any experience with irregular heartbeats?

[janebrain]

Hi All,
I'm asking because my easy child son, C, is having some problems. He went to the dr. on Tuesday because his heart was racing, then would skip beats, etc. and he felt dizzy and tired and just not well. They did an ekg and did see abnormal heartbeats but other than that his heart was fine. They told him it is not a life threatening problem and told him he should see a cardiologist and gave him some names. They said it was ectopic atrial rhythm.

He was feeling better on Wed. but then Thursday night went to work and felt worse again and also had weakness on his left side and felt faint and dizzy. He called me and said he was going to the ER. He called a few hrs later and they had sent him home with a heart monitor to record his heart for 48 hrs and gave him a referral for a cardiologist. They, too, said it is not life threatening.

My concern is more with his mental state than the heart at this point. He is so worried about paying for the dr. visits and says he has to be able to work, he can't keep having this heart thing happen, etc. He is very stressed out over it. He is high strung anyway!

Does anyone know about this problem so I could tell him a bit more til he can see a cardiologist?

I sure wish he had a wife or girlfriend to give him emotional support and calm him down. I am 3000 miles away and just his mom if you know what I mean! I tried to calm him down and assure him he will be fine and that he won't be broke and homeless and without a job!

Thanks,
Jane

 

[SRL]

Has he cut out ALL caffiene in diet, drinks, OTC medications, etc? Is he taking any medications like decongestants. I was having irregular heartbeats and caffiene was the major culprit, plus the daily decongestant I was taking wasn't helping matters.. I'm sensitive to even small amounts. When I cut it out it took a few months for it to settle back down.

 

[janebrain]

SRL,
thanks for replying so quickly! He said he had cut out caffeine on Wed.--I think he thought it would have an immediate effect! I will tell him what you said and I think it will be good for him to know it took a few months for it to settle down. Thanks so much, I appreciate having this to tell him!
Jane

 

[SRL]

Technically caffeine clears the system fairly quickly but for me it took time for the blood pressure to come down and the irregularity to subside.

Hope he feels better soon. I know it's scary.

 

[Hound dog]

No caffiene. Watch sugar and carb intake for awhile......and what SRL said about the medications.

But he really does need to see the cardio and make certain this is truely what he's dealing with.

 

[janebrain]

Yes, I am encouraging him to make the appointment. with the cardio--I think he won't feel sure he isn't seriously ill til he hears it from a cardio who can tell him what is happening.

I'll be sure to mention the cold medications to him--I know when he was at home he often took antidecongestants when he had a cold or his allergies were bothering him. I hope he isn't smoking--I know that isn't good either.

He said he went out for a couple of drinks Wed. night and felt fine. Maybe the alcohol relaxed him and also being out socially with friends. It was kind of funny--my phone rang around 3am my time Wednesday night and it was C but I think his phone accidentally called me because all I could hear was voices in the background and I heard him laugh. I was shouting his name but he couldn't hear me. So, I already knew he'd been out on Wed. night since his phone called--maybe his phone could be my spy!

Thanks for the help, I so appreciate it--helps me to feel calmer! Also, I have a call in to C's grandparents--they are a retired dr. and nurse so they may be able to give me some info too.

Jane

 

[BusynMember]

I get those sometimes, always did. I had a few week long heart monitors placed on me and heart scans and everything is normal. It's really not an uncommon or serious problem. Let him see a cardio. It will give him peace of mind.

 

[janebrain]

MWM,
does stress seem to aggravate it for you? Also, do you get faint or weak or feel like you will pass out?
Thanks,
Jane

 

[ScentofCedar]

Has he had his thyroid checked?

Barbara

 

[Critter Lover]

My daughter's boyfriend has the rapid heartbeat. He sees a cardiologist and he is on medications to control it. He is a total health nut...does not eat sweets since he was in high school because he use to be on the swimming team.
He went to college on swimming scholarship and lost it when they found out about his irregular heartbeat. He still eats the right stuff but takes medications and he knows when he stresses himself out that he has to use calming methods. When I stress out it cause my artieries to constrict near my heart and I have to pop nitros....then I get the splitting headaches. I am susceptible to getting a heart attack because of this. Then I also have Mitral Valve Prolaspe but I have not had any trouble from it. Use to have to be pre medicated before dental appointments. Funny someone mention Thyroid when I was diagnosed recently for that Hashimotos.

He should see the cardiologist and they will probably put him through a stress test to see how he does on it. Usually that is the easiest way to find out what might be going on.

 

[janebrain]

Thanks, Everyone! I don't think he has had his thyroid checked--one of my co-workers mentioned that to me too. He tends to have a kind of nervous energy and suffers from anxiety so I would think he should have the thyroid checked--I'll mention that to him too. You guys are so helpful, I am thankful to have you!
Jane

 

[BusynMember]

MWM,
does stress seem to aggravate it for you? Also, do you get faint or weak or feel like you will pass out?
Thanks,
Jane

No, I tend to get these when I'm in a resting position. BUT...before I got the heart scans and all that...if I WASN'T stressed out before the irregular bests, I was afterward. It kind of worked like that. Once I was told that it's not serious, I stopped paying so much attention to it.
I did not feel weak or faint, but I do feel both ways when I am having panic attacks. So it could all be tied together. For his own peace of mind, have him do the whole heart workup. That really made me feel a lot better. It's very common to have a benign heart mumur, but to high-anxiety folks it can be very frightening!

 

[Steely]

I have something called Super Venticular Tachycardia...........(sp?) Or SVTs. This is where instead of just having irregular heartbeats once in awhile, your body basically gets stuck in a flight mode, and it feels like you are running a marathon, but you are sitting down. In actuality is a something like a spasm, and if you put pressure on the Vagus Nerve, it causes the SVT to stop. It is extremely scary, but actually completely non-life threatening. I have learned to manage it by when I feel it coming on, I hold my breath and push my stomach out, which puts pressure on the Vagus Nerve. It works.

Regardless, my point is, that I have seen a zillion cardiologists, and had to wear that heart monitor thing he has on, a couple of times, and endure a bunch of other poking and prodding since I was 20. Yet I still have a completely healthy heart - says the doctor. Our heart can do wonky things, and it still be healthy - the problem is, is that when it does wonky things it makes us feel like we are dying.

If PCs dr visits don't allay his fears, than maybe doing some research on it himself would help?
I am also on blood pressure medications that help. Is his blood pressure high?

Give him a big hug, and let him know that he is going to be OK. He is not going to die (which is what it feels like), it is just a condition like any other he has to manage. Frankly diabetes would be more concerning than some heart issues. It is all about perspective.

 

[janebrain]

I think they wake him up at night so I guess he gets them when resting as well as other times. I'm thinking the weakness and dizziness could well be from anxiety over it all. And he is not only anxious over the irregular heartbeats but also over the money he is spending to get it checked out and also he is anxious about not being able to do his job and missing work and he begins thinking in a very catastrophic way--like his life is ruined now.

Jane

 

[Star*]

Jane -

I hope your son is feeling better today. Sorry getting in here late to add my well wishes.

I get chest pains on the left side and have something like hiccups in my heart - but just figured it was stress. This has been an interesting thread.

Sure hope they find out what is bugging your boy.

Hugs