OT---Heart Murmurs,Flutters,Arrythmias,Palpitations

[mikemarrs]

does anyone here get Heart Murmurs,Flutters,Arrythmias,Palpitations? first time my heart raced i was fifteen and i was rushed to the hospital and iagnosed with mitral valve prolapse.they later said a couple months later nothing was wrong and i was fine.a few years later i started getting these flutters and palpitations.i've had a lot of stress at times and i was diagnosed a couple times with anxiety and they said this was it.well these things happen every blue moon and its really scary when you have these flutters and palpitations.anyone here ever experience this stuff?

[ProgRocker53]

I had a major scare a month ago.

In the weeks preceding it I had been having some chest pain and discomfort on and off, I passed it off as being a pulled muscle from lifting something at work.

However, one day while relaxing and watching a preseason game my heart started racing unexpectedly and I got very light-headed. My pulse was insane, I thought I was having a heart attack.

I went to the hospital in a squad. They put me through five or six tests (blood test, EKG, ultrasound, cat scan, x-ray, some other stuff) to make sure my heart was okay. After an overnight stay they determined that I had anxiety disorder, and gave me a prescription for Xanax (which I haven't filled, I've heard bad stories about that drug.)

Since then, I haven't had another anxiety attack (that's what they said it was) but I've still had occasional pain, discomfort, and random adrenaline rushes. It's definitely very scary and I've found myself listening to/feeling my heart way more often than I used to. I've been testing my blood pressure for the first time in my life, it's a bit high and I'm trying to get it down right now. I've also began taking steps to altering my diet.

I thought I was going to die that night, and I want to do anything I can to extend my life and have a healthy, pain-free existence. I know that's asking alot but I will do anything in my power now to strive for that.

I just wish I could shake all the dismal, pessimistic thoughts I've been having since the attack.

Every day I wake up I'm thankful to be alive..

[Suzanne]

does anyone here get Heart Murmurs,Flutters,Arrythmias,Palpitations? first time my heart raced i was fifteen and i was rushed to the hospital and iagnosed with mitral valve prolapse.they later said a couple months later nothing was wrong and i was fine.a few years later i started getting these flutters and palpitations.i've had a lot of stress at times and i was diagnosed a couple times with anxiety and they said this was it.well these things happen every blue moon and its really scary when you have these flutters and palpitations.anyone here ever experience this stuff?

I do. My heart flutters or "skips a beat" sometimes. I've been a little stressed this past week so it has done it slightly more than usual but it happens here and there like you said, out of the blue. Sometimes it won't for a while, sometimes it's more frequent. It's scary to think of my heart skipping a beat but my doctor knows and didn't seemed concerned. I've actually felt my pulse while it does it and my heart will beat normal, not beat, then beat twice real fast before going back to normal. Weird.

[StevePerryHair]

It really is something you need to get checked out with your doctor. It may be nothing but you shouldn't ignore it. They can do an EKG and have you wear a monitor for a day to see what's going on.

[Melissa]

You need to see a cardiologist, just to be certain. MVP is usually congenital so I'm kind of surprised it took until you were 15 to get diagnosed and no one heard it before that. Most MVP's are benign and don't need treatment, and palps happen with it, but you should still see a cardio.

[G.I.Jim]

One time when I was smoking crack, I thought my heart was going to EXPLODE!!! Just joking. Heart problems are very serious though, and I wouldn't hesitate to go to the doctor immediately if something wasn 't right. My Father-In-Law almost died from a stroke last year, and seeing that was very disturbing. One minute he's sitting on a dock with a fishing rod in his hand, and the next minute... he's slouched over with foam coming out of his mouth and his eyes in the back of his head! He made a full recovery (Thank God!), but he did have slurred speach, and have issues with one side of his body for a while. Scary stuff!

[tammy]

Oh, yeah...it's scary. This started happening to me months ago - like my heart skipped beats or a flip flop feeling, esp. lying in bed at night. I had the medical work-up which involved wearing a 24 hr. Holter moniter and they didn't find anything so it is heart palpitations. I'm always under stress & anxiety (having an autistic kid can esp. do that) so that can be cause but also the evil hormones shifting for women. Caffeine (even in chocolate) will mess with your heart so give that up (I did and it got better & when I do have caffeine it comes back)...also, alcohol will do it. Anxiety/panic attacks definitely mimic heart attacks but always get your doctor to check you out & give you the okay...doing regular 30 min. walking a day can help a lot, too.

[ProgRocker53]

Oh, yeah...it's scary. This started happening to me months ago - like my heart skipped beats or a flip flop feeling, esp. lying in bed at night. I had the medical work-up which involved wearing a 24 hr. Holter moniter and they didn't find anything so it is heart palpitations. I'm always under stress & anxiety (having an autistic kid can esp. do that) so that can be cause but also the evil hormones shifting for women. Caffeine (even in chocolate) will mess with your heart so give that up (I did and it got better & when I do have caffeine it comes back)...also, alcohol will do it. Anxiety/panic attacks definitely mimic heart attacks but always get your doctor to check you out & give you the okay...doing regular 30 min. walking a day can help a lot, too.

I wore the Holter monitor too. They've never called back, so I guess that's a good thing.

I drank an iced coffee the day of my first attack. I went two weeks without caffeine (Before this all I used to drink energy drinks and iced capps like a fish) and when I had an iced coffee on the two week anniversary of my anxiety attack, I started to have another. Luckily with breathing and positive thinking I quelled it. I went another week or so, had a big helping of Mt. Dew... and started to have another.

Needless to say I'm done drinking any large amount of caffeine... and I haven't gotten any beer since either.

These caffeine headaches are HELL though!!

[Sarah]

Hmm I had one of these seemingly at random a few months ago. They don't come but maybe once a year (knock on wood), but unfortunately my part-time job doesn't provide health insurance so I can't go get it checked out if it happens again in the near future. It was probably an anxiety attack like Prog's, though.

[SP Fan in Oregon]

I've had these flutters in my heart since I was 18 and I'm much older now. My doc was not concerned about them.
He said, as I age that someday when I'm very old I might need to take a pill to regulate the heart rate better, and the very worst
is to get a pacemaker. My dad has the same thing, is 82 and just takes a pill to help regulate the palpatations. His mother had them too,
and when she was in her late 80's and 90s she would get the racing heart and have to go to the hospital to get it slowed down.

The palpation gives me sort of a light headed feeling while I can feel my heart racing and lasts about 10-15 seconds, enough to get your attention.
I have learned to just ignore it now as I know it is nothing. However, worth having it checked out. I had all kinds of tests just to be sure it wasn't anything more.
It was very creepy watching my heart beat on an xray sort of monitor. When you watch that muscle beating, you realize the difference between life and death
is whether that thing keeps going 24/7 for your entire life. It's an amazing body part, especially when you see it up close and personal on the xray while it is beating.

[Michigan Girl]

does anyone here get Heart Murmurs,Flutters,Arrythmias,Palpitations? first time my heart raced i was fifteen and i was rushed to the hospital and iagnosed with mitral valve prolapse.they later said a couple months later nothing was wrong and i was fine.a few

Mikey~
This does not just GO AWAY...unless you've had valve replacement surgery or were misdiagnosed!!
Be careful w/this!!

Jimbo...that crack...LMAO!!!

[Peartree12249]

I started to develop these symptoms in my 30's I went to my doctor and she detected a heart murmur. I had the EKG, Holter, and echocardiogram. I was told it was caused by mitral valve regurgitation. In my case it was considered a benign condition and not to worry. MVR is not the same as MVP which is a serious condition. A few years ago I was diagnosed with borderline hypertension and put on a statin drug. Surprise, my symptoms went away almost completely! Before I went on the medication however, I found that if I coughed real hard 3 or 4 times, I could stop it. You might give it a try, but you should get it checked out. Here is a link to a good article you might like to read.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/upda ... ions.shtml

[Rip Rokken]

After an overnight stay they determined that I had anxiety disorder, and gave me a prescription for Xanax (which I haven't filled, I've heard bad stories about that drug.

Glad you're ok, Prog, and also glad you stayed away from the Xanax. I've met tons of people who have abused Xanax, but oddly none who really benefited from it. I'm sure they are out there, but I've not run into any myself. Most doctors I've asked say they only prescribe it for very short term situations like dealing with intense grief. The docs who prescribe it open-ended like candy enable a lot of addicts out there.

[Uno_up]

Sounds to me like you've got some Premature Atrial Contractions going on. Pretty benign, though.

If not, you might have intermittent atrial fibrillations. Again, benign, but you don't want that turning into a chronic situation. Smoking doesn't help with that. Are you a smoker?

Anyway, be sure to get it checked out to get a real diagnosis. Good luck!

[mikemarrs]

Sounds to me like you've got some Premature Atrial Contractions going on. Pretty benign, though.

If not, you might have intermittent atrial fibrillations. Again, benign, but you don't want that turning into a chronic situation. Smoking doesn't help with that. Are you a smoker?

Anyway, be sure to get it checked out to get a real diagnosis. Good luck!

i was just about to post that anytime someone smokes around me i have those flutters.just warned someone tonight not to light a cigarette around me.

[mikemarrs]

I had a major scare a month ago.

In the weeks preceding it I had been having some chest pain and discomfort on and off, I passed it off as being a pulled muscle from lifting something at work.

However, one day while relaxing and watching a preseason game my heart started racing unexpectedly and I got very light-headed. My pulse was insane, I thought I was having a heart attack.

I went to the hospital in a squad. They put me through five or six tests (blood test, EKG, ultrasound, cat scan, x-ray, some other stuff) to make sure my heart was okay. After an overnight stay they determined that I had anxiety disorder, and gave me a prescription for Xanax (which I haven't filled, I've heard bad stories about that drug.)

Since then, I haven't had another anxiety attack (that's what they said it was) but I've still had occasional pain, discomfort, and random adrenaline rushes. It's definitely very scary and I've found myself listening to/feeling my heart way more often than I used to. I've been testing my blood pressure for the first time in my life, it's a bit high and I'm trying to get it down right now. I've also began taking steps to altering my diet.

I thought I was going to die that night, and I want to do anything I can to extend my life and have a healthy, pain-free existence. I know that's asking alot but I will do anything in my power now to strive for that.

I just wish I could shake all the dismal, pessimistic thoughts I've been having since the attack.

Every day I wake up I'm thankful to be alive..

back in 1990 i was like you the first time it happened.i was very thankful and overjoyed i made it through.then after that they brought me in for more tests after an initial misdiagnosis and informed everything was alright.i was drinking about a 12 pack of cokes a day and it was causing a lot of the problems.mine went away for years and suddenly popped back up.

[ProgRocker53]

I've had these flutters in my heart since I was 18 and I'm much older now. My doc was not concerned about them.
He said, as I age that someday when I'm very old I might need to take a pill to regulate the heart rate better, and the very worst
is to get a pacemaker. My dad has the same thing, is 82 and just takes a pill to help regulate the palpatations. His mother had them too,
and when she was in her late 80's and 90s she would get the racing heart and have to go to the hospital to get it slowed down.

The palpation gives me sort of a light headed feeling while I can feel my heart racing and lasts about 10-15 seconds, enough to get your attention.
I have learned to just ignore it now as I know it is nothing. However, worth having it checked out. I had all kinds of tests just to be sure it wasn't anything more.
It was very creepy watching my heart beat on an xray sort of monitor. When you watch that muscle beating, you realize the difference between life and death
is whether that thing keeps going 24/7 for your entire life. It's an amazing body part, especially when you see it up close and personal on the xray while it is beating.

I couldn't help but stare at my heart on that monitor. It was intense.

I have a new appreciation for the heart now and want to do everything I can to keep it healthy. (Which is why I shouldn't be eating these Supreme Nachos right now... LOL)

For the past two weeks I've had a phobia of it just stopping... but I remind myself, I'm 21, this little dude still has a lot of beats left in it... I look around me all the time at people 20, 30, 40 years older than me... smokers, overweight people... and their hearts are still going.... mine can too. =)

[Tracie555]

does anyone here get Heart Murmurs,Flutters,Arrythmias,Palpitations? first time my heart raced i was fifteen and i was rushed to the hospital and iagnosed with mitral valve prolapse.they later said a couple months later nothing was wrong and i was fine.a few years later i started getting these flutters and palpitations.i've had a lot of stress at times and i was diagnosed a couple times with anxiety and they said this was it.well these things happen every blue moon and its really scary when you have these flutters and palpitations.anyone here ever experience this stuff?

Yes, I have all of the above. I have found for me that caffeine (or any other type of stimulant) was a big part of my heart skipping. It took me a long time to figure it out, but cutting back on the caffeine really helped. Also, I know that the lack of the correct electrolyte balance (magnesium seems to be the big one to watch) really can effect your heart. My doctor has told me that he has had people go into cardiac arrest because their magnesium levels were severly low. You really should see a cardiologist so any changes can be monitored. Often if these symptoms can lead to a stroke.

Take care,

Tracie

[artist4perry]

mike hope you feel better soon, anxiety can cause it many times. But it is always best to get these things checked out. I have high blood pressure, and when it is up, mine does this. Take care and I hope it resolves itself!

[Suzanne]

It really is something you need to get checked out with your doctor. It may be nothing but you shouldn't ignore it. They can do an EKG and have you wear a monitor for a day to see what's going on.

YES. I'm sorry I omitted that in my post, I DID have an EKG and it turned out okay. I agree with SPH, you should have one to be sure.

[walkslikealady]

I've had problems and ended up in the ER a few times. Heart rate up to 300 or more and it doesn't always stop on it's own until they inject me with medicine.

[(Crazy)Dulce Lady]

yup--I've had it for years. done all the tests. blah

Xanax is not bad--it calms it down quick. I only take it when I have an episode. 1/2 of 2.5 mg is not bad. just cuz one takes meds regularly that are necessary isn't bad--some conditions just warrant action--whatever it takes.

breathing slow is effective but what to do in the middle of the night???? scares the living schutt out of a GirlLikeMe.

thanks for the caffeine tip-don't wanna hear it but I decided this last night after another sleepless night. I'm out on caffeine. done. Dan bought me my last diet coke. actually my last 3! thanks, SJ. but now I'm done. water next time, K? dang I'm a cheap date.

magnesium?? thx. I'll check that out.

[CatEyes]

You need to see a cardiologist, just to be certain.

bingo!!

I was having a few palps and a little angina and decided it was time to see a cardiologist. So I managed to get an appointment the next Friday at 8:00 a.m.

He coincidentally happened to be the Chief of Cardiology.

So I go to my appt at 8:00 - he is very punctual - I go right in, we chat for a few minutes, he listens to my heart then said that he was calling the ekg lab to come up to his office to run an ekg (which most of you know take about 5 seconds)

So within minutes I am on the desk in his office hooked up to an ekg machine and BAM!!!! I have a heart attack while he is standing there watching.

I was at the hospital withing 10 minutes, prepped for surger in ER, had a stent placed (they went radially) by noon, was in ccu in my bed by 5:00. The next day (Saturday) I left ccu for a regular room, was discharged on Sunday and was back in my office on Monday.

The Universe just lined everything up perfectly.

So take the time to see a cardiologist - you can save yourself a lot of trouble down the road.

Cat

[G.I.Jim]

does anyone here get Heart Murmurs,Flutters,Arrythmias,Palpitations? first time my heart raced i was fifteen and i was rushed to the hospital and iagnosed with mitral valve prolapse.they later said a couple months later nothing was wrong and i was fine.a few

Mikey~
This does not just GO AWAY...unless you've had valve replacement surgery or were misdiagnosed!!
Be careful w/this!!

Jimbo...that crack...LMAO!!!

Sorry!

[texafana]

wow..another thread you wouldn't expect from this site.

I've had these problems my entire life. More than likely they are PVC's or PAC's. Harmless really unless you have a shit load at one time and we're talking massive amounts. 100's or 1000's.

First off, get a complete check up to rule out anything immediately life threatining.

The more you think about it, the worse it gets. Then panic attacks set in, then you go crazy and never go out. Then life sucks.

People who have arrythmias should stop the following:
Drinking alchohol, caffine, chocolate, peanut butter, excessive sugar, etc. All of that will trigger an episode.

You pretty much have to make a life altering decision to just "get over it and not worry about it". Otherwise seriously, it can drive you crazy. We'll all going to die, accept it, find God or whatever and relax.

Take vitamin suppliments. Potassium, C, magnesium, etc, all good for the heart.

The next time you have an episiode, take a brisk walk, do some excersize, etc. It can really help.
What 99% of the time makes it worse is the "fight or flight" system kicking in when you have an episode because you get so nervous. By burning off this adrenaline you can help calm your system down and deal with it better. So next time it happens, don't freak out, just breath and do a brisk walk, etc.

You can treat some of this with meds but it can also make you a zombie, so you have to make a decision which is worse. Surgery can also go in there and ZAP the area causing the electro imbalance, but who the hell wants that!?!

Yes..at first they are SCARY as hell!! The worse thing in the world to feel your heart beat so fast and so hard, or worse, it seems to stop and start. It's not really stopping that's just the "pre ventricular contraction" catching up with itself. Sometimes you feel the thump when it catches up.

What helped me personally when I started getting these at 19 years old was a trip to the hospital to get checked up and then afterwards (while I was still freaking out) a Nurse told me to go to "floor 10" and visit some patients. Needless to say these were all cancer paitents and I realized they would trade positions with me in...yep....a heart beat.

[mikemarrs]

i forgot to add that in 2004 i went to a cardiologist.did the stress test,ekg,the whole nine yards.everything turned out fine but the cholesterol levels i had were high.so instead of taking the medicine i looked for alternative ways such as fish oil to bring my levels down.my father was pissed with me for doing that and then a while later i happened by his house and the news was on and they were talking about some of the people that cholesterol medicine had killed.i know some people here remember that and they took it off the market.i can't remember the medicine now but i was really glad i didn't take it.


lot going on so i might've forgot to add some things.i love caffeine.i don't smoke,do drugs or even drink and haven't in ten years because for a long time i stayed half lit.i drink a lot of cokes.i'm pretty sure thats what is causing me to have mine.i can go momths sometimes over a year and not experience anything and suddenly it comes back.

[mikemarrs]

wow..another thread you wouldn't expect from this site.

I've had these problems my entire life. More than likely they are PVC's or PAC's. Harmless really unless you have a shit load at one time and we're talking massive amounts. 100's or 1000's.

First off, get a complete check up to rule out anything immediately life threatining.

The more you think about it, the worse it gets. Then panic attacks set in, then you go crazy and never go out. Then life sucks.

People who have arrythmias should stop the following:
Drinking alchohol, caffine, chocolate, peanut butter, excessive sugar, etc. All of that will trigger an episode.

You pretty much have to make a life altering decision to just "get over it and not worry about it". Otherwise seriously, it can drive you crazy. We'll all going to die, accept it, find God or whatever and relax.

Take vitamin suppliments. Potassium, C, magnesium, etc, all good for the heart.

The next time you have an episiode, take a brisk walk, do some excersize, etc. It can really help.
What 99% of the time makes it worse is the "fight or flight" system kicking in when you have an episode because you get so nervous. By burning off this adrenaline you can help calm your system down and deal with it better. So next time it happens, don't freak out, just breath and do a brisk walk, etc.

You can treat some of this with meds but it can also make you a zombie, so you have to make a decision which is worse. Surgery can also go in there and ZAP the area causing the electro imbalance, but who the hell wants that!?!

Yes..at first they are SCARY as hell!! The worse thing in the world to feel your heart beat so fast and so hard, or worse, it seems to stop and start. It's not really stopping that's just the "pre ventricular contraction" catching up with itself. Sometimes you feel the thump when it catches up.

What helped me personally when I started getting these at 19 years old was a trip to the hospital to get checked up and then afterwards (while I was still freaking out) a Nurse told me to go to "floor 10" and visit some patients. Needless to say these were all cancer paitents and I realized they would trade positions with me in...yep....a heart beat.

your right.i take vitamins now and thats when all these things went away and don't happen as much.actually the panic attacks led me on the quest to look up certain vitamins that would help me.been taking those for a couple years now.as far as the xanax a few people talked about... i always throw the scrip away.i don't even touch xanax because i had a car wreck back in 2001 which required me to be on my pain medicine which i'm still on now.other than taking those i haven't had a cigarette,drink or drug since august 22,1999.i might've already told this story but for a lot of years i was an alcoholic,pothead,cokehead plus i smoked three or four packs of cigs a day.well in august of '99 i woke up one morning and had a bunch of seizures.i stayed in a regular hospital for a month.thats a lot of the reason in 2004 i went and did my check up was because of all the partying i did.

[mikemarrs]

i know i wrote the story about my mother.she had already had lupus and other health issues.last august she had a very bad brain anureysm.that morning the doctor said she had a five percent chance and a miracle to get well.my mom walked out of that hospital a month later.never very religious before that but now she goes to church regular is a different person.she just turned 58 and boy she loves her cigarettes.she smokes about four packs a day.anyway yesterday i went and got her so she could spend time with us and everytime she lit a cigarette i'd get those wild heart flutters.it was funny but she got real irritated when i picked her pack of cigarettes up and threw them in the garbage.i did it as a joke but i let her know not to smoke around me again.i figured with her getting over a major stroke she'd stop but i guess not.my mother is the one who got me into journey.she saw them in 1981 and 1983.i begged her to let me go in '83 but i was like nine years old so i was too young.she lost her voice after that one from screaming.boy was i mad and jealous at the time.she had a huge crush on steve perry back then,lol.

[*Laura]

I was having a few palps and a little angina and decided it was time to see a cardiologist. So I managed to get an appointment the next Friday at 8:00 a.m.

He coincidentally happened to be the Chief of Cardiology.

So I go to my appt at 8:00 - he is very punctual - I go right in, we chat for a few minutes, he listens to my heart then said that he was calling the ekg lab to come up to his office to run an ekg (which most of you know take about 5 seconds)

So within minutes I am on the desk in his office hooked up to an ekg machine and BAM!!!! I have a heart attack while he is standing there watching.

I was at the hospital withing 10 minutes, prepped for surger in ER, had a stent placed (they went radially) by noon, was in ccu in my bed by 5:00. The next day (Saturday) I left ccu for a regular room, was discharged on Sunday and was back in my office on Monday.

The Universe just lined everything up perfectly.

So take the time to see a cardiologist - you can save yourself a lot of trouble down the road.

Cat

Cat, you never cease to amaze me with the things you went through in your life. What a story!

To all of you here - God bless your hearts. I hope each of you stays healthy and safe.

My heart has been beating smoothly all of my life and I've chosen a healthy diet/lifestyle many years ago but the one thing I wasn't capable to do is to stop smoking.
I never smoked more than 15 per day in my worst phases, but still...I need to stop altogether.

[ProgRocker53]

You need to see a cardiologist, just to be certain.

bingo!!

I was having a few palps and a little angina and decided it was time to see a cardiologist. So I managed to get an appointment the next Friday at 8:00 a.m.

He coincidentally happened to be the Chief of Cardiology.

So I go to my appt at 8:00 - he is very punctual - I go right in, we chat for a few minutes, he listens to my heart then said that he was calling the ekg lab to come up to his office to run an ekg (which most of you know take about 5 seconds)

So within minutes I am on the desk in his office hooked up to an ekg machine and BAM!!!! I have a heart attack while he is standing there watching.

I was at the hospital withing 10 minutes, prepped for surger in ER, had a stent placed (they went radially) by noon, was in ccu in my bed by 5:00. The next day (Saturday) I left ccu for a regular room, was discharged on Sunday and was back in my office on Monday.

The Universe just lined everything up perfectly.

So take the time to see a cardiologist - you can save yourself a lot of trouble down the road.

Cat

I'm glad you made it through okay and got quick and proper care. =)

God bless.