Heart Palpitations or something else....

[onebreathatatime]

I have been experiencing Heart Palpitations (or what I believe to be palps) for a while now, normally it feels like a pause and then a forceful thud. I normally swallow, take a sip of water something to stop the feeling.. although I have been starting to question myself as to whether this is really what I am feeling. I know I breath funny with my anxiety, taking in too much/little air which causes burping etc.. Tonight was no different.. I was chewing gum (which normally takes my mind off things) although I starting feeling what I thought were palps coming over and over but now I am not so sure!? As you do take in air while chewing gum... anyone experience this at all?

[NixonRulz]

No matter what you are doing, shallow breaths will cause the palpitations.

Normal slow belly breathing stops it in its tracks.

[Walking Circles]

I have experienced palpitations for years, they run in my family. The pause and thud you describe is to a tee how some of my palpitations feel, sort of a stop then a hard jerking slam of a beat? I find that I most often experienced that particular palpitation when I have eaten something that disagrees with me, or I am just having a rough day with my stomach in general. I find sipping luke warm water helps, you want to avoid cold liquids when you have had one as they can agitate the problem. Shallow breathing can also set them off, out of curiosity do you experience other palpitations, if so how frequently. I only ask as this is one of the few areas that I can help with as I have been through the ringer on heart issues and anxiety.

[onebreathatatime]

I have experienced palpitations for years, they run in my family. The pause and thud you describe is to a tee how some of my palpitations feel, sort of a stop then a hard jerking slam of a beat? I find that I most often experienced that particular palpitation when I have eaten something that disagrees with me, or I am just having a rough day with my stomach in general. I find sipping luke warm water helps, you want to avoid cold liquids when you have had one as they can agitate the problem. Shallow breathing can also set them off, out of curiosity do you experience other palpitations, if so how frequently. I only ask as this is one of the few areas that I can help with as I have been through the ringer on heart issues and anxiety.

I pretty much only get those pause-thud palps, and normally it's after/during exercise, after eating, drinking too much caffeine, sometimes going to sleep on my back. Sometimes they are really strong feeling, others are very mild and soft thuds. Last thursday though I was going about my evening when I felt the pause, so I stopped waiting for the thud and instead my heart started racing.. I do have panic disorder so I have been trying to figure out if the palp caused the panic attack or if that was actually the start of a panic attack?! Palps are one of the things that frighten me the most, how do you get through having had them for so long?

[Walking Circles]

Honestly getting through them is tough for me sometimes even after all this time, it helps me to know that most of the causes of palpitation fairly benign. When I am having them I remind myself that fear only makes them worse. I usually stop and take a series of long full breaths from the abdomen, inhaling and exhaling slowly. To be perfectly honest with you I would have them checked out by a doctor, simply for the peace of mind that can come from knowing what the cause (if anything) of them is. The racing you described is the only thing that sounds even slightly worrisome to me, racing can be an indicator of atrial fibrillation, a totally treatable but rather annoying condition when I myself have dealt with. However with atrial fibrillation you typically would have noticed more than just racing, such as a jittery feeling all over, an EXTREMELY noticeable (hard) heart beat and a sense of uncoordination.

Panic can most certainly cause palps, and sure doesn't help them. I would just try and remember that as scary as heart things can be there is a whole world of treatment options out there and they get better at them everyday. I would also keep in mind that there are many, many people who suffer palps with no discernible medical cause, and they live perfectly happy normal lives.

[onebreathatatime]

I had an ECG done Sept.2011 during a panic attack, and I have talked to my doctor, she believes it is all anxiety related. The other thing is when I get them I do not have any other symptom, it just scares the crap out of me for the second it happens. Now I'm concerned about the racing heart, although when I had it I was doing things in my house and didn't stop, the whole ordeal lasted for less than 17 mins, and racing to me is anything over 80.. lol.. can't stand the feeling at all. My normal resting is anywhere from 65-75 bpm and I have never experienced a racing heart out of the blue except for that one time. Now I seem to be analyzing and trying to make the situation seem not bad.....

[Walking Circles]

The fact that you have no other symptoms with them is a good thing. One incident of racing is nothing to be to worried about, have you talked to your doctor about it? You might have your doctor consider putting you on a Holter moniter, you typically wear them for 24-72 hours. It will monitor the activity of your heart and record it for your doctor to analyze, I expect that one would find nothing but they can provide invaluable peace of mind. Honestly I would not beat yourself up worrying about this, papls can be terribly frightening but by and large they are nothing to worry about.

[onebreathatatime]

I have considered the holter monitor and a stress test but I'm so scared. Just thinking about anything health related causes a wave of adrenaline to wash over me - which is not good at all.

[defmunel]

I used to be the same way. I decided to go to a cardio doc and get the full work up. You begin with an initial visit with the doc. You explain to them your symptoms and concerns. Then they schedule your tests one at a time. I was frightened with all of them too, but Don't worry!!! Once you get it done you'll feel so much better. I did! I don't worry about my palps or heart rate or blood pressure at all anymore.

[Walking Circles]

I understand the fear, my anxiety is health related and the fear of some new disease or condition gives me the same surge of adrenaline. However wouldn't it be nice to tell your self with absolute certainty that it is nothing to fear when you have a palpitation?

[Courtneykinns]

I get heart palpitations too! & ive kind of realized what causes them as weird as this sounds, i get them when i have a lot of trapped gas in my stomach. When i have no trapped gas or no gas in general, i have no palpitations, when i have gas or if im constipated, my heart goes crazy!
They used to scare me but now im realizing obsessing makes them worse. I figure if i can do over 30 minutes of cardio a day with no problems & feel great, that my palpitations arent a big deal. Exercise actually takes my palpitations away.

[onebreathatatime]

I get heart palpitations too! & ive kind of realized what causes them as weird as this sounds, i get them when i have a lot of trapped gas in my stomach. When i have no trapped gas or no gas in general, i have no palpitations, when i have gas or if im constipated, my heart goes crazy!
They used to scare me but now im realizing obsessing makes them worse. I figure if i can do over 30 minutes of cardio a day with no problems & feel great, that my palpitations arent a big deal. Exercise actually takes my palpitations away.

I think you are right... I always over breathe to try and stay calm and last night for the first time I did my walk to my bus after work, really focusing on long, slow, deep breaths and I did not have any skipped beats but normally I would. So I am thinking it definitely has to do with extra air in the system. I also notice with exercise they decrease, although occasionally if I over breathe they will happen. It's nice to know someone feels the same :)

[Courtneykinns]

I think you are right... I always over breathe to try and stay calm and last night for the first time I did my walk to my bus after work, really focusing on long, slow, deep breaths and I did not have any skipped beats but normally I would. So I am thinking it definitely has to do with extra air in the system. I also notice with exercise they decrease, although occasionally if I over breathe they will happen. It's nice to know someone feels the same :)

Yeah i agree!!! (: Do you also get them when you bend down or bend over? I always seem to feel the flutter when i bend over or bend down.

[onebreathatatime]

I do feel them when bending down, I always take an extra breath too to try and stop it. Have you been checked by a dr?

[Courtneykinns]

I do feel them when bending down, I always take an extra breath too to try and stop it. Have you been checked by a dr?

Yeah! I was checked in january & everything came back normal. But it still doesnt make the palpitations any easier :/

[anxiety_prison]

I also feel them with deep breaths, and bending over, Get worse on full stomach or gassy foods. I'm so unhappy :/ I just want to go back to the old me with no palps! I'm afraid of every thing, exercise, sex, food, medicine. Afraid of afib and getting worse, and heart surgery.