Heart skipping beats? heart murmur?

[Mongol_Waaijer]

I am a 32 year old ex elite amateur cyclist, currently not cycling, back in full time work, and running 4-5hrs a week. I still keep in good shape, sub 40min 10km run eg.

A few years ago, when obtaining my elite license I took an ECG at both rest and stress, and was diagnosed with an innocent murmur, and told there was no reason why I should not compete at a high level in intensive sport.

I had never noticed anything strange about my heartbeat, except the occasional flutter, skipped beat sensation, which I assumed was normal.

In the last six months I have noticed something - an occasional feeling of a longer pause between beats, and then 2 in quick succession, that seem harder, and almost like a slight muscle twitch sensation or fluttering under my ribs an few inches below my armpit. It also feels a little like my stomach rumbling, but not quite the same - hard to describe. it tends to kickstart a temporary sensation of anxiety. This can happen several times a day, but I only notice it when resting.

Last night I was back from an endurance run in warm weather, where I had a hunger knock. Later that evening, watching TV with a glass of wine, my heart was beating quite powerfully, and I endured a period of several minutes of the sensations in the above paragraph. I put my hand on my heart region and the 2 quick succession beats were very clear.

I do suffer from an anxiety disorder, and I know I am prone to worrying. In a way I have always used this disorder to reassure myself that this heart thing is in my imagination, or that it is a normal thing that I am paying too much attention too.

But after last night it seems a little more worrying, and I am now concerned. And knowing I was a very premature baby, born to a mother who was hospitalised with stress during pregnancy gives me an irrational fear that there might have been something from birth, that I have made worse with ludicrous amounts of exercise.

Does anyone else have this sensation? what it is? Anyone know if I should worry?

Thanks.

 

[SteveT]

I can't offer any advice but I think you need to get yourself to your GP for a check up, they may then refer you to a specialist if there is anything of concern.

 

[Alpechraxler]

To me this sounds like a paroxysmal atrial fibrillation the most commen form of hearth arrythmia. I also suggest seeing your GP and disscus the further procedure.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I agree with Steve T. What you are experiencing I think is common as I've heard these things from many others. So from that point try not to worry as stress could have an effect. But do get the checkup. A couple guys I worked with who were active had issues like this and the docs gave them some fancy heart monitors that would do things like send data to the docs when a problem was detected, which resulted in very quick analysis (they get a call the next day from the doc). In their cases, turns out nothing was wrong.

EDIT: ...Best wishes and hope it all works out well for you.

 

[durianrider]

Get off ALL stimulants like booze, coffee, tea etc. Get lots of early nights. Look after yourself so you can do a better job in life at helping others.

Get your diet sorted. Give your body the best fuel. A cycling friend of mine in Adelaide (Ben Starrs) died from a heart attack in 2005 whilst out on a training ride. He was lean and super fit. None of his doctors told him to change his diet. Idiots.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Get off ALL stimulants like booze, coffee, tea etc. Get lots of early nights. Look after yourself so you can do a better job in life at helping others.

Get your diet sorted. Give your body the best fuel. A cycling friend of mine in Adelaide (Ben Starrs) died from a heart attack in 2005 whilst out on a training ride. He was lean and super fit. None of his doctors told him to change his diet. Idiots.

heart conditions have nothing to do with what you eat if your fit.

Only 1 good thing to do, go see a doctor and get it checked out good luck

 

[MonteCristo]

The best thing to do, as has been suggested already, is go to the cardiologist and/or electrophysiologist. What you are experiencing could be harmless ectopic heart beats or indicative of something else. Most likely he will have you wear a holter monitor which you wear for 24 or 48 hours that records every beat. You go out and run/ride, do your daily activities then they analyze the data.

Personally I would skip right over the GP and go directly to the cardio/electro. If you are near New York (or even Costa Rica) I can recommend a couple of good doctors.

After you go contact me off list and I'll tell you what I went through.

Good luck, and don't worry at all!!

EDIT: I just saw you are from the Netherlands so my doctors in NY and CR won't be of too much help. Sorry about that.

 

[FrankDay]

it is bothering you so you should see your doctor. This doesn't sound like much to me by history but one cannot know much for sure without a better history, exam, and labs. My expectation is your doctor, if he can't diagnose something in the office, will have wear a holter monitor for a day or so so your doctor can actually see what is going on when you feel what is bothering you.

 

[Altitude]

Sounds like either a PVC or PAC. Go get a stress-echo and holter monitor

 

[cromagnon]

Have you put on any weight? Do you notice it more after you have eaten or when your stomach is feeling bloated?

If you lie on your LEFT side do you notice the symptoms alleviate?

If you take half an aspirin do you notice the symptoms alleviate?

(There are reasons for all the questions above but I cba to give them unless some of them apply directly to you).

 

[Mongol_Waaijer]

Have you put on any weight? Do you notice it more after you have eaten or when your stomach is feeling bloated?

If you lie on your LEFT side do you notice the symptoms alleviate?

If you take half an aspirin do you notice the symptoms alleviate?

(There are reasons for all the questions above but I cba to give them unless some of them apply directly to you).

Yes! After eating is the worse, and when lying in bed in evening.

But the scary moments on friday involved me actually lying on my left hand side.

I don't take aspirin.

by the way - I am 32.

I have been thinking about this, and I have been under a lot of stress at work recently, and among people doing as much running as I do I imagine I do drink quite a lot of alcohol (couple of beers / half bottle of wine a day, nights out on weekend)

Am also now taking magnesium supplements. I heard that low magnesium can cause anxiety and heart skipping beats. Any views?

thanks for all advice!

 

[cromagnon]

If you are stressed and you drink you may be fit or whatever but still have quite a lot of internal bodyfat in the abdomen region...

In that situation when you eat or do anything that pressures your abdomen (like lying on your front or one of your sides) might occasionally pinch the pulmonary vein (it travels from your lungs to your left atria) and can be pinched by a bloated stomach combined with bodyfat inside the abdomen.

When it gets bad try half an aspirin before bed, it thins the blood and can relieve a lot of cardiac symptoms but that's just a temporary thing so you can sleep without feeling like a baby is kicking inside your chest :/

Lots of relaxation/hypnosis videos on youtube just lie down with headphones and go to sleep works for me every time when I take a nap. It sounds girlie or whatever but who cares.

 

[Mongol_Waaijer]

If you are stressed and you drink you may be fit or whatever but still have quite a lot of internal bodyfat in the abdomen region...

In that situation when you eat or do anything that pressures your abdomen (like lying on your front or one of your sides) might occasionally pinch the pulmonary vein (it travels from your lungs to your left atria) and can be pinched by a bloated stomach combined with bodyfat inside the abdomen.

When it gets bad try half an aspirin before bed, it thins the blood and can relieve a lot of cardiac symptoms but that's just a temporary thing so you can sleep without feeling like a baby is kicking inside your chest :/

Lots of relaxation/hypnosis videos on youtube just lie down with headphones and go to sleep works for me every time when I take a nap. It sounds girlie or whatever but who cares.

I think its unlikely that I have so much internal bodyfat. I am 73 kilos, (I was 69 with about 7% bodyfat 3 yrs ago) I eat very healthily, cycle 5hrs a week, run 5hrs a week, and only drink a couple of beers / wines a day, sometimes more on fri/sat.

anyway i have been to the doctor and I have to wear a Holter monitor for 24 hrs starting tomorrow.

I am feeling a little better about it. Plenty of other athletes and ex athletes seem to have rhythm issues. I guess getting towards mid 30's I need to take better care of myself. Insane runningn workouts after stressful days at the office, then rushing dinner and drinking wine lying on the couch probably aren't a good idea anymore.

Thanks for your help.

 

[cromagnon]

No probs I used to get it when I lay on my right side - it went away when I look care of myself.

A word of warning, my doctor was adamant I would have to wear a pacemaker, tried to sell me the whole thing big-time "you can exercise with it blah blah" "only a routine operation" I told him where to stick it (in not so many words) and my problem went away when I took better care of myself (instead of thinking I could thrash my body off the bike AND on the bike).

That was 4 years ago, imagine I had listened to the f***er! I'd have a flipping pacemaker without needing one. Beware sloppy docs.

 

[Mongol_Waaijer]

No probs I used to get it when I lay on my right side - it went away when I look care of myself.

A word of warning, my doctor was adamant I would have to wear a pacemaker, tried to sell me the whole thing big-time "you can exercise with it blah blah" "only a routine operation" I told him where to stick it (in not so many words) and my problem went away when I took better care of myself (instead of thinking I could thrash my body off the bike AND on the bike).

That was 4 years ago, imagine I had listened to the f***er! I'd have a flipping pacemaker without needing one. Beware sloppy docs.

My doc just said we'll go for 24hrs on the Holter monitor. was in there for just 2 mins.

just realised on friday was also so tired was slouching on the couch on my left hand side shortly after eating, having been running with a hunger knock, after a stressful week, whilst feeling anxious.

I feel like an idiot for getting so worried now!

 

[FrankDay]

I feel like an idiot for getting so worried now!

The one thing that should allow you to, perhaps, feel like an idiot is you came to an internet forum to diagnose a medical condition. You have done the right thing, you have seen a physician for something that was bothering you. Now, you should know with some certainty what is going on.

 

[cromagnon]

Indeed. Never think or investigate anything for yourself.

 

[Boeing]

Durainrider is right on many accounts fyi. he is not preaching his diet here anyway (durain da man)

Electrolyte imbalance, over caffeinated or stimulant saturation, dehydration and blood sugar issues can lead to some of the symptoms you describe. so can a new mortgage and a bun in the oven

Visiting the GP or Cardiologist and having a stress echo done can rule out any muscle damage or artery deformation to the heart. get blood work done

there is a chance a GP will point you to meds like beta blockers if they think you have Tachycardia runs or arrhythmia of another sort. seek a second opinion if so

do some research on all your symptoms and go with questions ready and take notes. you will learn a lot of big words in a short time. repeat time and again that you are an athlete because they wont care at first


it is problematic finding a cardiologist who specializes in endurance athletes. And if you do find one who has experience, he or she will admit that the sample survey they work with isnt in proportion to a population worthy of true research diagnosis.

A few things that jumpout at me form your description and personal experience are "V-Tach and Mitral valve prolapse. google them.

one thing I have learned but it is not substantiated with proper research, is that endurance athletes put themselves in dehydration more often than they think or care to admit. the electrolyte imbalance can set things off and some suggest that scaring of tissue in the heart can lead to electrical shorts so to speak. like a cut in an house hold extension cord, the scar tissue leads to mis-fires in the tract. It can be corrected with cardiac ablation

I know 2 people who have had this procedure.

google howie mandrel as web documented version of the symptoms and his procedure (although I do not know if he was a cyclist just fyi)

also, have you suffered ant abdominal trauma in the past IE spleen or anything like that?

 

[craig1985]

Get off ALL stimulants like booze, coffee, tea etc. Get lots of early nights. Look after yourself so you can do a better job in life at helping others.

Get your diet sorted. Give your body the best fuel. A cycling friend of mine in Adelaide (Ben Starrs) died from a heart attack in 2005 whilst out on a training ride. He was lean and super fit. None of his doctors told him to change his diet. Idiots.

Did he have a heart condition or something that was heredity?