A little more than a month ago, I had a scare.
I was having palpitations/ irregular heartbeat for over a week. It was the second time I am feeling it but the first only lasted two days. It wasn't like the fast heartbeat when you are about to meet your crush or your favourite movie star. It's hard to describe, like a forced heartbeat that you can feel.
Initially, I brushed it off thinking it will go away after 2 days but it did not. It was not painful or anything but just discomfort as I can feel the forced heartbeat 2 or 3 times in a minute. It's more to annoyance.
The weird thing is I can feel it more when I am sitting down - in office, in the car. When I am active and going about more active tasks, I don't feel it that much.
I went to do a thorough check up. First, a Q&A session with the doc. Then a blood test, followed by ultrasound and ECG of the heart. I was put on a stress test as well. Doc asked me how long I can run, and he really stressed my heart to the max. I was panting and sweating in a fully air conditioned room.
All the tests turned out negative. My heart is fine. So what could be causing it? The Doc then asked me to put on a Holter to monitor my heartbeat for 24 hours. I had wires all over my body for the next 24 hours and I still need to go back to the office. Luckily for me, the clothes I wore that day can conceal it.
That also means no shower for the day...yucks...after all the sweating earlier...
The results next day shows that I indeed have a thing called ventricular ectopics. It's benign and I have nothing to worry about. Causes can be caffeine, stress. So I was on doc's order to avoid coffee for 2 weeks. I managed to refrain myself for 5 days. I felt it less and less until I decided to just try a small cup of latte. And it really came back. Luckily it was gone the next day.
I don't consider myself a coffee addict but I do get the cravings now and then. It's been more than two weeks now that I am back on coffee. More on the local coffee that is. I tried a cup of latte again a couple of days ago and nothing happened. Yay...
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