Need advice with heart issues

So a quick question while I’m here. I don’t think I have had palpitations but I have noticed chest “fluttering” often lately. Sometimes on the right side as well. Last just a second and feels like skin is making a ripple if that makes sense. Is that a palpitation or not?

Hi @jadillow,

I have those same things, I call them "blips." I don't think they mean much but you could always mention it to your doctor when you see him/her the next time. On a personal note, I don't worry about every little thing, especially if there are no other symptoms. Just my thought, though, a doctor can certainly put your mind at ease if you feel concerned.

Thanks. I have shoulder pain for about 3 weeks after working out and at times it appears to hurt on my chest. Sometimes when I breathe heavy. I’m a wreck I guess. Possible muscle issue maybe?

There are muscle fasiculations (muscle twitches). Though very very rarely, they are in indication of Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), they are for the vast majority of the time benign. I had them all over once, incredibly, and I was seeing a neurologist for other things, he kept reassuring me it wasn't ALS. That was many many years ago.

Last Thursday, the doctor didn't do anything about my recent brief chest sensation (thumb sized area near sternum had sudden feeling, not pain, while I was walking), he listened to me, to my heart and breathing, said he could do more if I was concerned. Implicitly he's not, not at this point.

There's a balance between doing too little and doing too much. Sometimes doing more is more harmful than not doing enough. I wish I had the answers, for you, for me, for the others here, but we all live under the "doing too little vs doing too much" conundrum.

I totally agree with AFRobin that you should NEVER change the dosage of a medication, or stop it entirely, especially a heart med, until you've spoken with your cardiologist. We are all so different, not just with what ails us, but with the reactions we have to the same medications. If something is going on with your heart and you are frightened, call your doctor STAT. If you can't speak directly to your cardiologist, have someone drive you to an Urgent Care Clinic or the ER. Better to be safe than sorry! Keep us posted!

If when you breathe it hurts, it generally is chest muscles. The fact that you worked out and that's when the pain started tells it all.

I also feel like I have palpitations off an on. Feels like a rumbling in my upper chest but wondering if it could be due to backed up reflux. Always gives me anxiety when I have this feeling. All doctors say my heart is fine so I dunno. I love all the replies for sure and am very thankful.

@jadillow Have you asked your Dr for anxiety pills? Maybe this would help you Your just waiting for these symptoms sounds like this alone will cause you to be anxious I would talk to your Dr about your anxiety maybe he can give you something to calm yourself

Tried Wellbutrin and it sparked a lot of side effects

You are having my experience after I was first diagnosed. All the doctors said my heart was perfect, but here I was with tachycardia, heart flip-flops, and irregular heartbeats of unknown origin. They put me on blood thinners right away and seemed to forget about me. Three ER visits later (all within two weeks), I finally got a prescription to Diltiazem filled and only had one incident of tachycardia after that. But, my chest hurt. My GP and the nurse in the cardiology clinic said it was not my heart. They were absolutely sure about that. My GP said the chest wall has seven layers of muscles, so it was probably muscular. But, the anxiety of thinking I was going to die wasn't helping my heart calm down any. Plus, I felt horrible, but that turned out to be low sodium from drinking too much water & herb tea (found out later THAT was what could threaten my life much more than afib). I have acid reflux also and I think that sometimes it causes my heart to flip-flop, but there's nothing I can do about it except try not to bring it on in the first place with high-acid or spicy foods. I found while on a recent trip that anxiety DOES bring on afib for me. That, being overtired, or getting dehydrated seem to be my triggers. The plane ride was the perfect storm for me--anxiety, getting tired, and I didn't drink enough water. And so the drama continues.

Now, it's been almost three months since my initial emergency and diagnosis and I can say that I am starting to feel normal most of the time and starting to get back to living my life, such as it is. I do still get occasional chest pains, but I don't worry about them because I know I don't have any blockages nor do I have any heart damage. If I feel awful, then I eat something salty or take a few Himalayan salt crystals and a few hours later feel better. If I feel extremely anxious, I lay down with my kitty whose purrs seem to help me feel less anxious. Going on walks helps too.

It's a hard journey. I am also finding that NO ONE who doesn't have afib has a clue how it feels. They expect me to be the person I was and they still lean on me and expect a lot. They don't understand that I have good days and bad days, that I can't push myself too much or go on long road trips with no backup plan if something goes wrong. Right now that is my biggest frustration. I am having some trouble with my family over a wedding that I know in my heart I should not go to because it's in a remote area and the event will be very stressful and tiring. Some friends have forgotten about me because I was out of the loop for two months. I realized though when I was in the hospital how truly alone I was in this. It does help to have this and other forums, like Stopafib.com.

I hope you get some peace through all this. I try to remember when I get down and feel defeated that these are days I'll never get back so make the best of them.