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[tired lady]

Hi ladies

I would be most grateful for any help and advice on heart palpitations during the perimenopause.  My problems started about 7 years ago when I turned 39.  I started to get missed beats and also started waking up in the night with my heart racing and pounding.  Unfortunately this set off severe anxiety and I ended up with a nervous breakdown.  I went to the doctor many times about my racing heart and missed beats and eventually I had an ECG and a 24hr holter monitor which were both normal.  I also had a chest x-ray to look at my heart and that was normal too.  Unfortunately the anxiety led me to develop agoraphobia of which I still suffer from.

Fast forward 7 years and I am still having a problem with waking up with my heart pounding at night but the worst thing is that my missed beats have got worse.  Now, instead of there just being a hollow feeling in my chest and then a thud, I get the hollow feeling and then my heart seems to go bonkers.  After the missed beat, it either feels like my heart is fluttering, speeding up, or beating irregularly for a few seconds.  Then all of a sudden it kicks back into normal rhythm but I am left shaking with fear and feeling like I'm going to have a panic attack. Thankfully, I don't feel dizzy during the episodes or have any chest pain. This is not happening every day thank goodness, it seems to be really random.  Sometimes there is 3 weeks between episodes.  The trouble is that this has ruined my life and I now have severe agoraphobia because I'm scared to go out in case it happens when I'm out and about.  I can just about manage to get out and walk my 2 dogs, but I do that because I have to - they have to have a walk and they do help to distract me.  I can't go out shopping on my own and I haven't walked into town to go shopping on my own for 7 years now. I can only go out with my husband and even then I feel weird and dizzy if I'm walking around shops!

I am wondering whether I should go back to the doctors again because I keep worrying that I have something like Atrial Fibrillation or a heart rhythm disorder which is causing the palpitation episodes.  However, I do know that palpitations are a symptom of perimenopause and I'm wondering whether this is what is happening to me.  The other symptoms I've had are occasionally waking up in the night feeling hot, nightmares and pounding heart at night and anxiety. I will be 46 this summer so I guess I could be in perimenopause.  I don't know what my periods are doing because I'm on the mini pill - Cerazette.

I was just wondering whether any other ladies on here have experienced similar sort of palpitations and whether there was anything that helped them like giving up caffeine or alcohol.  I am just so scared about them and I keep worrying that one day my heart won't go back to the correct rhythm or I'll end up with a cardiac arrest.  I'm so very sorry for the long post, I've been wanting to post this for ages but haven't got round to it.  I had a scary palpitation episode this afternoon which has pushed me into it.  Any help or advice would be really appreciated.  I'm so scared and upset about it all.

[CLKD]

U post away, someone will be along I'm sure, in the meantime - 

[Annie0710]

Hi

Please don't worry. If you've been checked over by a cardiologist and they've said you're ok, I'd trust them

At 40 I developed heart beat problems.  After a 24hr monitor the cardiologist diagnosed arrhythmia, it gets worse after I've eaten a large meal.  He said its common after 40 plus when we're full the tummy squashes the artery in tummy causing havoc with the beats. BBs made me feel icky so I went without and went into decaf coffee.  All settled.
At 45 it all started up again so dr sent me for 24hr monitor again. They called me back because heartbeat was all over the place, skipping beats and going from 40bpm to 140bpm even when asleep.  I did excercise test and had a scan as they were worried about AF and were mentioning ablation.  Everything showed ok with scan and he said it's arrhythmia and be vigilant about caffeine and alcohol etc

I can't have BBs now even if I want them as between 40 and 45 I developed asthma.  If they play up try a really quick short cough , that can sometimes regulate the beats

It's easy to say don't worry as the rapid beats alone can give you a jittery feeling but try to dismiss the fear and believe the doc that you're not about to faint or keel over

[nearly50]

I have them quite often tired lady, strangely they don't bother me that much so I just wait for them to pass. I do mostly get them during the night though. I've just added them to the list of weird things going on. If it would help ease your anxiety, ask your GPfor another monitor. Maybe get a double appointment to talk about your agoraphobia too,  I'm sure there is help they could give you, good luck

[jgr]

Hi Tired Lady, you are not alone. I have also had palpitations and many many ectopic heartbeats which i am having at the moment.
My palpitations were scary but thankfully not many. The ectopics on the other hand started about 8 years ago when i would have been peri. They were few and far between and i was put onto Bisoprolol to help. I noticed them getting worse when i was in full menopause, and have steadily increased over the last 4 years. I have had all the tests, ecg, echocardiogram, 24hr monitors and  monitors for a couple of weeks at a time, all came back normal although i will say i never had a bad bought of the ectopics all the time i had monitors or ecg.....Typical. The ones i have at the moment started about 3 days ago and can be 50 + a day, these can go on for 3 weeks and stop as quick as they start. I don't notice them when i am busy, but as soon as i am resting they bang away. After a few days of having them i can get a bit tired but nothing worse than that. I have been post menopausal for the last 6 years so you may have them for a wee while yet. I would say it is one of the worst symptoms i get with the meno because it brings on my health anxieties. I feel for you and know a little bit of what you are going through and it is not an easy one to get through, there will probably be plenty others post on here to give you support. 

[Lizab]

I had small flip-floppy beats off and on for years before I was aware of perimenopause. I don't know whether they were connected, but suspect so. My doctor assured me they were fine, and a little cough does seem to help. Later, clearly in peri, I began to also experience pounding or racing heart. Once while out shopping I became so hot and flustered with it I was sure I was having a heart attack. These physical happenings that are beyond our control certainly do feed anxiety and agoraphobia. Like you, I've been checked out and assured my heart is well. I can only offer support and say that I've been having some form or another of weird heartbeats on occasion for 10  years, sometimes frightening and other times barely noticeable like gas bubbles, and I'm still alive and kicking! Absolutely get it checked again if you need the reassurance, but then trust your doctor and yourself. It hasn't killed you yet, right? I hope that helps. I truly think I know how you feel.

[tired lady]

Thanks so much ladies for your replies, help and advice, I really appreciate it.  It certainly seems I'm not alone in suffering from horrible heart palpitations during peri.  I think I might go back to the doctor soon to hopefully put my mind at rest because the fear of getting the palpitations is fuelling my agoraphobia!  I had some telephone CBT a few years ago but it didn't really help because all the time I had the missed beats I was too scared to go out on my own like the therapist wanted me to do!  I wish none of this had ever happened and I wish I could go back to a life without palps when I could go out on my own and didn't get awful panic attacks.  I am not enjoying being in my 40's at all, it has just been a really bad time for me so far.  I do have a lot of stress though because my teenage son suffers from M.E. and often has very bad days and I have been a carer for him for years since he became ill 7 years ago.  I don't think this helps my anxiety levels. 

I have tried beta blockers twice as recommended by my doctor but unfortunately they made me feel absolutely awful and I didn't have the energy to get through the day and I felt really dizzy.  However, they did stop my heart pounding but in a weird way it also intensified the anxiety because my heart wasn't pounding along with it!

I'm wondering whether to go onto decaffeinated tea, I already have decaffeinated coffee. I  worry about my perimeno symptoms getting worse as I get towards 50 and I don't know how I'm going to cope with it all. I have decided not to take HRT because of something that happened to a family member and I also suffer from really bad migraines so I'm not sure that I would be a candidate for it anyway. 

Thanks goodness for this forum, I fell so alone with this and only my husband knows how bad I feel, I hide it from everyone else including my parents!  Thanks so much again for your replies.

[Kathleen]

Hello tired lady.

Another sufferer here. My heart has done the most amazing acrobatics during my menopause but has calmed down a lot now. Weirdly I was never worried and I remember one lady saying that she listened to  her strange heartbeats in bed at night and was frightened whereas bizarrely I found them quite soothing. I even wondered if they were a good thing because it meant my heart was getting a good workout!  I haven't escaped though because I still have plenty of anxiety for my other meno issues.  Incidentally my husband had Atrial Fibulation and was  cured so  even if you had that condition it would be easy to diagnose and treat.

I totally understand the impact these sensations can have on your life so please continue to ask for support from the wonderful ladies of the forum. You are not alone anymore!

Wishing you well.

K.

[nearly50]

Hopefully once you get it checked out you'll be able to get help in going out. Maybe they could suggest strategies to use if you did get palpatations when out. Since they don't cause you to be dizzy you would hopefully find you just have to pause for a minute. I've fainted in public twice since starting peri, once when I was alone and it is a bit scary thinking of it happening again, but I just tell myself I'll deal with it if it happens. I know that is easier said than done though but I'm sure you can get support.

[Lizab]

Nearly50, that terrifies me! I've been trying to calmly let the spells pass with the knowledge that I've never actually fainted even when I felt like I would. Yikes! I suppose if it comes to that now I have the knowledge that you did faint and you are still all right.

[nearly50]

Nearly50, that terrifies me! I've been trying to calmly let the spells pass with the knowledge that I've never actually fainted even when I felt like I would. Yikes! I suppose if it comes to that now I have the knowledge that you did faint and you are still all right.

Sorry I didnt mean to terrify you. My fainting wasn't caused by palpatations, not really sure why they happened. The second time was sitting on a plane! Both occasions were embarrassing as I hate making a fuss, but I was fine afterwards. People are very nice when you suddenly swoon in front of them. I work with teenagers and would hate for it to happen in front of them but I will just have to lie down quick if it happens again.

[lollipop]

Hi ladies I posted a really long n hopefully imformative post last night to tired lady and can you bloody believe it it's got lost somewhere lol,basically tired lady I had exactly the same at the start of peri really scary but my daughter is a cardiac sister and she said it is all normal like suggested give a big hearty cough put it back in sync,I stRted in 2012ish haven't had a period for 3 years so hopefully over n done anything you want to ask feel free xx

[jgr]

Wish the cough would work for me lolliepop 

[lollipop]

You have just hit the nail on the head sonka it does pass as always just not nice when it happens n you will get through it  :bighug:x

[Allie2050]

Hi all. I've only just registered on this forum and was searching on here tonight due to my ever so scary heartbeats and missing heartbeats. I seem to have worked out that coughing helps as I just seem to automatically cough each time my heart goes barmy. I had a 24 hour ecg a couple of weeks ago and am hoping to get to see a doc for the results this week - my doc is part time and quite difficult to get an appointment with. Fingers crossed it comes back as normal tho how this can be normal is beyond me. It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one.