Reading your article this week, do you mean you had heart palpitations (sp?)? This is where your heart pounds like its trying to put itself through your chest, or like you just ran a mile, yet you are not out of breath and you have been sitting down watching TV the whole time. Is this the kind of symptoms that you are describing?
Assuming that is so, then smoking most likely had nothing to do with that, although there are excellent reasons for not smoking or quitting if you do. How do I know about HP’s? I have been getting them since I was 16, I will be 38 in a couple of weeks. Never smoked (ok, took a drag on a cigarette someone threw out of their car window when I was 6 or 7, choked so bad that I never was tempted to try it again). Never drank (ok, took sips from my dad’s beer when I was 5 or younger, forgot when dad gave it up). Never did illegal drugs (no exceptions). I have been tested and re-tested 9 days 'til Sunday and noone’s ever really come up with any explanation for it. Finally, the Cardiologist that I am seeing prescribed a Beta blocker and that seems to be working real well, I have only had one real episode in the last 3 years, prior to that, it was at least an annual event and in high school almost a monthly event.
It appears to be hereditary, although I did not find that out until my parents were in the process of getting a divorce (about 10 years after my first episode). I will not mention which parent hid this from me, but one of my parents has had these episodes and one of my nephews has had episodes of these, for some reason my two sisters have not and none of my aunts, uncles and/or cousins have that I am aware of.
Anyway, while it is very good that you no longer smoke, if you were having heart palpitations, it very likely was not due to smoking.
Paul,
They are two different ailments but both are affected by nicotine.
Palpitations:
Heart palpitations cause the sensation of rapid, fluttering or pounding heartbeats. Although heart palpitations can be worrisome, they’re often harmless. Common causes of heart palpitations include: [ul]
[li]Anxiety[/li][li]Stress[/li][li]Exercise[/li][li]Caffeine[/li][li]Nicotine[/li][li]Fever[/li][li]Hormone changes associated with menstruation, pregnancy or menopause[/li][li]Certain medications, such as pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in some cold and allergy medicines[/ul]Often the cause of heart palpitations can’t be determined. However, occasionally, heart palpitations can be a sign of a serious, underlying problem such as hyperthyroidism or an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). Arrhythmias may include very fast heart rates (tachycardia), unusually slow heart rates (bradycardia) or an irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation). [/li] If you’re concerned about heart palpitations, consult your doctor. He or she may recommend further evaluation such as heart monitoring tests. Seek prompt medical attention if heart palpitations are accompanied by: [ul]
[li]Dizziness[/li][li]Shortness of breath[/li][li]Chest discomfort or pain[/li][li]Fainting[/ul]Atrial Fibrillation:[/li]
To pump blood, your heart muscles must contract and relax in a coordinated rhythm. Contraction and relaxation are controlled by electrical signals that travel through your heart muscles.
Your heart consists of four chambers ? two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles). Within the upper right chamber of your heart (right atrium) is a group of cells called the sinus node. This is your heart's natural pacemaker. The sinus node produces the impulse that starts each heartbeat.
Normally, the impulse travels first through the atria, then through a connecting pathway between the upper and lower chambers of your heart called the atrioventricular (AV) node. As the signal passes through the atria, they contract, pumping blood from your atria into the ventricles below. A split second later, as the signal passes through the AV node through the right and left bundle branches to the ventricles, the ventricles contract, pumping blood out to your body.
In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of your heart (atria) experience chaotic electrical signals. As a result, they quiver. The AV node ? the electrical connection between the atria and the ventricles ? is overloaded with impulses trying to get through to the ventricles. The ventricles also beat rapidly, but not as rapidly as the atria. The reason is because the AV node is like a highway on-ramp ? only so many cars can get on at one time. The result is an irregular and fast heart rhythm. The heart rate in atrial fibrillation may range from 100 to 175 beats a minute. The normal range for a heart rate is 60 to 100 beats a minute. Possible causes
Abnormalities or damage to the heart’s structure is the most common cause of atrial fibrillation. Diseases affecting the heart’s valves or pumping system are common causes, as is long-term high blood pressure. However, some people who have atrial fibrillation don’t have underlying structural heart disease, a condition called lone atrial fibrillation. In lone atrial fibrillation, the cause is often unclear. Serious complications are usually rare in lone atrial fibrillation.
Possible causes of atrial fibrillation include:[ul]
[li]High blood pressure[/li][li]Heart attacks[/li][li]Abnormal heart valves[/li][li]Congenital heart defects[/li][li]An overactive thyroid or other metabolic imbalance[/li][li]Exposure to stimulants, such as medications, caffeine or tobacco, or to alcohol[/li][li]Sick sinus syndrome ? this occurs when the heart’s natural pacemaker stops functioning properly[/li][li]Emphysema or other lung diseases[/li][li]Previous heart surgery[/li][li]Viral infections[/li][li]Stress due to pneumonia, surgery or other illnesses[/li][*]Sleep apnea[/ul]
Doctor Eric,
Most impressive display of a layman’s knowledge of the Cardiovascular function and probability of malfunction.
Good information and presentation.
Mark,
I am not a doctor and would never claim to be. However, I am pretty good at using the computer to gain information and knowledge. Try a google search for a place called the Mayo Clinic. You may have heard of them before though I do not think they were founded by Mr. Hellman of the Mayonnaise fame.
Don’t know what mine was called but it felt like a balloon in my chest that someone put a air hose on and inflated it. happened three times in ten years , twice while on meds. heart beat was 204 for about 2 hours and only way to slow it down was to stop my heat and restart it . After third time they told me they could go and do a cardiac ablation. They said my heart got an electrical signal that was shorting out instead of going all the way through my heart. they went in with a catheter and made my heart speed up so they could find the short and clip it. Was on the meds that JC talked about that slowed my heart down and have not taken them for seven years and have had no problems. My problems started three months after I quit smoking in 1992.
One way afib is not harmless is that it can cause a stroke. Blood pools in the affected heart chamber which can clot. The clot can be released when the heart goes back into a normal sinus rhythm. That is why if you have been in afib for more than 48 hours they will put you on blood thinners and not shock or use drugs to bring you back to a normal sinus rhythm.
For the last ten years I have had what they term ‘lone fibrillation’. They call it that because I have no known underlying heart conditions that they normally associate with causing afib. I am fortunate in that I can tell when I am having an event. When I have an event and it does not return to a normal sinus rhythm within 48 hours I have been instructed to see my Cardiologist. So far it has returnd to normal sinus rhythm on its own within 12 to 24 hours. I am also fortunate that instead of an increase in the number of afib events my numbers have decreased to the point I have one every year or longer. My hope is that I will never have an event again.
Good information however, I would strongly recommend anyone experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms to see their doctor immediately. Self diagnosis from information found on a Google search or even from a FF site as good as FAOL might not be in your best long term interest. I experienced a serious cardiac episode a number of years back where the cardiologist admitted to me that he couldn’t explain why I was still alive after enduring two hours of heart rate of 380 beats per minute. I ended up with an implanted defibralator which has “rebooted” my heart a number of times in the past ten years. The most embarrassing time was while I was giving a speach in front of a large group of people. I look a bit like Cosmo Cramer when the thing goes off; sending 600 volts of electricty directly into my heart. The medical team think that the electrical malfunction in my heart is most likely a result of Lymes Disease which I contracted about 10 months before my cardiac episode. Lymes Disease; the gift that keeps on giving.
Anyway, I only wanted to weigh in to encourage anyone who has experienced any cardiac symptoms go see their doctor immediately.
Got it. Nighthawk came up with some great information about the differences between the two. Your description, however, sounded very similar to my heart palpitations.
I am in complete agreement. Although I have been tested in many different ways and found that my own palpitations have been harmless, although scary, I hope that I did not give anyone the impression that all palpitations are harmless. By all means, if anyone experiences an abnormal heart rythm, get to an ER. The best thing is if they can get an EKG (I think that’s the correct one) while the abnormal heart rythm is happening, that one test tells them a LOT that they cannot always get from other tests, speaking from experience.
Very well researched. Thank you for the information and the difference between the two. Per my response to Castwell, his description of his symptoms in his article sounded very similar to my own palpitation episodes.
