Arrythmias AGAIN

[danelle]

Hi all, sorry I haven't posted in a while, it's a long story. (along with not feeling well at all-very POTSY these days which is getting to be my norm.)

Today, I am having LOTS of irregular beats. IT is scaring me pretty bad. I don't know what has cuased it today. My HR isn't fast just irreg. The temp here has dropped about 20 degrees or more over night and I am wondering if that may be it/ But then sometimes it does it regardless of whether there is a temp change or not. I just know that in the past that the season changes tend to be bad for me.

I may not deserve any responses because I haven't posted in so long but honestly, without whinning too much, things have been not so good to put it mildly.

Seems like everytime I get comfortable today, it starts skipping and jumping. Ihave taken extra clonazepam and a little extra of my beta blocker to see if that would help but not yet.

Please respond if you feel like it and feel well enough, I am VERY scared. I am afraid it will go out of control and I will have to call 911 or will pass out or die or something.

THanks,

Danelle

[blackwolf]

Dear Danelle, Ok here we go, picture a nice beach in the bahamas. Warm water, shady beach, just the right temp. Then breath in 1-2-3, breath out 1-2-3. repeat often, try drinking a large amount of liquid, preferably electrolyte loaded, at least 2 cups worth, sit still and try to relax. Sip on some water and/or elecro. drink. Mabey a small snack, something light?

I really hope you start to feel better soon. please try to remember this too shall pass, meantime, DO NOT PANIC. We are here for you.

Blackwolf

PS-it is the mother in me that takes over in these situations, I meant no offence by anything I may have typed.

[Merrill]

I'm going to go with Blackwolf on this one too, Danelle. I'd steer clear of the ER; those places do nothing for one's anxiety and heartrate--if your hr isn't tachy now, it would be if you went in! Please remind yourself of something you already know: There's nothing dangerous going on here, nothing life threatening. Life is as irregular as a heartbeat, you know. Sometimes it just chugs along, even and steady, and then something will happen that trips you up and you'll have to skip a beat or two. You'll be back to chugging along sooner or later--and in the meantime, just ride with the tide and try to relax as best you can.

I like the suggestion to drink an electrolyte drink--and I'd add that if you have a light snack, make it protein. How about a nice hard boiled egg? (best results: don't overcook ... bring water w/egg to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer for 11 minutes. No more than 12, then set pot in sink and run cold water for several/many minutes until the egg is cool. Douse with sea salt and enjoy! That's my recipe for the day. ) I'd also recommend a hypnotic activity--knit or crochet if you know how ... or put a roll of pictures in an album (but don't sweat a single detail about order or dates ... you can fix imperfections later if you must). Watercolor. Sit down and slice carrots or celery. Something slow and easy that will focus the mind outside of yourself. Put on some music--preferably classical--find the radio station or play a cd. I guess that's all I got; let us know how you're doing!

take care,

merrill

[Guest GayleP]

Danelle,

Sorry about the irregular beats. I know how scary they can be. As long as you've had tests done which have ruled out anything serious I guess the best thing to do is to try to relax and realize it'll pass. Easier said than done but it's about all you can do.

I always know in the back of my mind that I can call 911 or go to an ER but usually the irregular beats will eventually stop if I just do stuff to take my mind off of them.

Hang in there. And never worry about posting just because you haven't in a while.

GayleP

[danelle]

Thanks for your replies. They mean so much.

Merrill, you are so right about the ER. They have no clue what to do with a "POTS" patient. I have to tell them to give me a bolus. When I get one, after about half has gone in, I get very short of breath and my HR goes way up. This has happened 5 times. I have never smoked and to my knowledge have no lung problems(other than the typical being out of breath alot with POTS) but it is strange. I will continue to drink my gatorade with lots of added salt and plenty of water. I will try a snack but my stomach stays so bloated allt he time(guess that's the POTS too). I will find something to try and take my mind off of it but not sure what just yet.

Blackwolf-everything you wrote was so tender. BOth of my parents have passed so I really miss that parental "love and support". I really miss my parents. More than I can say. When I try the breathing thing, it usually makes it worse but I don't know hwy that happens either.

Gayle-Ihave had more tests than I can to mention, including monitors etc. but when I wear the monitors, my heart straightens up(most of the time) so they havent been able to catch the really bad stuff. Maybe I should just buy one and leave it on forever until they get the bad stuff

Once again, thank you all. I WUV you guys. I am still scared but you have made me feel better. I don't know why it terrifies me so. This has been going on for 19 yrs now(sometimes worse than others) and each time it is like the first-it freaks me out. Ionly wish I could over come that fear. It would be one of my biggest accomplishments.

[ethansmom]

You are not being whiny at all- arrythmias can be scary! And don't feel bad, I have not been posting at all lately either (rough pregnancy is my reasoning ).

I find that when my heart starts to palpitate like you describe, that usually my electrolytes are off balance, and drinking some Gatorade (which I dilute 50/50 with water) can really help, along with taking my beta blockers on time. I also agree that going to the ER would probably cause you more anxiety than it's worth...I'd try to hang in there and wait it out, most often times it will come and go just as so many other POTS symptoms do. It isn't usually dangerous unless it's accompanied by other serious symptoms that you've never experienced before. Hope you feel better very soon

[calypso]

Danelle,

You are going to be OK ... You will be OK ... You will be OK.

Repeat 5 billion times.

Think of how many times you've been through this before. What's one more time, right? I have been having episodes of tachy that are so bad, they put all of my other symptoms to shame. They last about 10 minutes and only come about once a month. I also haven't figured out a trigger, except that they seem to happen on days that I feel more tired. But I don't get any less sleep the night before. Maybe you aren't sleeping well and that's when you're getting these?

I'm not trying to belittle you. I just have a feeling your heart is doing its wacked out thing it does and that it will pass. Hang in there. Hug your kid, your husband, a friend, and I also think you ought to do a distracting task ... crosswords are good. Something where you have to think a lot about something else.

Amy

[Gena]

Hey Danelle,

I know what you mean about feeling like it's the first time with arrythmias, even though you've gotten them hundreds of times before. My heart has been skipping and doing weird rhytms today and it is definitely scary.

I do find that taking some magnesium can be very beneficial for heart rhythms. I recently started taking it as part of my liquid calcium supplement each night before I go to bed. It has helped alot with the skipping and being out of rhythm at night.

Hang in there and just know that we're all here for you. Don't feel guilty about not posting in a while...we, of all people, understand!

[danelle]

Gena, I have heard alot of people talk about taking magnesium. do you take magox or just plain magnesium? How much do you take, can you take too much? Can it make your arrythmias worse? that's why I haven't tried it. I didn't know if it could make them worse or not. it seems like everything I take makes them worse and i am very sensitive to meds anyway. thanks for the input, sorry for all the questions.

I did survivie through the night and am praying for a better day, hope you have one too

[Guest Mary from OH]

Danelle-

Sorry you're feeling under the weather!! I think it might have to DO with the weather!! Our weather has been like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde!! It's enough to make well people sick!!

I pray that today finds you feeling better! It looks like we're going to stay in this cold snap for awhile. (don't know if that's good or bad - but, at least it will be consistant!)

Hope you have a better day!!

[Guest Julia59]

Danelle,

Maybe the beta blockers are too strong. Just a thought. If they don't seem to help when you increase them---maybe they are too strong.

I know how you feel---just a few irruglar beats will wreck my day. That for me it the worst part of my health issues. If your heart isn't racing and just irruglar---maybe ask a good cardiologist if you can reduce you BB and see if that helps.

I sometimes get those skipped beats when I take my BB's too close together. If i'm not real hyper adrengic, I slow down a little on the BB. But always ask a doctos first.

In the mean time I will pray for those nasty things to go away for you. I call it George. When George comes for a vist my husband knows to be extra supprotive that day-----as I know they can be real scarey. But on the other hand-----most of the time they are harmless------only your doctor can determine it.

You hang in there,

Julie :0)

[Jersey Girl]

So sorry to hear that you have been having bad tachycardia. I reacted poorly to the beta blockers but I know everyone is different. I take 250 mg of GNC brand of Potassium and Magnesium aspartate in addition to my other vitamins and feel it helps me somewhat. I also was inspired to try the South Beach diet for a week when my daughter was home visiting and have recently begun Phase 2 of that diet. I think it has helped me feel a little more stable also. Take care, Martha

[yogini]

Sorry Danelle that you are having arrythmias. I have a question for you and the others - how can you tell when you are having arrythmia and/or your heart is skipping a beat?? I have arrythmia sometimes because it's shown up on tests. I can tell when I'm tachy but am not really sure I can sense the arrythmias. (Probably something I don't need to worry about if I can't tell it's happening, but just wondering)

Also, I tried magnesium oxide (low dose 200mg) a month or so ago for heart rhythm and fatigue. I got the worst tachy on that day that I'd had in months. I am too scared to try it again, so I am just sticking to the BB and trying to get magnesium through food. It does seem to work wonders for so many others on the board, though.

-Rita

[EarthMother]

Dear Danelle my heart goes out to you (no pun intended ... ok, maybe a little pun)

Don't beat yourself up too much for feeling so frightened. I don't know WHY it happens but as you can see from the posts, it does to so many of us. You are not alone. I am still reeling from my heart skipping about a month ago! I can feel the hyperarousal state still -- just waiting to see if it is going to go off again. And it has -- once in a while still. And it still throws me completly. And the automatic thoughts -- wow, they are like the speed of light. Bump goes the heart and then poof my mind has me calling 911, going to the hospital, getting admitted for either a horrendous heart disease or more likely severe mental illness, and then I would lose my kids etc. etc. etc.

Strange it is.

As for magnesium -- I really do think this helps me. And I have tried this new product from the little healthfood store I go to called "Natural Calm".

http://www.naturalcalm.net/home.shtml

It's just pure magnesium -- in a powder form that supposedly gets assimilated by the body rapidly. You can take as little as a half teaspoon to see how it feels and up to 3 teaspoons or more if you need to. (If your bowels get too loose, then you should back down a bit.) Personally I take 1 teaspoon in hot water mixed with a tad of juice -- three times a day. Or about 650 mg a day total.

If you like relaxation tapes, I have recently put all of my 10 minute meditations on-line for FREE download. (Just ignore the donation button -- I really do want these to be available and free for all of us here.)

http://www.coolkarma.com/download-donations.html

Sometimes it just helps to talk to someone as we ride out the wave. I'd be happy to be a voice at the other end of a phone line if that would help. Indeed if anyone wants to be part of a telephone ring, I can put together a list of phone numbers we can use in a pinch. Just send me an email and we can do this off line.

What we need to do is reframe these arythmias in our own minds. How about this ... the next time one of us feels a skipped beat intead of going down the familiar rabbit hole let's try this instead ..... remember that ding dong bell and the slogan "Avon Calling!" Well, this will be our own "bell" with a friendly voice of a POTS friend reaching out and touching you to let you know you are not alone. So for the next skipped beat -- smile and think of it as one of us tapping you on the shoulder telling you we are here with you. Standing beside you every step of the way.

Good luck on your healing journey.

EM

[MomtoGiuliana]

Danelle

Thanks SO MUCH for posting this. How weird that I was having the same symptoms Friday too. And, I also wondered if a change in temperature set me off kilter! I haven't had arrythmias like this for about a year and a half. My heart rhythm was really off at one point for about 15 seconds--which feels like forever when it happens--and I can't remember an episode lasting this long for me before. I felt freaked out too. I also thought about 911 and the ER--it's like all you have learned and know about POTS goes clear out the window! Instead I called my husband and asked him to come home for lunch. It allowed me to lie down for awhile while he and our daughter had lunch. Then I called my POTS doctor's nurse. She called right back and was SO kind. I described what happened in detail and she asked a few questions and really reassured me that I was ok. She gave me the same advice we give each other here all the time--increase your fluids and salt. I did this and felt tons better by the end of the day. Now today I haven't noticed any irregularities.

Anyway, I am with you! I know how scary it is.

Hope you are feeling reassured and better!

Katherine

[Merrill]

Rita, I have that question too. I know I have lots of arrythmias b/c of holter monitor test, but I can't say I always feel them either. I have on occasion though. When I exert myself and get very very winded, both the tach and the irregular beats seem pretty intense (e.g., when we get a heavy snowfall and I try to shake it off the bent trees and shrubs). If I put my fingers to the pulse point in my neck, I can feel the beat fast and hard, then it seems to almost disappear, even if I don't move a muscle ... then it starts pounding extra hard again. I usually figure it's time then to give myself a break and go sit down.

Hope you're feeling better, Danelle.

[ginger]

Hope you're doing better now Danelle after all of these great people have offered advice!

Hey, I want to know when that DINet Spa (mentioned several times recently) is opening? Anyone? Anyone?

Ginger

[danelle]

I am feeling some better Thanks to all of you AGAIN for all your encouragement and wonderful advice.

About feeling the arrythmias, the only thing I can say is that I think that I am so intune to my heart that I can feel everyone that I have(well, I'm sure not EVERY one). Maybe those of you who don't feel them as much but show up on the monitors just aren't as "fixated" and anxious about them as I am. I am trying to get that way myself but after 19 yrs, it is gonna take alot of retraining.

You all are the greatest! I will take EVERYONE's advice. and try all the different things you all mentioned. I wish I could be here for you all more often. I am going to try and stop by the site each day and reply to atleast a few of you. You all have been so good to me and I couldn't make it through this without you, I really mean that.

You all are my angels