So, I’ve suffered from eptopic beats for a while now. However, whilst out on a ride today on a hard uphill, I felt my heart gather pace, and looked down to my Garmin to see it shoot up to 196bpm – my HR max is 178. I stopped, and it slowed.

Thing is, I’m off to Flanders tomorrow and I’m sitting here with a slight pain – like a light muscle strain – in my chest.

I’m getting nervous – should I stay at home? It’s not happens before.

had that just before crimbo …. not been able to ride since as it’s
angina 🙁
waiting on tests and angiogram

and I’m sitting here with a slight pain

and looked down to my Garmin to see it shoot up to 196bpm

If it’s an optical strap I’ve had that before and it was clearly a rubbish strap. If you actually felt your heart speeding up that’s a different matter. If unsure and you are still going then just walk the big cobbled climbs. Most do anyway so there is zero shame. Actually climbing them, if there is space to do so, will completely redefine your max 🙂

You need to consider your travel insurance f you do travel with what is now a pre-existing condition or lie to medics and insurance if you have a problem whilst out there.
I’d be calling 111 at the very least.

I bet my first born that I know the outcome from a phone call to 111 with reference to pain anywhere within 10 meters of your chest….!

DrP

If your cardiac doctor has diagnosed ectopic heartbeats and hasn’t suggested any treatment I would be worried. If self diagnosed then Id go see a doctor to get checked out. I have pace maker. Your HRM wouldn’t pick up irregular heart beats. They aren’t accurate and can often blip. But to be safe ask a doctor not a bike forum 😀

Do you really have to ask?
You’ve had a bit of an episode of something out of the ordinary and now you’ve got chest pain.

Go to hospital, whether it’s by ambulance or get your other half to drive you there. Don’t sit around hoping it’ll go away as that’s a bloody stupid thing to do.

A road race / sportive isn’t more important than your health. Make the right decision get checked out.

Get it checked out asap dude.

A&E ASAP.

I’m not sure I’m confusing the chest pain with the quite hurty shoulder pain I have from a pre-existing knots in my traps/delts…

To be fair I can’t real feel the chest thing, there may be just a minor twinge there somewhere…

Common triggers for an arrhythmia are viral illnesses, alcohol, tobacco, changes in posture, exercise, drinks containing caffeine, and certain over-the-counter, prescribed and illegal recreational drugs.

I have a mild throat infection, had a few (3) drinks last night and plenty of coffee this morning…

Ask your little lad. What would he want you to do?

If you go to A&E now they’ll run an ECG on you to check you out. Peace of mind… worrying can also make ectopics worse

triggers for arrhythmia are viral illnesses

that’s true but the symptoms are like shortness of breath. Your heart isn’t pumping correctly and so you become light headed dizzy and short of breath. You will look grey. Resting sitting down makes it worse 😀 Moving increases your HR. Its not chest pains. That’s different. I speak from experience. Mine was caused by viral infection one winter.

In all cases get checked out

Yeah, I’m ok with the eptopics, I haven’t had any for a while and I don’t feel i’m unduly stressed. This looks exactly what happened over only 5 or so seconds, but I didn’t feel dizzy and was able to finish my ride no problem:

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Supraventricular-tachycardia/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Pawsy I didn’t have any other symptoms. I just sat on the bike after feeling a flutter, watched it drop to normal (given the situation) of about 155bpm, then carried on. I also rode several other big hills without the same issues.

Kryton, do yourself a favour and go and see a doctor. NHS online is nothing compared to an expert opinion.

No Flanders then.

Ffs, I don’t know what I have to do in this world to be able to do something – in this case cycling, properly like normal people.

I might as well sit on the sofa and sell the bikes, its one thing after another.

Anyway, thanks for the advice all.

Yep kids. This is a reasonably likely outcome for some male ‘endurance athletes’ eventually, as was told to me by a cardiac specialist I was referred to a few years back. Plenty of studies on this stuff, yet still I find it hard to take it easy.

I suffer from ectopics and occasional exercise-induced arythmias. Really should take it a bit easier (at 39), but being an obsessive-compulsive competitive type, like many around these parts, I find it hard.

In fact, it’s something I feel that, even, STW may facilitate in me.

It’s often like virtually hanging out with a bunch of exercise-addicted-addicts around here. I used to be fairly chilled out in a bike till I came on here 10 years ago. (Probably also something to do with my exercise-obsessed dad dying of a heart attack around then, which was still kinda fresh in my mind)

Funny thing is, I don’t even race! (Except myself, constantly).

Take it easy kids (and the OP)… 🙂

Why no Flanders? Go get an ECG, etc now and they’ll help you decide. If you’re fine then fine, go have fun.

No Flanders then

Is that what a doctor told you? Or have you decided because a load of blokes you (broadly) don’t know have suggested you seek a more valid opinion…?

Becuase I’m sulking njee.

Well, the 111 lady thinks I’m not having life threatening symptoms, although a specialist is calling me back within the hour, although I had to give my glass of rather nice Pinot to Mrs K in the meantime.

Thought as much 😉

MTFU, no point in making snap judgements. You’ll be reet.

Unless you’re not. Still, more room in the cottage in May 😀

Lol, I like your pragmatism.

Don’t stress about it. Ectopic beats can simply be a reaction to HI riding stress. I’m not a doctor of course, fwiw a while ago I had it all explained to me over the results of of tests after I went to the doctor about odd heartbeats that seemed to get more common. End result after the tests period where I was rarely going over ~85% MHR (mainly out of caution, also seeing a fair excuse to take it easy which is no bad thing..) was that there’s nothing wrong, it can all be relatively normal. More so in someone with good fitness where HR can rise then fall rapidly and the heart chamber signals simply get a bit mixed up during recovery phases (as I remember the explanation anyway).
There’s a lot of stuff online about late 30s-into 40s riders developing issues so it’s easy to become concerned, the only answer is to get it checked out but it can take a while to get ECGs and 24hr monitoring done.

Sure, I was told a similar thing the first time I was diagnosed with eptopic beats.

Well, the specialist has called and has suggested visiting the GP in the morning, and a series of blood & ECG tests to rule out issues beyond Stress.

Of course, I’m being picked up at 7.30pm, need to make a decision. Perhaps I go to Flanders and take it easy and see the Doc on Monday assuming I’m still alive.

I bet my first born that I know the outcome from a phone call to 111 with reference to pain anywhere within 10 meters of your chest….!

Ooh ooooh! I know this one. Is it take 2 Paracetamol?

Well, the specialist has called and has suggested visiting the GP in the morning, and a series of blood & ECG tests to rule out issues beyond Stress

youve been given good advice.

Of course, I’m being picked up at 7.30pm

I take it you mean am, otherwise you’ve got all day to find out.

ignore it, it will be right, what’s the worse that could happen……erm

I did mean AM.

I can still go without a bike, but don’t fancy spending most of the weekend wandering around on my own. Googling SVT says loads suffer from it, although I didn’t have all the symptoms.

I dunno, decisiveness is not my strong point.

you wanna see my scar from my sternotomy? 😉

You must be reading the wrong threads. The very idea that the majority of STW users are fit athletes? I think you’re overlooking the amount of just pissing around on bikes that’s actually going on.

ectopics during excercise are scary but you should get this checked out. Recently when sprinting for traffic lights my pulse has been ‘visible’ in my vision which is also alarming!

You didn’t die then?

Not yet. I have a dull almost unnoticable indigestion like pain in my chest which could just be anxiety about the whole thing. Anyway, I’ve seen the GP and I’m booked to have a whole range of tests in the next few weeks with a cardiologist.

A big XC race for me tomorrow though, not sure whether to try hard or be conservative.

Possible heart problems and racing.. What’s the worst that can happen….?

I’ve ridden Flanders and two hard turbo sessions since. My HR does seem to be biologically capped to 160 of a max 178, perhaps that’s my body protecting itself, who knows.

Think I’ve had the same thing a few times commuting to work 5 days a week, week in, week out – never really going properly flat out, but never properly taking it easy either until it scared the shit out of me. Didn’t see doctor.

After getting a HR monitor and some while later seeing my HR rise to just over 200 bpm I started recognizing when I was pushing too hard given the amount of fatigue/stress my body was under and immediately lay off the power and HR rise hasn’t risen to that level since.

Remember how it feels. Get a HR monitor and use it. Recognize signs. If you must ride 5/6 days a week do yourself a favour and keep HR targetted at zone 1 for at least two of those days. Get enough sleep.

I decided I wanted to do more races this year and by no means do I have a proper training plan, but as long as I remember to take it very very very very easy on some commute days, there doesn’t seem to be a problem.

But I’ve not been to see a doctor and who knows what differences there are between us, and I’ve a long history of not being sensible and ignoring sensible advice. Can remember experiencing it in school playground playing football on a hot sunny day.

Probably should see a doctor.

Much research says a heart flutter / palpitations can happen at any moment to anyone, and there’s countless contributory factors. I could most like be completely healthy other than the fact I have long term anxiety issues.

It’s being checked though, so we’ll see. Perhaps I’ll leave my balls out sprint off tomorrow’s race strategy 🙂