heat palpitations | Arthritis Information

HI, I have a chest infection just now and RA obviously, and I've started getting irregular heart beats like flutters in my chest and pounding like skipped beats, does anyone know if this is dangerous or not coz I'm kinda freaking out a bit.

I just went to the Dr. on Fri. for this! My EKG was normal. They did some bloodwork to check my thyroid. I have to go back Mon. to have a 24 hour monitor put on to see how many of these beats occur per day. The thing is, they don't happen all the time. Every so often it will happen for a hour or two. Last week, it happened on Sat. and Thurs. I don't have have any chest pain, dizziness, or anything else with them. That's a good sign. I'll keep you posted. I'm taking Arava.

See your Dr.

Flint,
I'm in the middle of testing for these. Some are normal (most people get 100-200 a day and never feel them). Some folks just feel them more or have something that brings them to their attention. It's only in some cases they are problematic. In any case, tell your Dr. S/he will probably do a quick EKG and then a holter monitor (both painless) and then go on from there. I have about 10,000 irregular beats a day (started last December) and I'm right in the middle of working through all the testing. Good luck with it.
Weeeiiirrddd.....when I was in highscool, they tested me for many many many many things because I complained of this, eventually they told me it was all in my head, because they could never catch it on a monitor. I still have them to this day. HOWEVER....on my own I've noticed the more sleep I get, the longer I go inbetween them. And the more I rest, like just sitting down and not RUNNING everywhere seems to keep them at bay. And here I thought I was crazy....I also experience heart palpitations. They seem to happen most during my PMS week, during hormonal fluctuations, but can also occur at other times. Being hypothryroid, my thyroid hormone contributes to my palpitations, as does my high blood pressure. I also have a heart murmur which is considered nonconsequential.

You should talk with your doctor and get them checked out. There are several causes - some comletely benign and others are very serious.

One thing I have found that helps me tremendously is CoQ10 supplements. Try it and see if they help you - 100 mg. once a day has worked very well for me. Try taking it for one month and see what happens. It certainly won't hurt you and could possibly help!

Another tip I received from a cardiac nurse - if you are having heart palpitations or that fluttering feeling - cough! And keep coughing until it seems that your heart is beating at a normal rate again. Don't know why it works, but it does.

Cough? That's amazing. And I will keep it in mind. I've had suspicions in the past year or so that my thyroid isn't behaving right..But I'm in the limbo world of no insurance. SOOOO for the time being, I'm just sitting tight. Meh. I wanna move to canada...hahaFlint are you taking an antihistimine cold medicine or maybe psuedofedrine? Cause my heart goes wacko when I take some cold medicines.

Hi flint,

I have had palpitations (palpitations = awareness of heart beat - not the speed it goes, or 'skipped beats), skipped beats, which are either Arythmia, or maybe PVC's (Premature Ventricular Contraction), and Tachycardia (increased heart rate) for twenty odd years, and I'm still alive.

I was put on a monitor, too. The doc explained what they all are, and why (the skipped beats you talk about are caused by a sort of 'short circuit' in the heart, and it just gets "out of whack" sometimes). They don't fully understand why it happens, and they think it happens in many more people than they know - just that only a few of us become aware of it.

I wonder if I would be if my hubby didn't pick up on it one evening as he lay his head on me while we watched TV!! I didn't know about it 'til then!!

I am rarely unaware of what my heart is doing anymore - even when it's behaving properly. It used to scare the hell out of me, until I was able to really believe I wasn't going to die. Overtiring yourself, stress, lack of sleep, too much caffeine or 'junk' food will usually make it much worse for me, so you might want to watch some of those things. Of course worrying about it (hard not to) doesn't help much either. Hope that offers you some comfort......