Heart Palpitations

Posted by mikeyp @mikeyp, Nov 25, 2016

Hi Everyone, whew, where do I start ? I've been to 6 cardiologists, ( 2 were electrophysiologists ) over the last 11 months and basically I have them all scratching their heads on why I get REALLY bad heart palps, and I mean BAD ones to where it feels like someone punched you in the chest an hour ago, that's how it feels if you can imagine having that happen to you and then I get light-headed and disorientated to where I just want to sit and not talk or move for an hour or more until I get back to normal, usually this takes a few hours. Yes I get them THAT bad. I'm hoping that this group can help me because I'm at the end of my rope. One electrophysiologist said what I described to him was " impossible " to be happening, I'm really starting to wonder if I was born on another planet, I can't be the only person in the world with the heart palps that I have.

Mine basically come in two stages, I feel a pressure on the left side of my heart and then a strong thump in the heart itself, this happens within 2 seconds and then it's gone until the next time, no it doesn't happen all day, mine come as fast as they go but when them come it's like a Mike Tyson punch. I usually get these about once or twice a day. I've done every test imaginable, Nuclear Stress Test, Treadmill Stress Test, 2 heart & neck angiograms, 2 twenty four hour Holter Monitors, Echocardiogram, and numerous EKG's and blood tests and every single test comes back absolutely normal, so ( as one cardiologist put it ) " If we can't diagnose what's wrong we can't treat it " That makes sense but I'm still going through this with no new info, no meds, no nothing, I have the same knowledge that I have of whats wrong with me that I did when this all started 11 months ago and that is NOTHING at all, no more knowledge, no meds, nothing.

Here's more info on me, I " had " CLL, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, (13q14 deletion ) they caught it fast and treated it with FCR chemo and within 3 months ( not 6 months which is standard ) I was in full remission, if you don't understand what this means I'll just put it this way, if you HAD to get leukemia then this is the one you want to get, it's the most common and most treatable out of all the leukemia's and as much as oncologists " can't " say that I'm cured from this they pretty much say ( in your ear ) that you're cured. Now with that said, every Dr, Oncologist and Cardioligist all agree that this is not the cause of my palps, could it be from the chemo ? Yes possibly but I was diagnosed with CLL in April 2016, the palps started in December 2015 and I did the chemo in May 2016 so you see it doesn't match up.

The ONLY relief I get from the palps is when I take Magnesium Citrate, I tried Magnesium Taurate ( which they say is more for the heart ) but I've noticed that the Citrate works a lot better. Ok so you're saying why are you on here then, just take the Mag.Citrate right ? Well there's a problem, when you take Mag.Citrate on a regular basis you literally have to run to the restroom like 10 to 15 times a day, and when I say run I mean RUN !!!!! From what my last cardiologist said " They give Mag Citrate to people who are about to have a colonoscopy to clean them out " and trust me I believe him. So my question is does anyone know what else I can do to alleviate these palps without running to the restroom all day long ? My quality of life has sunk, I either have palps so bad that I can't enjoy life or I'm running to the restroom every half hour, I don't know which one is worse. I've also tried taking potassium and CoQ10, neither works or am I not taking the right dosage ?

Lastly, does anyone have any knowledge of the " Vagus Nerve " ? It's a nerve that pretty much connects your heart to other parts of the body and I'm thinking when the bad palps hit me it's " short circuiting " the Vagus Nerve and that's what makes me light headed. Any help would be greatly appreciated folks. I'm thinking that with the right supplements I can live with this, but what are the right ones and the right dosage ?

Thanks

Mikey P

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions Support Group.

Fran | @jocrane | Mar 28, 2020

In reply to @russellroy "I get extreme burping and heart palpitations at the same time there definitely tied together,my cardiologist..." + (show)

I have palp/irreg HR also associated with position, bending, belching, after eating and even after drinking.
Working in the health field as a Med/Surg Asst I went after answers. Asked for ECHO of heart, etc.
Heart physically fine. So......
Was told by chiro I have hernia. Hmmmm.
He pulled my diaphram down and it helped.

When they happen I do slow breathing.
Place ice pack on Left forearm. Recline with feet up.

I eat and drink slowly. Do not lift heavy objects.
Take EVERYTHING slow.
Very limited carbs. No sugar. No caffeine.
Gluten free.

I do have Metoprolol Tartrate 25 (take half if get prolonged irreg HR)

I rather do this than have hernia surgery.
It is a vagus issue for sure!

ALSO VERY GOOD INFO from Dr Sanjay Gupta/York Cardiology on Youtube. Great Videos on Afi/Palp

russellroy | @russellroy | Mar 28, 2020

I get extreme burping and heart palpitations at the same time there definitely tied together,my cardiologist and gastric doctor says no ,but there’s a connection.

Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Mar 28, 2020

In reply to @aviatrix55 "I have been walking on the treadmill since January 1st except for 10 days after my..." + (show)

Hello @aviatrix55 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect

I appreciate your posting your concern about your heart rate. It is understandable that you would want to understand this. Heart rate problems can cause a lot of anxiety until you know the cause.

It this a new concern for you? Has your heart rate always been fast? You do not mention other health concerns or medications that you might be taking but those are all important factors.

Here is some general information about heart rate from Mayo Clinic's website,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-arrhythmia/symptoms-causes/syc-20350668.
If you click on the link it will help you better understand some of the causes and treatments for a fast heart rate.

Just wondering also: Have you talked with your doctor about this? If not, I would encourage you to do so and to have a cardiac work-up to see if this is normal for you or if it involves a situation that needs to be treated.

Please continue to post I look forward to hearing from you again and getting to know you better.

aviatrix55 | @aviatrix55 | Mar 28, 2020

I have been walking on the treadmill since January 1st except for 10 days after my hysterectomy in July. I have trouble keeping on weight so I only walk 3 miles a week but my time is a 12:30 mile which is considered excellent for a 20 year old male. I am a 65 year old women. I can not get my heart rate down under 100 a rest.

Any one have this problem

lb80 | @lb80 | Feb 17, 2024

In reply to @colleenyoung "I don't Mikey. Anyone else know about a possible connection between the Vagus nerve and heart..." + (show)

search for Dr. Sanjay Gupta (sp?) on the web. He has a lot of videos on AFIB, palpitations, and Vagus nerve. Good luck.

Martin Jensen, Volunteer Mentor | @predictable | Mar 24 10:03am

In reply to @mikeyp "Hi Predictable, Yes I've had echo cardiograms and 2 CTA's of my heart and surrounding vessels..." + (show)

Hi, @mikeyp. A quick response for you to think about. I don't think the kidneys "produce" magnesium or potassium. Instead, they pass it off into the urine, leaving more or less in the blood stream. The magnesium and potassium comes from what you eat or the supplements you take, then the kidneys decide how much of each to keep and pass on into the blood. Ask if I'm right and what her/his advice is. Martin

k09 | @k09 | Mar 25 6:07am

@mikeyp the last post I saw was from 2016 so I wonder if you have found an answer to your medical issue. Have you tried Magnesium Glycinate instead of Magnesium Citrate? Also..seems like they would have considered an implantable loop recorder (ILR) to monitor the palpitations.

tyzzon27 | @tyzzon27 | Mar 29 11:13am

Hi Mikey, in December had severe heart palpitations ended up in ER, kept me overnight ran stress test and CT.
My PCP had prescribed BP meds but they made it worse.
Went to Cleveland clinic for a second opinion and was told beta blocker or just live with it. Was on a heart monitor for 2 weeks and it showed episodes of heart palpitations. But I get it nothing to worry about, really.
So at the moment changed my diet no caffeine. Every now and then have an attack.
My doctor has listened to me heart and said he has heard it skipping beats.
So for the most part living with the problem. I do have MVP but have had that for years.

sgvh55 | @sgvh55 | Mar 29 12:12pm

In reply to @martishka "Hi Mikeyp, You say that the doctors cannot find anything wrong even though you have had..." + (show)

I am getting a 14-day Holter monitor this Thursday for this.

viperron | @viperron | Mar 30 9:05am

I am an 81 year-old male and have had skipped heart beats since I’ve been about 19. I use a product called natural calm, which helped quite a bit, but my doctor put me on propranolol which is helped better than anything else when they really get bad. I actually take 1/2 of a Xanax and almost 100% of the time they go away I’ve been fighting this for 60. years. I’ve been doctored so many times but I found what is somewhat of a cure on my own. I sincerely hope this helps someone.

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