Heart fluttering or vibrating?

[torinsmom]

For quite awhile now, I have had episodes where it feels like my heart is vibrating. It usually happens 1-2 times a day and lasts about a minute. Well, Friday, it went on ALL DAY, about every 10-15 minutes and lasted for 2-3 minutes! No other symptoms, and my pulse felt normal during the episodes. I decided to go to the doctor that evening. It continued while the doctor talked to me and then AS SOON as she got out her stethoscope it stopped and has gone back to 1-2 times a day. I guess my heart is shy, LOL.

So, I have an appt to get a 24 hour holter monitor put on to see if it can capture a problem. Then I have a consult a few weeks later.

Question--Has anyone ever has these vibrations/flutters and what were they?

Marsha

 

[Judy from Boise]

sounds like atrial fib......they should see it on the monitor.

 

[minkydog]

I don't, but my mother and DH have them. DH has mitral valve prolapse and chronic pericarditis, so he gets that "squirrel in the chest" feeling pretty often. He takes medication for it and does pretty well. Mother has atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm problem. She also takes medication for it and it is pretty well controlled. Neither of them have much trouble as long as they take their meds.

 

[torinsmom]

SO if its atrial fibrillation, shouldn't it be happening all the time? Or do you just not feel it sometimes when it happens? Friday it was really weird, like there was a cell phone in my chest vibrating, but sometimes it is faint. I have never had any heart problems and this scares me. Do they just give you meds to fix it?

The other thing, mitral valve prolapse--would that show up on a holter monitor as well. I remember hearing that can be associated with migraines, which I have had forever.

Marsha

 

[Disneylover79]

So it sounds as though you are having what are called palpitations...it is when you heart skips a beat, and it can happen for a short time...it can be caused anxiety, or to much caffeine...

A-fib could be an option but I am an RN and think it sounds more like the above...you will find out on your halter monitor..

Do you get short of breath with it? Are you doing anything when it happens?

I hope you feel better soon

 

[Tiggeroo]

DH has rapid tachycardia and it sounds like this. It only happened occasionally. Now he is on a medication to treat it although there is also a minor surgical procedure to deal with it.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

It doesn't sound like atrial fibrillation to me either. Usually it's a more rapid heartbeat. Having said that, I think the holter monitor is a great idea. It will show exactly what kind of palpitation you are having. I suffer from inappropriate sinus tachycardia which is a fancy way of saying they have no idea why I sometimes get tachycardia. There have been many a time that I feel like it's fluttering, almost like a trapped butterfly trying to get out of my chest. What I was having during those episodes were premature atrial contractions. That means they are like skipped beats. It's harmless and really more of an annoyance.

I would also ask your dr. for a complete blood test. This may show other things that could cause heart issues. Anemia and thyroid problems especially can make your heart feel funky.

If you wear the holter monitor for 24 hours without having any symptoms, then ask for an event monitor. This is a smaller device with only 2 electrodes stuck to your chest that you wear for a month. Whenever you feel the episode happening, you push the button to record your heart's activity.

Good luck and try not to stress over it.

 

[4nana]

Sending postive thoughts and prayers you get this resolved, as I know it can be quite scary. I woke up one night with palpitations/fluttering that would not stop, so went to ER where my Dr admitted me for 3 days of testing. Mine turned out to be MVP and hypothyroidism. My Mom also has them, however once she cut out caffeine, no more problems. Good luck, I hope your dr./monitor and perhaps bld work discovers the problem and the remedy is simple.

 

[torinsmom]

It happens more when I am doing nothing, or maybe that is just when I notice it. It doesn't feel like my heart is beating faster, and I have taken my pulse in my wrist while I feel the vibration, and it seems totally normal and steady. It also doesn't feel like I am skipping a beat. What is feels like is that my heart is beating and fluttering at the same time. For awhile Friday, it "vibrated" with every beat---very weird feeling. I don't have any other symptoms with it, although the feeling itself makes me anxious.

I hope the holter monitor doesn't show anything, but then I hope it does, if that makes sense. I guess I just want them to say "Oh, it's just X, and nothing to worry about....."


I have had thyroid testing, because it runs in my family and I have symptoms of low thyroid, but my doctor says it is normal.


Marsha

 

[kateydid]

I would also ask your dr. for a complete blood test. This may show other things that could cause heart issues. Anemia and thyroid problems especially can make your heart feel funky.

i second this idea, definitely ask for bloodwork. i am hyperthyroid and get tachycardia, palpitations, skipped beats, and fluttery feelings when my hormone levels are unbalanced.

good luck!

 

[Feralpeg]

Oh, yes! Mine started about 25 years ago after I got over heated painting my desk. I actually ran low on potassium and damaged my heart. I ended up at the ER and they gave me potassium. While it helped, I continued to have the extra beats for many years after. They were not all the time, but I would notice them any time I got stressed or if I had too much caffeine. I would often feel them at night, when I first tried to sleep. I wore the monitor also. The doctor told me that extra beats are not dangerous, just annoying. He said it was actual much more dangerous to try to remedy the situation through drugs. That could really throw off the heart rhythm. The good news is that I have them much less now than I did. I only feel them once in awhile.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Oh, yes! Mine started about 25 years ago after I got over heated painting my desk. I actually ran low on potassium and damaged my heart. I ended up at the ER and they gave me potassium. While it helped, I continued to have the extra beats for many years after. They were not all the time, but I would notice them any time I got stressed or if I had too much caffeine. I would often feel them at night, when I first tried to sleep. I wore the monitor also. The doctor told me that extra beats are not dangerous, just annoying. He said it was actual much more dangerous to try to remedy the situation through drugs. That could really throw off the heart rhythm. The good news is that I have them much less now than I did. I only feel them once in awhile.

Oh honey I know the feeling! Falling asleep was the worst time for me. I had a tons of those extra/skipped beats and went to the ER numerous times. They hooked me up and saw them all on the heart monitor. Some of them actually took my breath away, that was freaky. But guess what? They are completely harmless. My cardiologist told me that everybody has these at one time or another (think of how your heart skips a beat when you're in love) it's just some people notice and some don't. Some people are way more symptomatic too.

OP, you're getting lots of great advice and I have one more thing to add. There is a great website for 2nd opinions/info. run by the Cleveland Clinic which is famous for their medical research. Here's the address:

www.medhelp.org

Good luck! I'll bet they turn out to be nothing.

 

[Judy from Boise]

one thing we all agree on is this is focused in your atria (top of the heart) the ventricles (bottom of heart) is what "controls" the pulse you feel. That is why your pulse seems unaffected. Since this happens mainly at rest, it does sound like maybe premature atrial beats or tachycardia.I really think the holter monitor and comprehemsive labs is the exact right thing to do and this should be easily fixed.

 

[MomPOM]

Definitely get everything checked out but it sounds like PVCs (premature ventricular complexes) to me.

About two years ago I had a horrible time with them. Mine were induced by severe anxiety and hormonal fluctuations. I would have them constantly, all day long. I had an EKG, blood work and an ultrasound of my heart and was given a clean bill of health. They did put me on beta blockers just to make *me* feel better by stopping them but not because they needed to be. I stopped taking them after a few weeks and maybe a month or two later, once I had the anxiety issues resolved they went away.

I do get them occassionally. I notice when I haven't had enough sleep and have compensated by large amounts of caffeine and also when I'm close to getting my period. They aren't all day like they were but I'll feel the flutter. When I was bad, they were worse laying down, especially on my left side.

It's good to get the work done to make sure everything is okay but it's more than likely the PVCs and they aren't relaly a big deal. Lots of people get them and they eventually go away.

 

[ChrisFL]

Some medicines have palpitations as a side effect. I never had them at all until I was put on blood pressure medication, then after that, on anti-anxiety medication and the same thing would happen.

 

[npmommie]

SO if its atrial fibrillation, shouldn't it be happening all the time? Or do you just not feel it sometimes when it happens? Friday it was really weird, like there was a cell phone in my chest vibrating, but sometimes it is faint. I have never had any heart problems and this scares me. Do they just give you meds to fix it?

The other thing, mitral valve prolapse--would that show up on a holter monitor as well. I remember hearing that can be associated with migraines, which I have had forever.

Marsha

If you have a mitral valve prolapse your doctor would have heard the "murmur" when they listened to your heart on exam. there is a distinct "click" sound that is heard with that condition.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I have this everyonce in a while. I'm 99% sure it's caused by caffiene. My DH had to go to the ER for chest pain. He didn't make the connection then, but the day before, he had FOUR Monster energy drinks. He didn't realize they were like Red Bull. The ER did an EKG, but didn't find anything. They made him an appt to see the heart doctor who told him it was due to drinking too much caffiene. This Dr is HARD CORE about caffiene. My husband smokes the the Dr told him if would at least quit one, he wanted him to quit drinking caffiene. Told my DH that people don't really understand how bad it is for you and the damage it does to the heart. He wants caffiene banned completely.

 

[charming23]

I had this sensation once awhile back after I had not slept for almost 36 hours. I asked the doctor and he said if it kept happening to let him know and they would do some testing. Have not had it since.

Hope you find out what is causing yours.

 

[Imzadi]

A while back, my doctor had thought I might have a mitral valve prolapse as she thought she heard clicking. But, I had never gone in for further testing. Last spring I started having heart flutterings and murmurs that would last for quite some time. I thought the mitral valve prolapse had finally caught up with me.

However, this summer, I found out I have severe iron-deficiency anemia. One of the symptoms may be a heart fluttering. I got treated for the anemia and the flutters have gone away!

Get your bloodwork checked.

 

[torinsmom]

They checked my blood at the regular doctor; I know at least for anemia and platelets(in March that count was low) Both were normal.

As far as caffeine, I drink one diet mountain dew every day--that's it. Same medicines every day--ibuprofen, flonase, claritin and Vitamin D(that was low in March as well), so I don't think it's meds.

I will definitely post after I get the results of the 24hour monitor.

Marsha