Hi. New this to this forum and need some advise. Long story short, I've been having flutterings/palpitations, fast heart beat and short stabbing pains for about three weeks. Not every day. Sometimes they are gone before I realize they were there. Also, fast heartbeat and shortness of breath noticed everynight immediately when I get in bed. EKG was normal. 24hr. Holter results just came back and Dr. said the palps were normal, but I have a very fast heart beat.

Still have symptoms. Can these symptoms be related to anxiety? Should I actually see a Cardiologist to evaluate my concerns? Can you have a normal EKG and Holter and still have an issue?

Thanks for your time and advise.

Hi there,
Well, I am sort of in the same boat as you (symptom wise) - just further along with tests.

I also had "normal" palps on my holter, but decided to persue it further & see a cardiologist. I've had a few different tests which have come back "normal".... but to me, palps, chest pains, pounding heart, etc...... that just doesn't seem "normal" to me.

I feel that anxiety does contribute to the problem. It's the whole 'chicken or the egg' theory. Do heart problems / symptoms create athe nxiety ? Or does anxiety create the heart problems /symptoms?

You may wish to have some tests done by a cardiologist to feel better about things (or to get a better look at things!)

Based on what I've read here & other places - some folks have been told they are "fine" but end up finding out that something was wrong all along!! Other folks live with palps & pain for years on end........

We have to be our own health advocates these days. There don't seem to be easy answers to any of this. But I think "hey, it's my heart, and I only have one - and I NEED it"..... so, I personally would look into things deeper.

Good luck to you!!

The fact that the heart symptoms started suddenly a few weeks ago means it was a good idea that you saw your doctor to be sure that you're ok. Yes, heart sensations of all kinds can be caused by anxiety. It is possible to have a normal EKG/Holter and still have heart problems, but if the palps were caught on the monitor and were normal, then you probably needn't worry about that.

A couple of questions:

How fast is your heartbeat?
Did the doctor tell you what kind of tachycardia you have, or offer a reason for the fast heartbeat?
Did you have bloodwork done, specifically to check your thyroid hormones and for electrolyte imbalances?
How old are you?

If you are an anxious person, you should definitely have your anxiety treated, because for many people, that vastly reduces the incidence of palpitations. Also, cut out caffeine COMPLETELY as it's a major cause of heart fluttering and fast heartbeat.

AHH... good questions. Well, I'll tell you a little bit about how things developped with me and you can hopefully pick up from this.
I also had these rapid heart beats. I started with a stress test - came negative. I then had EEG- came negative. I also had a holter monitor for 24 hours - what you have to remember is that when you have it hooked you need to try to induce the palipatations anyway you can, whether through exercise, bending down,etc.. The cardio has to see the disruption on the EKG. When you had it on it probably never happened, so there was nothing big to record - it "seemed" fine. So, maybe you should try it again for 24 hours. The QRS lines is what determined my condition - went through the roof 250 bpm.
So, if you feel you have these kinds of heart arrythmia, re-do the tests.

I agree with timber. Sounds like you need to keep looking for answers. But first, as timber said; "cut out caffeine COMPLETELY as it's a major cause of heart fluttering and fast heartbeat". I was a chocoholic and now I can’t touch the stuff without paying the price. If any symptom interferes with our way of life, it deserves a solution.
enie

Thanks Zosolizard. I agree that it is strange that these symptoms can occur out of the clear blue and be labeled "normal". It's not normal for me. In fact when it first happened or at least when I first noticed it - I was blow drying my hair and it felt like my heart did a complete turn around. Additionally, if my symptoms are anexiety related, they seem to come on when I'm at a more restful state instead of when I'm running in six directions. Anyway, thanks for the advise and I'll have to make a decision on whether to pursue or not.

Timber, Graciella, Enie: Thank you so much for your advise. No chocolate, no caffine :eek: Just kidding! I actually do drink about 1 can of soda per day, but no coffee or tea or any other caffinated beverages.

I do believe that anxiety plays a part, but why do the symptoms come on when I feel relaxed instead of when I'm chasing my three kids around? Sounds odd.

Anyway, I've thought for years that I have a thryroid issue, but the TSH tests always come back within range.

I'm considering to call a Cardiologist, but I don't know what to say, since the only thing I can report is a fast heartbeat and a normal EKG/Holter.

One of you said there have been instances of people still having issues after receiving normal results, what kind of issues are commonly missed?

Thanks a bunch. :)

Halters help diagnose some people but, for my part, I've never had them to be able to find out my problem with a 24 hour halter monitor. I really couldn’t tell you what all a halter can diagnose and in my opinion, I think you’ll get a lot more from reading the info about them off the web than listening to me.
As far as anxiety is concerned; ask yourself, which came first the chicken or the egg? Did you get worried from having heart symptoms or did your worrying cause some of the symptoms.

I don’t know if what has happened to me personally will help you or not, but here goes. When ever I would do my 24 hour halter tests the Technicians didn’t pay attention to the racing heart or the extra beats. They would always say; they saw it but that it wasn’t that significant because they couldn’t associate it with an activity. Therefore their report to the Doctors would always read normal. A few years later when I started having even more symptoms, a couple more halter tests still showed nothing. Finally when I had a 30 day event monitor; they found my heart was stopping 8 and 9 seconds at a time. I have a pacemaker now.
There are articles on the web that were in the news not to long ago that you might be interested in. They explain why tests for the heart don’t work well on a lot of women.

As far as my own heart racing and all the other symptoms that can go with it; it starting back in the 70s, long befor I had major heart issues. Many times these spells would knock me off my feet. It usually started with a racing pulse a few hours after I would do something extra strenuous. I remember shoveling snow in 1976 late one evening and in the middle of the night my heart went wild. It finally slowed down to about 180 befor I could count it. I was in bed for three days. A few days later when I told the Doctor, he did an EKG and said it was probable nerves and wanted to give me valium. I said for-get-it….. Oh yeah, a couple of years later, a ½ pound of dark chocolate (mmm….) did some what the same thing. Not quite as bad but it put me in bed for a couple days. I was totally exhausted from the pain, and constant fast heartbeat, (there went my chocolate…).
I gave up trying to find an answer back then. Not until 1995 when I started having even more heart symptoms did I start asking for help from doctors again, (That’s another story).
enie

luvthenet,

One of the biggest problems for women is the caretaking prejudice towards emotionalism. When women complain of symptoms, like yours, that cannot be validated with primary tests they're likely to be treated as though it's anxiety, stress, panic issues, food issues, children issues...and so on. It can be a catch-22; if it's episodic the symptoms go away for a while but when they return again you see your doctor repeating the same things; the doc listens to your heart and orders a new EKG but it comes back "normal" as with your first; you tell the doc that it's really happening and you're afraid, so a stress EKG is ordered but nothing shows-up; your sent-up for a "fasting" blood panel and it shows that you're healthy and brimming with perfection...and so on and so on! A physician may not bluntly state it to you, but that "vibe" will clearly be there...the ole "sweetheart it's nerves." A General Practitioner deals will the generalities of merely all medical issues and there are a number of non-cardiac conditions that bring about symptoms such as rapid heartbeats. And the flip-side of emotional sometimes comes-in when a number of general and standard physiological tests come back normal, some doc's politely suggest female changes, stages and then sends you onto the Gyno D for the annual tests...It's important to realize that a great number of cardiac issues show symptoms in an episodic manner. These episodes can vary from daily, weekly, monthly...to once a year. Thus, you really have to strategize and plan how you can record your symptoms because a one day holter and EKG won't cut it. And Enie is so absolutely right about the failure of tests results with women. Do follow her advice to research and understand this very important point. For the longest time diagnostic methods were designed and tested solely on men. And, for example, a while back a conclusion was made that in the case of a stress EKG, that more often it failed to provide viable results for women. That understanding helped to provide a better cardiac outline for gals, even rippling to a new learning that there were a different types of symptoms, or precursors to a heart attack. So they worked with women and the stress test and included the injection of fluids, X-rays, and other "systems" that go with its diagnostic process and thus more results were accurately produced for women. Did you know that your female height, weight, and method of stepping offsets the norms for a basic stress EKG? So as it goes, the standard stress test may likely not show what's going on. The bottom line is to arrange a way to get to an emergency room while you are having the symptoms. Doing this with three kids may be too much drama, stressful, or hard to coordinate, but perhaps you could workout a plan with family, friends, and/or neighbors to determine a way to handle frighten the kids and get it done? Explain why you have to do it this way and get a support system going, folks will understand and no one will be put-out. And of course, if you really need to go, to heck with everyone...GO! Not only will it provide physical evidence to get you beyond the "normal test" factors, but it will also get you a strong referral to a cardiologist. As a side note, if the ER doc brings-up the word "stress," keep in mind that the bedspace might be needed and your getting a type of "run-around" and try to vocalize the physical issues in a stronger attempt to get as many tests as possible before they throw you out. -But waiting for the next episode may not be the best strategy...booking an appointment with a cardiologist is. With a cardio doc you can bring-up how tests results vary between men and women (maybe even bring-in some printouts from the internet, respected medical sources) and work towards getting better tests including ultrasound, echo, stress EKG with X-ray and/or MRI and other women friendly whatnots. Most of these tests have little risk and may help you get some answers. Some doctors may want to have you go directly to an EP study. That is when they send you to a Cath lab, insert catheters into (a) vein(s) and see how the heart handles stimulation, and other cardiac parameters, and what comes of it to diagnose you. This kind of test may likely not be the test you need right now. If that happens to you, and again-you haven't any physical proof of your issue, hold-off and insist on the other tests, and if the word "no" is a mute point with the doc, get another doc. You may have no health problem, and that is what is hoped for, but not knowing or letting it get out of hand is no good. For me, it took a while to get an accurate diagnosis. Along the way I had a stroke and eventually had ablation and all is well. Even today I have some residuals...and still when I go to a doc I'm amazed how many fail to read my history. Of course, even my EKG comes back normal, I too get the doc's vide with the stress/emotional attitude and jargon bit, but I've got great instincts and I've learned how to be "nicely" assertive. I get tests and I end with one of two things...a diagnosis and I know what to expect and do, or it turns-out to be normal and I have peace of mind. You need an answer and not the worry of not knowing. It's about quality of life...with three kids and all that goes with it, there are much better things to focus upon rather than the unknown. All who posted gave great advice, so keep a bright smile and the best to ya! :D :bouncing:

Dreambetter, wow - what great advise! Very informative and much appreciated. I will definetly do my research and schedule a Cardio visit. I guess initially, one goes through a feeling of self doubt regarding their symptoms when the Dr. says all is well. You start second guessing yourself and then try to talk yourself out of the symptoms. I guess it's like Enie said with the Chicken/Egg theory.

Anyway, thanks again and I'll keep everyone posted. :wave: