Changes In Heart Rhythem From Standing To Sitting?normal?

[k&ajsmom]

Hello everyone,

SOOoo I was wondering if anyone else, after standing and having our usual tachy heart rates go to sit down and experience a feeling of their heart pausing for a second and then beating really hard and slow for a few seconds and that happening for 30 seconds or so...until ur heart slows a bit to a (semi) normal rate again. When this happens I see my heartbeat (vision is jumpy) and feels like my hearts gonna pop out of my neck even more so than the tachy does.I can hear my hbeat and it feels like it shakes my whole body. Sometimes it will happen when I take a deep breath, but not as bad ..a pause..then slow irratic beats..then speed back up and settle into a normal(ish) rate.

I described this to my doctor today and he wants to just wait for all my meds to adjust to being upped again and see if it stops.He seems to think it is something with the POTS and not a concern. My concern however, is a sinus pause or arthymia but I am hoping its just my anxiety making me over think it or some kinda of bp thing...anyone else experience this feeling when their heart is trying to slow down???

Thanks - Sarah

[imapumpkin]

Sounds like you are experience heart palpitations. Everyone experiences them a little differently but the pausing followed by a hard slow beat sounds like how most of my palpitations feel. I usually describe my intermittent palpitations as feelng like my heart skips a beat and then beats extra hard on the next one, and repeats. If that's what it is, it's not dangerous, and unfortunately it is part of having POTS. People can get palpitations for many reasons: hormones, anxiety, and of course, dysautonomia. As long as your heart is structurally sound and healthy, palpitations are nothing to worry about, they are just really annoying and often very uncomfortable.

[lumpchp]

I think some of us, myself included have these kinds of palpitation issues directly related to our breathing. There was a post not too long ago about how many of us struggle with singing. When I had my first exam by a Neuro, he had me on a heart rhythm monitor, and had me breath normally, then hold my breath... And I was instantly thrown in to svt arrythmia, which returned to normal once I started breathing normally again. He repeated this several times, and it happened every time. I was dazed and felt awful after, and unfortunately I don't recall what his explanation was. I'm going in tomorrow for a full series of autonomic tests, and I know one of them involves this type of breathing thing, so I'll report back what I find out.

[k&ajsmom]

I thought at first thats what it was, atleast I told myself thats what it was, but its a very different feeling. I get many many pvcs everyday, some I dont feel but most I do and have learned to adjust to them. Is it possibale it could be another kind of palpitation? do they feel different? like a pac? I was thinking maybe my heart was just overfilling or something when I sit down due to the change in bp? Dont even know if thats possible......im so sick of the cardiac symptoms ugh they unnerve me <sighhhh> ps. I was told my heart is structurally sound so hopefully its something that passes.

lumpchp.... I read that post and found it amazing that I feel the same way when Im singing.I never even thought it was related. Maybe its just overexaggerated when Im moving from standing to sitting.

So very grateful to have found this forum, I have never before even talked to anyone that has POTS....or heard of it for that matter...its hard suffering alone. =))

[k&ajsmom]

PS.. lumpchp....Good luck tommorow on your tests and look forward to hearing what turns up =)

[SeattleRain]

Not sure if we're talking about the same thing but when I stand up, it sounds like I experience something similar. This is what I wrote up for my cardiologist:

After lying down, standing up (even slowly) causes heart rate to drop and “throb” slowly. Lasting for about 20 seconds, the beats can be described as forceful, throbbing contractions that make me feel like my heart is either struggling to pump blood or does not have enough blood to pump.

This sometimes happen from standing to laying down, but not nearly as often or severe as from laying down to standing.

Another thing: When I'm moderately active and go straight to laying down (especially on my right side) - my heart beat slows prematurely and I start having "funny" beats. Much different than the normal palpitations I get. It's like there's random pauses between the top and bottom chamber contracting, and the duration of the contraction also seems to vary.

So for example: My top chamber takes longer to contract, there's a longer than normal pause, then the bottom chamber contracts at normal duration. Then, maybe a longer than normal pause after that beat, then the top chamber contracts normally, longer than normal pause, then the bottom chamber takes longer to contract than the last beat.

If a normal beat looks like: THU-thump, THU-thump, THU-thump. (THU is top chamber, thump is bottom, -- is brief pause between)

The "funny" beats look more like: Thhhuuu---------thump, Thhuu---thhuuummmppp.............. thuuuuu-thumppppp.

I hope that makes sense - don't know any other way to describe it. Is that what you experience, too?

[Mytwogirlsrox]

I think there is a correlation between the filling of the heart. Think of it like when you stand your heart isnt getting a good rerun of blood, then when you lay down it gets filled up ... Maybe causing a few odd sensations lie PVC or pacs?

[k&ajsmom]

Hi seattlerain,

Thats it! Good description, I think thats exactly what Im experiencing. Its very alarming and quite annoying huh...lol Interested to know if your cardiologist had an explanation on it?

Thx for your response!!

Mytwogirlsrox,

I am thinking thats a good explanation of whats happening, its hard for me to except all the cardiac "issues" , they are so unnerving, but that explanation eases my mind a bit..thank u!

[SeattleRain]

Hi seattlerain,

Thats it! Good description, I think thats exactly what Im experiencing. Its very alarming and quite annoying huh...lol Interested to know if your cardiologist had an explanation on it?

Thx for your response!!

Mytwogirlsrox,

I am thinking thats a good explanation of whats happening, its hard for me to except all the cardiac "issues" , they are so unnerving, but that explanation eases my mind a bit..thank u!

My cardiologist's explanation for everything is "I don't know..." and "I don't know what you want me to do about it?"

My GP did a wonderful job at explaining the intricacies of heart function - I'll try to reiterate what he said but I'm sure it wont' sound too accurate. Basically, there's a nerve that controls both the top and bottom contractions. There's also a separate nerve for the bottom chamber. Palpitations occur when that bottom nerve fires when it's not told to.

How that relates to the beats we're experiencing - prolonged conractions, longer than normal pauses - I really don't know. Personally, I agree with you when you say " I was thinking maybe my heart was just overfilling or something when I sit down due to the change in bp?"

I think it has more to do with blood flow (and/or BP) than it does with nerves firing incorrectly.

I see a new cardiologist on the 27th. If I can work this question in, I certainly will.