[dr461]

I know that everybody here is concerned with ectopic beats, and irregularities that we all have. I won't play virgin on that one, as I have spent too many hours worrying, but want to share a true story that will put things into perspective.

Friends of mine went up to Maine for Christmas, to go back to their old home, and visit their family. The wife (I shall call her Jane, as I am sure she would want her story to be anonymous) wasn't feeling good. She had the classic, sweats, fainting, and extreme fatigue (not that you don't feel like doing anything fatigue, but that you are incapable of doing anything). At any rate, her fainting continued, and she was found on the floor, sweating, cold and incoherent. She went to the hospital, as they thought this was a true ambulance emergency, with serious, profound symptoms.

At the hospital, these episodes repeated, and finally she had her heart stop for 10 seconds due to extreme brachycardia. She was rushed to the Cardiac Care Unit, and a pacing wire was put in, until a permanent pacemaker could be implanted ( a kidney stone had to be passed first, before she could have the surgery to implant it).

Now, the point I am making with this story is that it wasn't a few skips, or a bit of fatigue, or some thumping that she felt. It was EXTREME symptoms, showing an extreme condition. She's fine now, thank goodness, and is recovering nicely. This should be a lesson to all of us (myself included, as I am not being preachy--I can be a psychiatric wreck with stress and symptoms frequently). Serious heart conditions manifest themselves seriously. One doesn't feel weak--one faints. One doesn't feel a flutter--the rhythm is medically profoundly impacted. We all need to put this into perspective, and go on with our lives. Trips to the ER for most of us are unnecessary, and take the time that doctors could use on people with serious conditions such as the one in this story.

[Katie]

Last time I was spooked with a new heart palpitation feeling 4 beats then normal rhythm I called the cardiologist on call and he reassured me. I am happy I chose to do that rather than go to the ER! My neighbor works in the ER as a physcians assistant and she said ALOT of people come in for heart palpitations and almost all leave without any treatment!