this year, getting older is full of fun surprises

Like the others have said-find a cardiologist, decrease caffeine drinks/foods, try to exercise as much as you can to relieve stress and eat better. I used to get a palpitations quite often but now not so much,for whatever reason. I had a stress test and had a heart monitor on for a couple days but of course nothing showed. I tend to take my faith in the Good Lord even more serious now,which has helped immensely.

I had this happen to me and it ended up being gut related. Eating or drinking too much junk food, or eating something I was allergic to. Mine was gluten and eggs.

Do you consume alcohol Dryfly?

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
Do you consume alcohol Dryfly?

Rarely, sometimes a beer or two a month.

Stress / anxiety can certainly do it.

I've written two giant walls of text now telling my story and my presumed "brush with mortality", deleted them both.

Long story short, it can be anxiety or stress that you don't even realize you have.