The most common arrhythmia in the world is atrial fibrillation (AF).The first clue that I had been too complacent about my health was when my blood tests came back showing something that surprised even the doctors.Ĭhemicals called troponins, released when heart cells are stressed or damaged, were elevated. While my ECG (heart trace) was normal, they wanted to investigate more.
They were happening often and holding my breath wasn't doing the trick, so I'd just wait for them to peter out.īut one day, after five hours of my heart racing relentlessly and feelings of breathlessness and light-headedness, I decided enough was enough and took myself to hospital.īy the time I got to there, the trotting in my chest had stopped.ĭespite this, to my surprise, I received immediate attention. The advice to try the weird legs-in-the-air trick came from a different doctor, decades later, when my heart-racing stints were getting a little out of control. I took that to mean they were nothing to worry about.īesides, I somehow discovered over the years that if they didn't go away by themselves, I could stop them by holding my breath for a short period. I mentioned them to a doctor once when I was a teenager and he jokingly asked if they were triggered by watching gyrating rock stars in music videos. My mother told me they were called palpitations. I'd experienced episodes of rapid heartbeat ever since I was a child.
My heart is still going a million miles an hour. I'm lying on my back with my legs in the air and thumb in my mouth, blowing out hard.īut it's not working.
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