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Back Road BearsSo, two weeks later and I haven't had a heart attack and died.... I haven't been diagnosed with anything wrong with my heart.... and my endocrinologist says my underactive thyroid isn't the cause of the palpitations.
So, I tried most of everyone's suggestions from yoga, deep breathing and avoiding caffine to holding my arms over my head (thanks for that tip in a PM I received!)..... only that last one seemed to help... even if it did make my husband laugh! I thought for a bit that it might be hormone related as I'd just started a new month on the pill and the first day w/o taking the pill I had no palpitations so thought I was on to something but the next day there were back. I thought perhaps I had a potassium deficiency because drinking the Gatorade seemed to make them quiet down but when the doctor tested my potassium it was fine (I laid off the Gatorade for a few days before the test.) So in the end nothing seemed to be wrong but those dang palpitations still kept me awake at night!!
BUT... THEY ARE NOW GONE!! What did I do to make them go away? I helped my hubby cut trees and haul wood all afternoon on Sunday. I thought I was going to die as I'm so out of shape. BUT the stress on my heart seemed to be exactly what it needed to get back into a more proper rythmn again. Or at least that's what I'm guessing. For good measure I shoveled snow for over an hour today. :)
I shouldn't say they are completely gone... I feel a little funky beat from time to time... but I think I've always had that now that I think about it. I'm certainly not losing sleep over it any more! If the palpitations do come back again I'm insisting on the Holter monitor for 24 hours and further testing just to be sure everything is OK. With both sides of my family presenting heart problems I don't need to take any chances.
Thanks to all who have been checking in on me.... and for everyones great advice, support and compassion!!
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Original post:
OK so last night I get into bed and my heart sounds like it's in my skull, the beat was so loud! And it was irregular... felt like it skipped a beat then did a really hard or heavy beat right after. I couldn't sleep.... tossed and turned but nothing helped. Sat up, that didn't help and neither did deep breathing. So, I finally woke hubby up because it was rather worrisome to me if not irritating because I wanted to just go to sleep! Well, he dragged me off to the emergency room..... I protested. I mean, it's not like I had pain or shortness of breath or anything. And I pray that 37 is too young for serious heart conditions even though there is a family history of it.
My EKG was fine and blood work fine. I do have thyroid disease which is acting up again... that lab test showed a number out of the normal range and I have an appt. with my doctor for that soon. Palpatitions are a side effect of thyroid disease, I've had them before but they were different. Just a rapid heart rate for a few seconds, might happen a few times in a 10 minute span then go away... not constant for hours and in my head like I experience now.
I came home from the hospital and went right to bed and fell asleep... it was 4am and I was exhausted! I didn't have any 'spells' of it today but now tonight I'm getting them again. I don't drink, smoke or have a high caffine intake. The only thing the same about last night and tonight is that I ate Ben & Jerry's ice cream just before the palps started. But I've eatten it 100s of times before w/no problem. I'm diabetic but under very good control (yes, even w/ the ice cream!).
ER doctor said this irregularity is common even in healthy people.... and could be caused by stress... and gee... there IS that in my life. But why only at night am I getting them and just when I think my life is getting a bit more normal again?
I know none of you are doctors, that I need to see mine and as mentioned I do have an appt. but I wondered if any of you have experienced this? Discovered an unusual cause? Found a way to quiet it?
Thanks...
:hug: :hug: Oh No Daphne, I have no advice for you, but sending hugs your way! I am sure that your dr. will have an answer for you.
Hugs,
Krista
Hi Daphne,
As I'm sitting here reading this post I am having a Deja' Vu experience. I've been going through similar symptoms. The only difference is along with what I am calling my heart fluttering is heartburn. I woke hubby up about a month ago and he took me to the ER. The only difference was I did have a shooting pain in the left shoulder and down my arm, no shortness or difficulty breathing, no other symptoms of heart distress. The ER doctor did an EKG and blood tests which were all negative. They even admitted me to the hospital and then sent me home eight hours later. The doctor's even went so far as to give me a stress test two weeks ago. Well for 46 my heart functions are perfect and all the doctors could come up with is stress. And yes, like you I am definitely under a lot of stress.
Like you this is only happening at night. I'm also no doctor and the only explanation I can come up with as to why only at night is that in order to go to sleep you need to relax and the body being under so much stress doesn't know how to do that so instead these symptoms manifest themselves. Now when I start to experience these symptoms I try some relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and that has seemed to help.
Sending hugs to help with some of your stress. :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Hugs,
It's sooooooooo scary when that happens, Daph & Gijzette! I had a spell of wacko heart palpitations about a year or so ago now. After they happened 24/7 for a few days and I could no longer sleep and was beginning to feel dizzy, finally ended up at the ER, too. My BP at that time was something monstrously out of whack, like 170/120... and I was having atrial fibrillations of some kind. They sent me for followup to a cardiac specialist because the EKG tracked many irregular beats per minute and I ended up wearing a Holter monitor for 24 hours, which is basically just a portable EKG that records data.
When that was read I was alarmed and surprised -- but also validated -- to learn that I had experienced over 6000 irregular beats (EXTRA, not missing) in a 24 hour period. I knew this already, or suspected it (although those numbers are bigger than I might have guessed) because my heart felt kinda like it sounds when you put tennis shoes in the dryer. I could NOT sleep and was getting more and more stressed over the whole thing, which had cropped up absolutely out of nowhere... and also in a time of huge stress for me.
The cardiac docs also did a stress test on me (I rode a recumbent bike while they recorded heart beats) and a stress ultrasound, which picked up a small mitral valve regurgitation issue previously unknown to me!
As scary as all that sounds, it turns out that, diagnostically, it all amounted to a bunch of nothing serious. My final diagnosis was PAC's, or Premature Atrial Contractions. Many if not most people have them and many if not most don't even feel them. I'm not sure if that makes me an oddball or what but I don't understand how you can NOT notice such a thing! I was on BP lowering meds for a short while and told to decrease stress and caffiene (which has been ongoing for me since.)
Just as quickly as the PAC's came on, they evaporated about one month after they began, and I haven't been troubled by them again except once or twice, and then only for a few beats in succession... not hours and days like before.
I found that ultimately, the best cure for it was to RELAX. I don't want to sound patronizing in saying this but if, like me, you're torqueing yourselves up even further with concern and worry, you really ARE probably making your symptoms worse. It's absolutely terrifying -- I get it -- and those symptoms are REAL. I really was almost unconscious, my BP was so high on that night I ended up at the ER, and I really could NOT sleep even once I had my diagnosis because the palpitations kept me up nights.
But once I relaxed into the total bummer knowledge that I might feel that way forever, but I was OKAY anyway!, I found things improved. And, like I said, ultimately they just went away.
I have a totally unproven theory that sounds like witch craft, even to a science minded gal like me. And I "get" that correlation does not imply causation. Still, I am CONVINCED in my gut that the energy drinks I had recently began guzzling for the first time in my life contributed directly to these palpitations. And once this all happened to me I did some research on them and there are many who agree they aren't well enough understood and may indeed cause benign or problematic heart conditions in susceptible individuals. AT this point, I pretty much think energy drinks are the devil. Which is a bummer, because I was IN LOVE WITH those Superman ones, which I had found only a week or so prior to the first PAC's. It's my belief -- again, totally unfounded, scientifically -- that drinking those things "did something" to my heart muscle or SA node or conductivity system that kickstarted me into a lengthy bout of palpitations. And that, as I stopped drinking them and cut caffiene even further, whatever had been turned on, or had been "broken", healed, and things got back to normal.
Anyway, this is a long post... but my intent was to say, this IS terrifying... you ARE smart to see the doctor... your fears and discomfort ARE real... but probably, you're both okay, and things will likely change/improve for you in short order. Get lots of sleep and do cut down on caffeine and stress to the extent you can.
And feel better soon, friends! :hug:
Canna Bear PaintBeen there, done that. I rarely have sessions of palpitations anymore, however I did have them off and on recently for the two entire weeks before the Bristol show. With the worries I had at the time, I was stressed as all get out over whether I would be able to make the trip. So yeah, totally caused by stress. Survived the trip to Bristol and *poof* they disappeared.
Some years ago when I was in extremely poor health, I used to get those attacks all the time. Yes, they seemed worse at night. I found that lying down triggered them (or at least made them more noticeable?), so my solution for a long time was to sleep propped into more of a sitting position.
Anyway, do your best to relax, breathe deep and pay close attention to anything that may be triggering them, even if it's something that never bothered you before.
Hugs,
Kelly
Posts: 3,540:clap: Kudos to that wonderful hubby of yours for dragging your butt to the ER :clap: I know you don't want to be there, or be a bother, but honestly, it was the best thing to do. If it IS a heartattack, or a heart problem, there's no sense faffing about at home. At least this way they have a baseline to go on while you were experiencing your problems.
:hug: :hug: I'm hoping you can get to the bottom of this quickly, and get some much needed rest. :hug:
Past Time BearsHiya, Daphne. Just back from being out of town for awhile (again) and had to respond. Your symptoms might well be stress-related, as I know you have been under a mountain of it for quite some time. When I was about your age - maybe a little younger - I had almost identical symptoms and was diagnosed as being too stressed. I had what was called Preventricular Contractions (PVCs) as opposed to Shelli's PACs. About 10 or so years later, my OB-GYN doc discovered a heart murmer (mitral valve prolapse, which Shelli described). I had to have a full heart workup . . . stress test, ECHOgram, EKG, etc. . . . which confirmed the heart murmer. A lot of my irregular heartbeats came at night, with some chest pain, and shortness of breath - all valve prolapse related. I've been assured several times that this condition isn't serious. I have to get ECHOgrams periodically, however, to stay on top of the murmer situation. My suggestion would be to ask your doc if you might need an ECHOgram . . . . just to confirm that you don't have a valve prolapse. My feeling is that your high level of stress is the main contributing factor in your symptoms, though. I don't have too many thoughts on how to relieve the stress, my friend - as I'm not really successful in getting rid of my own. Anyway, hugs to you both, Daphne and Gijzette, and hope your stressed lives will relent and give you some peace. :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
BlondheartSounds like classic text book anxiety attacks. They can be caused by more things than you can imagine. When you have one, do the opposite of what you think you should, get up walk around and swing your arms. Eat a banana too if you have one. They always hit at night when you're starting to relax.
Daphne,
So glad you went to the doctor to get a diagnosis, but to me it sounds like a good old-fshioned panic attack. Been there ...done that .... ER room, everything.
It is hard to relax and take it easy when your life is so hectic. For me, I have found that if I can stay away from the caffeine (love the cappucinos), get plenty of fresh air and exercise, that I have fewer of them.
And when they do come, I get out of bed and walk ... turn on the late night shows and try to get my mind off myself and walk while listening to insignificant rantings on the tube. It works for me. Thank God I haven't had any for quite a while.
As I get older, I have learned that I can't do everything, some things have to go undone, but you know what, 9 times out of 10, no one notices that they haven't gotten done!!!
Please take care of yourself, be kind to yourself ..... and see the doctor when and if you think you need to do so .... it is better to have them tell you there's nothing wrong than to put it off when it could be something.
Hugs,
Wanda
Hi Daphne,
Just wanted to add a little message to say I hope this all sorts itself out really quickly. It does sound as if you have SO MUCH going on in your life at the moment, that your body is probably just asking you to take a break. Sending you lots of calming thoughts. Take care of yourself. :hug:
Dear Daphne,
I am so sorry to hear about your problem but know exactly what you are going through. I have suffered with this for many years now and over here in England, they can be known as ectopic beats, or extrasystoles, and are apparently perfectly okay. Healthy people can get them so it doesn't mean anything is wrong, but if you are under stress or overtired, anxious, etc. then there is a likelihood that they will become troublesome.
I can get them any time of the day and can start up out of the blue but then can go for some days with just the odd one or two. When I first had then, I too used to find that I would notice them more at night and would suddenly sit bolt upright in a panic wondering what was going on. I don't think it is anything to do with a panic attack because I used to get those, and in such circumstances, your heart beat races and goes fast. It is totally different from what you are experiencing, feeling that there is a pause and then comes a "thud" or heavier beat which can feel quite big at times. It is just the unevenness of the spacing between the beats and can sometimes make you feel as though your heart is "turning over", a weird feeling. But apparently, it is quite normal. At the time though, it certainly doesn't feel like it , does it?!!!!
Now when I get them, and sometimes I get them one after the other for many hours, I get up and walk around taking controlled breaths and try to get on with normal things. I was told that drinking cold water can help too - I'm not sure of this but I do it anyway!! I have read that exercise can abolish them but I certainly never feel like exercising when I get them!! Quite the reverse, but do find that walking around for several minutes helps me. I also avoid caffeine. I do have other heart issues anyway which were picked up from a test but I am not going to bore you with but it is a case that some people notice these beats, while others do not. The main thing is not to worry - they will not hurt you. Less worry means they will probably go away! Also, it is very easy, believe me, to think that because you had a bad session of these beats at bedtime, means that you are going to have them again when you go to bed, a very easy thing to do, otherwise you will get yourself stressed about it and probably get them!!! I used to get like that, and it is not good!!! Your tests at the hospital showed there was nothing to worry about - so that is brilliant!
I have just noted something too that Shelli wrote about energy drinks, and I completely agree. I went through a very similar thing as Shelli and discovered that energy drinks are a BIG no-no. Even dear old Lucozade here in the UK and it's all down to the caffeine. A lot of cold and cough remedies etc. contain caffeine which I didn't used to know about so I avoid them like the plague too. Just have to keep reading all the labels!!
So Daphne, .... relax!!!!! Please don't worry and I am sure these will disappear. If the odd one returns, just dismiss it and concentrate your thoughts in a different direction - bear making!!!!!
I wish you well and will be thinking of you.
Extra big hugs,
Marilyn
q.D.paToOtieSI've totally been there Daphne so I really feel for you. I went as far as having a Nuclear Stress Test done last November and it showed nothing. My doctor did tell me to add a little Magnesium to my diet and that it should help. It's found naturally in Chocolate (yippee!) but I take a supplement of 250mg per day. You can also take Maalox as it's in that too if you prefer liquid instead of a big ol' honkin' pill. Read the Maalox first though because the "Advanced Multi Symptom" doesn't have it I believe. It's only the regular Maalox. And make sure you can take it with your Diabetes first which if you can eat ice cream, I'm sure you can take the Maalox.
Here are my other thoughts though. Three other things may be causing it besides stress, thyroid and acid reflux.
The first is a hiatal hernia. According to my Gastro guy, everyone has one that develops by the time they get older. The severity of course depends on your weight and if you lift any heavy objects. Now think about it. What have you been doing for the past two or three weeks? That box of bears that you sent out to Laura Lynn to Schaumburg had to weigh a TON! Anyway, disturbing the hiatal hernia can increase or if you didn't have it before, initiate acid reflux. So you could have irritated something. I'd try some Maalox and see if that helps. That would also provide you with the Magnesium.
The second thing is food allergies. I found that orange dye found in some foods makes mine go bonkers. So I avoid most food with an orange artificial or even supposed natural dye. It really has cut down on my incidences.
The third thing is Mold allergies. I know we all like to think our houses are as clean as clean can get. But unfortunately, mold can also be in the air. When I had my worst attack last fall, they were burning a lot of trees while clearing them for a new development. I found out later that the guy who lives on the row behind me who is only 33 and a Marine in tip-top condition actually PASSED OUT and didn't come around until the Paramedics arrived. He was outside working when they were burning. I was inside but my windows were open. Something about burning all those trees with the wet leaves really set both of us off. I know I'm really allergic to Leaf Mold Spore so I honestly think that's what it was - MOLD.
Just my ideas. Feel better as I know it's both irritating and SCARY.
Biggest Hugs,
Lisa
Bear Paws by RoxanneWell Daphne, been there too,
I know how scarey it can be. The racing heart beats, palpitations, emergency rooms..... My results were pretty close to Shelli's and Sue Ann, the prolapse valve. A valve in my heart goes out of beat and holds the blood in my heart a little longer that it needs to and when it opens, more blood than expected flows through causing my heart to do a "flip-flop", palpitation. Dr advised me to quite caffeine, excercise and put me on high blood pressure pills, that are a beta-blocker to treat irregular heartbeats too.
In my experience what brings these symptoms on for me is,
1. Drinking Pepsi! I love it, I know that it is loaded with caffeine, but out of any other drink it affects me the hardest. I have the "flip-flop" even while I am drinking it......
2. That time of the month, hormones can do crazy things to a womans system.
3.Over exhaustion, sleepless nights, the next day I feel horrible.....Take a 30 minute nap and feel tons better.
4. Being sick with a fever. Fever brings on the palpations on big time.
I hope that you are feeling better today, and that you get this under control soon. 
:hug:
This is how I sometimes feel when it happens! 
(Edit added pic)
Back Road BearsYa know, just reading about all of you who experience this makes me feel a little better.... you've confirmed I'm not nuts, my concern is justified and that this is indeed harmless. With a history of heart disease in both sides of my family it's easy to get worried about any irregularities.
I talked to my endocrinologist this morning... he thinks its my thyroid which affects metabolism, hormone levels, etc. which in turn can affect my heart rate. And that the stress is a factor too. Intresting though.... my shows are done for the year, Dad is not doing well but has reached a plateau so things are at least stable there and my hubby starts a new job next week after being unemployed for the last 9 mos so I was beginning to feel like life was getting back to 'normal' and there was less stess.... certianly I have nothing to be anxious about at this point. So the palps made no sense.... the thyroid thing does though.
Gijzette - the ER doc said the palps were more pronounced at night because it's quiet and I'm relaxed and focused more on my body but that I probably am having them during the day too. I read your post before I went to bed last night (no one else had posted yet) and took comfort in knowing I wasn't the only one experiencing this! Thank you for posting! I'm sorry you are dealing with this too.
Shelli - thanks for sharing your experience. And yes, the energy drinks are full of CAFFINE! So much so that I get the jitters and all bug-eyed... kind of like that cat! I take a multi-vitamin full of the B vits which give you energy and I try to eat a good amount of protein which also gives you energy.... much healthier than energy drinks.
Kelly Z. - I'm glad you are doing so much better now!
Sue Ann - I think you are right, that it's got to do with stress as well as my thyroid. Thank goodness you don't have a serious condition. I do intend to ask my doctor to put me through all the tests he feels may be appropriate given my health and the family history of heart disease.
Ellen - I feel like my heart palps are nothing after reading about your racing heart and all you've experienced. I'm really believing that what I have is not unusual or serious in any way. Huge hugs to you!
Krista & Samantha - Thank you!
Marilyn - you described exactly what it feels like... my heart turning over or flip-flopping. I'm sure that if it's a faint beat followed by a heavy one that the heart isn't pumping enough blood out on the faint beast so when the next beat comes it has to work harder to empty out even more. I haven't tried exercising when this happens at night because I lay there trying to will myself to sleep. I will get up and move around next time and will most certainly try to block this out, ignore it and RELAX! When I was getting worked up over it the other night it got so much worse!
Lisa - Maalox or Magnesium... very interesting! I'll have to look into that! I think I have a food allergy to ice cream... if I tried to pin this to some external factor it would be that... it's the only thing that has been consistent in the past two nights and my palpatiations start right after! But truly, thyroid and stress seem to be the most obvious and likely. But you've given me food for thought which I will mention to my doctor when I see him.
Roxanne - love that cat's face! You are mentioning exercise too.... now that I AM allergic to! LOL! But in addition to watching my caffine (which is usually on cup of coffee or tea in the morning and that's it) and controlling stress I'm going to get back to walking regularly. Thank you for the advice and the photo... laughter is the best medicine, right!?
Interstingly enough: I didn't even want to lay down last night but at a friend's suggestiong I took 1/2 a muscle relaxer, went to bed a half hour later and noticed the irregular beats at first... they didn't seem as bad and I couldn't hear them as loudly in my head... then I was sound asleep before I had a chance to get too focused on them! I slept almost 12 hours! So, I'd say RELAXING/stress has a great deal to do with this!
Thank you, everyone for sharing and offering advice and support. :hug: :hug: :hug:
I feel for you Daphne, I really do! :hug: I went through a similar thing just a couple of months ago, and it is so very scary. Everyone is right though, that the symptoms are generally not harmful and are a normal occurence that people don't usually notice. They are actually extra beats from either an atrium (PAC's) or a ventricle (PVC's) caused by too much electrical stimulation to the heart.
There are some differences between PAC's and PVC's, so your doctor may want to find out which you are having. PVC's (which is what I have) can be a bit more serious because they can put you into ventricular tachycardia.......which, if it is not stopped can then cause cardiac arrest. So what I got from the whole experience was don't worry about it unless I have prolonged periods of tachycardia. That needs to be dealt with pronto! A cousin of mine had this problem not long ago. She did have to have surgery to stop the out of control impulses to her heart that were causing the palpitations and tachycardia. What was done was a fairly simple procedure where the surgeon had to cauterize some nerve endings to that chamber of her heart that was causing the problem......they go up through the veins in the groin for this, so no open heart surgery. It is interesting to note that my cousin has to be the most anxious and excitable person I know.......possibly this is what caused her symptoms to be so severe?
I am certain that stress plays a huge part in this. I developed this problem after a horribly stressful summer........I'm only now beginning to feel back to normal! 
I want to make a point of saying also that these are not panic or anxiety attacks. I suffered from those for years now......they are a completely different occurence, though the anxiety can contribute to the palpitations. Anyway, my doctor put a Holter monitor on me for 24 hours, the result of which prompted her to also put me on a betablocker. Evidently I was having some good runs of it with some tachycardia that she didn't like. She also told me........and I found this very interesting.....that she had recently learned that hormone deficiencies (progesterone in specific) can play a huge role in this. I'm only 36, but have been having pre-menapausal symptoms for several years now.....since after the birth of my youngest son seven years ago (I've known for awhile that my hormones are out of whack, but until now, no doctor has taken it seriously). My doc thinks this might be part of the whole problem, so I am also taking progesterone replacement at the moment. After the next round of treatment with this, she is going to try taking me off the betablocker to see what happens. I was still having some palpitations while on the betablocker, but since taking the hormone replacement the required days last month, I'm not having any at all. I'm curious now to see what happens when my doc takes me off the BP med.
I wish you the best with this Daphne. It is scary, but so important you find out just what the cause is. And do your best to lower the stress in your life. Not so easy, I know! Some things are going to be the way the are no matter what you do........you can't always eliminate stress. Sending huge hugs your way and hoping you find a solution soon. :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Chaska, MinnesotaGosh Daphne: that was not a fun night for you. I'm glad the ER ruled out a heart attack. I sometimes get a racing heart but I drink a lot of diet pepsi's which has the wonderful, delicious caffeine I so love. If it is stress or anxiety and it is happening before bedtime, I think shutting of your thoughts to worries of the day and think of something fun. My Aunt Patty had trouble going to sleep and she developed this neat trick. Here it is:
For over forty years my aunt will turn off the light, go to bed and pretend she is the heroine of a story. Of course she is young and gorgeous and admired by all who see her. She has wonderful love affairs and devious intrigue woven into her story. Over the years she has regaled me with the updates of what she is up too. Her latest adventure is being married to a good looking man who turns out to be a part of a powerful mafia family. She is scared and finds him murdered and found out they want to kill her too. So because, over the years, she has heard of insiders trading stuff from the mafia family, she secretly has invested money on the things she has heard. Because of her "very intelligent" self, she has millions stashed away in a Swiss bank account. She escapes her confines (I should mention, she learned marshal arts from her thug of a husband) and fly’s away to another country. She has plastic surgery to have a new look so the mafia will not find and kill her. Now the plastic surgery made her even more beautiful (imagine that). So now she is off on a new adventure and I need to catch up when I visit next month. It is an ongoing stroy where she always stays young and beautiful. She just lets her imagination go wild. It take her mind off the stress of the day and It helps her fall asleep quickly.
But the point is, she only goes into her story mode right before bed and lets her mind drift. She never thinks about it during the day. She found she falls asleep in minutes. I tried it too and gosh darn if it does not work. Of course I am beautiful in my story too and my heroine is Russell Crow...
My aunt has had this story going on for over 40 years. I think she should put this all in a book because her story is so entertaining....Oh I should mention my aunt is now 80 years old but in her dreams she is still 20 something...
Well just my two cents Daphne. I hope your thyroid problem is corrected.
Canna Bear PaintMy mother wanted me to add something to this. She was told by a heart doctor years ago that if palpitations bother you when you lie down, lay on your left side. Sounds like it makes the heart work a little differently, and she says it does stop the palpitations. Something to try, anyway!
Congrats on hubby's new job! Change can be stressful too, even when change is a good thing 
Best wishes,
Kelly
Back Road BearsWow, Tracy... very interesting about the hormones. I have very wacko hormone levels and also experience pre-menopausal symptoms.... which I've been ingoring! LOL! Perhaps I need to address those. My doctor is going to get an earful when I see him next!
Michelle... oh, I don't think I'd ever go to sleep if I was concocting those wonderful stories in my head! But how relaxing and fun.... I'll try anything!
Kelly... thank your mom for me.... I will be conscious of laying on my left side the next time this happens.
Bears by JodiI can't believe you all have this and I DO TOO !!!! I have been on meds for years for it. First we tried blood pressure meds then I went to a heart specialist and went through a bunch of tests and he said we can do one of two things. Go up with a catheter and cauterize inside the heart ...which may not even take care of it or go on medication for it.I chose the meds. And for the most part it does take care of it. But when stressed it does act up and I did have a whole night of it happen about a month ago. But I have allot of stress now also. But it must be more common than we think. My doctor called mine an atrial flutter. And it feels like all of you said. Then my heart returns to normal and you just feel a relief !! Its a arythmia I guess.But it is best to have it checked out.
Hearts Ease BearsDaphne..have read this thread with great interest...glad you are feeling better..may not be the ice cream but an individiual ingrediant in that flavor! ( you dont want to give up everything you love!) i had pre menopausal systems year before "THEY" said i "SHOULD" so i was ignored while my hormones went wacko! but young girls hit puberty way earlier now and women hit menopause much earlier than in the past! beleive in your feelings about your body! i use a TIMED RELEASE b vitamin and it made a huge difference for me! many friends have had huge problems with the energy drinks! elevated counts of something and anxiety etc...also PMS symptoms can overlap with peri menopause and really be confusing unless you KNOW that! i didnt "FIT" either category so they wanted me to see a shrink..which i finally did and she said you have PMS and you are statring into menopause..listen to your body and you are not crazy..and oh yeah,,watch the stress! LOL!! hang in there! deb
Back Road BearsThanks for the info, Deb. Boy, this is going to be quite a conversation with my endocrinologist next week!
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
And I'm so glad you aren't crazy! :hug:
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Another Been There. Done That story here. They were the worst at set-up time for shows in my last year of exhibiting in 02-03. But I was always alone. DH was with me in KC, when I got That Feeling and sat back on my heels to take a few deep slow breaths.
"What's wrong?'
"Nothing."
"You look weird."
"It's nothing. I've had this before and it passes by j..."
"YOU'VE HAD THIS BEFORE???"
"Right. Just some chest pain and a few radiating..."
I was all but dragged out of the sales room on the way to the nearest ER.
Only on Scout's Honor & Cross my heart... did he let me stay (and aggravatingly hovered the rest of that day) as long as I promised I'd see a heart Dr as soon as we got home.
It did turn out to be stress-related, as well as showing some of the same clinical symptoms before each of the past 2 knee replacements that the rest of you have discovered, BUT - when these occur you definitely should check thenm out!
Look at all of these other conditions that each one of us have found. Too many women disregard their symptoms - as do too many of our Drs - and have heart attacks or strokes, because, historically, they typically happen to (only) men..
Better to be embarrased than to deal with the results of not having checked these out.
Now take a deep, slow breath.... through the nose and exhale slowly though the lips..
A funny story: when I had my first kidney stone a few years ago - they ONLY happen in the middle of the night, and I'd've sworn I was in labor!! - in the ER I just rocked back & forth for several hours, slowing down inhalation & exhalation as long as I could: in through the nose and out through the lips.
2 of the nurses complimented me on my pain-relieving (only somewhat!) technique of proper breathing.
I sent a "Thanks to my T'ai Chi instructor!"
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy Bears:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: Daphne, I'm sorry you are going through all this, but glad so many have rallied around with support and advice!!! I too have had night time heart racing and those head pounding irrregular beats. Scary stuff. (I, like Shelli, had recently become a fan of energy drinks during a particularly stressful time. Not a good combo!)
I'm glad your shows are behind you, now take some time to relax before you go planning your next major event!
Fool's Gold BearsHi Daphne,
Wow! This really is a common situation! Some 15 or so years ago my doctor assured me that my skip-a-beat/flip-flop experiences were common and harmless. It didn't feel normal or right to me, so naturally, my health-related reading gravitated to the symptoms I was having. I remember reading somewhere that although doctors say it is normal and harmless, it is actually related to a mineral imbalance, particularly a lack of magnesium. Stress and hormones and mineral balance are all interrelated, one affecting the others. The suggestion was to increase magnesium intake. It worked for me. I would steer clear of Maalox, though. It contains aluminum, which is found in elevated amounts in alsheimers patients.
I try to employ preventive health measures whenever possible, but sometimes I'm a little slow, or maybe at times even in denial (like when it comes to exercise...AArgh!) but I hope to keep ahead of the game, and live to become very,very old....God willing.
Bear Hugs and Blessings to all, and especially you right now, Daphne. Keep us apprised of your progress. :hug: :hug: :hug: 
Oh, yeah! John Paul Port, of all people -- jack of all trades! -- actually advised me to try magnesium, too. I didn't get around to trying that because around that time my symptoms were abating on their own and rather quickly and completely at that (there were here BIG and then they gone -- *poof*) But clearly Laure's suggestion about magnesium has made the rounds. It's certainly worth a try and I had vowed to myself that if these palps ever present themselves again, it's the first thing I'll try.
