racing heart and breathlessness

coco44 said:

I seem to be experiencing a racing heart and at times feel as though I'm not getting enough oxygen... even when I'm feeling calm and not aware of worrying about anything suddenly my heart misses a beat and really races.

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I have mild atrial fibrillation and your experience matches mine, although I haven't noticed it for two or three months now. I would get it checked out because it's better to be certain than worry in uncertainty.
My heart has always had an odd beat now and then (I remember it happening when I was 4) and it hasn't stopped me doing whatever I want, so try not to worry. Of course the breathlessness may be caused by anxiety at your increased heart rate.

yes there are a few medications that can help.

Try not to worry to much, I hope you can get to see your GP very soon.

Good luck RRB

If you are still worried when you have seen your GP come back here and ask more questions.

It will be good to hear how you get on

coco44 said:

Thanks DeejayR really appreciate your reply. I will get checked. May I ask is there any medication for atrial fibrillation?

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I'm not on medication but like so many old people I was put on low-dose aspirin to keep the old blood flowing

There's a range of medication available -- beta-blockers are the obvious one. Do be aware that your body sometimes goes into panic mode even if you don't yourself feel stressed. It's always important to get anything heart-related checked out. And if you don't get referrals out of your GP, consider going private for an initial diagnosis from a cardiac specialist. If there is a problem then you will have caught it early (like me) and can still get it treated on NHS so costs are not that big. If there is no problem, then you will have calmed your nerves, which can themselves generate worrying symptoms. Good luck!

Agree the best advice is simply to get an appointment with your GP and let him either get you checked out or put your mind at rest. Episodes of a racing heartbeat always need to checked professionally. It could be simply anxiety , but only a medical person can confirm this, so don't worry about your GP thinking you're over worrying. He would prefer to see you than not.

What can feel like missed heartbeats are quite common in people, these are what is known as ectopic heart beats, and can be caused by a half beat which you don't feel therefore feel is missed , followed by what feels like a delay then the second beat which is felt as real thudding beat. In the majority of people these 'skipped beats' turn out to be harmless, but only a GP can decide on that.

For several years I've had thousands of ectopic heartbeats every day. In my case it's due to underlying cardia problems, but even so in my case they're still harmless if disconcerting at times. Several times a day my heart will have a rythmn of doing a half beat every 2nd beat , which takes a bit of getting used to and can make me feel lightheaded as during the half beat the heart chambers aren't filling to their normal capacity. Made worse by the fact I'm anaemic so my brain starts to feel an effect. But I've been well checked out due to having a cardia history and informed it's all fine.

The sooner you make your appointment the sooner you'll get an answer to your question. Best wishes.

I have something called 'Orthostatic Hypotension' and its when my blood pressure randomly drops but along with that my heart sometimes races really fast even when sat still. So I agree with everyone above try and book a GP appointment and try not to worry! I'm a worrier too and I know it's easier said than done but you'll be fine!

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