Palpitations or what?

[DreamDiver]

I've always had this weird thing that happens with my heart where I'll just be sitting there and suddenly my heart will do this 'flutter' thing. It feels almost like it's moving position within the pericardium, like someone repositioning their bum after it gets a little numb. Not much. Just enough to feel better. I've actually had it happen while watching the plethysmograph on my oximeter. Of course the plethysmography itself is not actually recorded so I can't show you exactly what I saw, but I can show an edited approximation circled in red below.



It actually feels good when it happens - sort of like more oxygen is getting where it needs to in my heart. Almost like a deep breath, but more fleeting in its relief. It usually happens a couple times a month. For a couple days now, it's been happening in hour-or-longer periods - on the order of once every few minutes - occasionally multiple times a minute. But then it goes away again for a few hours, only to return again.

When I've taken magnesium supplements for leg cramps in the past, the heart wobblies go away for a while. It's something I've lived with all my life, so I'm guessing it's not that big a deal. However, it is an odd feeling. It's almost like the heart's been sitting there reading the newspaper or whatever, takes a sip of coffee and crosses it's legs the other way. I know that's a weird image, but it's the only way I can explain.

I'm not alarmed or anything. I'm more curious than concerned. Anyone got ideas what's happening?

My first consideration would be to take some magnesium, since that seems to help, but I thought that I may be masking that might be better to leave unmasked for the next sleep study on Sunday. My heart has been looked at a number of times recently, and has been considered in very good health, with only a little enlargement in one ventricle from sleep apnea.

Thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[echo]

Thanks for posting this DD! That's neat that you captured it, I've been trying to capture one too but it always happens in the middle of the day. I too get these once in a while. Usually it comes if I'm really very nervous about something ("thinking myself into a frenzy"). It seems to be one or two flutters max. I've complained to my doctor about that and chest pains but was told it was "nothing". This was after listening to my heart for a minute or so, they didn't send me for any additional studies. After my titration 3 yrs ago I had a couple-minutes long EKG too, nothing abnormal there either.

It's like a double depolarization happening in that one QRS segment. I can't remember any more of my cardiac biology though.

If anyone has a good explanation I'd like to hear it too.

[Country4ever]

Hi DreamDiver,
I have spells of lots of "ectopy" (irregular heartbeats). I've had my heart checked out too (stress echo, enzymes, etc.) and my heart appears healthy.
Doctors have told me that (with a healthy heart), irregular beats are totally normal. Supposedly some people have tons of them and don't even know it.
Then there's people like us, who feel every irregular beat.
I had a bad spell of ectopy recently and I'm not sure what helped it. I took alot of magnesium citrate, and I also got a new full face mask (which I'm still struggling with). I used to have alot of ectopy all the time before I started cpap, and it eased up after that. My numbers got bad again recently, and the ectopy was also bad.
Irregular heartbeats can be caused by a number of things.......especially sleep apnea. Mine get bad with just small amounts of caffeine....so you might limit your intake of that. Sugar sometimes causes them for me too.
My GERD has caused them alot too. Whenever my esophagus gets irritated, I get irregular beats. I've heard that the vagus nerve runs along the esophagus on its way to the heart. So when you get alot of heartburn, you can irritate that nerve, which then gives you irregular heartbeats. A hiatal hernia can cause those beats too.
If you've had your heart checked out in the near recent past, I wouldn't worry about it.
I know how disconcerting it can be though. I get these big thumps in my chest, and it makes me cough.
Sometimes its just a little flutter in my chest.
So.....make sure your cpap numbers haven't worsened, take your magnesium and also sublingual B12 (the methylcobalamin type), treat heartburn, lower or quit consuming caffeine and alot of sugar.
Also.....are you on any meds? Some meds can cause irregular beats.

[DreamDiver]

I figured it was something relatively normal. Thanks Country4ever.
I don't get pain with this, echo. As I said, it actually feels good. I hope it is not painful for you.

No meds. No supplements that could cause that. I do have GERD.
Maybe it's that pickle juice, eh?
I'm not really doing the pickle juice thing on a regular basis, but I did have a couple pickled okra yesterday.
I guess it's back on the magnesium for a bit.

[Country4ever]

You could try something like pepcid ac, or prilosec for a week or 2, to see if that helps. But.....just be aware that when you stop it, you will possibly have some rebound effect and your GERD will flare up for a couple days.

[BlackSpinner]

Before I had my hysterectomy and had lots of migraines and took lots of over the counter antihistamines and pain killers I used to get that too. Since then I haven't had it practically at all.

[RickKC]

I amused my doctor when I told him these episodes feel like having a carp flopping around in my chest. I've been through all the heart tests, and it's generally healthy. It happened while I was hooked up to the electrocardiogram while waiting for the treadmill last time. It looks pretty scary on the screen, but the doc said it was just a PVC (premature ventricular contraction), and that they are generally benign. If I get three or four in a row, they can take my breath away for a second, but otherwise they just get your attention.

I also have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, which feels quite different, and generally lasts for several minutes to a couple of days. I have a CPAP because the cardio doc thought low blood oxygen might be triggering it (based on a sleep study, of course).

[DoriC]

The visiting nurse was picking up some PVCs on her exams so hubby's cardiologist put him on a 24hr Holter Monitor and everything was OK. Dr said many people have them and some like my husband don't even feel them.

[DreamDiver]

I think I'll stick with the magnesium supplements. I do take omeprazole occassionally for a week stint once every month or so, but otherwise eschew acid reducers. Like I said, it doesn't really feels more 'better' than 'worse'. RickKC, I like your image of a carp flopping around in your chest cavity. Yes it can make me sit down when it happens three or four in a row, but that's pretty rare.

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. I know I can relax about it now. Unless they say anything cautionary about it after the next sleep lab, I'll just leave it alone.

Cheers!

[jmelby]

I developed palpitations when I was on a diuretic for high blood pressure and no matter how many horse pills of potassium I took, they could not keep my potassium levels high enough. It took several months after discontinuing the diuretic before the palpitations went away. So, I think potassium level could be a factor too, but you'd need to have your blood checked since either too high or too low of potassium levels can affect heart functioning and you would need to know which it is.

[echo]

I don't have pain associated with the 'flutter', it's more of a dull pain in my chest most of the time (left side). I keep waiting for that heart attack to happen It's probably GERD related, but I also think it's more related to a combination of the pain in the chest muscles and on my sternum/ribs sort of like fibromyalgia pain? My doc said excessive stress which causes tightening of the muscles can have the same affect on the chest muscles and appear like 'heart pain', and I have been having a lot of stress (thus the crappy 2009 and not much better 2010 i referred to in another post). A couple of times it jumped to the right side of the chest so it's probably not related to my heart. The fibro pain i have all over, like really sensitive tender spots both on certain bone locations and muscles - no feedback from the doc on that (they seem to ignore statements if they can't immediately figure out what to do with that info!). If I remember Country4ever and I had some discussions about that back in 2008.... oh well I just live with it all now and hope that the CPAP is doing it's job I do notice when I'm more tired (due to stress, lack of lseep, funny sleep schedule, too much alchohol etc) or if I eat too much carbs/sugar both the 'chest pain' and the 'fibro pain' are worse. I haven't noted that the flutters are related to either tiredness or GERD, just anxiety.

Anyway interesting thread! Glad to know it's "normal"!!

[Country4ever]

Hey echo.....I have that dull pain in the left side of my chest too! I can't decide if its GERD or fibro or what. Since I started eating less, its eased up a bit. It does seem to worsen with certain foods.
Back when I first developed fibromyalgia, I saw a million docs (well, maybe a dozen), and all my tests were always "normal". I've quit going to the doctor, even if I have a pain that won't go away, because I'm always "normal". I'll probably drop dead some day because I ignored a pain.
Those irregular beats are scary. Even when you know they're not going to kill you. I think they send up an alarm to the brain that all is not right.
I'm fairly convinced mine flare up when I work leaning over. Its happened a number of times in the past. Makes me scared to lean over. The ground is getting further and further away! And there's so much to do down there!

[Muse-Inc]

I...no matter how many horse pills of potassium I took, they could not keep my potassium levels high enough...you'd need to have your blood checked since either too high or too low of potassium levels can affect heart functioning and you would need to know which it is.

5.5 ozs low-sodium V8 provides 570 (580?)mgs potassium, waaay more than you'll ever get from pills and they cause stomach irritation anyway.

[echo]

Hey echo.....I have that dull pain in the left side of my chest too! I can't decide if its GERD or fibro or what. Since I started eating less, its eased up a bit. It does seem to worsen with certain foods.

really?! so strange. why the LEFT side always? It's so disturbing. I keep wondering if my heart's enlarged or going to pop (but i had the chest x-ray 3 yrs ago along with all the titration test) I've convinced myself it's just the anxiety. I just noticed that one of those tender spots is right around there, well for lack of better way to explain it , towards the top of the breast somewhere perhaps where the top of the bra cup might be, pain is worse on the left side than the right. Is that a typical fibro spot? I would think it's too far away for the GERD. Anyway I think the left side thing is a concidence

I'm fairly convinced mine flare up when I work leaning over. Its happened a number of times in the past. Makes me scared to lean over. The ground is getting further and further away! And there's so much to do down there!

uh-oh! make sure your calcium intake is high and you're bones are nice and strong, let's not add a broken hip to the list

sorry to go so OT DD! It's all related in the end though isn't it?!

[DreamDiver]

sorry to go so OT DD! It's all related in the end though isn't it?!

Seems on-topic to me...

I used to eat a banana every day for potassium as jmelby suggests. However, I've recently learned that they are a migraine trigger, so I stopped eating them. Now I'm not sure what to do. (I can't do V8 because of food reactions to nightshades, Muse-Inc.) Any suggestions for other foods that are good potassium sources?