I'd first like to welcome everyone as we kick off this support group. Everyone is welcome to submit questions and comments. The more who do so, the better for all of us who want to learn how to better manage life with PVC's. Please remember to bookmark this page and come back and visit regularly. And most importantly, don't hesitate to get involved in the discussions!
I want to start by asking you all to post your questions or topic suggestions. What do you want to know about regarding PVC's? Causes? Medication? Stress management? How to cope with symptoms?
Leave a comment here and let us know what you want to know!
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114 comments:
...well you heard my story on face book group page (if not then go and check it out) http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15750922307
I realized that magnesium have reduced the number of PVC's drastically. I only get one, perhaps two per week. I'm also exercising alot. Heres the question. When I feel the PVC I get this strange '''sharp'' pain in my neck. Then I almost uncontrollably take a sudden breath... as when you get scared. Do you experience that too??
I don't really get pain, but I often get that feeling of fear, which increases the release of adrenaline, and I can feel it make my heart beat faster and my breathing get heavier. It feels exactly like when you get a bad shock, or someone scares you suddenly. And since PVC's often "shock" you, it's a natural response which is related to the mental fear and not the heart itself.
I actually haven't tried magnesium but I'm glad to hear that it's worked for you. Did your doctor prescribe a dosage for you? How much do you take?
I buy the 'Natural Wealth - Magnesium' 250 Mg . I take 500 Mg daily. One pill in the morning and one 10 hours later.
I also heard that they inject magnesium directly in to the miocard during open heart surgery to get rid of PVCs...
are there people that still get on this blog?? I really need help with my PVC's. I have the every night...and have a hard time going to sleep because of them? please help??
Anonymous,
Yes, we're still here (at least I am :)
You can also join our Facebook group here.
I have also sometimes suffered from extreme PVC's at night. How long have you been experiencing them so badly?
Just be assured that they are NOT dangerous and they WILL pass. The most important thing you can do is to NOT stress about them because that makes them worse. I know it's much easier said than done, but you will learn if you stick to it. This doesn't mean they will go away (I still have bad bouts of them sometimes), but they will be more manageable.
If you suffer at all from anxiety or panic, which is not uncommon for those of us who have PVC's, I recommend The Linden Method. I'm a skeptic about things like that, but I decided to try it and I'm very happy with it. Perhaps the best buy of my life.
Hi! I have suffered from PVC's since I turned 18 (I am now 30). I also have a multifocal atrial tachycardia. It's a fancy way of saying that I have a lot of random cell clusters in my right and left atrium that fire at crazy times and cause my heartrate to jump to 200bpm or more. I became very sensitive to the PVC's because I would often have them right before my tachycardia. It's not life threatening, but was very life-style threatening. I had chronic chest pain and was often short of breath.
Doctors passed me off as a "stressed, female college student" for years. I was literally so terrified that I was dying that I gave up driving, quit grad school, and became agoraphobic. Doctors said I was just having panic attacks. Well of course I was by that point! My husband and I never gave up though.
After yet one more trip to the ER, a doctor suggested that I might have a very rare arrhythmia. He put a monitor on me and sure enough--we had an answer!!
I had 2 EP studies and 1 ablation procedure. During the 2nd attempt to ablate the problem areas, the doctor stopped and decided that there were too many spots. Medication (beta-blockers) would be my best option.
It was my miracle. I had my life back within 2 weeks of being on them. I still have the PVC's with great regularity, but it's definitely more common when I'm tired, stressed, lay on my left side, or have had too much sugar. I've finally come to accept that these are more of a nuisance and that they won't result in a tachycardia anymore, but they will always be uncomfortable.
Thanks for letting me get that all out. It was a hard road, as I'm sure it has been/is for many of you all. I wish no one had to go through this, but it's nice to talk with people who understand the frustration and pain.
Hi, firstly I will say its quite a relief to read aobut other people's experiences as I've only developed PVC's heavily quite recently. I had my first "attack" 2 years ago just lying down stroking my cat so I don't know why doctors always put it down to stress! I don't smoke or drink either and my only vice is chocolate which I'm not giving up!Ever since then it's been on and off but the last few months on a regular basis. Today has been the worst, every 3-5 seconds but as the day has passed its getting a little easier. I haven't been diagnosed properly, my doctor thinks its ectopic and I have got an appointment to have a heart monitor put on in 2 weeks. In the meantime its good to know I'm not the only one suffering as it is extremely frightening for me to the point its become an obsession and I'm constantly waiting for the next attack (sometimes its days or weeks before I have another, other times its every day). Does anyone know if they might cease altogether eventually without medication?
Hi Lizzie!
Hope you're still around, I haven't got the internet hooked up at home until next week, so sorry for the delay in my response. Anyways, I'm glad that you found us and I hope that your appt goes well. Most likely it is ectopic, since it's very common. Like you, I don't smoke or drink and I don't even drink coffee or cola, so my only source of caffeine is chocolate. But I gave that up to see whether it would help, but it didn't. I guess I was sort of glad for that. :)
Anyways, you will probably find that your PVC's fluctuate. Mine get worse when I'm tired or stressed, but sometimes it's for no apparent reason. Right now I'm in a "good period" but I've had some really rough weeks, particularly last summer. Be assured that they will pass and just try to think positive and not stress over them (easier said than done, I know). I developed problems with anxiety because of them, and it was really interrupting my daily life.
If you have any more questions, please come back! And let us know how your appt went! :)
I have been told i have ectopic beats for over a year now.I have had a 7 day monitor on and cardiologist is happy they are benign PVC,s.The problem with me is i mainly get them while doing physical activity,which is very scary.Still cardiologist is not concerned about them happening while i,m exercising.I am finding it very hard to accept there is nothing wrong.
Tony, do you get a lot of them while exercising? It's certainly normal to get a few. I may get 1 or 2 during a 30 min workout, other times none. But if they were constant, then I can understand that they would be very scary.
Do you take a magnesium supplement? A lot of people say they are helped by it.
I have been taking 300mg magnesium a day for a month now, doesn,t seem to be making much difference.My cardiologist told me to take propranolol 40mg three times a day,which i am trying to avoid.I do take one 40mg propranolol when i get the pvc,s continuously,which does stop them.When i do get them in clusters and i take a deep breath it seems to make them more forceful,does anyone else experience this?
I don't think I've really experienced that, Tony, but I have noticed that when I get a lot of clusters (especially at night when I can get many of them), it can be difficult to take a deep breath. Are you able to take propranolol only when you have symptoms? I always thought that in order to stop taking a beta blocker you have to be weaned off it gradually.
Yes i have been told i can take them as needed.At the moment i probably take one to three a week,when i get the pvc,s continuously.If i dont take one they can go on continuously for about eight hours.
Hey all, I take 420mg magnesium a day, plus cod liver oil. I think it helps so the pvc's are not so bad. I have been rather quiet with PVC's this past week, maybe 15 a day, but went through a rough patch a few weeks ago. I wish I could figure out the trigger that starts and stops them.
Hi guys, hope we're all well. I'm Jon, pleased to meet you. I might try the magnesium, since several people seem to find it helps. I'm lucky in that I have quiet ectopics compared to many of you - I can go days without, and usually only get 1 or 2 a day on average. Just blogging now because I got scared - having dumped caffeine, eating less and not eating chocolate I've had very few - mostly singles caused after drinking beer. This morning I had a cluster (like 2 beats, skip, 2 beats, skip, 3 beats skip) quite randomly. I used to associate this with caffeine. Had another run just recently, went on for about 2 minutes. I don't feel lightheaded or anything though. I did have 6 ferrero rocher last night, so I'm guessing they caused them. Anyway, sorry to run on, it's good to get this stuff out there. Take care all Jon x
Glad you found us, Jon!
I'm a bit of a chocoholic myself, but gave it up for a few weeks to see whether it would help (it's my only source of caffeine). But it didn't, which I was sort of glad about. :)
Hello everyone, I'm just come across this brilliant website, fab idea Claudia I have to say! I've been suffering from these horrific ectopic beats (don't know if they are PVC or PAC)on a daily basis for nearly 2 years. I had them before this time but very rarely and nothing that would make me worry about them. I wanted to ask you all whether you think that the sudden onset of them can be triggered by severe stress. I've had quite a rough time over the past 2 years, I lost both my parents within 7 months of each other as well as being pregnant at the same time. They started to become a problem the day before my dad died, he had been in hospital for 5 weeks with terminal cancer but his death came as a huge shock to me (I was 5 weeks pregnant at the time) and became increasingly bad throughout the next few weeks. At their worst I was getting around 600+ an hour, but as my pregnancy progressed they seemed to calm down slowly until about a month before my due date they stopped. My mum died 3 weeks before my son was born but this did not bring on any beats (that's why I don't really get the stress thing). About an hour after my son was born I had the intense feeling of impending doom, not elation as I had felt after the births of my other 2 children (whether this was the effect of hormones I don't know) and low and behold 3 days later the ectopics returned with a vengeance, day and night with no let up. They eased up slowly over last year, but still had probably 100 - 300+ daily. I've had 3 ECG's and 2 24 hour holter monitors which all came back as normal, but I still am not convinced they haven't missed something. I've always been a relatively anxious person since I was little, but I've always been able to control it, but now no matter what I do, I seem to be permanetly on edge, whether it's the ectopics causing the anxiety or the anxiety causing the ectopics I don't know. I don't want to see any more doctors because they just think I'm wasting their time or mad (as one gp actually said to me). They dominate my life, I go to sleep thinking about them and I wake up thinking about them, they make me feel sick, panic and sometimes they hurt because they are so strong. It's come to the point where I think of my heart as my enemy (how stupid is that??!!) and sometimes feel that if I could grab it I'd smack right it the face!! I'm 38, don't drink, don't smoke, don't take drugs, don't drink coffee. My only vice is chocolate (I too gave this up for a while, but it didn't work). My niece also gave me her copy of the Linden Method which makes so much sense but it's as if part of my brain just won't accept it. Sometimes I don't want to get out of bed for fear that these beats will kick off, which they always do, I'm scared to exercise because they get worse and I panic about doing the simplest things like the school run. I really don't want to spend the rest of my life feeling so bad, I want to enjoy my children while they're small (7, 5 & 1). Any help or advise would be most appreciated. Thank you everyone and sorry to have gone on for so long.
Hi Mummy! And welcome!!
I'm so glad that you found us!
First of all, about whether severe stress can trigger ectopics... absolutely!!
When I first started with them, around age 15 or 16, I was always stressed or anxious about something when I was going to school. I went through a particularly stressful time at that time in my life and I think that's what first brought them on. (I probably would have had them anyways, but they would have likely been milder.)
The tough part is finding a pattern. I'm like you, I don't smoke, don't drink, don't even drink coffee. Sometimes they come with absolutely no apparent reason: I'm not stressed, I'm relaxed, happy as a bee. However, they are usually most severe when I am:
-stressed
-very tired (for instance, just last night they were horrible because I'm very jetlagged right now. I'm happy and relaxed, but tired and they are really bad now, but I know this will subside.)
-if I'm emotional: sad, depressed, frustrated, or if I've had any conflicts with anyone, which thankfully is rare.
I really encourage you to give the Linden Method another try. Charles Linden is now on Facebook, if you use that, and he has some great info on his profile. If you're interested, let me know and I will try to set you up so that you can access that info. The Linden Method can take some time and it's important to not give up. It definitely requires "legwork" as he says, so it's important to be persistent and to listen to the CD regularly. I would listen to them at night when I was relaxed and focused (I sometimes still do) and I found that I saw a gradual, yet relatively quick improvement. I still have anxious moments but I'm able to keep them under control and have not had a panic attack since I started the program.
Like you, I've always been an anxious person. I think it's partly genetic and partly just the way my personality is. But we shouldn't have to suffer for it!!
Thank you for replying Claudia, it's nice to hear from you. It's nice to be able to talk to someone else who experiences these horrible beats (I do use another word but I think it would appear as an expletive in the dictionary!!) It is so frustrating when you try to find an explanation as to why you get these palpitations when you don't have any vices when other people can do practically whatever they like and they don't suffer at all. Doesn't seem fair really. I will give the Linden Method another try as you have suggested, I think I just need to retrain by brain into accepting that it doesn't have to be anxious all the time and these beats can't harm me, even though every time I get them they are so distressing all the work I did trying to accept them as not dangerous goes out of the window. I don't get how the doctors say that most people are unaware of them, when every time they happen it feels like you've been kicked in the chest and strangled at the same time! The Linden Method certainly worked for my niece who was experiencing quite bad anxiety, mild panic and ectopic beats. Now this is a strange one, she has one ectopic beat at the same time every day, is that weird or what?! I also wanted to ask you if you ever get bad bouts of ectopics when you have a viral infection such as the flu or a cold. About 2 months before I started to get them on a daily basis, I had the flu with a high fever and they were really bad, but once the fever had gone they went. Doctors also recommended exercising which I really want to do but when I start I get so anxious that I'm going to experience these beats that I'm out of breath before I start! Anyway, I'm really glad I found your site, it's been helpful to me already. Thanks again for replying, Nutty M.
I do find that they can be worse if I'm feeling sick or feverish. Also when I get PMS cramps and hot flashes that accompany them, but it usually doesn't last too long.
Fatigue and stress seem to be my main triggers, but I think it's also important not to dwell too much on why you get them, since it's often a mystery. You will probably find that they come and go. I felt pretty good for several years, with only a few PVC's per day, but the past 3-4 years and especially the last year have been really bad. I think that stress has been a factor, but even eliminating stress and anxiety will not make them go away. Controlling anxiety will keep them and bay and help you to cope better when you have an "attack," but it likely won't cure PVC's. So try to focus more on managing than curing them.
Do try to exercise. Getting your heart rate up will usually help get your heart back into a normal rhythm. If you are too scared about running or doing very high impact exercise, then try brisk walking. If you feel an ectopic or two while exercising, don't worry. I get them occasionally and they just feel more forceful because your heart is pumping harder, but they're not any more dangerous than when you're at rest.
It's true that many people get ectopics. Apparently about 40% of adults will have them at some time during their lives, but most don't even realize it. People like you and I just have a really high awareness of our heartbeat. I know it can feel like a curse, but the advantage is that we're probably more in tune with our bodies and the subtle changes in them that most people would perhaps not notice.
I'm so glad I have found a place to get answers. I'm 33 year old female, whos been SUFFERING from pvc's for about 6 years. I've been to the cardiologist, hooked to halter monitors, electocardiograms, and had ekg's. Although I had more thad 8,000 pvcs in a 24 hour period. The doc says I'm o.k, but, most of the time my anxiety is so high. I feel like my heart is just gonna give out and die. This is something that consumes my life. I'm at the end of my rope PLEASE help me.....
Anonymous, you're not alone. And you have trust that YOU'RE OK!!! THIS IS NOT GOING TO KILL YOU!!!
I know that's easier said than done, you just have to trust it. 8,000 PVC's in a 24 hr period is really rough, I haven't had quite so many, probably not even 30% of that, but I know how intense they can be and if you let it, it will definitely take over your life and stop you from living the way you should.
My cardiologist has patients who have 10,000+ per day and are still OK and do not need medication. Since you know that you are physically OK, despite this very annoying and unsettling condition that you can't easily just get rid of, you have to tackle what you CAN change, namely anxiety. Getting caught in the cycle of anxiety is not the sole trigger of PVC's (because you can have them when you're happy and relaxed), but it DOES make them worse and more intense. I can pretty much guarantee you that if you work on your anxiety issues, your PVC's won't be so intense all the time. They won't disappear completely and you will probably still have bad bouts of them (I do), but they will be more manageable.
I recommend The Linden Method to anyone suffering from anxiety. It was the only thing that worked for me and I've been doing so much better since I did the program. You can find more information about it from the links on the right hand side of the blog. The Linden Method requires mental "legwork," but it makes complete sense and it's easy to follow. I have to say it was probably the best money I ever spent.
Have you ever tried atenolol? I am going to try it for PVC's, high blood pressure when I exercise and high pulse rate. A little nervous about trying it but BP and pulse went really high on a stress echo.
No, I've never tried it. I've never taken any medication for my PVC's, although I considered it. I just felt that the risks outweighed the possible benefits for myself and my cardiologist recommended against going on medication.
It was reassuring to read all the comments on PVC's. I am 57 and had my first when I was pregnant with my first child at the age of 19. After hearing about those of you who experience thousands I will stop feeling sorry for myself as I probably only experience about 100 per day. They are particularly bad when I am fighting a sinus infection which I suffer from consistently. I also get them a lot when in bed just going off to sleep. It is frightening, and after reading your comments I will go on line and try to get some info on the Linden Method. I will also try to get more exercise. Great to share others experiences. Thanks. Christine
Glad you found us, Christine! Please keep us updated on your progress!
Thanks for starting this website. It's really helpful to read others' comments. I am 42 y.o. and have been experiencing PVC's on and off since high school. My PVC's are almost always caused by strong chemicals in various products. They always stop within a day or two of discontinuing the product. The products that have given me PVC's are hair coloring, nasal spray, hair spray, hair moisturizer, paint thinner, dandruff shampoo, rogaine, certain soaps and detergents, and a couple of other things. I know the PVC's aren't dangerous and I have had many heart tests that are all normal. But for some reason the PVC's really annoy me. It's like they distract me and I lose my train of thought.
I am at the point where I am totally afraid to try a new product such as tooth paste, shampoo, shaving cream, and even different foods. Lately I haven't been putting anything in my hair and it looks pretty crazy. Whenever the PVC's come back I have to play detective and figure out what new thing I have started using and then check to see if that was the cause.
Sometimes I feel like I have to make a choice...gray beard or dye it and have PVC's, messy hair or style it and get PVC's, hire a painter or paint myself and get PVC's. It's really hard.
Hi! I had my first PVC's a week ago. I went to the ER where they monitored me, ran all the tests, and took xrays. I got a clean bill of health however I have had them ever since. I have had anxiety my entire life and have learned to manage it over the years with and without meds. I have been sober for 6 years now and only take valium at night to help me sleep. After this incident I KNOW my anxiety isn't helping. AT ALL! My husband left for a month on Monday which doesn't help either. My GP is great and said all was well and she was sorry that they were causing me panic. She gave me ativan but that didn't work. Made me feel worse. Then I had her call in a script for xanax today which I will only take if I really need to. The point is I am exhausted! My upper back and neck are SO tense and my chest hurts off and on as well. I assume this is all from my anxiety and tensing up as well as the adrenaline surges "fight or flight" I've been feeling as well. The bottom line is I want them to stop. Sooner than later! I'm afraid to go back to work (I'm a waitress) ARRGHHH! I am trying to soothe my anxious mind but it's really hard.
Interesting sidenote: I have always had really bad PMS and I was ovulating around the time the PVC's started and I'm due to start my period soon. I'm curious to see if getting my period may eliminate them.
Hi! I had my first PVC's a week ago. I went to the ER where they monitored me, ran all the tests, and took xrays. I got a clean bill of health however I have had them ever since. I have had anxiety my entire life and have learned to manage it over the years with and without meds. I have been sober for 6 years now and only take valium at night to help me sleep. After this incident I KNOW my anxiety isn't helping. AT ALL! My husband left for a month on Monday which doesn't help either. My GP is great and said all was well and she was sorry that they were causing me panic. She gave me ativan but that didn't work. Made me feel worse. Then I had her call in a script for xanax today which I will only take if I really need to. The point is I am exhausted! My upper back and neck are SO tense and my chest hurts off and on as well. I assume this is all from my anxiety and tensing up as well as the adrenaline surges "fight or flight" I've been feeling as well. The bottom line is I want them to stop. Sooner than later! I'm afraid to go back to work (I'm a waitress) ARRGHHH! I am trying to soothe my anxious mind but it's really hard.
Interesting sidenote: I have always had really bad PMS and I was ovulating around the time the PVC's started and I'm due to start my period soon. I'm curious to see if getting my period may eliminate them.
Interesting how you've found a connection between PVC's and chemicals, Marco. It never really occurred to me. Are you quite sure that there is a connection? Do you think it could be coincidence?
Mary, I totally sympathize with your anxiety and ESPECIALLY the tense neck, back and chest. I get that when the PVC's are bad, but it's not because of the PVC's themselves. It's when I get stressed about them. You might really want to take a look at the Linden Method to cope with your anxiety issues. If you can tackle that, you've won half (or perhaps more than half) of the battle.
I was wondering if anyone could help me. I started having PVC’s 13 months ago, 3 months after I started taking 10mg of amitriptlene for back pain.[which has a known side effect of causing PVC's] I have been diagnosed as having PVC’s captured on an ECG, and my doctor took me off Amitrip. When on amitrip I occasionally had a fast pulse for no reason, this has stopped but I still get the PVC’s and it is 10 weeks now since I stopped taking amitrip. Most days I notice one or two or a couple of skips, some days none at all. Then occasionally I have an episode of 5 a minute. Once I had 12 a minute. I stop these by either lying down for a while, or a hot shower on my back, or vigorous exercise getting my heart rate right up for 30 mins. My doctor has said: forget about them it’s okay. Which is fine, but when I ask the question: I like hiking and if I get them out in the woods or walking somewhere and I can’t like down or take a shower, do I just press on and forget about them. The response I get is: try and do something to stop them.
I am a little confused, should I just get on with life and forget them. Or if they get to a certain level do something about them- which would mean two things, one not go hiking for fear it happens then, and two not ignore them when they start up but monitor them to a certain level?
If PVC’s are no big deal why should I worry how many I have or try and stop them?
I have up to now been able to control them by lying down but am concerned that one day I will not be able to. I am not on any medication for them.
Rob
Hi Rob!
It's interesting that your PVC's seemed to be triggered by medication. 10 weeks isn't all that long, so I think there's a good chance that if the PVC's were totally related to the amitrip, they will eventually taper off. Since PVC's aren't caused by any structural problem with the heart, I don't think you have to worry about there being any underlying damage or problem, especially since the doctor has given you the all-clear.
I think when your doctor told you to try and stop them, he meant that if you could find a way to keep them at bay, it would be best for you to do so because then you wouldn't be worrying about them. As long as there is no underlying problem with the heart that is causing your PVC's (it sounds like you've been given the all-clear on that), the PVC's in itself are nothing more than a nuisance that can get us caught in a vicious cycle of anxiety because they feel so dangerous sometimes. Anyone who has experienced them knows how dangerous they feel, even though we know logically that we're OK.
When I was at the cardiologist last summer because I was suddenly getting so many of them and they were keeping me up at night, one of my main questions for him was whether having so many PVC's was putting a strain on my heart that I should be concerned about. (After all, all the extra beats, one would think, are making the heart work harder, right? Would I eventually get heart failure?) But he assured me that no, they were not like that. The heart is not working any harder, it's simply having extra beats that are disturbing the normal rhythm. He said he had patients that have over 10,000 PVC's per day and are normal and healthy. There's no diminished life expectancy because of benign PVC's. What can be diminished, as many of us know all to well, is life quality because of the anxiety factor.
Another question I had for the cardiologist was whether I was at any higher risk for a dangerous arrythmia. He assured me it was very unlikely, so I try to take his expert work for it, especially since I know I had a thorough exam that should have ruled out any other factors. If I do notice any more serious symptoms, then I will go back.
Don't stop hiking. All my doctors were adamant about me not stopping running or exercise. Generally, sufferers find that PVC's are less during exercise. I find that I usually get very few (if any) during running, but can have some during brisk walking and hiking (particularly uphill). I won't lie, they can be unsettling. But my doctors never told me to stop.
thank you for your reply it was very helpful. I am in New Zealand and preparing for a hike in the outback of Australia. Everything you wrote was much appreciated
Claudia - just wanted to say what you wrote has made me feel a lot better even though it was intended for Rob! I've had episodes on and off for 2 years now (I'm 37) and to cut a long story short, cared for my terminally ill dad, organised his funeral and they re appeared 3 weeks ago. I used to get them now and again or once a week (all day) but I've had them every several beats for 3 weeks so I've been really down and anxious. I had tests in December (when it wasn't as bad) and the specialist said it was beating from the bottom first (weird!) and I had nothing to worry about but I've been wondering if I should go back to double check. I may still go but your comments have been reassuring thanks!
Hi again Claudia - I just noticed you replied to my post in December. Now this is a very late thank you! My results of my ECG were fine and the specialist tried to explain (too technical) that my hearts own pacemaker was beating from the bottom first and I can't remember the rest. I'm not convinced everythings okay though now as since my dad died at the beginning of June they are there constantly from the minute I wake up (strange as I used to feel them when I was resting but they are worse when I am active) and even sometimes through the night. Only the odd day have they subsideda little. I haven't been on here to read your response as they calmed down for about 3 months. Does anyone get that "fight or flight" feeling in the chest every time? I get that each time I have an ectopic beat (every several seconds most days for 3 weeks). Its so tiring as it feels like someone's made you jump every time! If I didn't feel it so much I don't think it would bother me like it does. Is it normal for the chest to feel tense too? Is chocolate a trigger as that is my only vice and I have to have some enjoyment?! lol. Seriously though I never knew this would affect my life as much as it does. Just glad this website is here for support.
Liz, it's definitely not unusual for the kind of stress you went through with your dad to be a trigger. Sometimes I've found that I manage remarkably well through a stressful situation, only to be plagued by PVC's non-stop after the stress has subsided. Sometimes I wonder if it's a delayed result, sort of like post-traumatic stress disorder in a way.
"Does anyone get that "fight or flight" feeling in the chest every time? I get that each time I have an ectopic beat (every several seconds most days for 3 weeks)."
I know EXACTLY what you mean because I have the same reaction. As soon as you feel that irregular beat, it's like you feel a rush of adrenaline and it's almost like the feeling you would get by getting terrible, shocking news. Like a sinking feeling in the chest. This, I am virtually certain, is a psychological effect of the PVC and does not originate from the heart itself due to any abnormality. I know this because sometimes my PVC's are "weak," so to speak. I feel them, but they're not very jolting and don't scare me. Therefore, there is no "fight or flight" rush of adrenaline. But, as I'm sure you know, a lot of the PVC's feel very forceful and scary, and you never quite get used to them. So it's a challenge to not get that panicky feeling and to get that horrible feeling in the chest, which then results in your pulse increasing, just like after you get shocked or surprised by something.
"Its so tiring as it feels like someone's made you jump every time! If I didn't feel it so much I don't think it would bother me like it does."
This is my problem particularly at night when they are bad. Sometimes I literally jump because I get the sensation of my heart stopping. It's always unsettling and hard to get used to, I admit.
"Is it normal for the chest to feel tense too?"
That is a natural and common reaction to the anxiety caused by the PVC's. When my anxiety was at its peak, I felt like I had a tight band around my chest and back all the time. The muscles in my back on the left side (behind the shoulder blade) would become painful. This, I am certain, is all anxiety-related.
"Is chocolate a trigger as that is my only vice and I have to have some enjoyment?! lol."
I'm a chocoholic, so perhaps it's actually good news that I never found chocolate to be a trigger. Some claim that it is, but the caffeine in chocolate is only a trace amount compared to Coke or coffee. What you can do is cut out chocolate and ALL caffeine for a couple weeks, just to see whether it helps. I did and I didn't notice any difference. I told my cardiologist and he smiled and said that it was probably a good thing for me since I love it so much. :)
One tip I can think of. My PVC's tend to be worse after a really big meal, like after Christmas dinner.
Also, I think what your doctor meant about the heart beating from the bottom up is that the electric impulses of PVC's originate from a different place in the heart than the normal beats. So, simply put, if I understand it correctly, one ventricle (if that's the proper term in this case) is disturbing the one where the normal beats originate. Sort of like it's vying for attention. :) I asked my doctor about the clinical term for PVC. (Since I live in Norway, I'll have to give the English translation but it's virtually the same.) It's "ventricular extrasystole," -- in other words, an extra beat from the ventricle -- or "premature ventricular contraction" (PVC) -- in other words, a premature beat from the ventricle (which is what disturbs the normal rhythm and delays the next beat, giving the sensation of an extra and a skipped beat). From what I understand, both terms refer to the same condition.
Rob, enjoy your hike! And let us know how it went once you get back. :)
I will let you know. I am at present in training for it.
Thanks for the feedback Claudia. I am 99% my PVC's are caused by chemicals. I first noticed this about 3 years ago. I had gotten PVC's really bad for a couple of weeks. I was scared and feeling awful.
I was also dealing with allergies and had been using a OTC nasal spray at the time. I ran out of nasal spray and because I was so busy I went without it for about 3 days. The PVC's went away. When I finally started again, the PVC's returned in a couple of days.
Again I left the spray at work over the weekend and was too cheap to buy another, by Monday my PVC's were gone. I didn't realize this until a couple of weeks later. I had been charting my PVC's on a calendar.
A few months later, they came back. I immediately thought that I wasn't using the nasal spray but I had just begun rogaine. I stopped the rogaine and about two days later the PVC's were gone.
Since then, whenver my PVC's returned, I was able to trace them back to something new that I was using. I have been tracking them for 3 years now and they will start in about two days of beginning the new product and stop within two days of stopping. I have "tested" myself when in doubt. I would discontinue the product and restart it a few days later. The PVC's always came back.
I made a list of the products and I am trying to figure out what they have in common. The only thing I have so far is that they enter my system through the skin. For example, when I have used paint thinner with rubber gloves, I'm fine. But if it touches my skin, PVC's.
In fact, it just happened to me again with a new deoderant I tried. I went back to the old one and the PVC's went away. The only thing I know for sure is that when I am having these PVC episodes and I happen to get bloodwork at the time, my Potassium levels are way off. When I am not having PVC's my Potassium levels are normal.
I should add that I have fibromyalgia and the doctor said that my body's weird reactions to different chemicals could be related to that.
I am still hesitant to use too many products. I will never go without deoderant. LOL. And, I have African hair so I have to use hair products although I can go without for a few days.
Thanks
Interesting, Marco. It must be annoying for you since it's so hard to avoid chemicals in this day and age. I know that low potassium can cause PVC's, so that's something that everyone should get checked out if they're having them. My levels were normal, so I know it's not that. Have you ever tried a magnesium supplement? A lot of people find that it helps. Not me, though.
Hi Claudia -
You've got a nice start to a blog, though if I had a wish it would be that you posted more regularly.
Anyway, I'm hoping I can convince you to stop over to a new, related site I'm in the process of launching, that is a community of arrhythmia sufferers as well as a content portal to provide as much information and links to outside sources as possible. The URL is skippinghearts.com - as a fellow PVC sufferer, I'd love to be able to count you as a member.
Best regards,
Jeff Pozniak
Jeff, thanks so much for the invite! Your site looks great. I read your story and see many similarities to my own. The more support, the better. I'll post a link to your site here.
Although I haven't really done any new "posts" per se, I'm on here quite a bit answering questions from those who post them. So the bulk of the information is in the comments and not so much the posts themselves.
Hi Claudia,
I've suffered from PVC's for years, and like you didn't know the name for them until much later. I can remember the "skipped beats" as early as elementary school (I'm now 46) and my mom would say I inherited her palpitations (her mom had them too). They never bothered me much until 2005 when I had an episode that lasted several days, seemingly non-stop. I went to the ER and was admitted and spent the next 17 days in the hospital! I was hooked up to a monitor and was observed 24 hours a day. My heart rate would get up to dangerous levels and nurses would run into my room asking if I was ok and there I was, sitting in bed reading a magazine or watching TV. I was given a potassium concoction to drink when they got really bad that would help, but not stop them. I had so many tests and was hooked up to so many machines I felt like a lab rat! Finally on the 16th day (a Saturday), my cardiologist said that I was going to have a pace-maker installed on Monday to control the irregular heartbeats. Sunday morning I woke to a regular sounding beeping on the monitor and couldn't feel any strange heartbeats. I went 24 hours w/out an episode and was released and sent home with Vorapamil. I still get "flutters" now and then, but have never experienced anything as severe as the event that hospitalized me.
I have, however, had several episodes over the past several days and am feeling the strain of it...fatigue, breathlessness, etc., so I'll probably see my doctor here in the next day or two.
Welcome, Sara!
Are you sure that you don't have another underlying heart problem aside from PVC's? Benign PVC's by themselves shouldn't cause the symptoms that you describe. As well, they wouldn't require such a long hospital stay or pacemaker. Were you ever diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia or anything else?
Hi everyone....i'm new to the group and glad i've found it....I'm 63, male, avid runner-2 marathons a year......have suffered from these things on and off for over 40 years.....My cardiologist says i'm the healthiest patient he has. I've had every test known to man and all normal. Don't use caffine, don't smoke...don't use any of the "triggers." Have also found that if I do drink tea it has no effect at all on my pvcs/pacs. Like many of you out there, these things sometimes disappear for weeks and then suddenly the reappear. Sometimes i get them when I run, sometimes not. Sometimes they come after I run, sometimes not. I'm careful with my water and gatorade intake....drink constantly - no difference. Take fish oil, magnesium, vitamin D.....no differences.....but even after 40 years i still get crazy when these things return in large numbers....even though I know (and we all know) they are benign. Surely medical science could come up with something that works for us.....I can't take a beta-blocker because it slows the heart - my resting rate is 44bpm because of all the running....*funny, my cardiologist says that means I'm in excellent heart health! *it all drives me crazy.....thanks for reading this
Run-man Don, I'm so glad to hear from you. I'm also a runner, thought not quite as dedicated as you. It's comforting to hear from someone who runs as much as you and has had PVC's for as long as you and is completely healthy.
I used to run about 3-5 times a week. It pains me to admit it, but I have been so lazy and unmotivated the past year or so because that was when my PVC's really increased in frequency. Although I'm generally OK while I'm running, they can be bad after I cool down and relax, often resulting in a very sleepless night, which gets me caught in vicious cycle of fatigue and more PVC's. So I find myself avoiding high-intensity exercise altogether and I really hate that about myself. I miss how I used to feel I was in such great shape. I can feel that I'm not in the shape I was before.
I really need to get my butt in gear. :)
thanks for responding so quickly....even though i'm "supposed" to be healthy, and i guess i am physically, but mentally these "skips" drive me crazy....funny, my running partner is my family doctor who originally sent me to the cardiologist to get checked out.....they both are the same-when i go for an appointment they both just shrug it off and say "don't worry about it." Easy for them to say....my cardiologist actually has heard many of the pvcs/pacs while listening to my heart.....as I can feel every one, i'm panicky and he's just listening and telling me it's fine.....I always leave thinking, "ok i'm a great physical speciman, why the hell am i so freaked out about this stuff!" Thanks so much for this support group....hope you have a great day.....
So true, Runman. I find that the mental challenge is much worse than the physical when it comes to PVC's. In a way, it's like a game of mind over matter. It's amazing how overall lousy I can feel physically when I'm having a bad PVC day. And I know it's much, much more than simply the skips themselves. It wears down on you mentally, which then affects you physically.
How often and how many PVC's per day would you say you get on a good vs. bad day? Do you get them every day? Do you ever find that they are more frequent after you've cooled down from a run?
Good to hear from you again....I can't tell you how much i appreciate being able to actually "talk" with someone who understands what i'm going through....my wife is a "matter of fact" person...and thinks i'm kind of nuts because she says that if the doctor says it's fine, just forget about it and move on....so i don't tell her when i have those "bad" days because that's what i'd get....in response, on bad days I usually start getting them after I wake up....they tend to continue intermittently throughout the day.....interestingly though they tend to calm down and become much less frequent as the day goes on....although that's not always the case....sometimes they hit me in large numbers when i lay down, other times only when i'm standing up....other times only when i'm sitting down.....they can suddenly disappear for weeks (with maybe one or two a day)....funny, i can avoid tea and other triggers and get them continuously then start back on tea and they disappear so i don't think caffine is a trigger for me....although that would be the only caffine i would get....maybe one glass of tea a day or so....it's so damn frustrating....and you're right, my mood can change in an instant from feeling great to being somewhat of an invalid, afraid to move.....I do notice them during my cool down periods after running....some days a lot, some days not so much....actually my cardiologist once did an echo stress test just to see-echo followed by treadmill and immediately followed by an echo....of course they showed up....he called with the test results the next day and said I was fine!....Here's something i wonder if anyone else has done - sometimes when i get them, if i'm alone in my car or in the house, i'll yell at them to stop and sometimes hit myself in the chest at the same time! Wonder if anyone else ever does that....guess I do that as my only alternative at the time.....anyway, thanks again for allowing me to "talk" with you....makes me feel better.....I hope you have a great rest of the day....(by the way, i've recently had bouts of waking in the middle of the night with my heart racing-only last about 30 seconds or so-Dr. said that was normal also....gave me xanax if I need it! I try not to take it but have used in on occasion......take care....by the way you can use "runman" or my real name - Don
Hey Don, I feel your pain. Unless you've experienced them yourself, it's really hard to relate. I think it goes to show people just how intense and scary they can be, that even though we know logically in our minds that we're OK and even though we've had them for years and years (I've had them for 15+ years and you 40), you never really get used to them. When you have a bad episode, they can be just as scary as the first time.
Do you find that the Xanax helps? I always thought Xanax was an antidepressent. It is a betablocker?
I've never tried hitting my chest, I don't think that would help me, but sometimes changing positions does. Especially at night. Sometimes I get a lot of multiples at night, like 20 in a row. When I get that many in a row, they tend to be "weaker" and so I can sit quietly but sometimes my heart will NOT go back to its normal rhythm until I sit up or turn around. Strange. That seems to tell me that position does play a role, but when they're really strong, absolutely nothing seems to help.
Do you get many multiples? That's what really freaks out most of us here, I think. We're all afraid of going into V-tach someday.
Also, have you found yours getting any worse with age? Or have they peaked? Mine seemed to have gradually gotten more frequent from age 15 to 25. Around the time I turned 27-28, they got much worse and when I turned 30, it was like an explosion and they were worse than ever before. I'm basically still in that stage now. They're really bad sometimes, but I also get good days. I have them absolutely every day. On my best days, I may only get 20 or 30, but on my worst it's probably up in the 1000+ range and really intense. A bad bout of them can last a week or two and includes several sleepless nights because of them. And then they subside for a while. Like you, I have no specific trigger except (sometimes) stress and fatigue. Sometimes I get stressed and fatigued without getting a bad bout. It's really hit or miss. I consume absolutely no caffeine, except for chocolate, which I gave up to see if it was a trigger, but it wasn't. I guess that's good, since I LOVE chocolate. :)
Thanks for your comments Claudia. I also can relate to all your suffering. Like you said, people that don't have this have no clue what we deal with. The Xanax is for anxiety and it does seem to calm me down but I don't take it often and then usually at night. I don't sleep well because I worry about these things so much. When I wake in the middle of the night my heart sometimes races but only for maybe less than a minute-anxiety I'm sure. I also agree about position. I don't care that my cardiologist says no. Often, like you I get multiples when I lie down. If I change position they usually stop for awhile. And when they show up with a vengance they usually last a while and that was not true when I was younger. Again like you, when I run they seem to be less frequent while running but much more prevalant for hours following the run. Before I forget, I don't take the Xanax often because I'm trying desparatly to handle this without taking a "nerve" pill. Guess it's a man thing. As for hitting my chest, it doesn't stop them or change anything-I just do it out of frustration. Thanks for this great blog. I hope you have a relaxing weekend.
I've been getting these for about 5 years now, quite bad at one time and was prescribed beta blockers which I'm avoiding taking. About 10 years ago I developed an allergy (eczema) which I now believe to be related to some colouring or flavouring added to foods in the last ten years, including chocolate. I'm now very careful to eat organic food or that declared to be artificial additive free but some still slips through in my diet if I'm eating out. I have now noticed that the pvcs seem to follow the flare up of my eczema. I was interested to read that for some sufferers it is triggered by chemicals. Has anyone noticed a correlation between food and pvc attacks? I would be interested to hear.
I haven't been able to pinpoint a correlation between any specific foods, but I do seem to get more PVC's after eating a really big, heavy meal. Some people find that caffeine affects them.
Runman, I can totally relate with the anxiety. Luckily I've been able to get by without meds, but I've had some difficult years because of the PVC-anxiety connection. Last year things were really bad until I discovered The Linden Method. You can see the link to it on the blog homepage for more info. I HIGHLY recommend it, it's probably the best money I ever spent. I look at anxiety totally differently now and feel much more equipped to tackle it.
Hello! I feel really lucky to have found this site as sometimes with PVC's you can feel really alone, and those lucky people who don't have then just don't understand!
I just thought I would tell my story as it may be of interest to some people. I had occasional PVC's since my teens, Then one day in October 2005 when I was 23 I had just finished riding my horse and I started to get much more noticeable PVC's. This carried on into the evening and I started to get worried. I went to the doctors and they told me it was nothing to worry about and I should just ignore it.
But as the weeks passed it got worse and worse. I was getting palpitations almost constantly which made me very light headed and breathless. One day it was so bad I took myself off to casualty.
They took an ECG and said that I was suffering from ‘ectopic beats’ which basically means that your heart has a second pacemaker which ‘fires’ off a beat out of sync. But still they told me ectopic beats were common and I shouldn’t worry. I was starting to get so frustrated as no doctor seemed to want to listen to me or take me seriously as I was ‘too young’ to have a heart condition.
I felt so ill every day due to the constant palpitations that I had to give up work and spent most days in bed due to the light-headedness and sickness I felt due to my heart beating irregularly. This was a very low point for me as I felt that I was never going to live a normal life again and I still didn’t know what was wrong with me so there was no chance of a cure.
I ended up in casualty again just after Christmas as I was close to fainting. This time I had to do a 24 hour ECG and they said I was having very frequent PVC’s, thousands a day including couplets, triplets and was also having short runs of VT. I was kept in hospital for 2 weeks but I was still a mystery to the doctors as they didn’t know what was causing the irregular heart beat.
Finally they referred me to someone at Papworth Hospital who turned out to be the most amazing doctor. He diagnosed my condition straight away. It is called RVOT (Right Ventricle Outflow Tract) tachycardia which is a very rare condition that mostly affects middle aged people. It is not life threatening (so I am told!) but it can greatly affect your quality of life.
I had my first ablation in January 2006 which unfortunately did not cure the problem. I was put on the waiting list and had a second ablation in September 2006 and since then my palpitations have been greatly reduced and I am back living an almost normal life. I can’t exercise like I did when I was younger as I find that this can aggravate it but I like to do lots of walking and Pilates to keep me fit.
When I first got ill I was so frightened and I had no-one to turn to and no-one understood what I was going through. Even the doctors didn’t believe me and I had to really fight to get taken seriously. It really should not be this way, and it makes me so angry that doctors don’t take young people seriously.
I am so grateful to the doctor at Papworth Hospital for taking me seriously and giving me back a life again. I have come to terms with the fact that I will probably never be a competitive horse rider but getting ill when you are young makes you realise that you should appreciate your health and everything good you have in life and not take anything for granted.
I am hoping that this story will help young people who have heart problems realise that they are not alone and if they are not being taken seriously be a doctor they should not give up but persevere until they get an answer. An ablation procedure is always an option if the PVC's really affect your quality of life.
Anonymous, thanks for sharing your story with us! ROVT is not something most of us are familiar with, so it's good to hear it from someone who has it.
I'm curious, did you feel your episodes of VT, or did you not know you had it until the doctors caught it during testing?
You would definitely feel the difference between a single PVC and a run of 2, 3 or more PVC's. When you have a run it literally takes your breath away and I get a rush of adrenaline and feel light headed. Sometimes I find changing position or coughing helps to get the heart beating normally again although sometimes it doesn't work! Its very scary and so hard to explain to people what it feels like. You must also understand this frustration, especially when the doctors tell you to ignore them as they are not dangerous! I wish they could feel frequent PVC's and see if they can ignore it! I hope you manage to get some relief soon. If you have any questions about anything else let me know.
I've had runs of up to 20 or 30 at a time (usually at night when I'm laying down), but I was never diagnosed with VT, even though I had told my cardiologist about the multiple PVC's (I don't think I had any that were actually recorded on the Holter that day). Was having multiples enough for you to get a VT diagnosis, or did you have a racing pulse?
I think VT is 5 or more PVC's in a row (without any normal beats in between)In a 'normal heart' short runs of VT are apparently not dangerous but I am not sure I believe it!
Usually when mine are bad my heart gets stuck in a couplet or triplet rhythym (e.g. every other beat is a PVC)which can make you feel really unwell. A holter monitor should be able to pick this kind of rhythym up. My doctor tried lots of medication but none really helped me hence the reason I had an ablation. I would definitely recommend you speak to your doctor about this if PVC's really affect your life.
Anonymous, did you ever experience a racing heartbeat? Or only irregular?
Yes I do get a racing heartbeat as well, especially if I have too much caffine or alcohol or after a large meal. I also find that my heart really races when doing small amounts of exercise, like walking up a flight of stairs but that may just be because I am so unfit these days!. I do not find the racing heartbeat as bad as the PVC's though.
Hi I have had ectopic heartbeats on and off for 4 years .Recently after the birth of my last child they have got a lot worse (from him being around 9 months) I am almost 100% sure they are hormone related as i cannot identify any other triggers. They are generally much worse mid cycle and pre menstrually. I also only ever had one episode whilst pregnant and that was a time i was under severe stress. My concern is that although i have been to the doctor(GP) twice ,2 different practices ,about these they never seem to be concerned and have never ran any tests. The first told me to relax and drink herb tea and the second told me it was normal and some people live all their lives with this and just not too worry. I have gathered from the net that this is true but shouldn't other causes be ruled out first or is there just no dangerous causes for these. Most people seem to start posts with.."as long as you have had tests....don't worry about the ectopics" so of course I still do .As I live in Spain it is difficult to get anything by demand here as the doctors are very stuck in their ways and there is a culture that you should just accept everything they say without question so its difficult to force the point. The second GP I saw as actually a private doc ,German , who I thought might run some tests just to make some cash but no luck there either!!
Am I worrying unnecessarily do you think? I am otherwise fit although i do smoke but I also exercise a lot (which seems to help the ec's a bit too).I am 42 and sometimes go a week or so without ec's and then have episodes that last days!!
Anonymous, I'm quite certain (99%) that you are OK, but I know personally what it means to have a thorough examination to rule out any underlying cause of the PVC's that may be more serious. I would recommend that you push your doctor -- switch doctors if you have to -- to see a cardiologist and to have a full exam. It will help you get peace of mind and then once you know that you're OK, you can concentrate on dealing with the anxiety that they cause.
Let us know how it goes!
Thanks Claudia . I have been looking at the Linden thing you recommended and have downloaded the first bit for free and I too am 99 pc it is down to anxiety and hormones.I have an academic background so i can really relate to his stuff as i have come across all the research he quotes before. I have had anxiety and panic attacks for years but they never manifested like this til 4 years ago. I've had my fair share of s**t over the years with my husband dying in o3 after years of drug abuse (me as co dependent),leaving me with 4 kids and an impossible situation, then my dad died last year which left a lot to deal with on top of 3 years problems with him prior to his death,(he had depression and anxiety and basically starved himself to death) so i think that may be at the root.I am also having to deal long arm with my mum who has dementia in the UK (Loads a guilt from me for not being there but need to put kids first)I really don't think I can get anywhere with the docs here as they are a bit insurmountable(without lots of money which is a bit of an anxiety issue in itself at the mo!) so i will continue to try to address the anxiety issue and hope that that will lessen the ec's. I figure if i can swim 30 lengths without keeling over then it is unlikely to be anything serious(i do that regularly) but it really helps to speak with you . I hope you know what a valuable thing you are doing here -I am sure you do!!:) Thanks again .I will try to keep in touch. x
Iv'e just found your site... searching for someone out there who understands. Iv'e been having these palpitations for years, several visits to the doctor who always reassures me there's nothing wrong. And then it's ok for a while.
I have Agoraphobia, which is a constant battle, Iv'e had it for 16 years and got to the point where I hardly went out, lost all my social life, struggled to hide things from my children,so as not to pass on my fears, obviously couldn't work... and have had strange palpitations for years too, even before the onset of my Agoraphobia.
I have just graduated from University ( local to me) which I loved and which kept me striving to be out in the world, getting by with the palpitations which were regular and distressing but i could deal with it. recently however they have increased to the point where, here I am, trying to find out once and for all what's wrong with me and desperately needing to manage this somehow. I think they are ectopic, sometimes a missed beat with an immediate catch in my throat, sometimes a series of bubbles or flutters, maybe lasting 3 seconds, and the same catch of my breath. I am trying to adjust to life beyond University, and have just managed to get my self an apprenticeship at a local Gallery. Today was my first day, everything is new to me, and naturally i'm way out of my comfort zone so I know the palpitations are linked, not only to this but the whole new era of uncertainty that i'm in. Still I just want to cry, the palpitations are taking over, becoming an obsession, I can't relax, and when I do they occur even more. ( i'm amazed Iv'e managed to stay writing this for as long as I have). Sorry if i'm babbling, I'm just getting to the end of my rope.
I didn't even ask a question! I wondered do you think it's possible for your heart to react immediately to a thought? I feel I'm causing these palpitations with all my negative thinking, it's a slippery slope. Three days ago I found a breathing program online which is supposed to cure ectopic palpitations, I downloaded it, feeling very positive, the following day I didn't experience any palpitations (though i was waiting for them constantly) but now they've returned ...of course I hadn't expected them to stop overnight, it's an 8 week program, but still just the fact that i'd done something positive towards curing them seems to have held them off for a day.
Also they increase in the days leading up to a period, is this common?
Loriloulabella, welcome! I'm glad you found us.
What you describe is classic PVC/ectopic combined with anxiety disorder. If you have PVC's, you would probably find that even if you were able to eliminate your anxiety issues, you'd still have some PVC's. So don't think that it's all in your head or that you've created this problem because of anxiety. HOWEVER, PVC's are greatly aggravated by anxiety. It can bring on a bad episode of them, or it can make it worse. There are many other triggers, and some (like you) find that there's a link between frequency of PVC's and menstrual cycle.
My hope for you would be to tackle your anxiety issues. Once you do this, I think you will find the PVC's to be much more manageable. They likely won't disappear and when you have a bad episode, you will probably still feel spooked by them. I still do sometimes, even after all I know and having learned to manage the anxiety better.
I recommend that you visit The Linden Method website and to seriously consider doing the program for yourself. No one should have to suffer from agoraphobia and there is SO MUCH hope once you understand it, what causes it, and what you can do to stop it. I've done this program myself and highly recommend it.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! You can also find us on Facebook (the group link is on the sidebar list of links).
Also, your question about whether the heart can respond immediately to a thought. Yes, I'm sure it does. It's the natural anxiety (fight or flight) response. You know how if you've suddenly been given some shocking news, you feel an immediate sinking in your stomach and rapid increase of pulse? It's the same with anxiety. We feed ourselves negative thoughts all the time (sometimes unconsciously) and our bodies release stress hormones, which can give palpitations, racing pulse, etc.
Anonymous, my heart goes out to you and I think you must be an incredibly strong person to have survived all the turmoil in your life. It's no wonder you suffer from PVC's with so much stress in your life. Hang in there, you're not alone, and keep us up to date on your situation!
Thanks Claudia .Well they do say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger-I guess you just have to believe that!! But it's not all bad I have 6 lovely kids (the last one came along after 3 miscarriages so was a lovely thing when i thought i couldn't have any more(I'm just greedy I guess!!But they are so beautiful))Also I have a lovely new partner since my husband died and I am living in Spain which is a bit more laid back!!So I always try to count my blessings, just seems my subconscious doesn't want to play I think!:). So I am looking at all my old psychology books at the stuff Linden is based on at the moment and it does seem to make sense. I will keep you posted and thank you again xx
Does anyone suffer these pvc"s while driving and if so, how do you cope with them?
I don't really drive, so it's not something that I've really thought about. But since I have them all the time, I can definitely sympathize with how scary it must be to drive when you're feeling jolts or heart-stopping sensations. Perhaps it would be wise to avoid driving on days when they're really bad because they may affect your concentration.
Haven't posted in awhile so thought i'd see how everyone is doing....Claudia, I know you also are a runner and i think the pvcs increase our anxiety level because we also run.....think i posted this before but because of all the running my resting heart rate is VERY slow - about 44bpm....I can't speak for anyone else, but at rest when i get pvcs, it REALLY seems like forever before the next beat comes. My cardiologist, of course, just listens to my heart and usually says something like "remarkable!" Even if he hears a pvc/pac, etc....he, like all of the doctors out there, just shrugs it off, and says something like "you're in excellent shape." So why can't we get it through our heads and go on with our lives? Really frustrating.....Hope all of you that are posting are doing well.....hand in there and take care.
Hey runman, I'm doing OK. Have had a couple of OK weeks. A few nights were a bit bad, but sometimes it helps to sleep with my upper torso propped up on a couple of pillows, laying on my left side. Not sure whether it was just coincidence or whether it's an effective way to reduce the heart-squeezing/stopping sensation.
I was running regularly for a while and then I had a couple of bad runs where I had a hard time taking a deep breath, got kind of freaked out, and had to walk instead. I have mild asthma that sometime makes me cough and wheeze a bit after vigorous exercise, especially in the cold, but it's hard to know whether it was that or whether it was just anxiety from a few PVC's I was feeling during the run. Sometimes I really feel that this is a mind game more than anything. The mind is such a powerful thing that it's hard to know how much is purely physical and how much is aniety-related.
Hi Claudia! First, I want to say thank you for starting this blog. I had no idea there are so many people with this annoying but scary problem. I am 24 and I just currently got diagnosed with pvc’s. I too started feeling them when I was around 16. At that time, I went to a couple of cardiologist but they never found anything wrong with me since it didn’t happen very often. My pvc’s were never actually detected until I wore a one month monitor about two months ago, almost eight years later. The monitor records an ekg every time I push a button after feeling a symptom and then sends a printout of the results to my doctors office. I was happy to hear I wasn’t the next case on mystery diagnosis and my pvc’s were benign. I don’t feel them as much yet, maybe 15 to 20 a day at most but it’s still a very frightening experience. Some days are worse than others but I’ve learn to live with them. There is a new symptom though that I have been feeling for about two weeks which is a little scary. It comes and goes very quickly. I can be driving a car or simply lying down when out of nowhere I feel a faint feeling as if though I were falling back. Have you or anyone else felt this?
Glad you found us, Anonymous and Juan!
Juan, I think I may have experienced somewhat the sensation that you described, but it's usually only if I bend over or am in a certain position. I've had some scary episodes where I feel like I'm going to faint, like my heart is going to stop. I also have very low blood pressure (last I checked it was 90/50) but my cardiologist said I was OK.
Hi again Claudia I haven't been on here for a while but a lot has happened recently in my life and has aggravated my PVC "attacks" and I need some advice. They went for a while and so I felt a lot more relaxed but sadly my dad died 4 months ago and a week before his funeral they returned and I get them all day every day. My doctor says its down to stress as I cared for him and was with him when he passed so I had a traumatic 6 weeks not including all the grieving I've been through. A couple of nights this week I have been woken up by them thudding quite prominently in my chest (different from the mild thuds you normally experience with PVC's). I try and calm myself down and they only have lasted several minutes this severely but they have really scared me. It's been bad enough trying to live with them constantly but these bad "episodes" will carry on worrying me more until I get reassurance. Have you or anyone else experienced this? Do you think magnesium tablets would help? Thanks.
I was diagnosed with pvcs about 5 years ago. I had all the standard tests done except for a stress test. Should I get a stress test done because they seem to be getting worse? I'm afraid to exercise.
Hi Barbara,
I don't think that a stress test is a common test that is run to diagnose PVC symptoms. So I wouldn't worry about not having had one up until now. I had been to two different cardiologists over a span of about 15 years, who diagnosed me with PVC's without doing a stress test. I had my first one done last year after my PVC's had gotten worse. You may feel better after getting a re-evaluation, including a stress test and echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) and Holter monitor done by your cardiologist if you find that they're worse now. I can assure you that it's highly unlikely that you have any structural problem with your heart, even though the PVC's have gotten worse. But it's always a good idea to rule that possibility out. Talk to your cardiologist about exercise. I'm quite certain that he will advise you exercise regularly, as getting your heart rate up through exercise can help you manage PVC's better. Most find that the PVC's are much less during exercise.
Claudia thank you so much for this blog...I have been searching everywhere for something exactly like this. There is comfort in numbers:)
I have not been officially diagnosed with PVC's but all the reading that I have done leads me to believe they are my problem.
I have suffered over the past several years with noticing the occasional skipped beat, and at times it would get more noticable at night when I would lie down or when I would set down to watch t.v. I spoke with my doctor about them at an annual physical and he assured me they were normal and usually brought on by stress.
I had not had any problems for probably a year until a month ago when I was going through a very stressful week at work and man has my situation changed. That week at work I had these horrible beats for several hours at a time everyday. I almost went to the hospital one day but decided to go for a walk at lunch to relax and the darn things stopped. (of course, only to return later, but they did subside for some time)
I went to my GP after two weeks of suffering from these things. Of course he knows that I am prone to stress and anxiety and I was afraid he would just tell me not to worry about it again. However I did have a "skip" while he was listening to my heart. He did an EKG and it was normal. My heart rate was high(100) while I was there because I was scared to death and he prescribed Topral XL and told me not to worry. He said that stress caused to much adreneline and that causes the bottom chambers of the heart to act like a pacemaker and to misfire. I researched the medicine when I got home and decided that I don't feel comfortable taking it at this time. My BP was 121/80 yesterday and I have been taking my resting heart rate and it is usually in the low 70's, so I feel like I am in the normal range on both of those.
My doctor never really gave a "name" to what I have so I don't know if I should insist on further testing. Such as a holter monitor.
It has been several weeks since I saw my doctor and I have felt whatever it is everyday since then. Some days are better than others. Sometimes I will just notice what feels like a pause or catch at several times throughout and then at other times it feels like my heart is going to flop out of my chest and can last for hours. At these times my first reaction is to grab my chest. It makes me catch my breath. When I get these strong ones I also notice that I have an uncontrollable urge to cough. It is a dry tickly cough. It's weird. Have you ever had that?
Am I supposed to know when I am having a "run" of these things and are they bad?
I can at times tie them to stress and then sometimes not. Alcohol seems to be a big trigger for me. They funny thing is that when I do have a glass of wine I don't notice them the rest of the evening, but I do notice that after drinking the next day is usually worse for me.
I worked out on the elliptical last night for 30 minutes and only noticed a couple while I was doing it, but I was "looking" for them the whole time also.
I cannot imagine having this the rest of my life (41, female). Granted it could be worse (if PVC'S are what I actually have), but I feel like I have suffered from every possible anxiety related illness that there is, and it really stinks! Especially since the stress this time was a work related problem that was short term, now I am worrying constantly about these darn beats.
Sorry this is so lengthy, it just felt good to pour it all out to someone that gets it. I keep telling myself that if what I have was something really bad that after a month I would either be dead or have other sypmtoms to go along with it. Trying to not worry sure isn't easy!! Thanks so much for "listening":)
Teresa, I'm glad that you found us. First of all, all of what you describe is very typical of PVC's. Everyone experiences them slightly differently, but I'm sure we can all relate to what you've described. "Runs" or "bouts" of PVC's can last for a day, or even a few weeks, as in my case. I don't have a specific, consistent trigger, but stress and fatigue can definitely propell me into a bout sometimes. And yet not always.
It's good you recognize your anxiety issues because when it comes to managing PVC's, anxiety is probably 90% of the battle. If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to focus on healing your anxiety issues. Once you tackle those, the PVC's may lessen. They probably won't disappear, but I feel confident that they will be fewer and less intense, and when you do have bad bouts of them, your anxiety won't keep you stuck in that vicious cycle. I highly recommend The Linden Method (see side bar for more info). It has been by far the most helpful tool for me personally in dealing with anxiety.
was just wondering if anyone has gotten on disability form pvcs or panic attacks because i know how hard is to function with both, thanks
Claudia,
Great Website!!
I am 60, in pretty good shape--I run 3.5 miles 4 or 5 times a wk, and have been a member of the PVC club for eighteen yrs. Like most on this post, cardios have judged my PVCs to be benign and I also battle the anxiety cycle when they show up at 2:00 in the morning. I get as many as 7 or 8 a minute for hours, aggravated(I think) by anxiety and I have some days that are light with less tha 100 per day and some in the 2000 range. My resting pulse is around 50 and my cardio thinks the low pulse rate is a contributor to the problem. Weirdly, atenolol(beta blocker) sems to lower or eliminate the PVCs even as it further lowers my pulse. I want to encourage new sufferers to work on the anxiety issue as well--the bottom line is that PVCs do not damage the heart, but they can attack our sense of well being which is where we live our lives--and I think learning a new way to look at our health challenges will be hugely helpful. As a Christian, I feel very challenged by the Scriptural injunction to be "anxious for nothing" when by nature I am so anxious about heart palpitations. Claudia, thanks again for this very excellent format for discussion.
Doug
Well, I got my 48 hour Holter monitor back today, not thrilled at all with the results.
Single PVC's in 48 hours: 1,579
(yup, 789 per day)
Single/Late VE: 1
Pac's: 1
Bi/Trigeminy: 3/107 beats
No significant pauses seen
Heart rate avg was 64 BPM
PR and QRS durations were within normal durations.
Here is the messed up part. I feel about 10-20 per day, mostly at night. Oddly, my 2006 Holter show EIGHT, yes EIGHT PVC's and 4 PAC's, that was it. Since that time I have been on 50mg of Toprol and they have increased 100x????
All in all, they boil down to be 0/9%, less then 1% of the time, but I am going to cardiologist for follow up, then a cardiac electrophysiologist for another follow up.
Dealing with PVC;s is bullcrap, knowing about them in this great detail is even worse.
EKG was perfectly normal
Echo was good
So it goes to show you, you don't know crap without a Holter, and even lots can change in a few years. 3 years ago I had few, now I have tons - though I am suffering from Bronchitis at the moment and rumors are that sickness can increase them due to oxygen depletion?
Hi Claudia, Thank you so much for this blog it has made me realize I am not alone or crazy.
Here is my story. I have been plagued by these pvc's for 24 years off and on. Lately been worse. I have gone into SVT on a couple of occasions after a bout of pvc's. It is very scary and I can so relate to all of you. Doctor put me in the hospital and put on Flecainide 100mg 2 times a day and Atenanol 25 mg. Has only been 5 days since starting therapy. I am not empressed so far. I am not crazy about being an a class 1 antiarythamic drug but I can't take it no more. It has totalaly disabled me. I am afraid to do anything and especially afraid to be by myself. I will give it some time. Meanwhile I am going to look into vitamin b deffiancy and maybe mineral or hormonal imbalance. I will keep you all posted. Oh if it helps sometime if I am having a bad run taking an ice cold shower knocks them out or ice packs on my vagus nerves on both sides at one time. Crazy Hah.
Just found your site. I'm a long time sufferer too. I have my own blog at www.adanceinmyheart.blogspot.com. Hope we can visit each other's pages from time to time.
I started having palpitations when I was just 22. When the symptoms first started occurring I was terrified. Getting medical attention wasn't easy either. It seemed like no one would take me seriously. After 2 years of living my life without knowing what was wrong with me I finally got a full cardio work up and to my surprise everything came out normal. To this day I still don't know what causes my palps but I am learning to live with them. I actually made a website just as a support group. Please visit me
https://www.heart4pvc.webs.com
Hi Shea, My story is long so I will not bore you with all the details I have had arythmias since I am 21 I am now 46 and suffer more now than ever. I have had 2 ep study and 1 ablation and now I find out have to have another one. In addition I am on very toxic anti arythimic drugs. I understsnd perfectly whaat you are going through most cardiologist do not take young people serious. My advice t oyou is if you are fearful of your condiction like I spent most of my life keep looking for the right electrophyologist ne that uses a state of the art mapping system and has the experience to cover the entire heart and not just the atrium. this is very important. It would be better to nip it now then when it gets worse. If you have any other questions you can always email me personally.linda9211@aol.com. Good luck and god bless.
linda
Thanks linda, it is always good to know that your not alone. Its amazing how many people have PVC's!!!
shea
I've suffered from PVCs now for about 18 months. Have tried Magnesium, Breathing techniques etc but no joy. As I am a fully qualified Naturopath, I have now gone down the Herbal path. Hawthorn leaves now seem to have almost stopped my PVCs. I was getting 800 per 24hrs while on Holter monitor. Now I get a couple of low intensity flutters a week. I take dried Hawthorn tops (Cratageus Monogyna) which I wildcraft as a tea (infused for 10 minutes in boiling water) 1teaspoon twice daily. It only took 2 days before I noticed a marked difference.
Hi great blog. I developed these PVCs this past June. I may have had them eaelier just not symptomatic.
I pride myself in keeping in excellent physical condition and do not know why I was blessed with this.
I saw a cardiologist had every test I could get taken to be sure there was no underlying problem all came back negative.
I am 54 years old and take topral now 25mg daily. It seems to keep the palpatations down but get pissed that this is something I now have to deal with.
I have also stopped all caffeine products since this past June/2010.
Thanks for your information and blog.
Richard Haynes
Punta Gorda, Florida.
I have had PVC's for decades..all the tests and all-no chest pain, dizziness or arm numbness. The ones, if they are pvc's, are the rapid fire ones that last about 5 seconds. It feels like a flock of butterflies in my chest and always scares me! Ayone else have these and know what I mean..thanks1
I have lived with severe PVCs for many years. Currently, I'm taking Bystolic to ease them and I've been told that due to the severity I am a candidate for ablasion.
It's funny but I have found that drinking a Bloody Mary will eliminate the symptoms. Of course this isn't a good solution but I suspect it is either the potasium or the magnesium that is helping.
Does anyone have any idea which?
Hi Everyone,
Not sure if Claudia you are still responding to posts or if anyone else is reading. I share many concerns with many of the contributors on this particular blog.
I too have suffered with Anxiety and have since I was 13 when my grandparent passed. I am now 33. The skipped/missed heartbeats started in 2002 when I was 25. For years they were very infrequent, I learned to live with them pretty much. I had 3 visits to 2 different cardiologists in this time and I had most of the tests inc: Stress Test, ECG, 24hr ECG, EchoCardiogram - All of which say I am in fine heart health. I am hoping my symptoms do not start to exceed or reach anywhere near what some of you are experiencing. I used to experience them once or twice a day every other day and sometimes not have anything for months. However havign moved house, has another baby and having a stressful job through a recession, my anxiety is back with a vengence and I went back to a cardiologist. All the above tests redone but this time he cause anumber of atrial? Eptopics and also Ventricular Eptopic Beats. He is saying the premature eptopics are normal and everyone including himself gets them and whilst the VEB's are unusual in someone my age, because my heart structure etc is normal they are of "no clinical significance" and that I now have to learn to live with them. To be absolutely certain I have just paid £1,300 for a Private MRI scan of my heart and I await the results.
I sort of have 5 different types, from the fluttering, through the premature with a thud, to the smaller ones which almost go buy undetected to one which feels like my heart is trying to get out of my chest.
Of late, as others have said,I do tend to get a stronger heartbeat when doing something minimal like climbing stairs or going to the loo or playing wiht the kids? aNY IDEAS? I perosnally thing this is the adrenalin because of my anxiety of the PVC/VEB's.
I tender to get between 1 and 5 daily and mostly when eating or going to sleep. I dont get them when I excercise and have only just noticed them when cooling down from excercising - do you think this could be the anxiety of excercising causing them?
I havent tried Magnesium, Herbal remedies or Betablockers. I will now try magnesium and herbal but if they dont calm down after that and CBT for anxiety, I may consider betablockers as some of you have said they eliminated them for you.
Great to share my concerns and hear everyone elses. I am stunned that such a common "condition" is not taken more seriously by the heart and medical profession.
If one of us wins the lottery we need to put a £5m bounty on a cure for these terribly life affecting conditions.
FYI: I take chamomile and Vervain tincture from herbal hands for my anxiety and it does seem to help.
Good Luck and Stay as positive as you possibly can.
Mark
hey there,
just wanna say that your blog has helped, i started getting them when i was about 17 and doc basically said that it wasnt real and that i shouldnt worry then when i fell pregnant - which for alot of woman is when they can actually start, they got worse id mentioned to the nurse and she got me booked in with cardio, who gave clean bill of health and basically said 'if it aint broke dont fix it' that helped me greatly but there are times when they are so bad that i actually feel like my heart will explode or forget to kick back in again, its a scary condition and alot of people think that its just a little daft thing im glad to hear that im not on my own with this, in the years that i had them with no diagnosis i actually began to suffer from GAD and think that if id been diagnosed sooner that i wouldnt have suffered with the anxiety as badly as i have, however the anti-depressants that im on for the GAD actually help to mask them for the most part anyway anyway thats my story, thanks for giving me a chance to talk through it x
i have had pvc's but now they are taken care of by metoprolol i need serious advice tho cause idk how to make the heavy heart beats stop it bothers me to insanity please email me at thompsondarren41@yahoo.com
hello ,
ive always had the occasional heart delay and over the last 3 months they have become as frequent as daily and can last up to 12 hours ! I have had the obligatory gp recommendation of a 24 hour ecg which is soon to happen and have had it labelled as an eptopic heart beat . I have always led a healthy lifestyle regarding fitness and eating , but have also led a party lifestyle . Im worried its that , that may of caused this inconvenience . I cant even begin to stress how amazing this sight is and any advice would be more than appreciated ! Its getting me down to the extent where i think 'what's the point', then soon realise how ridiculous im acting . I see lots of suggestions in the calming of this condition and appreciate each body clock is different but would you avoid the beta blockers ? Not sure who im actually talking to but me typing this alone has helped . Please help and reply/advice against this hell .
I'm 73 years old and I've had extra systoli since I was 17. My wedding night was the most embarrassing---like ALL night! I was beside myself. I rushed to the doctor the next day and was told to relax and get a hobby.
I have found that breathing properly helps a lot. I'm scheduled for a echocardiogram to take a look at a heart murmur that's appeared this year. I too could use some encouragement 'cause I'm enjoying this life.--
I'm 73 years old and I've had extra systoli since I was 17. My wedding night was the most embarrassing---like ALL night! I was beside myself. I rushed to the doctor the next day and was told to relax and get a hobby.
I have found that breathing properly helps a lot. I'm scheduled for a echocardiogram to take a look at a heart murmur that's appeared this year. I too could use some encouragement 'cause I'm enjoying this life.--
Hello! Glad to find you all, as I'm currently experiencing a bout of PVCs. This is not my first experience with them, I've had them most of my adult life. Maybe longer, I just was not aware of it. This particular time I've had a lot of stress in my life, as well as have had gastritis. I have found there to be a stomach/PVC connection. After I eat, I get a lot of them. As I digest they get less frequent. Very unsettling, although I know all about them, have been here before. I does help to find others who have them too, who understand what I'm going through. Thanks for being here, for offering this support.
Hi, I am so pleased to have found this blog. I've been searching for something like this for months! Basically, I think I've had ectopics for the majority of my life but only really noticed them as odd when I was around 23. It began as me having one or two daily to as little as a couple per monnth. However, this August I had quite an intense ectopic that gave me an instant headache. After that I began getting more and more, which is when my anxiety began to develop. For the next few months up until now I've been getting more and more. I've gone from having 3-4 per day to perhaps 50-100 some days, most of which I can cope with but after a long day at work and a load of ectopics is does take it's toll on my mood. I am now 25 and have tried all sorts to help. I was originally given propanolol for the anxiety, which did also seem to calm the ectopics, but the initial reaction of my body to the beta-blocker was not pleasant! My heart began racing and I was drenched in sweat within 30 seconds or so. I felt awful and pretty faint for around 15mins until it calmed down. After that initial ordeal it seemed to work ok, however I haven't taken another since as I didn't want to go through that horrible reaction again.
So far I have tried breathing exercises, meditation, flax seed (which I have in smoothies), since being diagnosed I haven't drank (apart from one time, which had no effect whatsoever...)and I don't smoke anyway, exercise and going out for a walk seems to settle them for a bit. I haven't tried magnesium yet but I may give that a go, also the dried hawthorn tops sound like a good thing to try also.
During the worst part of my anxiety I used to fear heart attacks, heart failure, and basically that my heart might stop and I might die. Luckily I've got through the worst of that now, partly thanks to the citalopram I'm taking for anxiety. Until I read the blogs today I have been worried about heart failure but I am extrememly glad to hear that ectopics do not cause such conditions!
I fear now that I will struggle to cope if I get more but it seems so silly when this is not a harmful condition, physically anyway. I consider myself pretty fit and healthy so there should be no reason to fear them, but of course as everyone has been saying, it's easier said than done!
This site has actually helped me a lot already and I'll continue to check up on the latest posts! I've only read this thread so far! Already requested to join the facebook group too =)
I see a lot of people suffer a great deal more than me, which makes me feel a bit silly as I sometimes struggle to cope. However, this also gives me strength as I see that everyone else is getting through it day by day, even though it can be and often is horrible, so why can't I get through each day as well. I have been greatly inspired by you all and I wish everyone the best of health for the future.
Take care,
Kind regards,
Tom Fletcher
Leicester (Near Nottingham)
England =)
Tom, I'm so glad that you found us. PVCs are super scary, but quite common and almost always harmless. So glad that you've joined the Facebook group. There's a lot more going on there than here.
Hi Claudia,
Thank you for adding me to the facebook group. It has been really helping talking to everyone and seeing what everyone else is going through as I can now finally relate to someone!
They are very scary indeed. Having a bad day today, must have had a good 300-400 at least so far today =( not had this many before and it's really getting to me. I've booked an appointment to see the Dr later, however I know I'll just get the same response as normal but at least it'll give me piece of mind...for a few days at least!
I have been suffering with these pvc's for many years. I used to have tachycardia but the were ablated and that was successful. I never had pvc's when I had the tachycardia and now I do. Sometimes, I feel like my heart wants to go back to the tachycardia but the doctor has assured me that it won't. I hate them because they literally feel like a drum roll in my chest and I can actually hear them. I have gone to the ER several times suffering with them and nothing can be done. I am on an anti-arrhythmia medication called mexilletine but i think it has stopped working. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Hi I just found your blog,I'm 56 years old and had a 'stent' fitted in Jan 2012 for a coronary artery blockage. My recovery was going well, I changed my diet, started exercising regularly again and lost 3 1/2 stone in 3 months. Then one day, out of the blue, I got a terrifying jolt, like going on a roller coaster, that took my breath away. These spasms then started happening every few days without warning. The sense of outright terror was/is unbelievable- having heard recent cardiac treatment the first worry is that there's stil something wrong. In the last fourteen months I've been backwards and forwards to my doctor, been tried on various drugs, had scans etc. mostly aimed at my stomach (due to the bowel-loosening consequences of the spasms,had a course of CBT and been to A&E three times when the spasms were unbearable. All the time I was told my heart wasn't the problem. It's been a real struggle getting through each week- I'm self-employed & can't afford to take sick-leave. This last Thursday I had a really bad day, with spasms every two/three minutes over several hours & in desperation I drove to the local A&E, who checked me out- they did an ECG and other tests and told me my heart was good but it was doing benign ectopic beats, quite harmless, no treatment required and sent me home. I'm relieved that at last I've got an accurate diagnosis after so much anxiety and suffering but the medics were at a loss to tell me how I could live a normal life while experiencing such terrifying sensations. It seems that as this condition isn't immediately harmful, it's not taken as seriously as it should be. I wondered if there were any campaigns to raise awareness and maybe research?
Thanks and regards,
Trevor (UK)
Hey everyone, I am beyond relieved I found this blog. I've had skipped/extra beats since 2008 but have suffered from anxiety since I was a kid. 4yrs ago I was woken up by a racing and pounding heart, compounded by a full-blown panic attack because I also happen to be a hypochondriac. I was freaked out and so the next day I went out and got blood tests, multiple ecgs, an echocardiogram and even a brain scan. Tests revealed anxiety and very mild MVP (so mild the cardio didn't even write it on my record). Fast forward to a couple nights ago when I again got woken up, not by tachycardia, but with what felt like vibrations in my heart (or chest area near the heart). Felt them all day the next day, and it got worse in the evening where they felt like one on top of the other. I've never had skipped beats lasting that long so I was sat there thinking I was about to pass out and die. My bf was of no help at all bec he thought it was just my anxiety playing up again. I fell asleep out of exhaustion from worrying and woke up the next morning dreading the day. But I didn't have any episodes! Today's the 2nd day and I'm still episode free. But of course there's that nagging panic that it might come back and with a vengeance. Doesn't help that I'm a hypochondriac and a worrywart! I guess my question is, how or why they suddenly come and go?! It's driving me nuts! Thanks you guys, somehow getting all this off my chest has made me feel better already. Hang in there everyone!
Hi claudia nice to see this blog i have had thses for 3 years now and the thumps are getting harder sometimes they can nock me backwards when i am walking has someone else experiance this
Hi claudia nice to see this blog i have had thses for 3 years now and the thumps are getting harder sometimes they can nock me backwards when i am walking has someone else experiance this
Hi and after reading this from the top to the very bottom it has reassured me again the last few weeks i have suffered from anxiety and panic which i have suffered from since these started in 2013 i have learned to live with it but the last few weeks i have been thinking to much about them but after reading this it is making me feel a little reassured i have been getting longer palputations the last six month were the heart beats faster for a few second but now it last 30 40 second upto a minute sometimes it happens everyday on top of the pvc which can be just like a little bubble to a thud which can stop me right in my tracks but any how been 2 years now next month remember it like yesterday when it started happning one saturday after noon i lived with that day thinking it would go but it lasted all day every 4 to 8 minutes nextday went to hospital had numerous holters scan heart experts and all said the same i was not going to drop down dead thank god it was a relief to hear that then came after all the panic attacks anxiety any how is there any face book sites i can join sorry about bad spelling and jumping from one thing to another
I suffered for 5 years.
I finally discovered I had severe anemia. Once treated for that, the PVCs disappeared.
Get your ferritin levels checked, not only the hemoglobin levels.
Hi thanks for that I will get it checked out tomorrow
So, I've had the feelings as if my heart is "stopping" for awhile now off and on. I went over 3 years without even a single one! Yes, they started with my first pregnancy 11 years ago. They have gotten really bad over the last 2 years. I get a "stopped" feeling usually only one at a time but it does take my breathe away sometimes. This sends me into a major panic attack which I have learned to settle myself down from. My thing is, I've had the echo, holter ekgs Ect. When in the er they give me Xanax or Ativan. I've been doing well with my anxiety throughout the month until I get 1 skipped thud and the rest of the day is shot and probably week. I don't get hundreds a day like some but I wonder if I just don't feel them. They are noticed within 7 of my period starting. After I start I'm good for at least 2 weeks. Sometimes when I ovulate I will have one but not all the time. I have recently been diagnosed with Hashimotos but my thyroid function is in range. These pauses or stops I feel in my pulse and terrifying me! Please help
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Irrespective of receiving daily oral or future injectable depot therapies, these require health care visits for medication and monitoring of safety and response. If patients are treated early enough, before a lot of immune system damage has occurred, life expectancy is close to normal, as long as they remain on successful treatment. However, when patients stop therapy, virus rebounds to high levels in most patients, sometimes associated with severe illness because i have gone through this and even an increased risk of death. The aim of “cure”is ongoing but i still do believe my government made millions of ARV drugs instead of finding a cure. for ongoing therapy and monitoring. ARV alone cannot cure HIV as among the cells that are infected are very long-living CD4 memory cells and possibly other cells that act as long-term reservoirs. HIV can hide in these cells without being detected by the body’s immune system. Therefore even when ART completely blocks subsequent rounds of infection of cells, reservoirs that have been infected before therapy initiation persist and from these reservoirs HIV rebounds if therapy is stopped. “Cure” could either mean an eradication cure, which means to completely rid the body of reservoir virus or a functional HIV cure, where HIV may remain in reservoir cells but rebound to high levels is prevented after therapy interruption.Dr Itua Herbal Medicine makes me believes there is a hope for people suffering from,Parkinson's disease,Schizophrenia,Cancer,Scoliosis,Fibromyalgia,Fluoroquinolone Toxicity
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