Palpitations, Tachycardia and other weird heart sensations -- Share your story!

[eNathan]

I calculated that exatly 50% (10 out of 20 on this page) of threads started have to do with Palpitations or Tachycardia. Alot of people get these, they are common and not dangerous. However, strange heart sensations do not go over easy with most people.

In any event, I figured I would start a thread where people can share their experiences with Palpitations and Tachycardia, in hope people will feel more "at ease". If any monitors are reading this, you should consider making this thread a sticky, as this topic is so common. So share your story! Here's mine.

A few years ago, I was sitting my lazy self on my coutch when all of the sudden my heart started beating extreamly rapidly (200 meats per minute or so). This is not the first time it has happend. Many other times an epsisode of Tachycardia would occur, and I would just think "lol what the phuck...oh well". But this time my brother was saying how its not normal and what not. I had several espisodes after that, most of which occured during times of extream anxiety or over-exertion. I was in constant fear of death (as many other people on this board seem to have been). In shorts, I stoped drinking coffee and my episides virtually disapeared.

Palpitations and Tachycardia (skipped beats, sudden rapid hearbeat, ect), although not dangerous, are quite bothersome. They can be triggered by a number of things, including caffine, anxiety, nicotine, a potassium / magnesium deficiency, the use of drugs (mostly stimulants, and all drugs derived from Opium) and in rare cases, other heart conditions that exist.

Aight

[Timber]

I'll contribute more about my experience with palps and tachy later, but Nathan, you need to go to the ER next time your heart is beating at 200bpm!! That's really fast, and needs to be treated. My cardiologist has me go to the ER within half an hour if I'm in SVT over 140. It's not a good idea to let your heart beat that fast for too long before you need to go get converted in the hospital.

[eNathan]

wow I am trully speechless...I forsee all my fear of death comming right back after all that so called "research" and "reassurance"... :'(

By the way, 200 bpm was an guesstimate. I will explain how I derived that, and perhaps you can comment of the valdity of the calculation.

During my second last episode, I decided to calulate my bpm (beats per minute). I came up with 4 beats per second, therefore 240 beats per minute. But let me add, my heart was fluttering soo fast that I could not tell what was what. A heartbeat has two actions, the initial pump, and then the contraction (so it actaully feels like two pumps). Could it be that I was counting both parts of the pump, so my BPM was actaully 120? Im probally just saying this for a little false reassurange probally...it was extreamly fast (to the point where it was hard to count them), but I am not sure that my calculation was correct. And I do not have health insurance so I can't see a doc in the near future (wish I lived in England...hehe).

[balivion]

That is really weird, that you would guestimate at 200bpm. Not sayin its wrong, but I know when i tach out at 180 even the nurses can not find a pulse in my wrist to do my pulse, because it is beating so quickly they can not count them, they just feel as though they are fluttering, or it is beating so quickly, the pulse is very faint, and almost feels as if its not beating at all. According to the nurses I have had try.

[Kathy C]

Ok here is my story. My arrhythmias started back in 1996. They actually wok me up one morning. My heart rate was well over 180 bpm. Went to the family doc who sent me down to see the cardiologist, who sent me to the ER and finally cardioverted me. Everything was fine till 18 months later same thing bang out of rhythm for no reason was a work at the time. Went to the ER and got cardioverted. Was fine till 1998 when I had flutters alot so ended up going on Amiodarone (anti-arrhythmic) and did well on that for nearly two years. Was cardioverted once in those two years. While on the drug I developed Thyroid problems all drug realated so we had to discontinue that drug. 2001 I had an Ablation which worked for 2 1/2 months.I was then put on Sotalol in 2002. Did not too bad but periodically would have problems with QT porlongation. 2003 was a very bad year was out of rhythm at the beginging of March and was cardioverted, three weeks later same thing (yes this is number 4). Then again in July I was cartoverted again. In the meantime we were making drug adjustments. August had another episode and did nothing about it. Then September again went out of rhythm was 1 1/2 hours away from my hospital shopping drove home went to the ER about 2 1/2 hours after onset fiugring that my heart rate was some where around 180's (always in Atrial Flutter, Fib OR SVT (all the same thing just vearing degrees of SVT)). I am A symptomatic until I have been out of rhythm for more than 24 hours then I start and have some mild symptoms. So this day in September finally went ot the ER and found out my heart rate was 32bpm and was throwing VT of 19 bpm of 15 seconds or more at a time. Ended up in the hospital for three weeks and got a pacemaker on emeergency surgery basis 13 days later. Have had that for just over two years with lost of problems. I was actually cardioverted again externally in September of this year which makes 7 times. I have had to be cardioverted with the pacemaker several times as well.

When other heart conditions exist IT IS NOT RARE for arrhythmias to be present actually it is very common.