KIM,

Thanks for your question.

It sounds like you are having an intermittent cardiac arrhythmia.  You need to make an appointment with your doctor to be evaluated.  He will ask several questions, examine you, and perform an electrocardiogram.  If all is negative, he may request a 24 hour monitor of your heart.  Other tests he may request include general blood work that should include thyroid function tests, and possibly an echocardiogram to look at your heart and its structures.

In many cases, these arrhythmias are minor and just need observation.  In others, further invasive testing and study is required.  Medication in most cases controls most rhythm problems, but sometimes invasive treatment is required to map out the electrical abnormalities and severe the abnormal circuits using radiofrequency therapy. 

Also look at your caffeine and nicotine intake, both of which can contribute to abnormal rhythms.

So make an appointment soon to get to the bottom of things.

Best wishes and feel better.

Martin Cane, M.D.