This post is also available in: हिन्दी (Hindi)
As you know I have done a ton of videos on the subject of ectopic heartbeats and as a consequence have spoken to several thousand people who have ectopic heartbeats and listening to their individual stories and by far the one common thing I have found is that virtually everyone who complains of ectopics will also admit to having some degree of health-related anxiety i.e they carry with them this fear that something bad will happen to them and this is something that they have usually carried with them even before the time they suffered their first-ever ectopic beat.
When I speak to people they will often say ‘i was lying in bed and suddenly I started noticing this fluttering or skipped beats’ and this caused me great worry and I didn’t know what to do and thought my heart was going to stop or that I was going to have a heart attack and I often ask these people what made you feel so uncomfortable – was it the sensation of the ectopic beats or was it the fear of not knowing what may happen as a consequence and most people after giving it some thought came back to me and said it was the fear rather than the ectopic beats.
If you think about it carefully, yes the ectopic beats can be a little uncomfortable but we withstand so many more uncomfortable things on a daily basis anyway and never give it any thought.
However the fear that they may mean something more sinister makes us a lot more uncomfortable. It makes our heart go fast, it makes our stomach feel like it is all knotted up, it makes us restless and warm and this can be a self-propagating cycle because fear causes adrenaline and cortisol release, fear causes us to hyperventilate and fear is hugely inflammatory which in turn causes more ectopics to happen and then patients become even more fearful and they start curtailing the things they do, they avoid going to the gym, they become more sedentary and paranoid and this, in turn, causes more ectopics and suddenly the poor patient becomes embroiled in a horrible vicious cycle which is so difficult to break away from.
So today I wanted to tackle this issue, the issue of FEAR because I truly believe that if you can tackle the FEAR the ectopics will disappear by themselves. In fact, I also believe that many stomach issues such as irritable bowel syndrome can also be a physical manifestation of FEAR and if you are able to tackle the FEAR you will find that many stomach issues will disappear as well.
I hate to say this but there is really a huge amount of scaremongering and generation of fear that goes into the world because FEAR is extremely profitable, the media plays and profits from your fear, the drug companies profit from your fear, even healthcare professionals profit from your fear.
Every day we read a fearful story about how someone just like you dropped down dead all of a sudden, and we become fearful…but actually what we forget is that there are millions of other people just like you who are not dropping down dead. Every day I get people contacting me and say oh my cholesterol is 6 and I am terrified and I say to them it’s a just number, why are you so terrified? and they say because if your cholesterol is high you can have a heart attack and I say to them actually no it’s just because your number is high doesn’t mean you are going to have a heart attack at all!
People with low cholesterols also have heart attacks all the time. All it means is that if you study a million people with higher cholesterol maybe a few more may have heart attacks in several years down the line compared to people with low cholesterols but that doesn’t mean that will be you.
The way I look at it..life has only 2 dimensions…1) Length and 2) Quality Having spent the best part of my life in medicine I can confidently say that when your time comes it comes no matter who you are, where you are and what tests and treatments you have had no one can tell you how long you are going to live and no one can guarantee that they can make you live longer, just because I am here talking to you now does not make me immune to being hit by a car when I go out tonight , so length of life is something we can’t alter and therefore we don’t need to worry about…if its gonna happen..its gonna happen.
This post is also available in: हिन्दी (Hindi)
You are the only person to have ever given me any confidence that maybe I’m ok. I can’t say I’m cured of my fear because im pretty sure I’m trapped in a vicious cycle. I do have pots and a hiatus hernia and these I believe are both causing me issues but since being trapped in this cycle and deconditioning has happened, I have definitely seen a decline in my health and a worsening and more regular appearances of ectopics. I will at some point be speaking to you in person but in the meantime your videos are like a friendly arm round the shoulder and they give me comfort and a belief (if not 100% convinced just yet) that I will be ok.
Thank you so very much for being there for us when we are feeling so alone.
Elaine,
You are not alone. I am in the exact same boat as you, and also find it impossible to convince myself that I am ok, when my ectopics are occurring. I have had them for 15 years, and for some reason they are much more noticeable to me in this past year. Not a day goes by when I don’t feel completely sidetracked by them. Fear when they’re occurring, then worry about the next one when they’re not. I wish I had some good advice, but all I can say is that I truly feel for you, and you are not alone. Hang in there!
Reading your comments above is exactly me. I never had these ectopics until after my son was born – he is now turning two. I’ve had an echo, multiple ECGs, two halter monitors and then a 30 day monitor and all they have found are atrial ectopics and they keep telling me to keep my stress low. I don’t consume alcohol or any caffeine and avoid certain foods – I’m also on a beta blocker and yet they are still happening all the time – just flicking on and off all day every day. I’m so over feeling like this where you are worried you will just drop and feeling frustrated that it just doesn’t stop. They truly are a horrible feeling.
I get fed up with Drs telling me to go to the ED every time I get ectopics. If I did that – I would be at the hospital all day – every day. I’m only 30 and feel like I have no quality of life with either having ectopics and ruining my days or living in fear of them going to start. It just never stops. I don’t understand them. I don’t understand why I should go to the hospital if I get them when they send me home anyway. I’m so over this cycle.
I am having the same issues too, it is ruining my quality of life and my mental health is deteriorating rapidly. I have had these on and off for ages.. i have had them really bad today I am so fed up with it..
I am the same. I got mine post COVID, they have got worse and more frequent. Waiting for the my results from holter monitor and echocardiogram. My quality of life has dipped, I’ve started having suicidal thoughts which I’ve never had before. I can’t enjoy time with my kids or exercise which are my two favourite things to do
I am the same. I got mine post COVID, they have got worse and more frequent. Waiting for the my results from holter monitor and echocardiogram. My quality of life has dipped, I’ve started having suicidal thoughts which I’ve never had before. I can’t enjoy time with my kids or exercise which are my two favourite things to do
Thank you so much you are so reassuring and make so much sense.. i have a poor quality of life because of ectopics and they are affecting my whole life. i had an echo cardiogram 2 years ago said my heart was structurally okay. They are ruining my life and i live in constant fear.
Hi all, I am 58 years old and have had ectopic beats since I was 40 so I totally sympathise. My heart is sound , I’ve had all the tests but I still get scared when they happen. Over the summer I had 8 weeks of hell when I was having an ectopic beat every three seconds all day and night, so over 20000 a day. I’m still alive however, I took beta blockers and it calmed down for a few weeks, but it’s started again now sadly. I am by nature a very anxious person and I think that’s what causes it for me. I also have ibs and acid reflux and those things don’t help. As Dr Sanjay says, we live in fear of what the ectopics might lead to so we’ve got to work on our attitude towards them as well as our physical health. I take magnesium every day, don’t have caffeine or alcohol, try to stay a healthy weight and keep active but they just happen anyway. I’m sick of living in fear and dreading the next one so I try to be philosophical about it and actually tell myself that I want them to happen. Sometimes it works. Just know that this is a really common thing and you’re not alone.
This is so interesting to read everyone’s comments. At 45 I’ve been having ectopics for 6/7 years now and in the last couple of years they have been more noticeable and effecting my daily life. If they don’t happen I notice they haven’t happened and then when they do happen I fear the worst. I’ve been told so many times that my heart is fine so why is it so impossible to except that. Why is the fear so strong and how do you stop it.
I worry for my children because they see me constantly fearful.
I have started counselling and mindfulness and am trying to believe that it’s the management of fear that is need not something for my heart.
Know that you are not alone with how you are feeling and let’s take on board what dr Sanjay is saying in this video. Good luck everyone.
Just doing the usual searches of the internet as I sit through another pvc storm looking for the magical cure. Had pvcs for 8 years now and had it all checked out with every test under the sun twice. Learned to live with them as they came and went but 8 weeks ago they have step up somewhat and I can get 6 hour episodes with an ectopic every few beats. I’ve tired everything magnesium. No alcohol or caffeine and now whole food plant based. Booked back in for the usual tests as its now starting to take over my mind everyday.
Hello, I’ve always had ectopic beats but very fleetingly like must people do. I’m 52 now and about two and half years ago after a traumatic event and high stress, they came back severely. I didn’t recognise them as ectopics – they felt completely different and were coming every 2-3 beats. I’ve learned to cope with them now but they are uncomfortable and affect my quality of life. I do less exercise and have convinced myself that I can’t walk up steep hills. I’m sure I can (well not completely!) but I am so aware of everything my heart is doing including it’s rate. I check my pulse a number of times a day which isn’t normal! My rhythm seems to be in a permanent Bigeminy rhythm. I have tried numerous medications and the only one to work was Flecainide but another cardiologist asked me to not to take it due to risks. I was put forward for an EP study and possible ablation but it was cancelled literally last minute as it was decided it was not suitable for my type of ectopics. So back to square 1 awaiting awaiting a 7 day ECG tracing. Once or twice a year they disappear for about a fortnight, then start right back up again. I also don’t drink alcohol and have very little caffeine. I have tried talking therapy, but that didn’t help either. I wish they’d go away and stay away! I do find comfort and reassurance in these forums although it is horrible for others to be suffering with this condition. Even though they’re not dangerous, it is difficult to cope with them at at times.
Hi I suffered back end of 2023 where I started getting regular palptions where it became noticeable and it me day bang it really gripped where I. Felt my heart squeeze 3 times really went in panic ever since I have had palptions ectopic beats every day
All test were done an holster monitor, eco and stress test it came out I had ectopic beats and everything els was normal
It’s hard as the ectopic beats come in different ways especially the ripple waves effect for me is the worst scary ones
It’s effecting my daily and Quality life I have forced my self to live with it and accept but sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn’t
Dr have put me on 1.5mg bisoprolol but reluctant to take as I have mild asthma and tiredness as I fear taking this will make me go extreme tired
It’s hard but we just go to fight it through
Anyone who is asthmatic and had bisoprolol and how it’s helped please share your experiences