Dear Patient, Thank you very much for your questions. There are different types of pathological heart beating conditions or arrhythmia. It is very hard for a physician without auscultation, physical examination and ECG to diagnose such conditions. However, thanks to health care magic forum you have a golden opportunity to get an advice from a physician to direct you to a right person before worsening your symptoms. Anyway, according to your description about your condition, I feel that you have premature heart beats. Premature heat beats are subdivided into premature atrial contractions(PACs) and premature ventricular contractions(PVCs). Also, Atrial fibrillation itself can give an irregular rhythm. Some irregular heart rhythms can be life threatening. Therefore, my advice is consult your family physician first. Explain him all your physical complaints like skipped heart rate, racing your heart,shortness of breathing, things which can trigger these conditions for example when you are stressed, after physical activity etc. Your family doctor will take an ECG or direct you for an Holter monitor test if it is necessary. Holter monitor is a 24-hour ECG test that is more informative than standard ECG and help your physician to diagnose your condition correctly. If necessary, your doctor will direct you to a Cardiologist. As I feel, your condition is not that serious and can be solved with your family doctor. However, my advice is contact your family doctor soon and do appropriate testing immediately. If you need more help, please write me. Do not worry. Good Luck! Dr. Dinesh Nuwan Weerasinghe. MD