Comment from: Susan, 55-64 Female (Patient)Published: September 12
I can go for 3-5 months without an episode. Then yesterday I had them all day long, just like waking up with hiccups. Once they start, they don't stop. It's very annoying. Today is somewhat better, but last night about 10:30pm I had an episode that lasted an hour. Usually they only last a second and then disappear and come back 5 minutes later. Last night it felt like fluttering, skipped beats made me catch my breath. I took my BP and it was 117 over 72, which is higher than normal for me especially at rest. There was no pain, shortness of breath or anything that would indicate a heart attack. Today I had the same thing but for shorter time periods. Usually they will disappear when I lie on my left side or do some exercising. An EKG last year showed a normal heart rate and rhythm. Doctor said it's probably benign and not to worry, but I sure would like to know what is causing this. I have had these episodes for 20 years and they seem to get worse with age. I just turned 55. I am a little overweight, but I was not overweight 20 years ago when they started. I hear somewhere that Cocaine use can possibly damage the heart muscle and I remembered that when I was about 24 or 25 I almost overdosed on pure cocaine. Now I don't drink, smoke or take drugs.
Comment from: sportnut, 65-74 Male (Patient)Published: September 12
I have an irregular heart beat. Beating fast and slow. I haven't had any problems with my heart except sometimes when I am sitting or lying I feel a little discomfort. I was diagnosed with Sleep apnea and I didn't use my machine for over a year until I almost passed out when I sat in the sauna for to long of a time. Now I have started to use my machine on a regular basis and I am still having trouble sleeping for over three or four hours at a time. I am confused about whether I need to go and get a pace maker or trying and see why I still can't sleep all night. My machine is set on 9 and I have been feeling better since I started back using my machine again. After I sat in the sauna for too long my blood pressure dropped down to 70 on the high end and I was feeling dizzy for a couple of weeks afterwards, but I don't seem to be having any problems. I would like to know if there is something else I can do before getting a pacemaker.
I had what I think was an "arrhythmia attack" (for want of a better phrase) last night. It started as mild chest pain which got increasingly worse, with extended pain from my chest up my neck to my temple area on the left hand side of my head. This was followed by a sort of pins and needles sensation all over my upper body, and a strange heated feeling which ended up feeling almost like I was burning all over my face, upper back, neck and arms. I got up to try walk it off, and experienced mild dizziness, but my face was literally white as a sheet, and I felt an overwhelming desire to go to sleep, though I stopped myself doing so. The whole episode was over in about 15 minutes, but left me very scared. At the time, I thought I was having a heart attack, but I figured I'm too young (22yrs old) for that, so assumed it might be to do with an anti depressant I am taking, which can cause heart palpitations. Very, very scary!
Comment from: Roch21, 19-24 Female (Patient)Published: September 16
The first time I experienced irregular heartbeats, it was just an ordinary day. I was straightening my hair in the bathroom, and all of a sudden, I felt really dizzy, and I closed my eyes for a couple seconds because I was so overwhelmed. Everything kind of went black, and then I started experiencing the irregular heartbeats. They're so random, and they come in all forms. This particular time, I felt a pounding in my chest, and it went up to my throat area. It felt as if my heart was going to drop. I was really shocked, but I just tried to ignore it, because it was the worst feeling ever, and I didn't want to experience it again. It happened all day and night that day. As soon as it happens, I quickly lose interest in whatever I may be doing at the time, and I just feel really weak. I don't want to do anything but lie down and try to get my heart back to normal again. I don't think it's stress-related because I'm not really stressed, but it's really annoying and scary. I know when it's coming because it just takes one or two irregular beats, and it just gets worse after that.
Comment from: SedentarySenior, 55-64 Male (Patient)Published: August 29
After feeling exhaustion for several days, then a pulsing of my heartbeat and noticeable skips, I took my blood pressure with an electronic home model that takes three readings of pressure and pulse rate then averages them. I performed this three-step reading four times over one hour, and each time the average reading was approximately 139/77, pulse 70, and it lit up a red indicator that said "irregular heartbeat."
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Angina is chest pain that is due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle.
Angina can be caused by coronary artery disease or spasm of the coronary
arteries. EKG, exercise treadmill, stress echocardiography, stress thallium, and cardiac
catheterization are important tests used in the diagnosis of angina.
Fainting, also referred to as blacking out, syncope, or temporary loss of consciousness has many causes. Often a person will have signs or symptoms prior to the fainting episode. Diagnosis and treatment depends upon the cause of the fainting or syncope episode.
Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by markedly reduced appetite or total aversion to food. Anorexia is a serious psychological disorder and is a condition that goes well beyond out-of-control dieting. With anorexia, the drive to become thinner is actually secondary to concerns about control and/or fears relating to one's body. There are psychological and behavioral symptoms as well as physical symptoms of anorexia including: depression, social withdrawal, fatigue, food obsession, heart and gastrointestinal complications, kidney function, flaky skin, brittle nails, and tooth loss (this list is not exhaustive).
Heart attack happens when a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary
artery supplying blood to the heart muscle. A heart attack can cause chest pain, heart failure, and electrical
instability of the heart.
Hyperkalemia is an abnormally high level of potassium in the blood. Symptoms of hyperkalemia include nausea, fatigue, tingling sensations, or muscle weakness. Hyperkalemia may also cause no symptoms. Slow heartbeat and weak pulse are more serious symptoms. Causes of hyperkalemia include kidney dysfunction, medications, adrenal gland diseases, and potassium shifts. Treatment of hyperkalemia is dependant upon the cause.
Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are premature heartbeats originating from the ventricles of the heart. PVCs are premature because they occur before the regular heartbeat. There are many causes of premature ventricular contractions to include: heart attack, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, mitral valve prolapse, hypokalemia, hypoxia, medications, excess caffeine, drug abuse, and myocarditis.
Pulmonary edema (swelling or fluid in the lungs) can either be caused by cardiogenic causes (congestive heart failure, heart attacks, abnormal heart valves) or noncardiogenic causes such as ARDS, kidney failure, high altitude, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, aspirin overdose, pulmonary embolism, and infections. The treatment of pulmonary edema depends on the cause of the condition.
Pericarditis is the inflammation of the pericardial sac that surrounds the heart. The causes of pericarditis include injury from heart attack, heart surgery, trauma; viral or fungal infection, HIV, tumors, mixed connective tissue disease, metabolic disease, medication reactions, or idiopathic. Treatment for pericarditis is generally medication, however, sometimes surgery is necessary.
Sudden cardiac arrest is an unexpected, sudden death caused by sudden cardiac arrest (loss of heart function). Causes and risk factors of sudden cardiac arrest include (not inclusive): abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), previous heart attack, coronary artery disease, smoking, high cholesterol, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation after a heart attack, congenital heart defects, history of fainting, and heart failure, obesity, diabetes, and drug abuse. Treatment of sudden cardiac arrest is an emergency, and action must be taken immediately.
Alpha thalassemia is a disorder in which the alpha globin protein is underproduced. There are two pairs of genes that carry the code for the alpha chains of hemoglobin. When one gene is impaired, that person is in a carrier state and suffers no medical problems. When four genes are impaired, the production of fetal and adult hemoglobin is prevented, resulting in hydrops fetalis and leading to death before birth.
Hyperkalemia is common; it is diagnosed in up to 8% of
hospitalized patients in the U.S. Fortunately, most patients have mild
hyperkalemia (which is usually well tolerated). However, any
condition causing even mild
hyperkalemia should be treated to prevent progression into more severe
hyperkalemia. Extremely high levels of potassium in the blood (severe
hyperkalemia) can lead to cardiac arrest and
death. When not recognized and treated properly, severe hyperkalemia results in
a mortality rate of about 67%.
Technically, hyperkalemia means an abnormally elevated level of potassium in the blood.
The normal potassium level in the blood is 3.5-5.0 milliequivalents per liter
(mEq/L). Potassium levels between 5.1 mEq/L to 6.0 mEq/L reflect mild hyperkalemia.
Potassium levels of 6.1 mEq/L to 7.0 mEq/L are moderate hyperkalemia, and levels
above 7 mEq/L are severe hyperkalemia.
If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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I can go for 3-5 months without an episode. Then yesterday I had them all day long, just like waking up with hiccups. Once they start, they don't stop. It's very annoying. Today is somewhat better, but last night about 10:30pm I had an episode that lasted an hour. Usually they only last a second and then disappear and come back 5 minutes later. Last night it felt like fluttering, skipped beats made me catch my breath. I took my BP and it was 117 over 72, which is higher than normal for me especially at rest. There was no pain, shortness of breath or anything that would indicate a heart attack. Today I had the same thing but for shorter time periods. Usually they will disappear when I lie on my left side or do some exercising. An EKG last year showed a normal heart rate and rhythm. Doctor said it's probably benign and not to worry, but I sure would like to know what is causing this. I have had these episodes for 20 years and they seem to get worse with age. I just turned 55. I am a little overweight, but I was not overweight 20 years ago when they started. I hear somewhere that Cocaine use can possibly damage the heart muscle and I remembered that when I was about 24 or 25 I almost overdosed on pure cocaine. Now I don't drink, smoke or take drugs.
Related Reading: hiccups | heart attack