Heart gone a bit funny? Anyone had this?

jtcedinburgh
jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
edited November 13 in Fitness and Exercise
OK, so this is perhaps a serious post - I've noticed that, since moving to a more weight-training orientated schedule, I'm getting odd fluttery sensations from what could be my heart. Could also possibly be my left pec or some other muscle twitching. And that's what it's like - kinda like a twitch or an extra heartbeat or sometimes a missed one. Difficult to describe. Tends to be most noticeable whilst seated/relaxing after eating my evening meal.

I wonder: is this common? Could it be a side-effect of nerve adaptation as a result of recently increasing the amount of weight and doing regular lifting? That said, I wouldn't say I'm training anywhere near excess - Mon, Wed, Fri and a top-up most Saturdays (M/W/F are SL5x5 and S is other weight-based stuff that shouldn't interfere with the SL). I also try to run twice or three times a week - 5k mainly - at 75% to 85% PB - and walk at least 4 miles every day.

Things I have recently changed: switched back from deficit diet (augmented by lots of exercise cals, mainly eaten back) to maintenance (only eating back running cals), increase in protein intake (roughly 0.8-1g per lb of weight).

Other than this observation about the heart business, I feel healthier than ever - stronger, more supple, more energy and mentally positive. Life's good. Except for this slight worry about my 'ticker'.....

I'm going to schedule an appointment with my GP just to be on the safe side, but I expect it'll be at least a few weeks before I would get a proper examination by a cardiologist (if that's what's recommended); meantime, maybe this is actually nothing to be concerned about at all, and quite common.

Which is why I'm putting this out there....

Replies

  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    I'm sure you would have said it but are you taking a pre workout drink? And another thing that gives me irregular heart rate is when I take Naproxen.
  • dykask
    dykask Posts: 800 Member
    I had serious chest pains about 12 years ago. My doctor even did a EKG on me. Turned out I had an infection in my sternum. The problem with things in the chest is that it sometimes really hard to figure out what is causing the pain or problem. Best to ask a doctor.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    Sounds a little like heart palpitations to me, which can be caused by a hundred things, some serious some not, but then I have zero medical training beyond basic first aid. What you describe seems similar to what I experience from time to time, which is linked to anaemia, stress and caffeine intake and not indicative of any heart problem, but this was established after several GP appointments and an ECG so I hope you can get in to see your doctor soon.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Any caffeine in your supplements? I get heart flutters if I have more caffeine than usual.
  • jtcedinburgh
    jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
    I don't take any meds other than omeprazole for acid reflux. Don't think there's caffeine in the protein shake - it's MyProtein Strawberries & Cream. Don't drink a huge amount of coffee, and this is different to the 'wired' sensation the heart gets when I'm over-caffeinated. I sip water during the work-outs, not an enormous amount - maybe 500ml total? I'm not at all stressed. I'm good, really. Apart from this :/
  • 50extra
    50extra Posts: 751 Member
    Those were my only two ideas, wish I could help more and I hope your GP says its nothing to worry about. The muscle twitching I get all of the time in any random muscle from my calf to my eyelids, its annoying but nothing to worry about IMO.
  • moulin7
    moulin7 Posts: 11 Member
    Maybe due to change in exercise and a little more strain being placed on your heart. Try lower weights and gradually build up when your used to it. I got advised to do only a few reps at a time but about 3-5 sets to help build up.
  • jtcedinburgh
    jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
    I'm doing SL5x5 but hardly pushing myself that hard (yet) - just at the 'slightly heavier than empty bar' stage - i.e. under 30Kg on bench/o/h press, under 50Kg d/l and under 40Kg on squat so far. I know that's not nothing, but hardly something I'd expect to put a strain on my (hopefully fit) heart.

    I see the GP on an emergency basis (!!!) later today. At least they're taking no chances.... hell, I ran 5K this morning, no trouble. It must be something minor.... I hope(!)
  • jtcedinburgh
    jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
    Strangely enough, I'm noticing it during the day today - which wasn't true of last week. Probably nothing, but relieved I will be getting this checked out shortly.....
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    edited August 2016
    100% sounds like palpatatuons to me,I used to get them when overweight and smoking. If it become frequent, I would maybe see someone who know about the subject as I have no idea on the severity as mine went away!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I get heart flutters that are most likely related to Menopause. I can be at rest, minding my own business, and flutter, flutter, flutter.

    Glad you are going to get this checked out.
  • sfcrocker
    sfcrocker Posts: 163 Member
    It sounds like palpitations but could also be early signs of going into afib (not life threatening if treated). Two things that work for me are coughing hard a few times, or pressing down as hard as you can as if you're trying to have a bowel movement. Both of these things cause your heart to go back to normal unless you have something more serious.

    Also, check out any supplements you take and look for ingredients that might secretly be caffeine. Too much caffeine can cause this too.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Do get checked out. WPW (Wolf-Parkinson-White) runs in my family. It can be simply annoying to dangerous at times depending on the severity. It is usually diagnosed with an EKG. A good doctor will spot it with an extra beat or an arrhythmia noticeable in the EKG. It's generally easily fixed (with RF Ablation) or controlled with medicine, but un-checked can cause a heart attack. You see rare occurrences of teens in sports sometimes drop dead for no apparent reason because of this illness. Basically sometimes, and can be for no reason at all, your heart can run out of control and beat faster and faster and not slow down like it's supposed to. I have it, a mild case, so sometimes when I lay down at night my heart will race, and when it happens I have to sit up for a while or try and relax for extended periods of time before laying down for the night. For me it just causes insomnia most of the time, but for my youngest daughter it almost cost her a heart attack. She had to have radio frequency ablation done to correct hers which seems to have cured it. Anyway, there are other types of heart issues which can cause an extra beat or extra pathway in the heart (nerves). It's worth getting it checked. As far as the muscle twitching, make sure you're getting electrolytes.

    If you have issues with your heart rate staying too high even after stopping exercise, it's a good bet you need to be checked. My daughter found out the hard way after drinking a Red Bull. Her heart raced and would not slow down. We managed to get her to the ER where they used a beta blocker to slow down her heart beat, and then diagnosed the issue. Meds were tried for a few months but eventually they went ahead and fixed it surgically. They simply go in through an artery in your leg and burn the extra pathway. It's a simple procedure for an experienced heart surgeon. She went home the same day.
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    Omeprazole is strongly linked with arrhythmias.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Can be an electrolyte problem. Runners get arrhythmia not infrequently because they sweat so much they lose electrolytes, such as sodium and/or magnesium.
  • Charis50
    Charis50 Posts: 181 Member
    jtcedinburgh wrote: »
    OK, I have an ectopic heartbeat. I am scheduled for blood work tomorrow and an ECG on Thursday. GP reckons it's probably nothing to be at all concerned about, but, hey, it's my heart after all.....

    That being said and done, I still put in 20k+ steps (including a 5K run) and did my SL5x5 last night :smiley:

    Your GP said it's ok to continue to exercise, right? I haven't seen many folks from Edinburgh on MFP, so I don't want anything untoward to happen to you while you're waiting on the test results.... Could be bad for our geographic diversity!

    (Sorry. I'll stop pretending to be your mum now.)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Glad you went!
  • ericar21
    ericar21 Posts: 71 Member
    I've gotten the fluttery feeling too in my heart! wondering what it is also
  • jtcedinburgh
    jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
    Had an ECG yesterday, but my naughty heart was on its best behaviour. Still carrying on as usual, however, and planning to go for a 7K-ish run round Aberdeen at lunchtime (I'm niece- and nephew-sitting this weekend!)
  • jtcedinburgh
    jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
    Charis50 wrote: »
    jtcedinburgh wrote: »
    OK, I have an ectopic heartbeat. I am scheduled for blood work tomorrow and an ECG on Thursday. GP reckons it's probably nothing to be at all concerned about, but, hey, it's my heart after all.....

    That being said and done, I still put in 20k+ steps (including a 5K run) and did my SL5x5 last night :smiley:

    Your GP said it's ok to continue to exercise, right? I haven't seen many folks from Edinburgh on MFP, so I don't want anything untoward to happen to you while you're waiting on the test results.... Could be bad for our geographic diversity!

    (Sorry. I'll stop pretending to be your mum now.)
    Thank you - it's touching that you took the time to post this, Mum ;)
  • JukeboxHeroine
    JukeboxHeroine Posts: 348 Member
    An ectopic heartbeat is extra beats. Like PVCs, PACS etc. we don't typically get excited about that unless they are frequent or your BP, heart rate, perfusion are out of whack. Anything can cause it, anxiety, wonky electrolytes, heart damage, the list goes on and on. Since you are young and in shape definitely see it through to the end but it may simply be nothing. Good luck!
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    Have you checked you pulse when this happens? I would make a point to do that. Then I would make sure to get enough things like potassium, sodium, and magnesium.
  • jtcedinburgh
    jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
    I'm wondering if it is some deficiency in my diet, as I am probably asking more of my body now than I was six months ago. My protein intake is up, but I have noticed that my salt intake is also up. I think I'm keeping reasonably hydrated, but perhaps the best thing for me to try is to log fluid intake as well as food in MFP (I started this but abandoned it for some reason). Did an 8k run yesterday, HR peaked at around 180bpm and so I eased back - probably wise until I get the results in. Feel otherwise great.
  • kelsey_frame_666
    kelsey_frame_666 Posts: 37 Member
    Hello fellow Scot! I had a similar experience a couple of years ago. My heart felt like it was skipping a beat and was getting slight palpations. Got an ECG which didn't show anything but my blood count test showed my vitamin B12 levels were seriously low. GP said if I'd left it any longer I'd need injections of B12 for life! I'm now all better lol and take a multivitamin every day.
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    Omeprazole can cause heart arrhythmias including ectopic beats.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,938 Member
    If it's after eating then you might have acid reflux. One of the very big nerves runs past your oesophagus towards the heart. And acid might tickle that nerve in some people. I know that if I have reflux I also have palpitations.
  • Snaxmuppet
    Snaxmuppet Posts: 1 Member
    Just joined and read this old thread but wanted to contribute for others coming later...

    I have had an ectopic heartbeat since my 20's... I am now 58. First noticed it when exercising and taking my pulse during recovery. My heart would skip a beat and then sometimes catch up with a double beat. This mostly happened when exercising but sometimes when not.

    Visited the doc. Saw cardiac specialist who asked me to wear a recorder for a week. After his assessment he said nothing to worry about and said it is sometimes a feature of being very fit! I was discharged and I have never thought much about it since. It doesn't happen much now and everything has settled down to a more normal pattern.

    Obviously, it is always a good idea to get anything unusual checked out by a doctor but in my case, after proper investigation, there was nothing to worry about.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    May have missed it but you did get bloodwork right? Have them check your thyroid, your thyroid regulates many things including your heart. If you're hyper thyroid you might get that fluttery feeling.
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