I didn't expect this at age 47.

[NuclearNed]

Good luck. I'm mid 50's doing my best to stay in shape. I think I'm reasonably good. BP 113/65 resting HR 49-52. Could drop about 10 lbs lbs from 194. @5'10"

thanks dude. Same here - trying to keep the body fit into middle & older age. I've read that exercise can actually induce what I'm feeling right now. Wouldn't that be ironic. Dontchathink?

 

[Exterous]

I can feel it. It feels like my heart is fluttery for a split second. When I'm checking my pulse and that happens, it feels like my heart is skipping a beat. I learned yesterday that this isn't actually what's happening... instead, my heart will have 2 beats in abnormally rapid succession, then a short period with nothing.

Yep thats exactly what mine feels like. Take a normal string of heart beats and move one of them on the graph to the left a bit. Edit:well not all of those early beats were completely normal. The resulting unusually long absence feels like an eternity of 'please beat again. What's taking so long? Is this what the start of dying feels like?'

For me that stress and the stress of wondering if my heart was failing actually lead to more occurances.

I hope yours turn out as well as possible

 

[Herr Kutz]

Clicked on this thread expecting your wife to be preggers. Left disappointed.

 

[paperfist]

Not sure - they did a "routine" blood test a few weeks ago as part of my annual physical

Shot in the dark, but you should inquire if they did. Magnesium is in charge of a lot of heart functions and there's a lot of stuff we eat and drink these days that lowers the available amount in our bodies. One of the effects is skipped heart beats. Sounds like your issues is a little more severe than mine, but it's what landed me in the ER a few years ago. I had irregular heart beats for a month off and on and when I finally went to the ER that is what they found and Magnesium corrected it.

 

[NuclearNed]

Shot in the dark, but you should inquire if they did. Magnesium is in charge of a lot of heart functions and there's a lot of stuff we eat and drink these days that lowers the available amount in our bodies. One of the effects is skipped heart beats. Sounds like your issues is a little more severe than mine, but it's what landed me in the ER a few years ago. I had irregular heart beats for a month off and on and when I finally went to the ER that is what they found and Magnesium corrected it.

I'll ask when I have my followup appointment. Mrs Ned returned my Holter monitor this afternoon, so hopefully I'll get some news fairly soon.

What you suggest makes sense... I've had these heart things happen usually right after backpacking/climbing trips. The trips tend to be very strenuous (i.e. I probably sweat out a lot of electrolytes/minerals/salts/etc) and I eat unusual foods (dehydrated stuff). Then for a few days/weeks afterwards, I have these problems. Interesting.

 

[SketchMaster]

I'm in the same boat at 32. I've had them since I was in my early 20's but now they are getting more dramatic. I've had all of them: fluttering, rapid, and skipped beats. The other night I was really getting into a game when my heart did this:

*Ba-bum-Ba-bum-Ba-bum-Baaaa-BOOM-Ba-bum-Ba-bum*

Felt like a punch in the chest. Unlike anything I've had in the past. Freaked me out. Called the doc and after a visit, he wants to get a 24hr monitor on me to figure out what's going on. He also wants me to up my magnesium, just to rule it out.

 

[Crono]

thanks dude. Same here - trying to keep the body fit into middle & older age. I've read that exercise can actually induce what I'm feeling right now. Wouldn't that be ironic. Dontchathink?

I wouldn't say it's ironic. If you have a mineral/electrolyte deficiency or imbalance like paperfist pointed out, it makes plenty sense. Athletes and physically fit people have higher nutritional requirements. It's extremely easy to have mild to severe deficiencies, even though we tend to fortify foods and take multivitamins - not all vitamins and minerals are easily absorbed, and supplementation is often a juggling act leading to more problems if not carefully undertaken.

It helps to use tracking sites/apps like NutritionData to log what foods you eat. You can easily see macronutrient balance, amounts and DVs for vitamins and minerals, glycemic load, etc. At the very least it's something to monitor short term - it doesn't hurt to keep track - and you can always bring the data to your physician and/or a nutritionist after that.

 

[RLGL]

I didn't expect stuff like this either. Angioplasty scheduled on the 27th. I am way short of breath. Scans show 70% blockage in 2 arteries. Otherwise excellent health for my age.

 

[PianoMan]

Nuclear - so u had family history? That's my dilemma: no family history, so I'm pioneering the trail for the rest of the relatives.

Very much sounds like PVCs, so if confirmed - u'll just need to control them based on all the other suggestions on this thread.

I've been told that as u age, the complex balance changes, which leads some of us to experience this sensation. A nurse cousin-in-law mentioned hormones also play a part, and that changes drastically when we approach the 50's.

It was kinda funny when I was in the waiting room for the nuclear stress test that everyone else in the room was much older than I. Most looked at me with the expression "what the hell are u doing here?!?"

Keep us posted; it's obvious from this thread ur not alone!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[JEDIYoda]

Friends of ATOT,
I am not a doctor but with what I have been through it is very important that you do not wait for whatever is going to happen to happen!!!
Start by going to your General practictioner and discussing your health and your age!!
There is a certain age when you should have a colonoscopy.
There is a certain age when you should step up to the plate to have a cardiologist check your heart.
A good General practicioner will gladly listen and advise you and even suggest a doctor or two!
If you wait the out come could be somebody on these forums posting about your death.....Please, man up and go have yourself checked out!!

 

[NuclearNed]

Nuclear - so u had family history?

Yeah - my Dad says he has had a very slow heartrate his entire life. He's the polar opposite of fit & athletic, so this probably shouldn't be the case. When he was about 60 he started having afib & eventually had an ablation.

After reading some of the responses here and doing some research, I bought myself some 250mg magnesium tablets & some PowerAde for electrolytes. I figure that it can't hurt, and it seems that one of the 1st things my Dr is likely to do (based on what I've read) is to put me on magnesium. An electrolyte deficiency may not be the source of my problems, but if it is it would make a lot of sense. Historically, I've had these heart issues immediately after hard hikes/climbs (i.e. activities that would likely dehydrate me). Then after I get home and a few days pass, things get back to normal (i.e. after I get back on a normal diet & get nice and hydrated). If nothing else, taking this stuff helps with my need to feel proactive, and therefore helps me deal with the associated stress I'm experiencing.

 

[BD231]

dp

 

[BD231]

As of 1:11pm today, I have to wear a 24 hour heart monitor. My heartbeat has been irregular for about a month and a half. I'm one of the most fit people of my age I know, but it doesn't matter - this has made me feel very old and kind of scared.

Keepon keepin on m8.

 

[quikah]

I had that fluttery heartbeat thing for a bit. Dr. suggested I cut down on caffeine, so I dropped to 1 cup of coffee a day and it stopped (was usually drinking 2). /shrug Could be coincidence.

 

[SketchMaster]

Friends of ATOT,
I am not a doctor but with what I have been through it is very important that you do not wait for whatever is going to happen to happen!!!
Start by going to your General practictioner and discussing your health and your age!!
There is a certain age when you should have a colonoscopy.
There is a certain age when you should step up to the plate to have a cardiologist check your heart.
A good General practicioner will gladly listen and advise you and even suggest a doctor or two!
If you wait the out come could be somebody on these forums posting about your death.....Please, man up and go have yourself checked out!!

Also, wear sunscreen and keep an eye on moles. My buddy lost his dad to skin cancer. Going to the dermatologist once a year and tracking any changes is easy to ignore/forget, but you can get some really bad news if you wait too long to get something looked at.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Well, I'd think about waiting on taking the magnesium supplement (or making any other changes) until after you have had a thorough blood screening for vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Do not blow the smoke away from what might be the smoking gun. My two cents...

Hope it all works out to be no big deal.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah best not to change anything until you have a test as it will act as a baseline, if you are indeed low in something then you can adjust.

I should get a test done myself actually, just for precaution.

 

[Crono]

Well, I'd think about waiting on taking the magnesium supplement (or making any other changes) until after you have had a thorough blood screening for vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Do not blow the smoke away from what might be the smoking gun. My two cents...

Hope it all works out to be no big deal.

You can safely get magnesium into diet from nuts, dark chocolate (high % cacao or nibs), leafy green vegetables, bananas, avocados, etc. Foods that are "heart healthy" (or just good for you, generally). But waiting until after tests may be prudent, in any case.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Good luck NN - I know its scary but on the positive side, the heart is probably the most well understood organ in the body. If you are having ventricular fib, they can do cardioversion. If that doesn't work, you can get a pacemaker. Neither are fun procedures, but they will keep you going and feeling good.

Getting old blows. At 40 I'm a little younger than you and my ticker is still going strong, but my left knee and both ankles are completely hosed. Welcome to the age of knowing.

 

[Charmonium]

Another vote for magnesium here. It's a difficult mineral to get in the quantities you need unless you eat a lot of foods that tend to contain it like certain types of nuts and other veggies.

The supplement I take for that is Twinlab's ZMA Fuel. It also has zinc which similarly is difficult to get in decent quantities (necessary for proper immune function). It's also the chelated variety for both which is absorbed much more efficiently than the metallic salts like oxides or sulfates.

I used to have a co-worker who was having an irregular heart beat. I gave her some chelated magnesium and the problem cleared up in a couple of hours.

Still, even if that works, you need to get a complete cardiac workup done - carotid artery scan (which will show the general state of your vascular system), echocardiogram which will show things like ejection fraction and any hypertrophy or dysfunction, cardiac stress test and a few other tests. When I had mine done about 6 months ago, it took several visits but it's worth it know what's up and what you need to keep an eye on.

 

[paperfist]

Another vote for magnesium here. It's a difficult mineral to get in the quantities you need unless you eat a lot of foods that tend to contain it like certain types of nuts and other veggies.

The supplement I take for that is Twinlab's ZMA Fuel. It also has zinc which similarly is difficult to get in decent quantities (necessary for proper immune function). It's also the chelated variety for both which is absorbed much more efficiently than the metallic salts like oxides or sulfates.

I used to have a co-worker who was having an irregular heart beat. I gave her some chelated magnesium and the problem cleared up in a couple of hours.

Still, even if that works, you need to get a complete cardiac workup done - carotid artery scan (which will show the general state of your vascular system), echocardiogram which will show things like ejection fraction and any hypertrophy or dysfunction, cardiac stress test and a few other tests. When I had mine done about 6 months ago, it took several visits but it's worth it know what's up and what you need to keep an eye on.

Does the Twinlab's stuff also have calcium? That's the other half of the magnesium equation, you need to have something like a 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium. But too much calcium can also drown out magnesium. That's kind of the problem with the modern diet, plants are being grown in mineral deficient soils thus low magnesium and everything off the shelf is fortified with calcium.

The thing with magnesium too is the lower grade stuff causes bowel issues, though no matter the grade you can't apparently od on the stuff. You also if you're low on it need to take higher doses at first to build up your stores and then do the daily 200-400mg intake.

 

[Charmonium]

No calcium, just protein, B6, Magnesium aspartate and Zinc Methionate and Aspartate.

If you eat any dairy products you probably get enough calcium. You definitely don't want to take a calcium supplement since there's some evidence that hight doses can contribute to atherosclerosis and other issues.

And yes, magnesium can cause diarrhea. I've never had a problem taking 500mg capsules or tablets though. Plus, if you take it regularly, you do tolerate to it.

 

[TheVrolok]

I can feel it. It feels like my heart is fluttery for a split second. When I'm checking my pulse and that happens, it feels like my heart is skipping a beat. I learned yesterday that this isn't actually what's happening... instead, my heart will have 2 beats in abnormally rapid succession, then a short period with nothing.

I guess everyone has heart flutters from time to time, but for me right now this is happening a lot, I would guess at least once a minute, sometimes more.

Sounds like a PVC. When do you experience it most often? Classic description of a PVC is "lying on my left side in bed at night, I feel a little fluttering in my chest for a second then a big beat."

Describing the PVC, an early beat that is underfilled causing decreased stroke volume, a compensatory pause as the ventricles are still refractory, allowing extra time for the left ventricle to fill more than usual causing increased stroke volume and that feeling of a big beat.

You may actually notice it more because your heart rate is slow at baseline due to cardiac fitness which makes your compensatory pause even longer.

PVC burden does matter as A LOT of pvcs can cause problems, but even one a minute is quite low.

 

[John Connor]

I'm going to push myself pretty hard, unless my body gives me a good reason to lighten up

Your body is! There is such a thing as over exercising, man.

 

[mikeymikec]

As of 1:11pm today, I have to wear a 24 hour heart monitor. My heartbeat has been irregular for about a month and a half. I'm one of the most fit people of my age I know, but it doesn't matter - this has made me feel very old and kind of scared.

It wasn't so long ago that a surprise heart attack would finish you off around your age. These days it's usually just a bump in the road. Kudos to you for taking it appropriately seriously though.