My heart flutters!?

Question

I posted another question similiar to this one but I failed to mention that I have a heart murmur and also my heart flutters at times.

Along with that I have a resting heart rate of 111 bpm. I am female and only 20 years old. I plan on seeing a doctor...but in the mean time I would just like to know about the various reasons this occurs.

I don't drink coffee, or take any type of medicine or diet pills!

Answer 1

I am not a doctor, and unless someone here is, I'd take all of our comments with a healthy dose of skepticism.

And the heart murmur isn't something I know much about, so I won't comment on that part.

Having said those things, I wonder if your other symptoms indicate a heart problem or just stress or anxiety. I have had my share of experience with heart palpitations, which may be what you mean by flutter. They're also known as skipped beats. Years ago I also had an encounter or two with tachycardia, which is a rapid heartbeat rate. Mine was even higher than yours.

When you see the doctor, he/she may want to give you an EKG, and/or a stress test (where you walk on a treadmill with a few wires attached to you), and/or a sonogram, and/or have you wear a monitor for a day or longer. The monitor records instances of heartbeat irregularities, which a doctor later reviews. All of these tests are easy, though you can count on getting breathless during the treadmill test, and showering with the monitor might be an annoyance.

The problems I had (and still occasionally do) have consistently been kind of shrugged off by two doctors; they weren't concerned. One even said I was perfectly fine. The most likely cause in my case is anxiety. I say that partly to comfort you, since I know how annoying and scary things like this can be. If you let your fears get the best of you, you can make the symptom even worse.

I'd suggest getting that appointment with a doctor as soon as possible (and I don't mean to be alarmist; just cautious). Tell him/her everything you can think of, relating to your symptoms, and you'll probably be glad you did, because the news will probably be better than your fears -- another reason to find out as soon as possible!

You'll also be a little lighter in the wallet when you leave the doc's office, so you can walk with a spring in your step! ;-)

While you're waiting for the appointment, just try to take your mind off it. And/or if you're obsessing on it, you can check out the site below. I found a lot of comments there, just weeks ago, about people suffering symptoms like those. I found it comforting. A doctor usually posts there, too. Seek out the heart forum(s), and you may even be able to drill it down to tachycardia forums or palpitation forums... I think so.

Good luck. I know your symptom isn't a fun one to live with.

Answer 2

Okay, first, you are not neccesarily "A heart attack waiting to happen". I Don't care if someone is a nurse or not, the last thing you need to do is panic....the first is see a doctor, and also get second opinions, research on your own, and take NO advice at face value no matter the source.....Doctors and Nurses are wrong just as often as any other practice....

I do not have a murmur (that I know of) but I have been diagnosed with a condition which 25% of all Americans have,(though the degree varies) called micro-valve prolapse, which causes palpetations.I am 25 and have an avg. had an avg. heart rate of 110 bpm. I now take Xanex for hypertension and tacocardia, which it sounds like you also may have in conjunction with the murmur. With my meds, I can keep my rate down to 85-90, even taking less meds than directed! I question your stress level....stress is very bad for these sorts of condition, so I stress that even though some meds are habit-forming(like Xanex) they can save your life!Young adults such as us shouldn't be on blood pressure meds unless absoloutely neccesarry!! Remember to analyze anyones opinion/diagnosis, MD or not....because,after all,it's YOUR life and well-being on the line, noone elses'!!

Answer 3

There are many reasons a person could have an abnormal heartbeat of heart rate. Caffeine, lack of sleep , nicotine, numerous other the counter drugs, (most decongestants for example) The doctor will likely do an EKG and an echo on you to see what is going on. The EKG measures the electrical conduction of the heart (is non-invasive and does not hurt at all, takes 5 minutes) and the echo (shot for echo-cardiogram) will take about 10 minutes and is non-invasive. They do tend to push a little hard with the probe but this is made of plastic and other than the pressure does not hurt.
You can also have abnormal rhythms due to structural factors (like the heart murmurer you mentioned) or due to chemical imbalances (like electrolytes such as magnesium.)
You can also have arrhythmia's due to life style factors, stress lack of sleep anxiety etc.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I also had a murmur. Mine was caused by rhumatic fever as a young child, a scarred heart valve. 7 yrs ago I had to have valve replacement surgery because my valve had deterioated to the point that there was hardly any thing left of it. They also put a ban around another valve. You really need to get into a dr. as soon as possible. Your flutter is probably an irregular heart beat that could be due to damage in your heart, like mine was!
Don't put it off like I did, go see a dr. and get it under control, before it gets more serious.

Answer 5

Hi. I'm not a doctor, and I do hope you schedule an appointment with your health care provider asap. But I am curious. Are you taking any weight loss pills, or drink a lot of sodas and coffee? I hear that people who consume and excessive amount of caffeine complain of their heart "fluttering."

Answer 6

Your heart rate could be due to anxiety, it could be due to genetic factors, it could be due to any number of *benign* causes. When you hear hoofbeats, think horses before zebras. In other words, focus on the mundane before the exotic.

You are not a "heart attack waiting to happen."

The combination of a known murmur (most murmurs are harmless), palpitations and consistently fast pulse rate suggests mitral valve prolapse, a variation in the shape of one of the valves in the heart. In the vast majority of cases, this variation is harmless, will not shorten life expectancy and has no effect on lifestyle other than possibly having to take antibiotics before having dental work done (a precaution against infection of this valve). In a small percentage of cases, surgery is eventually required to repair or replace the mitral valve, due to excessive leakage. MVP does not cause sudden death or heart attack.

MVP does sometimes come with a 'syndrome' of symptoms, such as 'fast' or 'jumpy' pulse, susceptibility to panic attacks, etc. Again, these symptoms, while they can be frightening, are not dangerous.

Your doctor will be able to determine the cause of your fast pulse. In most cases, neither it or palpitations need to be treated -- they will actually decrease as your fear of them decreases, since the main cause of fast resting pulse and palpitations is anxiety (adrenaline).

Appropriate exercise, stress management, avoidance of caffeine, avoidance of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine or related compounds and healthy eating are all components of overcoming MVP syndrome.

The biggest single factor in overcoming fear is this: "Perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18

Answer 7

That is normal unless it happens several times. It is called a palapatation. Being that you have a murmur you may notice it more, but it is good that you are going to see a doctor.

Answer 8

well ,if you did not talk to your doc and had no EKG you don't know if you are talking about flutter really
please go to your doc soon ,and after you will have an EKG ,
the doc can give you all the information
but do it quickly if is a real flutter even go to an emergency room

Answer 9

you definitely need to see a doctor!
you are prime example of an heart attack waiting to happen!!!
trust me i am a nurse!!!!

Answer 10

see a doctor!