Palpitations...

[GlassHalfEmpty70]

I hope I'm not wasting anyone's time but I am really worried that my GP has missed something.

For the past 2/3 weeks I've had a fluttering sensation several times throughout the day and a random big thump once in a while which makes me gasp.

It's located at the bottom of my sternum.

I saw a student on Monday.
He did a thorough check but has no concerns, although my blood pressure is high so he wants me to take readings at home for a week.

I don't have any pain at all.

The fluttering is worse in the evening when I've had a bath or am in bed, but it is also throughout the day.

I've been Googling symptoms since my appointment and am worried it might be something to do with the aorta due to the location of the spasms but I can't really go back to the GP again as he said there is nothing to concern him 😕

So, I'm really looking for some reassure if anyone can help at all...

Thank you

Have you got an appointment made to look through the blood pressure readings you’re taking?

It sounds as though they’re taking sensible first steps to investigate, and you can report back to them fairly soon.

Have you taken your blood pressure while it’s fluttering? My blood pressure monitor has a symbol that shows if my heart rate isn’t “normal”, if yours has this, it might reassure you if it’s showing as normal. Even if you don’t have that symbol, knowing if your blood pressure is different when it feels wrong will give the doctor a clue. Keep a diary of when you feel it happen so you can see if there’s any pattern (after food? Early morning? After coffee?).

Just make sure you go back, discuss the blood pressure readings and explain exactly how it feels and anything you’ve noticed.

I had a problem with my heart going out of rhythm for years (it’s fixed now) and it took a long time for them to catch it to watch while it was wrong, but the first time I described in detail what happened (a pause, then a really fast heart rate, then eventually an even longer pause before it went normal) they took it seriously.

Thank you so much for your reply.
He said to send the readings in, but I think I will make another appointment too.
I was just worried in case I was in imminent danger of a heart attack or something...
You've put my mind at rest a bit ☺️

I had a similar issue and it turned out to be the start of the perimenopause - I was only 37 so it hadn't occurred to me it would be that.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-palpitations/

You just need to send in the readings your GP has requested. They will call you back if they are concerned.

How old are you? I had palpitations in peri, and when I had low ferritin.

from my own experience it was actually pretty straightforward to get my GP to authorise a heart monitor. they post it to you, you wear it for a week and then post it back. Mine showed a few atrial flutters and ectopic beats (that can feel very scary) but nothing outside of normal, and they said i likely to be more aware of them because it was on my mind, and that perimenopause can make them more noticeable

We would normally do an ECG as matter of routine, checking for AF. Trouble with that though is you've got to be 'in the moment' to see anything on the ECG

Thank you so much for your reply.
I am 54 now but went through menopause in my early 40s...
Xx

Thank you for your reply...
I'm 54 now but went through menopause 10 years ago.
I did wonder about ferritin. I had blood tests earlier in the year for something else so I'll see if I was tested for that 😊

I wish they would, to put my mind at rest! Lol x

I would be very happy with that.
It's a lot worse
when I'm in the bath though! I don't suppose they can be used in water? 😬

they can! not in the bath, but you can wear them in the shower

So it sounds like you might be getting a bit of tachycardia and then a pvc as it rests. Mostly they are completely benign and are associated with reducing estrogen levels at menopause. But they are a bot of a pain in the arse and can make you worry.

wht are your blood pressure readings at the moment? if they are normal (120 ish or below over 80 ish or below), then try taking a magnesium supplement (100% rda) before bed every night and iron, vit c and vit d (100% rda) every morning. You might be a bit low and that can cause your heart rhythm to go a bit off.

If your blood pressure is high, then go back to the gp for follow up, or if the gp is not helpful,look at buying a kardia device from amazon. They record your ecg and give a quick indication if it is something to worry about. You can also save the recordings and show them to your gp.

Ive been going through the exact same investigations this past month

Im my case ( just this week turned 60 ) I have had high BP most of my life, and I mean high enough to warrant a few admissions to hospital over the years, Last year I lost a lot of weight, got very much into healthy living, - exercise and diet - and this time last year was given the go ahead to come off BP meds

I had a resting pulse of between 55 and 58 and a steady ( if a wee bit high) BP.

June I did my first ever marathon

Start of August I couldn't walk the length of myself due to shortness of breath

Pulse was constantly over 100bpm , peaking at 135 and staying that high for hours. Constantly exhausted, headaches, short of breath and TBH scared

Ecg and 24hr testing shows my pulse is high - but my rhythm is normal

BP has been very high

I have been tested for absolutely everything - even Covid and there is nothing "wrong"

Obviously Im back on BP meds and now Im taking a beta blocker for the heart rate

Been on the Beta Blockers for a week and returned to work today, the busiest day of the year, and my heart monitor showed heart rate never went above 90

Probable diagnoses - which has been really left for me to work out - gp and clinic have told me there is nowt wrong with my heart and everything is normal - - stress and anxiety.

I was in a bad situation driving the other month. A drink driver. I was stuck behind them for maybe 3 miles before I could find a safe place to pull over and call the police. I really was shaken to the core, really shaken, I was in tears on the phone and really wobbly on my legs when I got to my destination. And it has been whilst Ive been driving that my heart monitor ( watch ) has been beeping at me

Now I know theres nowt seriously wrong with me Im a bit more clear in the head. During the menopause I did start to feel very anxious driving and there was a time I would avoid motorways. Actually lets be honest, what with brain fog, thinking I had lost my marbles at times, I was very anxious and went on Sertraline (sp? ) , something else I came off 20 months ago. So it makes sense to me now that driving is a stress to me and that the drink driver incident has just triggered it all again. Unfortunately living rural with no public transport, driving is a must if I want to work and have a life

I have felt really ill this past couple of months - a racing pulse will do that - but now the BP is back under control and the Beta Blockers are keeping the heart rate down, Im back to feeling pretty well. They have tested my watch against their monitor and its acruate so I have to go back in 2 more weeks with my recordings and if anything shows up, then Im getting referred to cardiology, but the GP was confident I was grand and now im confident I am as well

It is a scarey time for sure. and being scared and anxious can really make the symptoms worse.

I hope you get to the bottom of whats happening to you sharpish.

Im not a doc, and obviously if things get change/worsen etc go back to GP, but it sounds like ectopic beats, which are really common, and completely harmless in most cases. I’ve had them on and off for most of my adult life. I’ve had times where I haven’t had any for months, then I’ll have a spell of having several a day for a few weeks. They are alarming when they happen though, I do agree. I did go through cardiology tests (halter monitor etc) a few years ago, which they did get recorded on.
they can be caused by a lot of things, stress, anxiety, general illness etc. I think mine show up more when my electrolytes are off or I’m dehydrated. You do tend to feel/notice them more in bed or when you’re resting as well, like you have been.

It can be hard to get a diagnosis for these things, especially if they are intermittent. A hcp noticed I had an irregular pulse, I was put on a holter monitor for 24 hours but nothing too worrying was picked up but there were some “irregularities”. I then had an ecg and a heart scan at the hospital cardiac clinic and was told that my heart rate sometimes skipped slightly so I was put on beta blockers. Then a couple of years later I started to get short periods of feeling faint, with palpitations, these were quite frightening, but very hard to quantify even with longer holter monitoring , so eventually under a local anaesthetic I was given an implanted loop recorder which recorded my heart rhythms electronically. Unfortunately it turned out that there were now underlying issues with my heart rate slowing , and even stopping for up to 8 seconds which was very scarey to hear. So I was taken off the beta blockers and now have a pacemaker and blood thinners. I think the whole process took about five years, but I was not very good at pushing for things since a) I was under the misconception that I was quite healthy and then b) Covid got in the way!

I would monitor your blood pressure and heart rate with a home bp monitor and ask for a holter monitor to see what it picks up. Unfortunately as I found out, they don’t always catch irregularities, so if your symptoms continue you could ask your doctor about further diagnostic tests such as an ecg, scan or loop recorder.

Could it be atrial fibrilation or atrial flutter? My DH had this but it was sorted out with a procedure. Just in case it could be that - his was triggered by one or more of these - flying, red wine, sunbathing and getting hot, also by coffee as he was not used to drinking it. Keep trying to get definite answers OP, then you will be on track to get it sorted. Good luck.