DD's heart keeps missing beats.

[J-rap]

She's away at college, and started noticing this about two months ago.  Completely out of the blue.  It happened 6-10 times a day, usually no more than once/hour.  It would miss a beat, and then she'd feel a big "catch-up" beat after that that would feel very uncomfortable, and would really throw her off for about half a minute each time.

 

After a few weeks of not getting any better, I suggested she go to a clinic a block away.  They did an echo test and it was fine.  They said if it isn't better in a month or so, to return and they might have her wear a halter to record what's going on.

 

It's a little better, maybe down to twice/day, but not gone.  She is taking a minimal OTC potassium tablet and magnesium tablet (I heard sometimes that can help).  Anyone else have any other suggestions?  She'll give the clinic a call next week sometime and ask for their advice as well.  It's been about a month since her echo.

 

She's not under unusual stress or anything and can't think of anything that has changed in her diet, etc.

 

[TrulySusan]

Has she picked up a coffee or other caffeine habit? That is a simple, possible cause.

[J-rap]

She has always had a cup a day, for years, and hasn't increased it.

[Dynamite5]

She should keep notes  when it happens and what she's doing, the time of day, and any other info the two of you can think of that might help the doctor.  Otherwise, it sounds as though the clinic has done the right things for her so far.  I hope she gets an answer, though! 

Edited November 7, 2016 by Dynamite5

[J-rap]

She keeps a record of when it happens, but not what she is doing or eating.  So that's a good idea!

[Mergath]

Mine does that constantly when I'm low on vit D.

[rdj2027]

Low Vitamin D or anxiety could be other possible culprits.

 

Edited for clarity

Edited November 7, 2016 by rdj2027

[EKS]

Drink a lot of water.  Magnesium.  Cut down on caffeine.  Sleep enough.

 

Oh, and alcohol in moderation (or not at all).

 

 

Edited November 7, 2016 by EKS

[J-rap]

Mine does that constantly when I'm low on vit D.

 

Oh that's good to know.  Thanks!

[Selkie]

That happens to me when I'm stressed out.

[Classic Mom]

Holter monitor can rule out anything serious. Get the monitor and if it is fine, then look at diet, stress, etc.

Edited November 8, 2016 by Classic Mom

[redsquirrel]

Mine used to do this all the time.  I started taking magnesium in water before I went to bed. I started with .5 tsp and worked my way up to 2 tsp per night. I use the brand 'natural calm'.  it hasn't skipped since I started taking the magnesium,

 

Magnesium helps stabilize the heart's electrical system. 

[Greta]

I know this is going to sound weird, but I had the same experience when I adopted a diet which had me eating a ton of soy products. I didn't make the connection at first, so I went to cardiologist who found nothing wrong, so told me I was just imagining it. Then someone else mentioned that soy has this effect on some people, I quit the soy, problem solved. Thought I'd throw that out there just in case.

[TrixieB]

Had she been ill prior to the heart issue starting?

 

I had (have?) something similar, which came on after a bout of flu about six years ago.  I ended up with a holter monitor which showed the irregular beats, but the doctor said it wasn't anything significant.  Eventually it got better, but it seems to recur every time I get ill.  It has never been as bad as it was the first session.  I really thought my heart would stop then.  It was very scary.

 

I hope your dd can find out what is causing it, and that it will go away. :grouphug:

[J-rap]

That happens to me when I'm stressed out.

 

That would have been my first guess, but she really is not under any more stress than she has been the past two years in college.  In fact, probably less stress.  Hmmm...

[Greta]

Had she been ill prior to the heart issue starting?

 

I had (have?) something similar, which came on after a bout of flu about six years ago. I ended up with a holter monitor which showed the irregular beats, but the doctor said it wasn't anything significant. Eventually it got better, but it seems to recur every time I get ill. It has never been as bad as it was the first session. I really thought my heart would stop then. It was very scary.

 

I hope your dd can find out what is causing it, and that it will go away. :grouphug:

I'm so sorry that happened to you! My husband has atrial fibrillation. Before he got the flu a few years ago, it would happen rarely, and it wasn't troublesome. After the flu, it got much worse, and he has it one to three days per week now, and it's severe enough that it really bothers him. It sucks. :grouphug:

[J-rap]

Mine used to do this all the time.  I started taking magnesium in water before I went to bed. I started with .5 tsp and worked my way up to 2 tsp per night. I use the brand 'natural calm'.  it hasn't skipped since I started taking the magnesium,

 

Magnesium helps stabilize the heart's electrical system. 

 

That's helpful to know.  I did get her some OTC magnesium tablets, but I don't even know what the strength was.  It was just whatever brand the store happened to have.  I should look into dosage.  Maybe the powder is better, too?

[J-rap]

I know this is going to sound weird, but I had the same experience when I adopted a diet which had me eating a ton of soy products. I didn't make the connection at first, so I went to cardiologist who found nothing wrong, so told me I was just imagining it. Then someone else mentioned that soy has this effect on some people, I quit the soy, problem solved. Thought I'd throw that out there just in case.

 

Hmm, I'll ask her if she's been eating more soy than usual!  I have heard that diet is often the culprit.

[J-rap]

Had she been ill prior to the heart issue starting?

 

I had (have?) something similar, which came on after a bout of flu about six years ago.  I ended up with a holter monitor which showed the irregular beats, but the doctor said it wasn't anything significant.  Eventually it got better, but it seems to recur every time I get ill.  It has never been as bad as it was the first session.  I really thought my heart would stop then.  It was very scary.

 

I hope your dd can find out what is causing it, and that it will go away. :grouphug:

 

Thanks.  No, she wasn't ill, although she has been fighting seasonal allergies for a couple months.  That's really interesting that yours continues to come back now when you're sick.

[Jilly]

I have skipped heartbeats. I have had it since my late teens. The only time it got very difficult to deal with was when I was pregnant. In my 30s it practically went away, but now that I am in my 40s it seems to have come back with a vengeance. I think it must be partially related to my hormones.

 

It is really not fun to deal with but it is usually not a serious condition. I had my heart completely checked out during my twin pregnancy because my doctor was concerned. They never found anything wrong but I did feel better after they ran all the tests. I always recommend to others that they do the same so as not to worry needlessly about it. 

 

I would also second the magnesium recommendation. I notice when I take it consistently I have less episodes. 

[lewber]

I've had these before too and researched them a little. Things to look for- too much caffeine, dehydration, and hormone changes. Mine was a combination I think, and stress. Has she added or changed any hormonal birth control? Soy could definitely do it. It can act like estrogen.

It is scary when you can feel your heart doing something you're not used to! I hope she figures it out soon.

[gardenmom5]

how's her potassium intake?

 

I would get arythmias - almost always improve if I ate a banana.

 

 

[sassenach]

Is she experimenting with alcohol? My arrhythmia acts up with alcohol consumption.

 

Premature beats are not dangerous in themselves, but I would want the 24 hr Holter.

[mom2samlibby]

Low B12 causes heart palpitations.  Mine went away when I started supplementing.  Wish the doctor would have considered that before she ran the $2,000 heart test on me first.  

[ktgrok]

Does it correlate with any over the counter medications? Maybe a decongestant?

[The Governess]

I used to drink a cup of coffee every morning... did so for years. Then I developed a racing, pounding heartbeat. At first just here and there, then every night. I cut my caffeine down by 1/2 and it stopped within a few days. I'm thinking a hormonal change made me more sensitive to caffeine. She could try switching to a half decaf blend and see if she notices a difference.

 

Oh, and chocolate affects me the same way...

[rose]

My dh did a co-op term during his college years working on telecommunication software for ecg machines and discovered while testing that machines that his own heart was doing this very frequently, like once every few minutes, especially when he was at rest. He took the reading into his gp and was assured that it was nothing. Since then he has become a gp himself and is not one bit concerned about it. If there are no other symptoms I would wager a guess that she's probably fine and this just normal variation.

[zarabellesmom]

This happened to me while taking Ambien. Definitely think about any new medication she might be taking, even if it's just allergy meds as I've read that these can cause it as well.

[Insertcreativenamehere]

Caffeine caused that for me.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[christusg01]

Palpitations are a main symptom of an overactive thyroid. That's what first clued me in to mine. Getting blood tests can check her thyroid.

[Barb_]

Hormones can affect it.  I've had this my whole life and no doctor has even been able to tell me why.  It was much worse during my pregnancies. It got really, really bad about two years ago with perimenopause but as a nice side effect it stopped when I went on an alpha blocker for my high blood pressure. 

[J-rap]

I've had these before too and researched them a little. Things to look for- too much caffeine, dehydration, and hormone changes. Mine was a combination I think, and stress. Has she added or changed any hormonal birth control? Soy could definitely do it. It can act like estrogen.

It is scary when you can feel your heart doing something you're not used to! I hope she figures it out soon.

 

She has been on birth control pills for several years as an acne treatment, but her dosage hasn't changed.  I just asked her if she has been having more soy than usual, but she says she hasn't.  Dehydration is a thought though!  Maybe she needs to drink more water.

[J-rap]

how's her potassium intake?

 

I would get arythmias - almost always improve if I ate a banana.

 

I read that potassium can help, so I bought some potassium tablets at the store last month.  It is a very minimal dosage though.  I'm not sure what amount is enough.  I suggested to her that she eat bananas but she doesn't care for them!  She could probably handle one in a smoothie though.

[J-rap]

Is she experimenting with alcohol? My arrhythmia acts up with alcohol consumption.

 

Premature beats are not dangerous in themselves, but I would want the 24 hr Holter.

 

No, she is pretty dry.  

[J-rap]

Does it correlate with any over the counter medications? Maybe a decongestant?

 

I'll have to ask her about this.  She has been taking either claritin or zyrtec off and on these past couple of months for allergies, though she's taken them in the past without a reaction.  

[J-rap]

I used to drink a cup of coffee every morning... did so for years. Then I developed a racing, pounding heartbeat. At first just here and there, then every night. I cut my caffeine down by 1/2 and it stopped within a few days. I'm thinking a hormonal change made me more sensitive to caffeine. She could try switching to a half decaf blend and see if she notices a difference.

 

Oh, and chocolate affects me the same way...

 

I'll suggest this to her!

[J-rap]

Palpitations are a main symptom of an overactive thyroid. That's what first clued me in to mine. Getting blood tests can check her thyroid.

 

I'm pretty sure they checked her thyroid at her first appointment.  I'll have to double check!

[J-rap]

Hormones can affect it.  I've had this my whole life and no doctor has even been able to tell me why.  It was much worse during my pregnancies. It got really, really bad about two years ago with perimenopause but as a nice side effect it stopped when I went on an alpha blocker for my high blood pressure. 

 

Do you remember how old you were when it started?

[Barb_]

Do you remember how old you were when it started?

 

I was around 23?  I remember having it for a while--maybe 6-12 months--before deciding to see a doctor.  I was still young enough that managing my own healthcare felt a little weird.  That doctor was the first one to blame it on hormone fluctuations.  One of my daughters has the same problem and so did my mom.  Both of them started having issues in their early 20s.  Jen's seems to be affected by caffeine intake.  Mine never was. 

[GoodGrief]

Late nights and caffeine :-) I had this issue in my early twenties; when I started working as a nurse I became somewhat overaware of my various issues, and had an EKG run because I was worried. Lots of skipped beats at times (well, PVCs.) In the end, I was, and am fine. Better now that I don't work 12 hour night shifts :-D

[Miss Peregrine]

More magnesium and B complex. That stopped mine. Natural Calm is a great source. Jigsaw is a good quality brand of mag.

[nd293]

The magnesium seemed to do it for me. I was at the same stage: next step the Holter Monitor. I took a double dose of magnesium daily for the first week and noticed a big improvement, then settled it down to one daily. And it was completely gone within another few days. Mine is a 'high strength' 600mg magnesium which was 4 different types of magnesium by the looks of it, mostly magnesium oxide.

 

Interestingly at the same time we were looking into the heart thing I was diagnosed as having low ferritin levels (stored iron) and I read iron and magnesium deficiencies tend to go together.

[ktgrok]

I'll have to ask her about this.  She has been taking either claritin or zyrtec off and on these past couple of months for allergies, though she's taken them in the past without a reaction.  

 

Check and see if she got the kind with the decongestant in it at any point, the "d" version. That's an "upper' and can have effects similar to too much caffeine. 

[BlsdMama]

She's away at college, and started noticing this about two months ago.  Completely out of the blue.  It happened 6-10 times a day, usually no more than once/hour.  It would miss a beat, and then she'd feel a big "catch-up" beat after that that would feel very uncomfortable, and would really throw her off for about half a minute each time.

 

After a few weeks of not getting any better, I suggested she go to a clinic a block away.  They did an echo test and it was fine.  They said if it isn't better in a month or so, to return and they might have her wear a halter to record what's going on.

 

It's a little better, maybe down to twice/day, but not gone.  She is taking a minimal OTC potassium tablet and magnesium tablet (I heard sometimes that can help).  Anyone else have any other suggestions?  She'll give the clinic a call next week sometime and ask for their advice as well.  It's been about a month since her echo.

 

She's not under unusual stress or anything and can't think of anything that has changed in her diet, etc.

 

 

My husband went through an ER visit, a few follow-ups, wearing some kind of tracker/recording device, etc....

 

He stopped soda.  

 

That fixed the problem entirely for the past few years.  

[Elizabeth 2]

The increased need for Mg, Ca, and B vitamins is often caused by an increase in dietary sodium.  Has she had an increase in sodium in her diet due to a change in manufacturer of her medication?  Is she eating out more?  Or more bread, milk, or soda? (hidden sources)  My FIL has afib issues and if he increases these things it worsens.  Just a different perspective. 

[Harriet Vane]

I would have it checked out by a cardiologist before I tried to treat it with home remedies.

:iagree:  :iagree:  :iagree:

 

 

 

The clinic can rule out obvious problems, but the information you gain from a cardiologist is far more specific and much more valuable.

[Katy]

I get this when I'm ill, and always have.  I don't know what part of the country you're in, but in the midwest at least there's a virus going around that mimics allergies and in about half of people leads to viral bronchitis.  I say this because if allergy medicines aren't affecting her at all, I'd suspect she has that virus, and the virus is triggering an innocent murmur.

 

That said, I'd go for the monitor, just in case. And try cutting out caffeine for a while.  Christmas break is a good time to do that - suddenly cutting it out might lead to needing more sleep for several days.