Heart flutters fast, shortness of breath, coughing stops it

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... since I thought I might have been either going crazy or on my way out! I have very similar symptoms, the fluttering heart beat or extra heart beats, almost like a continuous smasm, which feels like it puts me closest to what I would call a mild asthma attack, which then makes me feel like if I cough, it should straighten everything out ... but when I cough sometimes, it goes away, and other times I cough, it makes it worse. I do suffer from a lot of stress, and anxiety, and take Zanax, and I do find, at times when I take my Zanax, it subsides somewhat. I have autoimmune problems such as Lupus, fibromyalgia and restless leg syndrome, and take different medications some on a regular basis, and some as needed. I do drink alcohol occassionally and although I am not a smoker per say, I do enjoy cigarettes during social gatherings, when I drink I usually smoke, and believe it or not, it seems to make these symptoms subside ... go figure! It is just as confusing to me as the darn autoimmunes I've been dealing with for over 12 years now. I too, suffered a fainting spell which lasted the whole trip to the E.R. by ambulance and part of the E.R. visit before I could fully understand where I was. Weird thing about it, I could hear everything around me, and remember some of the events taking place such as the paramedic asking me things like my age, medical history, etc ... yet I couldn't respond ... long story short, I came too in E.R., blood pressure was a bit high, ( I suffer from flexuating blood pressure, sometimes as high as 160/110, and as low as 103/60, and after three days in hospital, and every cardiac test imaginable, there was no explaination to this episode. Some of the common things I can associate with the previous blogs are low potassium at times, palpatations w/cough, blood pressure issues, stress and anxiety. It wouldn't surprise me, after reading all of your experiences, if their isn't some other weird immune disorder, they haven't found a name for which would tie us all together and explain our experiences. Good Luck to all ... and I say, as long as you live life to it's fullest and in moderation ... and you've been checked out, and they still can't find anything wrong? ... just take care of yourselves, get plenty of rest, and hope that if their is something wrong with you, that they catch it during one of your episodes, so their is some understandable explaination to it! God Bless!

Guest · Guest

well

i feel this felling at this moment ....iam an 18 year old female....and last night my hear was pounding so fast alli had to do was put my hand on my chest. and i felt the hard fast beat of my hear/////scary Crying or Very sad

...nerve raking because when i woked up in the morining i felt the same as last night...a small sharp pain in my upper left arm..and weakness in my left arm.....a little dizzie but not a lot. i am scared iam afraid of a sudden heartattackt...afraid of death,,,i mean who isint?????i wan tto get checked....but i dont know how to exsplain to the doctors what i feal!..............scary thing iam only 18 y ears old....none smokker....never drink..........healthy...at leat thats what i tought.....................what should i do? Embarassed

..please email me...**********

**edited by moderator ** e-mails not allowed **

Lez · Guest

I'm 19 yo and had a UTI and an abscess. I was given anti. Suddenly my heart flutters and i have this urge to cough. I'm scared cause i don't want to die, I just wanna know if its normal or something that should be observe? Any solutions?

caitieh · Newbie Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 1

Hi All with this heart problem.
I am a 21 year old who for the past 4 years has had palpitations with light headedness and a tight chest, like a rubber band is wrapped tightly around my chest. Up until last year I was a nursing student, now a nurse. I had an episode in my emergency class where i collapsed and luckily for me I was surrounded by ED nurses one of which sufferes from what I suffer from. It's called SVT or supra ventricular tachycardia also known as atrial tachycardia. It can be prolonged which will need immediate medical attention to revert the heart back to normal or it can be quick and be over with 2 seconds to 30 seconds. It causes low BP, hence fainting, as not enough oxygen is moving to the brain and is diagnosable if the HR is between 160 and 240 resting. The major problem with SVT is that no number or ECG's will pick it up UNLESS it is occuring at that particular time. No Echocardiograms will pick it up. That is because the heart functions normally until it reverts into SVT and can the just as quickly revert back to normal. It can only be picked up if you are in SVT at the time of an ECG.
The reason coughing fixes it is because there is a nerve called the vagus nerve which regulates heart rate. When this is stimulated the heart returns to normal. A Valsalva manouver stimulates this (when you bare down to use your bowels for eg) however it is quite likely that coughing also acts as a valsalva manouver.
I recommend that if it is something that interferrs with your every day living or is distresing you or happens regularly to get a referal to a cardiologist and ask for a halter monitor. It will be like a continuous ECG (but stores it in memory rather than prints it) and will pick up any arrythmias should one occur.
Good luck!

bonniebee · Newbie Joined: 01 Mar 2007 Posts: 3

I have had the same symptoms since I was in my teens. I am now 52. I told doctor after doctor what was happening...felt like a fish was flopping around high up in my chest, felt like I wasn't getting enough air even though I was breathing, needed to cough. It usually seemed to happen when I was sitting quietly. I think they thought I was just a hypochondriac...until I went into 8 hours of atrial fibrillation following surgery. It was amazing how I was suddenly believed. I told them this was just an extended version of what I had been experiencing for years. Coughing is the natural reflex and is one of the ways to get your heart to rest itself. After several heart scans, 24 hour holter monitors (that showed nothing), they put a holter monitor on me for 30 days and had me push the button every time I felt the symptoms. Every time I pushed the button, I was in atrial fibrillation. Caffiene, chocolate, and alcohol make it much worse. I take a beta blocker and was on Warfarin to thin the blood for about 9 months. In simplified terms, the upper part of your heart goes into a fluttering state, the bottom starts beating really hard and fast to compensate, and it essentially creates a kind of whirlpool effect in the blood, which can form clots, leading to strokes. My best friend had a stroke from A Fib. I just normally have short 5-20 second bursts of this, but it is a bit disconcerting. An aspirin a day can help with keeping the blood a bit thinner. So can high doses of fish oil or other EPAs. I find that avoiding alcohol and caffiene, and really taking lots of magnesium, calcium, and potassium keeps episodes way down to almost not at all. There is an operation using a catheter that goes up into the heart and pinpoints the tiny section that is malfunctioning, causing the fibrillation. They zap that area with something, and it often corrects the problem. It is called and Oblation (of some kind or other). I am going to look into this, as I will absolutely not go back on Warfarin. Look up atrial fibrillation and see if the symptoms fit. Bonnie

bonniebee · Newbie Joined: 01 Mar 2007 Posts: 3

Oh, a couple more things. My friend was told her problem was panic or anxiety attacks, and she was given drugs to help with that. She was having severe atrial fibrillation for 2-3 years before they figured out what it was. By that time she had had a stroke. It does make you feel anxious and weak. A doctor friend of mine set off a fibrillation episode in himself by drinking an ice cold drink. I guess the esophagus runs right next to whatever controls all of this, and so cold drinks or vomiting can cause the problem sometimes. I was nauseated after surgery, and vomiting set off my 8 hour episode. Normally, it just seems to do it when I am at my quietest, like watching TV, laying in bed, or driving in the car. Really the only way to tell if this is what is happening is to be hooked up to an ECG or holter monitor when it is happening, and it is amazing how it avoids happening when you are wired up. That is why the 30 day monitor worked on me, although by the 5th day they took it off because they had so many AFib episodes, they didn't need anymore.

me2dmc · Newbie Joined: 09 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

I'm 31, female, and have had heart fluttering for about ten years now. I have made two trips to the ER, like others I read about here. I have been told by many doctors and specialists that this is normal. I JUST DON'T BELIEVE THEM! If it was normal, then everybody would have the fluttering. My close friends worry about me all the time. I have taken stress tests and they've come out fine. I am about 50 pounds over-weight, and am always scared that is a factor. I have had numerous physicals, and despite the weight issue, doctor after doctor tell me I am in perfect health.

When I was 22 I was drugged at a bar with GHB. I know people have died from this, I am wondering if this had something to do with it? Do I have heart damage?

I agree, caffine is totally out of my diet now. I am seeking out heart healthy foods like BLUEBERRIES, AVOCADOS, RED WINE, AND SALMON. If anybody has any additional information for me, please email me at dmcalhoun27@yahoo.com

Thanks!

DC

Guest · Guest

Yes I have had this same experience with the heart pounding and the cough. It has been happening for years. When my heart pounds and speeds I can't breath and I must cough so I can breath.
Has your doctor given you a diagnosis.

Flutter

Emily8382 · Newbie Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

i am 24 yo female. i have been experiencing palpitations recently. i have had them in the past, but only like once a week or so. this past thursday, at my mother's house, i had sort of an attack. for about 30 seconds, all i had were palpitations, no normal beats. it took my breath away, and made me feel very weak. pretty much scared the crap out of me. then the rest of the night didn't have any. friday night, at a friends house, had another attack, but was simply flutters about every 5 min. of course, after drinking a couple beers and an hour later, they were gone. saturday, same thing. then sunday came around, and i was having the flutters ALL DAY LONG. they were happening about every 2 min. monday, same. now today, i've been having flutters about every 10 beats, for about an hour, then i wont notice anything for about another hour, then the next hour, flutters again. it's really bothering me, and i can't seem to keep my mind off it. i'm planning my wedding right now for 7/7/07, and i'm pretty sure that has something to do with it. i've been trying to drink water more often (not a big water drinker) and i haven't had any soda for 2 days (which is a big deal for me). the flutters are pretty much exactly what everyone else has explained. feels like my heart is thumping up into my throat, and knocks the wind out of me. makes me cough. but it seems the coughing does not make it go away for me. i can't figure out what will make it go away yet. should i see a doctor? or try taking some vitamins?

Guest · Guest

[
Guys!!!
The only way to prevent this fluttering is to eat vitamin and minerals rich food .I have also figured out that this will help you alot and continue taking them every day when u feel weak as you know that daily a lot of minerals flushed out from urine like ptassium(repolarozation and sodium for repolarization of heart to beat in a normal way and calcium is also helpful for the heart to beat properly so deifecincy in these minerals may cuase abnormal heart beats and if wwe dont replenish the body needs heart and nervous problems arrive....so take mineral and vitamin containing foods for healthy heart and healthy living......

quote="Ryanh"]I'm a 26yr old male, healthy, 160lbs, I have had this issue on and off since I was 17, I was told in the past it was stress causing this.

Only happens when I am at a resting heartbeat, 72bpm or so, I get a sudden fluttering feeling from my heart and it also feels pounding, I can feel it if I touch my chest. It also causes an instant shortness of breath and a weird uncomfortable feeling in my upper airway, that feeling like you have to cough, so if I cough this whole episode stops and goes back to normal, but if I resist the urge to cough it will keep going.
Today is the first day in a long time since it has happened and just this morning it has happened about 4 times and still I have this feeling in my chest like the urge to cough.

I have not been stressed out recently, I get a good amount of exercise weekly as well as sleep. I'm concerned about this, but I know if I go to my doctor she will say its nothing since I cannot recreate what is happening in the doctors office.

Anyone have experience with this?[/quote]

Heart flutters fast, shortness of breath, coughing stops it

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