Big "Thump" in my chest.

[sms]

I'm making an apt. to the Dr. but I was wondering if any of you have ever had this feeling? It feels kind of like a anxious rush or sinking feeling and then a big "thump" in my chest. I does it quite a bit. Starting to make me really nervous but I don't want to make it worse. Any ideas??

 

[Feralpeg]

Probably, an extra heartbeat. I've had them for years. Not pleasant. The doctor told me they aren't dangerous, but they are unsettling. It happens more when I get nervous or upset. Good thing to get it checked out.

 

[Scurvy]

Do you drink lots of caffeine? I was diagnosed with sinus tachycardia and it's worse when I drink too much caffeine. Hormones and stress can also make it worse. That's really just a too-fast heartbeat but mine always starts with one really odd beat. Sometimes mine feels like a thump and other times I describe it as feeling like a fish flopping around in my chest. Obviously you should get it checked out but it isn't uncommon and it usually isn't anything to worry about. Occasionally it can be a sign of something more serious. When mine was at its worst I was on medication but it happens so rarely now I don't have to take anything.

 

[mhsjax]

Yep, I have this. Started right before our big WDW trip. I spent 8 days thinking I was going to die any minute. Turns out between the caffeine and hormone, what I have is just an irregular heart beat sometimes. A little something extra if you will, just incase one normal beat wasn't enough. Even though I know what it is, I still hate it, although it seems to have stopped for the most part.

 

[my3sonsagn]

It sounds like it may be PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). The PVC may go unnoticed but can trigger a harder than normal contraction/beat immediately following it. They're often benign and occur more often in people with high stress, anxiety disorders, high blood pressure, frequent caffeine or alcohol consumption, etc. I have GAD and get them frequently - they are definitely not fun and are often enough to trigger a mini panic attack on their own.

Hope yours are among the benign ones!

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I spent 8 days thinking I was going to die any minute.

I seriously do not mean to offend....

but this made me chuckle a little.

that must have been AWFUL!

I hope its better now.

 

[Mrs.Malone]

It sounds like it may be PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). The PVC may go unnoticed but can trigger a harder than normal contraction/beat immediately following it. They're often benign and occur more often in people with high stress, anxiety disorders, high blood pressure, frequent caffeine or alcohol consumption, etc. I have GAD and get them frequently - they are definitely not fun and are often enough to trigger a mini panic attack on their own.

Hope yours are among the benign ones!

This is what I have. I saw a doctor about it years ago and wore a monitor for 24 hours which showed what was going on. In my case it is completely harmless but the doctor said if it ever gets to be really bothersome to me I can take medication to help.

 

[ez]

yes ditto, I started having these 25 years ago, and Ill be 50 this year. It seems like I will have them for months on end and then wont have them for a long time. I think I have gone years without having them, now I have them again, but then again, Im turning 50 so it all seems to be going to heck

 

[bgirldeb]

I get something like that sometimes right before my TOM.

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

It sounds like it may be PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). The PVC may go unnoticed but can trigger a harder than normal contraction/beat immediately following it. They're often benign and occur more often in people with high stress, anxiety disorders, high blood pressure, frequent caffeine or alcohol consumption, etc. I have GAD and get them frequently - they are definitely not fun and are often enough to trigger a mini panic attack on their own.

Hope yours are among the benign ones!

I have these too. They feel like something horribly wrong but are completely benign in a structurally normal heart. Mine felt like a fluttery skip and then the next beat was forceful. My cardiologist said that when you get these types of beats, what happens is that you have an extra one so your heart fills with blood. Then it pumps a tad harder to empty it out. Sounds ominous but it happens to tons of people (including my cardio dr.).

They put me on medicine for it but it lowered my bp too much. I came off it and sometimes have them but it's usually around my period or times of stress.

OP, I'm guessing yours is nothing to worry about but you'll feel better getting it checked out. Good luck!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I can totally empathize with you. I have suffered from that for a few years. The more I would think about it, the more it would happen too. Scared me to out of my wits, I too was like the previous poster thinking I was going to die at any minute.

I tried to re-trace my steps so to speak, trying to figure out what I was doing leading up to the events. I have had them everywhere from exercising, to shopping, to sitting on the couch, lying on the couch... no particular activity seemed to set it off. Stress levels may be a factor, I spent a couple years stressed beyond belief (coinciding with these odd happenings). This may sound crazy but seems like aspertame MAY play a role... could be coincidental but these things often followed large consumption of diet drinks. Could just be that I was stressed and drinking a lot of diet drinks at the same time too. I didn't try removing factors one at a time, I just NEVER want it to happen again. I have noticed that caffeine seems to have NO effect on that.

I was an idiot and never sought medical attention for it, but *knock on wood* I really haven't had any in a while, I cannot remember the last time I did in fact.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

It sounds like it may be PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). The PVC may go unnoticed but can trigger a harder than normal contraction/beat immediately following it. They're often benign and occur more often in people with high stress, anxiety disorders, high blood pressure, frequent caffeine or alcohol consumption, etc. I have GAD and get them frequently - they are definitely not fun and are often enough to trigger a mini panic attack on their own.

Hope yours are among the benign ones!

I also have these and they can be quite bothersome some of the time and at other times I don't have any at all. At what you describe is how they feel -- like I skip one beat and the next comes extra hard like a thump.

 

[elgerber]

It sounds like it may be PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). The PVC may go unnoticed but can trigger a harder than normal contraction/beat immediately following it. They're often benign and occur more often in people with high stress, anxiety disorders, high blood pressure, frequent caffeine or alcohol consumption, etc. I have GAD and get them frequently - they are definitely not fun and are often enough to trigger a mini panic attack on their own.

Hope yours are among the benign ones!

Yep, I have PVCs too, about 15 years now. I eventually just got used to them. I have them quite frequently. I have had numerous tests all showing them to be benign.