As I have asthma, I have been monitoring SpO2 today...
it's always at 94-95.
Alt = 3500 to 4000ft.

is this standard at this altitude?

That's when your heart beats out of synch for like 1-2 beats (one really slow, then a pause, then two fast ones or something similar), right? That happens to me sometimes (sometimes once a month, sometimes once a day). I got an echocardio and an EKG and my dad said there is nothing to worry about because it is something that is pretty common.

I can give you my dad's email address if you want and he could answer any questions you might have. PM me if you're interested.

I hope you don't have to go through what I did. I had A Fib infrequently for many years but the last couple years it had come on more and more often. This past year I had it during my last 3 tris, so I couldn't really push it. I should have stopped, actually. So I finally got catheter ablation in Dec and it seems to have done the trick so far though I haven't put in any really hard workouts yet. Good luck with yours! Get it diagnosed so you know what you're dealing with.

You're fine. Unless you're wheezing, your 94-95 saturation isn't anything to worry about. Take a few really deep breaths, and your sat will probably jump up a couple of points. How are you calibrating your sat meter?

Caffeine, changes in workout routine, etc., all can be associated with some ectopy. You've been checked and cleared. The only time I'd get concerned is if you got into an atrial fibrillation rhythm, where your HR is constantly erratic for a long period of time. If that happens, take a couple of aspirin...yes, real aspirin, and go see if you need to be converted. Let me guess, Catholic, right? ;-) You know what I mean....

You know, it COULD be because of that new bike. Just to be safe, maybe you should send it to me...it could be possessed by something ectopicaly evil.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

actually, I wouldn't get an A-Fib during a race because mine are vagally mediated (slow HR, irregular...but slow) and always occur at rest (april 02, july 03)...besides they are always triggered when drinking something very cold too fast...so I just avoid this...

but these skipped beats bugs the hell out of me!
got everything diagnosed (lone a-fib, vagally mediated and premature atrial contractions)...the electrophysio said there was no reason for catherer ablation.

I guess I will relax on caffeine...avoid it for a few days altogether...

and Titan, you ain't gettin' me bike! (too small for ya anyway!)

Good luck, mate.

Those sats aren't bad for altitude, particularly if you aren't acclimated.

You will live so long you'll be the winner in the 100+ men's age group. :)

Stop worrying, kiss your beautiful wife and be thankful for your wonderful gifts.

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

man, I hope I have a good IM before that AG :-)

I just want to know if your going to drop dead or not when we ride? My ACLS has expired.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

This is America. Anything is possible.

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

not before you puke :-)

Hey Francois-

How are your sleep habits? Reason I ask is for lst 35 years I have had PVC's, palpatations, etc. Been looked at a million times, EKG's, yesterday had another Echo, had nuclear stress test 6 weeks ago. Everytime I get the same answer: my heart is fine, slightly enlarged which is common for athletes, and the palpatations are just my heart re-starting itself. BUT, when I am tired - more so than usual - they occur more often. Like, all day, everyday until I get a good nite's sleep. They go away when I'm running/cycling, but come back later in the day when my heart is more at rest. But if I workout when I am tired, i.e after a 3-4 hour sleep, I'm going to feel these things all day. Bugs the shit out of me, and worries me, too. Dr.'s say that athletes are more in tuned with their heartrates, so they feel PVC's more, and that most people suffer the same things, but either are unaware or don't care.

I was told the cardinal rule is if you have 6 PVCs per minute or less there is nothing to worry about. Any more than that go to the ER!! Don't understand it, but I've been told the same thing over and over. I'm waiting for a cardiologist to review my Echo tests from the other day, and will have his comments by next Tuesday. 99% sure they are fine, but don't you hate the feeling the missed beats give you? Does it affect your anxiety like it does mine? I take Ambien to sleep at nite, low dosage. But, I get sleep with it and don't feel crappy in the morning.

Hope your's works out with no negative effects.

I think mines are premature atrial contractions, not ventricular. Anyway, both PACs and PVCs seem to be common among endurance athletes.
But as you say, it really bugs the shit out of me!
For those who don't know what it feels like...you have the impression you miss a beat, then a next one is stronger, and your stomach feels exactly like when you're flying and the plane drops for a second or so...
really annoying...

I sometimes feels mine in training. Only in two particular situations...when I couldn't go to the restroom and I am riding in very aero position, or when kicking (in particular dolphin kick). My Dr. has different hypotheses...
I have acid reflux disease (just because there are some stuff I really like to eat and shouldn't...) and when my stomach's upset I get more ectopic beats. Also, a possibility is a change in acid/base balance in your body,
something that shifts hemo/O2 dissociation, then lowers O2 sat, then ectopic beats...which is common with training or a change (lowering) in blood glucose levels.....
without enough sleep, I definitely get them..

anyway, I am fairly sure the Drs i saw are good and told me the right thing, but it's as if because it's my heart that I can't help thinking it's bad..

did you get a blood screening? Check the Haemoglobin or maybe you got an infect. What is with your pulse esp. in the morning?

I had one done in August 02, whilst occasionally I get funky readings on the HRM, to date I have not had a similar episode where I could feel my HR tanking along at 240+.

I am always concerned about spurious readings but to date its not been an issue.

I'm a doctor and I've had the same problem. I actually cut out caffeine (but I still eat chocolate) and I haven't experienced it much anymore. I think I initally got it more because of anxiety than anything. My EKG showed PAC's as well. My stress test was unremarkable and my echo was also normal.

From what you described, it sounds like the same thing that happened to you before possibly secondary to the increased caffiene intake. I'll be honest, I can't even think of anything that they would see today that would be different from two years ago. However, if it doesn't go away with less caffeine and some relaxation, then you should probably run it by your doc. I don't think he'll repeat that previous battery of tests though, perhaps just another EKG.

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berndog
How did we all get sucked into this crazy sport anyway?!!

I go through periods of getting these when I'm resting. For me I think it coincides with my cardiac fitness making rapid shifts up or down - say I mostly get them when I stop training for a while, or bump my training back up, as though they are caused by my system readjusting to the change in fitness. Therefore, nowadays when I get this when I'm training heavily I actually take it as a positive sign that the training is working!

My worst ever case of them was many years ago when I had them nonstop for about five minutes at the start of an exam. That was awful.

duncan donuts wrote: For me I think it coincides with my cardiac fitness making rapid shifts up or down - say I mostly get them when I stop training for a while, or bump my training back up, as though they are caused by my system readjusting to the change in fitness.

I've only heard a couple of cardiologists that would state this might be a direct relationship. Whether it is, or not, it certainly coincides with when I get them. But, when I'm really bumping up my training (which isn't all that much compared to most of the animals on this board), I also often bump up the caffeine. Or, if my training has declined severely, often there is a bump up in caffeine, because I simply feel tired, or, I've been up all night long for a few nights. So, it could be simply caffeine for me. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised at all if there were a true causal relationship here.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

In a previous life as critical care nurse we had occasional success getting people out of some nasty life threatening rhythums, V-tach, with a deep cough. Theoretically you stimulate the vagus nerve and get a "restart" of a noraml rhythum. It works on pvc's as well. Hope it sorts itself out.

Chappy, a good punch in the chest works sometimes, too. Don't know why they quit recommending that! ;-D

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

yeah, I know these techniques...they are great...for non vagally mediated a-fib...when I got two a-fibs they were due to a very strong vagal tone so stimulating it won't help.

but I guess, I probably got some, got worried about it, and created more pacs on my own...

none since yesterday lunch

Been through the same symptoms, tests, diagnosis (PVCs instead) at a rather stressful time in my life (defense of the first thesis). About this time I also came to realize that I am hypersensitive to caffeine. I don't even take it anymore if I can avoid it. So little as a half a can of coke will send me through the roof. I don't believe that caffeine is a direct cause the arrythmia, but the extra jittery it makes me does it. The less I sleep and the more anxious I am, the worse it is. It's been almost two years since I've had ANY problems. I believe most due to lifestyle change, but I know it's only a month of chronic anxiety that'll send me right back.
We've started a little club here, of people who have been through this, usually when theses come about. One guy's doctor even told him he had MS. What a nut job.
Anyway, don't understimate stress and how it might impact your symptoms, even though you may not realized you're not stressed. It may be that you're not relaxing. I went for three years thinking it had a completely physical origin. If you want to talk about how to manage one's life and stress, we can talk about that, too.

LuCKY

Interesting. No caffeine relationship for me since at most I have two coffees per week and used to drink no coffee, cola or tea and still get these irregular beats.

well, PACs' started for me at a time where we had a trip to France 2 years ago and the plane had 2 1000ft drops, people screaming etc...really thought that was it for us..my father in law was fighting cancer and losing, and we had to deal with the admin. for visa BS...got really stressed with all this...

I'm in the club. Experienced this in Oct '96 and again in Nov '98. Episodes ranged from multiple times daily to every few days apart. Sometimes short in duration, other times only sleep would stop it. In both cases, after a few months passed, they stopped happening.

Cardiac testing (more the second time) showed PVCs with a few PACs, and slightly enlarged heart. Was told not to worry about it and nothing offered as to cause.

I have always been hypersensitive to caffeine, so caffeine was out of my life before this ever occurred.

I consider anxiety as the most likely cause. I don't recall a particular stressful event trigger, rather chronic mismanagement of stress. I've worked hard to improve stress management. Of course exercise plays an important role in my stress management, however, I've focused on being less obsessive about my training schedule. Missing workouts for various reasons no longer adds to stress in and of itself.

Francois, I find it interesting that you associate occurrences with GI issues. Me too. Could be another manifestation of underlying anxiety. But I did eliminate or limit some foods that don't sit well with me. I also cut way back on canned tuna in case toxic metals in my system had any relation to the problem. Could be more superstition than science, but no problems since April '99 so I'm sticking with it.

Hope your problem disappears soon.