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[skkb]

......at bottom of sternum where rib cage divides. It comes and goes at odd times of day and night, can last several minutes or longer, makes me very anxious and scared....goes away and feel fine, then back. Not indigeston. Never had this before....gone on for a couple of weeks now. Any ideas...I've googled and found aortic aneurysm!! So really panicked now

[countrybumpkin]

Next time you get it feel your pulse in your wrist and see if its in time with the fluttery feeling as it could be palpitations or it could be a twitching nerve as in like when your eyelid twitches. I can get this in my abdomen in fact anywhere on my body and it can feel very very weird.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm would be the least likely explanation. Its even more rare in women and tends to be an inherited weakness in the male line.  Also it would be a constant sensation if you had a growing blow out.  Your Gp can examine you and rule out this one if that would put your mind at rest.

[skkb]

Thanks for your replies. I have felt my pulse when having the pulsing and it seems fine, difficult to tell. I guess there are many possibilities so maybe should see a doctor. Problem with that is I'm 3 days in to middle of the ocean and only a ships doctor!! Hopefully an AA is not high on the list but still worrying. Hadn't thought of a hernia, do they cause this kind of feeling? Anxiety doesn't help

[Dorothy]

This feeling runs in our family & it is something to do with the aorta being more easily felt there than normal - sorry, cant remember exact explanation as the last time anyone was checked out was years ago.  Be worth getting it checked out when you can for your own peace of mind, but it's very unlikely to be anything serious.

If you do go to your GP and they want to get you checked further, don't panic - when my mum went to have hers checked, her GP thought it was an AA and had her rushed into hospital by ambulance...and it turned out to be exactly the same as her sisters and I have!  She wasn't best pleased to have had all that panic for nothing 

[Kate50]

Vagus nerve massage it I always have my acupuncture needles in it it calms the palpitations

[skkb]

Thanks for your replies. I have just read about the vagus nerve. However I did go to the doctor on the ship, she was lovely, did an ECG, bloods, abdominal X-ray, BP, checked all my pulses from ankle to neck and had a really good feel around my abdomen . She found all to be ok, and told me when I get the fluttering feeling to take a deep breath, hold my nose and breathe out hard against the back of my hand!! Also gave me three pills take take if needed..alprozalam.....don't know them but to calm me I assume. I've only taken one so far as the manoeuvre above appears to have done the trick, she explained how it works, I was a little sceptical but the fluttering/pulsing has completely stopped, I did it three times that's all but she said to do that whenever I needed to together with slow deep breaths. I hope it's not going to come back....

[skkb]

Not exactly.....she called it a valsalva manoeuvre And I could use it freely whenever had symptoms, she was lovely and talked so much it's hard to remember all she did say, but was very reassuring and that in itself helped no end

[countrybumpkin]

I have super ventricular tachycardia which is a sudden very fast heartbeat that is harmless but makes you feel faint sometimes very faint. It usually stops itself within a few seconds but I can stop it earlier by doing the valsalva thing which was what the cardio told e to do and is a well known trick for quite a few harmless but horrible heartbeat issues.

Does make me look a  bit off in public though   I usually try the deep coughing first if in public but if that fails and it continues I do the valsalva and people just think I have blocked ears!

[Dorothy]

I can stop it earlier by doing the valsalva thing which was what the cardio told e to do and is a well known trick for quite a few harmless but horrible heartbeat issues.

I think you might have started a new MM trend here - we'll all be doing it to deal with our various odd heartbeat moments!     Spot the MM member by the weird behaviour in public...

[countrybumpkin]

    So if a strange woman rushes up to you and says "Hi" whilst your gripping your nose and blowing hard you will know she belongs to the  MM club

[Dorothy]

Hee hee, I'll be looking out for it now.     Always wanted to belong to one of those secret societies where you recognise people by a mysterious signal!

[skkb]

Happy with that....every little helps xx