Arrhythmias Support Group
Cardiac arrhythmia is a group of conditions in which the muscle contraction of the heart is irregular or is faster or slower than normal. Some arrhythmias are life-threatening medical emergencies that can cause cardiac arrest and sudden death. Others cause aggravating symptoms, such as an awareness of a different heart beat, or palpitation, which can be annoying.
I went to see a cardiologist three weeks ago after noticing an an increase in what I would call skipped heartbeats. At times I can feel them in my chest which drives me to check my pulse in my neck, and it can range anywhere from a skip every five beats to 9 to 20, but typically the number stays the same at least for a few minutes. this will generally happen all throughout the day, even if I'm laying down in bed.I had my follow-up appointment today to review my 72 hour Holter monitor results and he said that nothing showed up... I was dumbfounded. My boyfriend has also checked my pulse during these times and has physically felt the skipping beats as well. I requested that they pull more data from the 3 days that I wore it to pinpoint some of the times where I felt my heart skipping. I now have a follow-up appointment in 3 weeks. I am watching my blood pressure and trying to increase my potassium levels and increase minerals. I turned vegetarian about two and a half years ago. Not sure what's going on. I was hoping for some kind of answers today, but it looks like this is just the beginning of something else...
Why on earth are you increasing your potassium? Unless a doctor has told you to do that stop it. Potassium is one of those things that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Both too little and too much potassium are dangerous.
I think you're making yourself a little crazy with worry. Try to relax and recognize you are seeing specialists who will nail down anything but right now it looks more like nothing and frankly stress is a big contributor to heart disease.
And please please please don't self diagnose, you don't have malpractice insurance, so if your diagnosis and treatment is wrong you won't be able to sue yourself for malpractice.
Come on smile,