First, a little about myself: I am 21 y/o and have been on dexydrine since first grade up until my junior year of high school. I started smoking when I was 17. I smoke between 1/2 and 1 pack per day. My grandparents on both sides have heart disease, my mother's side also has dimentia.

Since my last palpitation episode I went to the ER for, which lasted a good half hour - forty minutes, I had stopped drinking anything with caffeine and started drinking water. Though my headaches are gone, my random palpitations have not. Random, meaning I am totally relaxed. My question is if not stress, anxiety, medication, or caffeine then what? Why do I experience these palpitations? Would it also answer why some anxiety or panic attacks I'll experience no palpitations and other panic/anxiety attacks I will? Or when I'm skateboarding for a few hours, becoming VERY exhausted, I will be fine, while one day I will have palpitations for a half hour?

the description of my palpitations are this: Not racing, but stopping. My heart will pause for a beat, rarely hurting (which is probably just a muscle that becomes tense as I jump), but most of the time just very uncomfortable and makes me jump 200 feet in the air. Certain times I will experience them repeatedly one after another, only letting me get in a couple real beats for every skip. This is what I call an "episode", of which these episodes usually only occur after physical exertion. No pains in my arms, not short of breath, not dizzy, I'm perfectly fine while my heart does that. Does it relate to my diet, which is not very good? Should I be drinking milk, eating bananas, drinking more OJ, is it MSG?

It's never just a day, it's about 3 days of repeated episodes or episodes that could have been. I've noticed that when I experience even just a single palpitation (where no physical activity, medication, ect. is involved) I know to stay off of my skateboard and not drive my car in traffic, otherwise I will have an episode only to put me into a panic attack and make it worse.

It seems there is a pattern. I've noticed the 3-4 days where I have these palpitations for no reason are the weeks where I've experienced an abrupt change in the weather. I.e. 80 degrees to 56 degrees in a course of 2 days. Does this make sense?

edit: sorry, forgot to mention. In my visit to the ER following a worse-than-usual episode my bloodwork was normal, ekg at the time showed only fast heart rate because of anxiety (once I sat down the palpitations stopped and once the test was over they started again (go figure)), and they did a CAT scan on my chest and found me to be nothing more than a healthy human.

CN: Some days I will have palpitations. If I notice I had a palpitation, I cannot do physical activity, otherwise I will have an episode. Most months I am palpitation-free and loving life, while some 3-4 day periods in a month I sit at home and won't get up in fear of an episode...

if anything, i'd just like to know what it's called when my heart pauses... i say pauses because when I feel my pulse it's stopped, but it feels like my heart is having a hiccup... what is my heart doing when that happens?

Have you looked into getting a 24 hour heart monitor? What did of EKG did you have...just the quick 1 minute one or the one where they take 10+ mins?
You may have a murmur. I just found out I have mitral valve prolapse, and have many of the same symptoms as you. It is always better to have unnecessary tests than not request them because your symtoms are serious..... although it does sound like some of the prob. is anxiety related. I never would have found out about my condition if I hadn't insisted on the tests..

it was only a one minute ekg, I was debating on seeing my doctor since i've had doctors say numerous times that i'm in good health in the past. I feel as though it is electrical related, and I really do have a poor diet... so that is where I feel the connection, maybe I'm not getting the right nutrition... i dunno, a cadiologist would be best, but i really need to discuss it with someone at least so I know what to say and ask fro at the doc's..

I would talk to the cardiologist and consider having a Holter Monitor hooked up to you. It's a little machine and can be hooked onto your belt, and it connects to your heart via little sticky's. You wear it for 24 hours and it records all electircal activity on your heart for 24 hours. Since you seem to have an episode everyday, this seems to be the best option, seeing that your heart wouldn't act up during the CT scan. It's very easy to hook up, and virtually painless. I would really consider having thise done. Shane.

if anything, i'd just like to know what it's called when my heart pauses... i say pauses because when I feel my pulse it's stopped, but it feels like my heart is having a hiccup... what is my heart doing when that happens?

That sounds like PVC to me. Premature Ventricular Contraction. I get them all the time. I take a medicine that decreases them, but I do still get them, especially around my period. I was told that they are normal and not harmful.

if anything, i'd just like to know what it's called when my heart pauses... i say pauses because when I feel my pulse it's stopped, but it feels like my heart is having a hiccup... what is my heart doing when that happens?

That's called a PVC. Premature Ventricular Complexes. They're harmless, but I agree that you should wear a Holter monitor since you have such lengthy episodes of them.

I tried skateboarding again yesterday... only 20 minutes in and they started up again. Maybe it is because I was thinking about them that I got them? Skateboarding is thought to be the best cardiovascular sport, so maybe they're a problem since I've not been to the park for about a month and haven't been exercising for that period of time. Does anybody know why when the heart is calming back down do I experience the episodes? And does the strength of the palpitation (strenght being the stronger it feels in my chest) correlate to the heart rate? Because i notice small ones that I just don't care about that make no difference to me, it's these strong ones that are like someone punching me in the chest that put me into a panic... it's hard to explain the feeling, it's not just like "oh, hey there was a skip lalala", it's like "omfg, *** was that?!??!" because they're unexpected and harsh... kinda like unexpected sounds; the soft ones i couldnt care less about, but the loud ones like someone sneaking up behind me and screaming will scare me to death.

anybody have any tips on making these pvc's subside? like breathing techniques, or what to drink/eat... I tried deep coughing the last time and that sure didn't help... I am always picturing the last episode I had and it brings back the anxiety, so that could be the real trigger, so does anybody have any tips for that? As in what do I do to keep my mind off of my heart and those experiences where i've panicked before. I will be seeing a cardiologist next thursday, and hopefully he can tell me what is what and how or why it is that and hopefully can find out for fact it isn't because of something life-threatening because I've never ever had them before (or noticed them, which would be that i've never had the strong ones before). Skateboarding is the best thing in the world to me, greater than sex or driving a fast exotic sports car (not so much better than my g/f, but close), so being afraid to go out again feels like a part of my soul is gone :(...

Well, as I said..the med I am on Propranolol is a beta blocker and works wonderfully. I also take fish oil capsules and a calcium/magnesium supplement and those also help. But do not do anything without consulting the Doc first.

If your still smoking, its more then likely coming from the nicotine. Any caffeine starts them up also, same for alcohol.

There is a vitamin and mineral formula that you can try daily. It might help you:

Calcium & magnesium citrate type. add potassium foods like O.J. or a banana every day, folic acid (800 mgs, and B6 50mgs), and co Q 10, 50 mgs to start, can go to 100mgs. Add some Vitamin C 500 mgs daily after breakfast.

Look in the veggie section in the grocery store for Pom Juice. It's kept refrigerated. Start drinking that daily 8 oz.

Calcium should be taken twice a day, 500 mgs at a time. about 5 hours later, take the second half. Our bodies can't absorb more then 500 at a clip.
If your doing 500 calcium, then you'll need 250 magnesium. 2:1 ratio. It's the magnesium that's the most help for heart palps.

Of course check with your Dr. but they won't know. This regimen takes a few weeks to kick in. So give it a chance to work. Good luck

it was only a one minute ekg, I was debating on seeing my doctor since i've had doctors say numerous times that i'm in good health in the past. I feel as though it is electrical related, and I really do have a poor diet... so that is where I feel the connection, maybe I'm not getting the right nutrition... i dunno, a cadiologist would be best, but i really need to discuss it with someone at least so I know what to say and ask fro at the doc's..


Those one minute ekg's are useless.Mine was normal, and then when they did the extensive EKG and monitor I was found to have MVP and arrhythmias (is that spelling way off??). So def. get the extensive workup done.