Does anyone else have a heart that skips beats and flutters?

Yes, but it’s been that way since I was a kid. I had a bunch of tests around age 10–11 but I was always told they were just palpitations and nothing to worry about unless they started making me faint (which has never happened). I still experience palpitations every now and then, but it’s not any different than it was when I first noticed it, so I remain unworried about it. It’s always jarring when it happens, though, and I usually cough and look startled when it does.

@Demosthenes in his eighties my dad claimed “I’ve had an irregular heartbeat all my life.” I doubt any cardiologist would ever find that symptom unimportant.

Yeah, I don’t know, the cardiologist I saw assured me that because I didn’t have any of the accompanying symptoms (dizziness, chest pain, sweating), that the occasional “blip” my heart does is not serious. It’s something I do talk about with my doctor, though. If I ever started experiencing the other symptoms or if it started happening so frequently that it was distressing me mentally (at this point it happens a few times a month on average, sometimes a few times a week at most), then I would start to become more concerned.

I’ve got a friend that had to have a pacemaker installed, she had a heart rate of 40 bpm and a lag between beats of several seconds sometimes. She was always fatigued before the pacemaker, much better after.

Cardiologists are so well educated in their field. My heart rate is 85 bpm at home but 113 bpm at the doctor’s office but why should they believe me?
I am super tired all day everyday.

My heart rate is 85 bpm at home but 113 bpm at the doctor’s office but why should they believe me?

My doctor had me keep a log for a few weeks. I kept a little 50 cent notebook book and recorded heart rate & blood pressure two or three times a day. Then instead of telling him about a few random measurements I happened to take, we could look at the pattern.

I don’t but my cousin had to have his stopped and re-started. In his early 40’s, not great shape.

I did when as a child I would run full tilt, and to try push myself more. I usually ended up hurting myself. I can’t run like that anymore. I walk now.

Yup. I have Wenckeback so basically my bum bum, bum bum, bum bum, of my heart, the length between the beats gets longer and longer and then eventually misses a beat, and then resets. Most people who have it have no idea they have it. I usually am only aware of it when my resting heart rate is below 50 or above 65, which happens when my thyroid isn’t regulated. At 80 BPM I would feel it happening a lot when I was sitting still relaxing or trying to fall asleep. I would also feel my heart pounding in my chest. It’s awful, it literally feels like my heart stops for a brief moment, which feels like you can’t breath also. I think you have said before they have tested your thyroid and it is normal, but my point is when my heart is very slow or very fast when I am resting I feel the missed beat.

More recently I was getting a flutter, which can be A-fib. That was a little scary to think about. It was going on for several months. I finally lowered my thyroid meds and it went away. The problem is if I go to low then my blood pressure goes up.

Skipped beat feeling can also come from an extra beat, or an early beat. A quick EKG likely would not catch it, often times it doesn’t catch any irregularity. My wenckebach is not observed on those 10 second EKGS. Did you already have that done?

Stress test might also not catch anything I mentioned, especially if you feel it more when you are at rest. I still think it is a good idea to do the stress test, I am not saying you shouldn’t. I think follow your doctor’s advice. I am not a doctor.

If everything is normal, you might try an overnight monitor for a few days. That is more likely to catch what you feel.

When I was having the flutter I had bought a simple thingy that you can check for A-fib by taking your pulse, but by the time I moved to get the thing from my nightstand, the movement changed my beat.

Do you stay hydrated well? Is your blood pressure low? Do you drink a lot of caffeine? Do you take any medications that might affect your heart rate?

Let us know how you do on the stress test. Make sure you read the instructions what to do before the test.

Wishing you health. I have all sorts of things with my heart, but basically it is all benign (for now). All sorts of weird things can happen and get resolved or not be of big concern, but still are abnormal. Try not to worry, but good you are following up with a cardiologist. It is a cardiologist right? Not your GP.

I had a skipping heartbeat for years, eventually leading to heart surgery.
Just before surgery, I was measuring at 29 bpm all the time.
Stop drinking all caffines, and see if that helps.

I’ve been suffering with a-fib and several other arrhythmias including a-flutter, skipped beats and pre atrial contractions for 20 years.
-6 years of taking drugs that did more harm than good.
-One radio frequency catheter ablation that worked well for 2½ years.
-One mini maze ablation that worked great for 6 years.
-Had a cryo balloon catheter ablation last February that continues to keep me heart beating normal most of the time.

I only drink milk and decaffeinated tea. And I take Ativan for sleeping (barely works). My heart was beating 113 bpm when I was in the exam room but it has been 85 bpm at home for days now. And yes; it’ll be a cardiologist . My b/p was 140/80 . Thank you!!