Palpitations / Anxiety

Hi im new,im 29 and live in Shropshire UK, had my PM fitted April'09, bit of a whirlwind, long story short:

Had 1st son July'03 thats when i first noticed what i call palpitations, extra beats / missed beats / thumping in chest and in throat.
They would come and go with no patten to them, so i went to DR and she did ECG and said they were innocent extra beats and not to worry.

Had 2nd son Jan'09 and they came back again and not really gone away since.

So since 2003 i have been back to Dr on and off and they said the same, until April this year i went back and she said she would do a 24hr ECG.

I went for it on easter monday, got myself worked up and passed out / fainted while wearing the ECG.
I told them to take it off as i didn't feel right with it on, and that i would go back next week.

Anyway i was at work 4 days later when my Dr phoned me to say go to her asap, she said my heart paused for 10 seconds when i fainted. I was took into hopital that day, monitored for 5 days then PM fitted all within 1 week, talk about shock of the century!!!!

I have had alot of anxiety since then about the health of my heart, been worried about heart attack, as still get terrible palpitations / extra's and missed, thats what they feel like.
Had 24hr ECG last month which confirmed there Ectopics.

I just cant stop worrying, i feel alot of wind like an nervous indigestion, need to burp alot!! and sometimes slight pain under left breast top of ribs, they have done scan of heart etc and diagnosed me with Sinus Node Disease with Syncope.

I have just found this website and think it's great, it's gave me alot of reasurrance that people feel the same as me, as where i live im one of the youngest with PM and people like to say: Oh your to young to have a PM etc....

Does anyone else feel the palps, extra's like me??

Look forward to hearing from you all

Hayley xx

8 Comments

Hi Hayley and welcome

by Hot Heart - 2009-10-21 06:10:56

Just saw your post and am about to go to bed, but thought id say a quick hello.

I'm in staffordshire, so not too far away from you; sounds like we may have similar problems! lol, heart and 2 kids! lol

I'm 56 and got my pm 51 weeks ago, mine was a massive shock, but ive got over it. I know what you mean about feeling too young to have a pm, it hit me like a brick.................omg i'm only 55 how can i need a pm!!! lol

I feel extra palps, get a fib apparently, once i knew what it was stopped worrying about it, also get the odd twinge under ribs as well.

Havnt got time to go into depth about me but if you have a look at when i first came in here you will see most of my info.

Have a chat some time, and dont worry, it will all be fine im sure

HH

Hello Hayley

by karenc - 2009-10-21 07:10:29

Hi Hayley

I'm Karen 44yrs old from Staffordshire, i'm 2 weeks post op so a bit of a newby really. My story is very similar to yours only mine was over a longer period of time. I'm still getting weird feelings, not sure what they are but they do feel like the ectopic beats I was having before my pm. I've spoken to the the clinic and they say i shouldn't be having ectopics etc that the pm should deal with them??. I'm awaiting my appointment and hopefully will get it sorted soon. It is disturbing when you don't know what's going on in there. I can empathise with you as I am feeling quite anxious myself. The clinic reassured me that everything was ok and there was nothing to worry about.

Hope you get sorted soon

Karen

Ectopic Beats and Worry

by Pookie - 2009-10-21 08:10:48

Hi Hayley.

I too developed Ectopic Atrial Beatsabout a year after my pacer. My pacer will be 5 yrs old this November 2.

Mine were a very hard thumping & pounding sensation, but my heart rate never was fast when this occurs. Before I knew what I was dealing with, these beats literally scared me and I was having what I call my mini panic attacks which I am sure didn't help matters.

However, mine developed more frequently so I demanded a loop recorded (sometimes called an Event Recorder) which I wore for an entire month and if and when I had lightheadedness, dizziness or any other yucky feeling, I would simply hit the record button and then send it into the hospital via my house phone. I am so glad that I "demanded" this after 4 yrs of ectopic beats because now the EP can't figure out if what I'm experiencing is actually still Ectopics or Junctional Rhythm or the pacemaker itself....I was even told some cardiologists seem to think both are the same thing!!??

So, my EP sent me for a stress test last week and I only lasted 7 minutes and 29 seconds before I got very week and went into a faint. I was prepared for that as I have Neurocardiogenic Syncope and my heart rate doesn't increase much during activity/exercise AND my blood pressure drops instead of increases!!!

My next test is on November 2 where I am to wear a Holter Monitor for 24 hrs, but this time the EP is going to change my bipolar setting to unipolar (all greek to me) so he can get a better reading of my heart in action.

From there, he said I am "fixable". Fixable meaning I could either be put on a low dose Beta Blocker or I might need an ablation (which I said a firm NO to) or it may be as simple as adjusting a few settings on the pacemaker...which I am hoping for.

All this heart stuff makes anyone worry, stressed out and become anxious...we are only human and since it is our hearts, I think we all of a sudden become super sensitive to every little beat as before our device we really didn't pay that much attention or at least I didn't.

So.....my advice to you is to keep a log of your ectopic episodes, when, how long, etc. and perhaps even ask for a Holter or Loop Monitor.

If you don't feel right, tell your doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And of course, we are always here to lend you support.

Pookie

Thumps, bumps, and passing out

by ElectricFrank - 2009-10-21 11:10:55

Glad you were on their ECG when you passed out. That gets their attention and you have the pacer you need.

Others have said it well, but one thing missed. The need for a pacemaker is rarely connected to a risk of a heart attack. A heart attack is blockage of blood vessels of the heart. Arrhythmia's are a disturbance in the electrical circuits of the heart. They are much more successfully treated since it just requires a pacemaker to take over some of the problem functions.

You are less likely to pass out, or have a sudden cardiac arrest than a seemingly healthy person who doesn't have a pacer.

best,

frank

Thankyou Everyone

by hayrm - 2009-10-22 08:10:30

Thanks everyone for your replies, it's really great to have a support network out there, wish i had found this site back in April.

Karen and Hot Heart we must meet up for a chat as were not far from each other??

I am going to post another message later, with some more questions when i finish work, and get kids to bed etc..

Thanks Hayley

Hang in There

by wenditt - 2009-10-22 09:10:19

Hi Hayley,
I'm Wendy. 33 years old, USA. Got pm on 9/11. Had dizziness, fainting spells and times when I could actually feel my heart stop for 15 years. On and off really, maybe 2-3 episodes per year and then none for another year (that I remember or noticed). Everytime I made it to dr. my EKG was normal. EVERYONE told me I had anxiety attacks. I figured...OK...they are the doctors! But then I had my daughter! Amelia is now 17 months old.

This past August the episodes came back. Back to back, one after the other for a day or 2. I went to the dr and he said anxiety...again. I left with a few pills to calm me down. But...the didn't work.

I went back and he told me to see a cardiologist so that I would calm down and be assured everything was fine. I went. The cardiologist was unimpressed with me and my symptoms. He scheduled me for a test every Friday for a month. So basically it would have been 5 weeks before all the tests were complete. I went home feeling reassured that he didn't see me as a critical case.

BUT the episodes kept happening and it was scaring the crap out of me. It got to the point where I was afraid to be alone with my own daughter for fear I would have to call 911...if I could....was afraid to sleep at night....for fear I wouldn't wake up in the morning.

I PUSHED AND PUSHED to wear an event monitor before the 5 weeks were up. Finally I got one! 24 hours in to wearing it...I got a call saying go to the emergency room.....as soon as possible.

I cried and said a long goodbye to my daughter. I knew something bad was about to happen and I was afraid I wouldn't see her again.

12 hours after being monitored in the hospital and after 15 years of episodes, I got a diagnosis of 3rd degree heart block. I was scared as hell, devastated, confused. I cried so hard I was shaking and I couldn't breath. That was 10 am in the morning.

At 2 pm I was in the operating room. I didn't have time to think, react, ask questions, get answers, feel, understand....all mock speed.

I was sent home the next day with a flippin' golfball on my chest still confused and sad. I didn't sleep for a full week because I was literally still afraid that if I closed my eyes I would die.

Then I found this website. The people here are my doctors! They answer my questions. They calm me down. They make sense of everything for me. They are incredible.

After the pm I am convinced I had authentic panic attacks! Perhaps for the first time! LOL....it has certainly been a difficult road.

Yesterday was the first day I turned a corner. I decided yesterday that living in fear 24 hours a day was not living at all. I thought for the past 6 weeks that this would be a process that would work itself out....that I would heal emotionally while I was healing physically. But for me it has not been that way.

I had to literally DECIDE not to be scared anymore. I had to say....this sucks yes....but being angry, scared and sad is so much worse.

Like I said...I just decided this yesterday so we will see how it goes LOL....but damn it I will try!

Best of luck to you. Enjoy your children. Know that you are safe with the pm when driving a car now, know that they need Mommy to be strong.

Wishing you nothing but good health and calm.
Take care,
Wendy

New Here

by Emrgmgmtca - 2012-05-08 10:05:40

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here, and it seems to be customary to tell your story, so here goes! I'm a 57 year old retired paramedic (ironic...huh?) and emergency management consultant. I was in Portugal last year when I was woken from a sound sleep in the middle of the night by palpitations. I should point out that I'd never had palpitations before, and, like most paramedics, I wasn't initially all that impressed. If it hadn't been for my wife, I probably wouldn't have gone to the hospital at all.

When I got there, I was surprised...for one of the poorest countries in Europe, Portugal's medical system took first rate care of me, and much more quickly than would have happened at home in Canada. The diagnosis was 3rd degree heart block, and my heart rate was under 40 beats per minute. I should point out that I NEVER had any chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, light headedness, fainting or any of the other classic cardiac symptoms. Nevertheless, I had a pacemaker installed within a couple of days!

When I got back to Canada, they performed every cardiac assessment test known to man, and confirmed that there had been no conventional heart attack (no dead heart muscle, no blocked arteries), and that the PM installation had been absolutely perfect. The Portuguese cardiologist even used a North American-manufactured PM so it would be easier to get care over here. They validated absolutely everything that had been done. My health stabilized nicely, and I am fine, apart from an occasional round of palpitations, which I am still trying to figure out. But unlike most paramedics, I take palpitations a LOT more seriously now! Thanks for posting your stories, though. It's really hard to find others with the same problem who are talking, and I suspect that we're a bigger community than we think!

palpatations

by judda - 2013-12-04 01:12:16

Yeah ive experianced similar. Im 33 and my pm fitted recently after having blackouts. I was told my heartbeart was low resting was about 45 to 50 bpm. And my heart stoped for 8 seconds when I blacked out I was wearing a novcor 7 day monitor at the time. So now im home only now im still having the dizzyness only im not blacking out now. I am however having what I think are palps thumping in my chest and throat. This gets worse at night time. I am due to see my gp ins the morning so should hopefully now a bit more then. Any one with similar symptoms for advice would be welcome. Lee.

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Yesterday I moved to a new place in my mind and realized how bad I felt 'before' and the difference my pacemaker has made.