I like to read laying in bed before going to sleep each night and I've noticed in recent months that there seems to be a connection between laying on my back for extended periods of time and the PVC's. I can have an average day of perhaps a couple of hundred mild PVC's (which is a "quiet" day for me) and then after an hour or two of reading, I might have a horrible, sleepless night of heart-stopping sensations and jolts. And yet other nights are no problem. So it's not a set pattern, but I tend to think there is a connection.
I also sometimes get couplets and multiples and the worst ones have usually been at night when I've been awakened from a certain position (I tend to sleep on my side or stomach). Sometimes I will get up to around 40 irregular beats in a row. As soon as I sit up or turn around, my heart will go back into its normal rhythm, but NOT until then. Since it's usually the middle of the night and I'm really tired and groggy, they're very mild. I feel them, but they're not as scary as they usually are, and so I've dared to push it and see just how many multiples I get in that position without sitting up. It seems to never get back to normal on its own, and after about 40 or so, I've had enough and change positions to get my normal rhythm back.
On occasion, when bending over forwards to pick something up, I've had some really scary couplets that were so intense that I felt close to fainting.
This tells me that there must be some connection between position and PVC's. I'm just not sure why, but I tend to think that it may have something to do with the vagus nerve (although from what I understand, the vagus nerve affects heart rate more than rhythm), or perhaps some other nerve.
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Its so funny that you mention this. I feel like if I lay a certain way I get them. Usually if I'm on my back as well also I've gotten them sometimes when I bend over. I just got done having an episode of PVC's. I had to clean the car off of the foot and a half of snow so I can go to work and I guess over exerted myself and got a good amount. I have been getting them for a little over 4 years now and still have a very hard time dealing with them. I feel like I'm gonna die and am just waiting for it to happen. I feel like I'm not living my life like I should be.
Well I got my Holter monitor back today, not thrilled at all with the results.
Single PVC's in 24 hours: 1579
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.
CORRECTION:
I had 1,579 PVC's in 48 hours, not 24 hours. Still, I recorded about 65 in my journal, so it goes to show you that what you feel and what is going on are 2 different things.
Most of mine occurred at night, probably because I take Toprol in morning and med is wearing off.
Thanks for setting up this blog. I've been struggling with PVCs for only a few months. Can relate to so many of these comments. Even though I'm told they are harmless, I have thoughts I'm going to die or it'll turn into fibrillation. Comforting to know I'm not alone in this. So just to get some further comfort are the following symptoms typical: I often don't feel well when they happen - shaking, a little breathless, "weak at the knees"" and light headed. Often following at attack I get rapid heart rate for a few minutes (I'm on a beta bloc to try and control all this but still happens)
thanks
I can pretty much relate to everything I am reading. I am a 43year old woman and have been getting PVC's on and off for about 5 years. I have even gone to the ER several times with the PVC's but they tell me I am fine and send me home. Occassionally my heart will race. I typically don't race when I am having PVC's and vise versa. I actually am having a good batch of them now. I have been thru all the tests the ekg's, the ultra sounds, the holter monitor, a month long monitor that I wore for 24hours straight, blood work. I am told that my heart is structurally fine. That is great but when I get the PVC's it is hard to keep that in mind. I worry that this time they will turn into something worse...a-fib or a heart attack. They seem worse at night, doesn't matter if I am sitting, standing or laying down...though when I lay down, they are definately worse when lying on my left side. I can have a round of them when I bend or squat down as well. I do not ever have caffine, I get my sleep, my overall health is good, low blood pressure and don't drink much alcohol at all. However, I still get them pretty bad. When I am in a fury of them, I often feel a bit light headed. I do have anxiety and am told that can make them worse. But most of the time when I get them, I do not think I am anxious. It is so very frustrating and scary!! It definately keeps me from doing things and realy living my life. I want so desperately to find something to cure them. I sometimes wonder if they get worse when I eat certain foods or if maybe I don't breathe properly (too shallow). When someone tells me that it is just the way my heart is..that it is normal for my heart. I can't beleive that because it does not happen all the time. There are times they are not there. I don't know anyone personally who has these so I feel very alone. So I understand all of you!! Tired and Frustrated!!
Yes, the arrthymia (oh phoar, I can NEVER spell it!) is always, always, worse when I lie down. It can go on for hours & the only thing I can do is get up in order to get it to stop. My bed used to be my place of refuge, now I get scared to even go to bed! Whatever the medicos say, these heartbeat abnormalities ARE affected by posture!
Hi everybody..
I first had PVCs about 18 months ago. I had them for about 10 days, to all the tests done everything was fine and then they somehow disappeared...then I had maybe one or 2 that I actually "felt" maybe once a month. Then I had a bad episode again last September, so bad that they actually took me to the ER...I layed there for 6 hours straight showing PVCs every 3rd of 4th beat. Had a ultrasound and bubblestudy done and everything came back fine again...they lasted for a couple of weeks and then again became "manageable" again. Now this episode has been going on for about 3-4 weeks, with almost no breaks...I feel them ALL the time..I go to sleep with them, I wake up with them...they are ALWAYS there! HELP!! I am going crazy! I feel lightheaded most of the time and extremely fatigued. Nothing seems to help and there are no real "triggers" that I can pinpoint, since they are always there. I am glad others feel the same but I cannot believe there is nothing that can be done for these things.. :-(
Mel
Mel, have you had any blood work done to check your potassium and thyroid hormone levels? Those could bring on PVC's, but most of the time people seem to have a hard time pinpointing a real trigger. Also, have you been going through any stress in your life?
One thing I can suggest is trying a magnesium supplement. Not pills, but in a liquid or powder to liquid form. Some people find that this really helps.
To everyone, just wanted to apologize for not getting around to answering personally to every one of your comments. I've been really busy lately and have been falling behind. I seem to get new comments almost daily now, which is unfortunate because it means there are many PVC sufferers out there, but on the bright side it means that we're not alone!
Claudia, yes they did all the bloodwork...and yes, I have a lot of stress as far as my 15 yr old daughter goes. We just moved to the US from Germany. I am german and she is dual but she grew up in Germany. When you move a 15yr old you are prone to get problems, but I never could have imagined they are that severe and long lasting. She has been depressed for 8 months now and it has probably affected me more than I think. every mother can probably relate when I say that we are not happy as long as we see our children suffer. That is really the one thing that has mentally drained me and I am thinking about maybe asking for a low dose antidepressent for myself. Thanks for the tip on Magnesium, but I also know that it is dangerous to overload on Magnesium if you have good levels.
I have a cardiologist appointment in 3 weeks (!) so hopefully I will know more then.
Another sufferer here. I am finding it hell. Some days are not as bad as others. I can put up with the odd light thump against my chest wall. But when they are hard thumps and the dizziness I get sometimes for weeks - well that makes me feel like life is just not worth living.
I was not anxious until I started getting these...now I am queen of anxiety and panic attacks. My doctor says these are caused by anxiety but can that be right? I am sure being anxious makes them worse, but I am sure the chicken did come before the egg so to speak.
I have been comforted a lot by RLR, a retired neurologist who runs this website and explains exactly what is going on with our bodies:
http://palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
I am looking for someone who can tell me that yes they had them, and then they went
Kinda funny. I picked up my prescription for a beta blocker today...strangely my PVCs are not as extreme as they have been for the last few weeks. I will try it though. anybody here have experience with beta blockers?
I do know some people have been helped with beta blockers.
I did try a beta blocker but it made me wheeze. I do have a wheezy chest and I think these made it worse for me.
Typer, do you have asthma? People who have asthma generally can't use beta blockers because it suppresses something in the breathing mechanism that can make it dangerous for asthmatics. But I think that if you have very mild asthma, most doctors aren't too worried about it.
No I have never been diagnosed asthmatic but, I smoked for many years and even now I have stopped, I have a wheezy chest.
Sometimes I lay down on my left side and get the bi or trigeminy PVCs, but on the right side they are far fewer. But standing up or sitting down they go away or only one or two a minute. But when I walk I usually get the trigeminy, sometimes bigeminy, PVCS after 10 minutes but if I keep walking they go away after 10 more minutes, probably because my pulse gets faster and the PVCs go away. But when I stop walking the PVCs will come back often for a few hours after my walk. I have had every heart test and blood test but my cardiologist says dont worry about it. He says the bigemy runs of skipping every other beat wont kill me although they scare the hell out of me when they go on and on. Now I am afraid to exercise and would rather avoid the bad PVCs. It really sucks since I am 52and have exercised since I was a kid and enjoy it. But the damn PVCs started a year ago and taking Topril, avoiding caffeine, alcohol, eating healthy still do not make them go away. But it is good to know that others are going through the same anxiety and maybe one day they will come up with a pill that really works for PVCs. Beta blockers just make them less intense so you cant feel them all the time but when I check my pulse I can feel the PVCs but that is better than feeling them pounding in my chest. Good luck to everyone in coping with this scourge
Having a bad time and sitting at the computer, crouched is the worst thing for these. It must be vagal tone because why would a position make it happen other wise. Sometimes though, they come for no reason, and sometimes if I am lying or leaning on my left side.
Has anyone tried that trick called the Valsalva manoeuvre. What this does is gently stimulates the vagus nerve, which helps control heart rate, and can stop a palpitation in its tracks. You do this by holding your nose to block it, taking a breath, and then closing your mouth, trying hard to breath out. This creates pressure in your chest and stimulates the vagus nerve reaction. You will now if you've done it properly because your ears will ‘pop’?
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=343485201086
Im 46 and have been suffering with my heart missing a beat for about 6months i didnt know why this was happening to me so i rang a help line and was asked to go to my Hospital..was put on a ECG put each time it didnt pick up the problem i was starting to feel i was imagining my symptoms all in my head!! Then the test picked my missing beat up. The doctor said it wasnt life threatening and i was something i have to live with!! Its driving me crazy i go dizzy and it is making me feel unhappy. Waiting for my appt to be put on a long 24hr test not sure what it is called. Just wanted to say after reading this website i know im not on my own. thankyou Debbie x
Im 46 and have been suffering with my heart missing a beat for about 6months i didnt know why this was happening to me so i rang a help line and was asked to go to my Hospital..was put on a ECG put each time it didnt pick up the problem i was starting to feel i was imagining my symptoms all in my head!! Then the test picked my missing beat up. The doctor said it wasnt life threatening and i was something i have to live with!! Its driving me crazy i go dizzy and it is making me feel unhappy. Waiting for my appt to be put on a long 24hr test not sure what it is called. Just wanted to say after reading this website i know im not on my own. thankyou Debbie x
Hi Debbie! Your doctor will probably hook you up to a 24 hr Holter monitor. That's the best way to catch PVC's "in action" and to get a definite diagnosis. But, as hard as it is to believe sometimes, they're really quite harmless and unfortunately we just need to find a way to live with them. I hope yours will be minimal.
I have this too. Seems to be suddenly more frequent in recent days so I'm trying to figure out it there is a diet connection or something else. I get PVCS when I bend over, or lie down, or turn over on my right side. I've been taking Magnesium Citrate. Don't know if it helps. Xanax helps relax me enough to get to sleep. Doc said body position can affect PVCs. I can stop them by just turning over on my stomach, WTF?
Rob, what you describe sounds very typical. I can sometimes get a really bad episode by bending or leaning over forwards. And yet not always. It's impossible to know why. And some people tend to find more relief laying on their right side, whereas I do better on my left.
Hello all. How nice to find this group and know there are others who suffer with pvcs every day. I first had them about 5 years ago and at that time was told they were probably hormonally related since I was going through menopause. They lasted a few months then disappeared but have been back with a vengence since January. I did the holter monitor, echocardiogram and am seeing a cardiologist next week.
I am under a great deal of stress and feeling them just adds to it. Worst of all is the feeling of fatigue I experience when having a long run. Mine are almost constant and like some of the other posts, more noticeable when I lay on my back.
Hi everyone
i am a 36 yr old female and have problems with PVC's i also have SVT and have had a ablation to try to fix it. My story begins when i was 13 and had svt attacks usually before my period. When i was preganant with my second child my SVT got out of control and i would have attacks which could last for 2 hours and needed to be terminated in hospital. Positional changes would have started off an SVT attack, and i lost all confidence,and was afraid to take my two small children anywhere incase of having an SVT attack. I took beta-blockers to try to control it, but kept the dose low as i hated the side effects. I went through the ablation 1 year ago and it seemed to be effective i had one summer of complete freedom and was free of fear and having to take meds. I would however had PVC's usually before my period but felt okay with that. Recently though my PVC's have suddently gotten a lot worse and i was having long runs of them, with a couple of normal beats inbetween. I also had 3 back to back PVC's that were caught on a holter monitor but was told by GP not to worry as they were short burst's he also said that as my cardiologist had previously mentioned that i have a very excitable heart that this also plays a part. I am aware that 2 weeks prior to my period affects my PVC's, positional changes and after eating a meal. I also have been through a lot of stress lately and i am hoping that this has been the main cause. I am back on my beta blockers but am scared now to come off them to see how things may go. I really feel for everyone who suffers PVC's and i have just came accross this website. Reading your experiences has made me feel less isolated, and i feel supported - i just wish we all didn't have these problems .
Hello All,
Strange that I should find myself googling pvc's again after so many years but I had a bit of a thought and wanted to investigate.
I am looong time pvc/pac sufferer, going on 14 years now and I'm only 29. However, I am what could be considered a success story, I am no longer crippled by them and I understand them completely. I used to get 1000's of them a day during times in my life and I've never been free from them completely.
I always thought that there are the usual triggers, caffeine, sugar, stress, lack of sleep, vitamin deficiency etc etc but I knew there was something else. Something that would trigger the really bad ones. I've never been overweight, but I have certainly packed on a few pounds in the middle and I have been that way for years. I have also always been quite a tense person and always held my stomach in as a result. What I've noticed is that if I let my stomach hang loose and relax everything I get far less skipped beats and I'm also less aware of my heartbeat. If I squeeze it all in almost immediately I often notice some skipped beats.
When I squeeze in my stomach I can see the difference it makes to my upper body, it expands a great deal and that must be squashing all my organs up (I'm no body specialist so forgive the poor terminology!). I assume that lying down, especially in some positions will cause the same behaviour and it makes me think this is all related.
What I'm wondering is that although stress clearly is a factor, how many people find themselves so tense that they are holding in their stomachs and tensing their upper bodies? Everything indicates that there’s a receptor/nerve somewhere that’s getting over stimulated and it seems that modern medicine can’t get to the bottom of it just yet. I really feel that there is such a large community out there that we should be able to draw our own conclusions and anything we can do to figure it out for ourselves has to be a good thing.
Incidentally, as a side note I got my life back due to some medication. I don’t want to advocate medication but in my case it was a lifesaver. The drug is called Nadolol and I take the branded version from Corguard. It comes in 80mg tablets in the UK and I split it in half and then use a pill cutter to cut it in half again making a 20mg dose. Seems small and its way below the recommended dose but it works almost perfectly for me. I've tried Atenolol and Propranaolol but Nadolol really has been better. It does have side effects though and this is to be considered. My circulation is not what it was and I'm sure that is contributing to lots of stiffness and aching muscles. That all seems like a small price to pay for “normal” life!
Many years ago I put a post up on another forum when I really started to turn a corner, I didn’t quite get off the meds but the rest might be useful: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Disease/Sinus-Tach-and-PVCs/show/254336?personal_page_id=1386822#post_1592199
Keep on the forums, when you hear so many people have the same problem and are still alive and kicking many years later sometimes that’s all you need to help.
David
Thanks for your comment, David. I'm sure that stress plays more of a factor than we realize. And I think that even mood can affect them. Lately I've been happier than I have been the past few years, due to a change in work and activities, and I don't know whether it's just coincidental or not, but my PVC's have been less intense. I would say the frequency is the same -- I'm still getting hundreds a day even on a good day -- but I haven't had a sleepless night in a while because they haven't been so wildly intense. I just hope it lasts!
Claudia, thanks for this great resource!
I have been experiencing PVC's for over 15 years, and they seem to do their own thing, although I think alcohol in excess tends to make them much worse. Anxiety is the same, and that is also a problem for me.
I currently take magnesium supplements but not sure if it helps yet, it's been about 3 weeks and I take the pills, glycinate. But what DavidUK says rings true; posture seems to be a trigger as well. Like when I'm at a table or desk and I try to sit up really straight instead of slouch it can trigger them, and then they will last for a while, not great!
I've Googled Ectopic Beats a few times before, but was pleasantly surprised to find this support group and having read DavidUK's comments, at last I've found someone with a similar outlook on what might be causing them.
I've had the odd PVC for years and they never bothered me, but since I had a double PTCA (Coronary stents)in 2005 they have increased and obviously give me concern. I got a lot after my surgery, but they subsided and went away. Following a prolonged episode I mentioned them to my Cardiologist during a review he didn't seem overly concerned. I asked him whether there could be any connection with body position or episodes of stomach bloating and he said no as they were an electrical event.
I was therefore pleased to see DavidUK's comments (although other folks have mentioned getting them lying down). I have IBS and get periods of quite severe abdomen bloating and I always feel that that the PVC's are worse with this. I am in the midst of the the worst bout of PVC's I've had, it's 4 days and they are going all day, sometimes 3-4 together. I can stop them temporarilly by moving position. They are worse sitting down and not frequent standing. It all adds to my theory whether anotomically valid or not, that the bloating in my abdomen is putting pressure on all the internal organs and in some way that is kicking off the PVC's.
I'm glad others have mentioned fatigue as they are wearing me out! I hope to see my GP today and get something for my IBS bowel spasm and if that stops, see if the constant PVC's do too.
I'm certain that there is a connection between PVC's and position. Maybe not for all PVC's, but some of them. If I bend over (for example, to get something from underneath the bed), sometimes this will bring on a bad episode with a brief fainting sensation. As well, a very heavy meal can make my PVC's worse.
I had a bad night last night, the first one in probably a couple of months. I think that fatigue brought it on, and now I'm even more fatigued because of lack of sleep. It can be such a vicious cycle...
Often when I lay on my side (particularly my left side), it seems to trigger PVCs.
Glad to have found your site. I just started my own blog about my experiences with PVCs. Hope we can check out each other's blogs from time to time.
This is my first post here so hello fellow sufferers ! I've had PVCS for approx 7 years now - they were pretty unremarkable at first - just a few here and there, they would come and go but over time the frequency has increased and these days i have them pretty much every 3 to 10 beats all day every single day. On very rare occasions i might get a few hours RESPITE but this is unusual. I get couplets if i lie on my left side and eating ALWAYS makes them worse for a few hours. I have learned to live with them (i have no choice!) and only have problems when they play up at bedtime (quite often!) and when they wake me in the morning - i.e. most mornings. I sometimes have to sleep sat up if things are especially crazy! I have tried just about everything supplements wise to no avail whatsoever (magnesium/potasium/hawthorn/Q10/Omega 3's/taurine/arginine -you name it i've tried it) The following have helped me to some degree. Definitely try to avoid stress and caffeine (we all know these!), i avoid liquids for a couple of hours at least after meals and near bedtime as a full stomach triggers severe episodes (my PVCS are definitely stomach related despite what my doctor tells me - what does he know!) I am quite slim but suffer from bloating due to some food allergies (mainly wheat/gluten) BLOATING = PVCS in my experience, thats why i believe many women complain of them at that time of the month. I was recently almost PVC free for a couple of weeks after an enforced diet to try and loose the belly fat i have accumulated since hitting 40 as i had a suspicion this relates to the PVCs ! Unfortunately i couldn't keep this up and the PVCS are back but it seems to confirm my suspicion that this is all stomach or vagus nerve related in my case and not a 'heart' condition at all. I just wonder if it all just gets a little crowded in there - i can often feel general spasms in the stomach area when my PVCs are especially bad which supports this theory..
Further to my last lengthy (sorry) post i noticed the interesting comments by 'David UK' which are along the same lines i.e. these things can be stomach related and probably due to physical contact between the heart/or an artery and the stomach - i read recently that heart surgeons can easily precipitate PVCs by just touching the heart during surgery and that putting in pacemakers wires often also causes PVCS during the procedure. This shows just how sensitive the heart can be to any physical stimulus. An irritated vagus nerve is the other possible culprit due to its affect on the heart and we all know that one of the first effects of stress is an irritable and agitated stomach and also a tendency to subconciously tighten the stomach as per DavidUKs earlier comments.
Hi,
Finding this support group has helped my anxiety associated with my ectopic/PVCs. Just to know that I'm not the only one helps enormously. I've had them for about 15 years now and due to having chest pains recently which seems to be as a result of a non-life threatening oesophageal problem I was stress tested. According to the cardio guy, these things should go away when the heart is under load and mine didn't and so to be on the safe side they carried out an angiogram to check for blockage which I'm very pleased to say there wasn't. I have always suspected that there is a strong link between these beats and hiatus hernia and possible stimulation of the vagus nerve but the professionals don't seem to want to entertain too much interest in my thoughts. I wish you all well and thank you for making me feel not quite so lonely.
This is brilliant: Even if I am dying of these bizarre heart issues it’s great to see that I’m not alone in suffering from them!
Mine started to bother me back in March this year, when out of the blue I was sitting waiting for my coffee to arrive when I got a really strong flutter and felt a bit light all over my body. I walked a few doors down to a medical centre thinking that I was going to drop dead from a heart attack, but an ECG proved that I was still alive. Struck with the terror of having cardiac problems, I saw a cardiologist that afternoon and was told that my heart was fine, still where it should be and that the irregular beats were nothing to worry about. It was like being told that if your head falls off, you should just hang on to it and keep it warm.
The next day I got a few more flutters and felt like I was having a nervous breakdown. My blood results came back that morning and the doctor wrongly sent me off for a glucose tolerance test as my blood sugars were 6.7, which in actual fact was normal for a random test but they recorded the test as fasting. So here I am thinking that I’m dying of a heart condition that is due to having type to diabetes – ahhh, the stress. So days went by and I then started getting digestive issues, my poo looked different and I started losing weight. Excellent, I now had heart problems, diabetes and stomach cancer!
After a negative GTT, my doctor ordered further blood tests including thyroid levels. I had trouble explaining the weird sensations I was getting, which included the feeling of some sort of chemical rush through my body, so he decided to check thyroid hormone levels. Well, my TSH levels came back as suppressed, so yay, no diabetes, but now I must have Grave’s disease causing heart problems. More blood tests ruled out Grave’s disease and it was off to the gastro to find out why my guts were so disturbed. A plain x-ray showed nothing and a follow-up CT scan was clear. But my guts weren’t right however the gastro only put me on a course of Flagyl and some colese, which is used to reduce the symptoms of IBS. The Flagyl (antibiotic) seemed to take effect after a few days and my digestive symptoms improved greatly. So in my mind, it was a bug and not something more sinister. But, as luck would have it just a few days after finishing the Flagyl, my gut symptoms were back and I was standing at the stove one day when I had another flutter followed by a feeling of numbing and about an hour or so of feeling like I’d suffered a terrible shock and was filled with thoughts of doom. Part 2 next:
Part 2:
Another visit to the GP for my frequent flyer points it seemed. This time he decided to treat that anxiety that was associated with me not knowing what was going on. Lexapro 20mg was the solution, so I took one that night and the next day went to work as normal. That morning, I was sitting at my desk calmly talking to a colleague when I had the most horrific rush of something that started in my chest and radiated out into my armpits and groin, as if I had been injected with deep heat. I got him to take me to the local ER and they did another ECG which was okay. I told them that I had just started on this Lexapro drug, but they didn’t see any link. I was told that the rush may be due to a serotonin releasing carcinoid and that more tests would have to be done. Great, so now I had heart issues caused by a cancer too small to be seen on a CT scan.
The fist test for this carcinoid thingy involved a 24 hour urine collection, which I managed to complete even though I was stuck on the lounge for three days feeling that my life was over and that all these strange rushes etc. were due to the carcinoid. The wee test came back clear and just before heading back to the doctor I googled Lexapro.
To my relief, others on the medication had described exactly the same reaction to the drug so I felt so much better that I wasn’t alone. I have reduced the dosage to half and haven’t had the strange rushes or feelings of a panic attack coming on (I’m normally a level headed, light-hearted individual that doesn’t suffer from anxiety).
Now I’m left with this heart thing which has prompted me to write this great essay! I’ve paid more attention to it lately in an effort to describe to the GP what it is that I feel, and only through feeling my own pulse while I get a flutter have I realised that there is in fact a pause in my pulse. Scary isn’t it. Will the heart start again, or is it lights out? Well, whatever it is that is causing it hasn’t been with me for life. So there must have been some trigger. Three days before getting the one which sent me on the medical opinion wild goose chase, I felt I was coming down with a virus as I had sore/itchy eyes and a headache, but that went away the day before I had the first heart attack!
Interesting reading the post about feeling like you are pulling your stomach up, as that’s exactly what I described to my GP. I felt like I couldn’t let my belly drop, as if I was sucking my guts in to impress a girl on the beach. I thought my abdomen may have been guarding some irritation and that was why I had IBS symptoms, but the doctor wasn’t concerned.
So my story is like many others on here. I don’t know why it started and don’t know when it will stop. But I do know that it is worrying and can’t help but thinking that it is linked to digestion / stress / posture.
Thanks for reading!
HH, all. Like everyone else, I appreciate this site. My PVCs started 6 months ago. I have anywhere from 2-15 ectopic beats/minute. A holter monitor in February showed 3700/day; a repeat holter this week showed about 5400/day, so the number is increased. I get chest pains and chest tightness, and feel fatigued and have lost weight. All the tests--ECG, echo, stress test--show my heart is "fine", but I feel miserable. Beta-blockers don't work for me as my blood pressure is too low. Anti-arrhythmic drugs scare me. I'm not a candidate for ablation, as the beats originate deep in my right ventricle, near the septum, and the electrophysiologist said he was not "comfortable" trying ablation there. I feel like the gap between me and a "normal" life is widening. Like all of you, as desperate for a cure/fix. Any and all suggestions welcome...
My holter results are also high. I had one that said 37,000 then another was 21,000 and that was with the beta blocker. My PVCs originate from the right ventricle in the outflow track. Anyone out there will RVOT also? just curious.
@DavidUK & @Gandalf - very interesting ideas about bloating and PVCs. I had my first couple 2 minute episodes earlier this year. In the last 3 months the episodes have gone out to days at a time. I have noticed at times that I get a bloated sensation (I've been told I have GERD and take omeprazole for it - which can cause a bloated feeling). Now I'm wondering if there's a correlation.
For me, PVCs are almost exclusively when sitting down - either in the car, on the train or on the couch. Standing, or even sitting and leaning forward (like am I now at a keyboard) don't seem to trigger them, and if I'm having them, standing up and walking around usually stops them for 15-20 minutes. In bed, on my back seems to be the worse and I normally sleep on my left side.
So far I've had an ECG, multiple EKGs and a stress test (waiting for results of that) and so far all indications are that I have a healthy heart.
I started to keep a journal of them 2 weeks ago to give to my Dr. I'm going to try and note any bloated feelings / nausea and track that along with the PVCs.
Anyone tried flecanide for Pvc's ?
I started surfing the net after frustrating visits with cardiologists concerning frequent PVC's --found this very helpful support blog. I'm 68, male, 6' 0", 168 lb., pretty fit, distance runner. First experience with disabling PVC's almost 30 yrs. ago.Experiencing over 10,000 per day on holter monitor, some peak runs over 20,000/day. Hospitalized in ICU for 24 hrs. with extensive testing & scans. No remarkable findings as to cause. Diagnosis: benign PVC's. Rx for toprol 50mg/day. This reduced the number per day within a week, then back to normal after 6wks on the med. Discontinued med. everything's fine for 20 yrs., then another similar, but not as severe flair-up. Toprol again prescribed; episode last about 4 wks., discontinued the med., back to normal until about 4 months ago. PVC's bean again, in the 10,000/day range per holter monitor. Toprol prescribed again based on past experience .. this time they did little to nothing to slow the PVC's, and the toprol side effects were exacerbated -- low energy, depression, cognitive problems. New arhythmia specialist suggested phasing off the toprol, which I did 4 wks. ago. Alertness, energy, cognition all gradually returned, and the PVC's are still there every day, but no worse. The arhythmia doc suggested I consider targeted ablation, or a drug called flecanide (tambocaor).
I've read some very helpful posts here about the ablation ...has anyone tried flecanide orally ?
thanks,
Mike,
Iam going through the same thing right now..I take Tambacor "Flecainide" as needed for PVC's ..Like you I have suffered for a long time off and on they go away and then come back..months even years later. it's been 3 years since I've taken it and They started again yesterday about the same amount as you according to my Event Monitor thousands a day. I found that it worked for me. Now all I have tpo do is get a new prescription filled..these are defiantly expired..But that is a good thing that I have not had to use them. Best of Health, Robyn
I always have a bad episode at night, when the PVC's are acting up. I think it has to do with my brain trying to change gears actually, since it is a type of motor nerve malfunction, or whatever. As long as I'm going at a certain rate, I feel the brain is giving a stronger signal to beat properly, but whenever I "change gears", such as laying down to go to sleep, I can count on the PVC's to come. Like I said, I think it's because of my brain slowing down and changing gears, instead of giving a stronger regular signal, it gets confused when it's changing gears. After a hour or so, when everything gets in sync, it stops enough to let me go to sleep. I do change positions alot during that time, because I can't stand the PVC's and at times I have thought a certain position lessens them, but now I think its just the time it takes for everything to slow down and get in sync is what stops them. I'm a 46 yo male and I've had them for about 12 years now straight. They are getting worse, lasting all day every day for months at a time, then they give me a break. I'm thinking I might need a checkup and change meds or something. IT SUCKS!
I am 26 an have been suffering off and on for years. Lately they have gotten pretty bad. Interestingly the only way I can get them to go away (when I'm laying down) is to roll onto my back. I get them terribly when I'm on my left or right side. I also get severe heartburn and have anxiety disorder which makes it a fun trifecta :) It's so scary and I usually just start crying because I get so scared. My husband doesn't know how to comfort me through it so I always end up calling my mom. I feel like such a baby.
I am a nurse working in cardiology and have suffered from PVC's since my late teens. I am now 46 and for the past six months have had horrendous episodes nearly every day - in fact most certainly every day. I have spoken to my colleagues and have had the usual 24 hour monitor,ECG's galore, Echo etc. and am told I have a normal healthy heart. My most recent 24 hour recording showed 967 isolated ectopics in 24 hours. But this is driving me crazy. I feel a fool speaking to my boss (cardiologist) about it - he just sort of laughs and says everything is just fine. But you know I really think some days that I can no longer live my life like this. I too suffer from bloating and IBS and am convinced there is some sort of relation. But who knows? Hope you are all alright out there.
I am wondering at what threshold PVCs no longer are considered "benign". I know they aren't "life-threatening", but they are certainly "quality of life threatening." I have been having thousands/day for going on 9 months. I never have a single minute w/o at least one, and it usually more like 6. I can't handle the meds and I don't think I can live like this. I am fatigued, have chest discomfort, and am only able to work part-time. Forget about the energy or feeling good enough to do anything "fun". It is strictly get up, survive, go to bed. Is there anyone else out there who has had them at this frequency for this long with no break? If so, how do you cope?
Hi everyone, This is my first post. I have had PVC's for over 22 years now and I am 53. Ater reading most of these blogs almost all of them ring home of thinks that have happened over the years. The not knowing whats happening is the worst. I also have had to decide which side to sleep onat night, my best side is my right. The one good thing about all of this is it made me quit smoking 22 years ago. I am taking Toprol and have just had it inceased to 200mg. Ya over eating has caused it, bending down has, mostly it happens when I am relaxing watching TV or just sitting, night time is the worst. I have not read of people talking of this but when I am outside working like a horse it very rarely happens. I could be only walking around getting my heart rate up and I am fine. It sounds like alot of people have it worse them me SORRY for that but I hate it but it part of my life I have to deal with. I am greatful I have found this group It helps to know there are people like me with just the same problems Thanks for listening
Do you guys ever get really intense skips of heartbeats every once and a while where you feel a longer pause and a one second pain in the upper left quadrant of the chest. This has happened lately when I have been doing some vigorous exercise, but it doesn't happen all the time and usually only once during a workout if it does happen. I've had this in the past also, but then it goes away...there is really no rime or reason to it. lo
I have been through all the major heart tests...EKG, stress EKG, echo, and stress echo. Doctors tell me my heart is structurally fine and has good tolerance to exercise. I also did a triathlon just over a year ago.
The main thing i find so irritating with my pvcs is they seem to change/progress/get worse over time. I have just get used to realising i can't sleep on my left side but am ok on my right side - then its all change and now i can only sleep on my back to calm them down ! Every time i get used to dealing with a certain symptom the goalposts move - the latest addition is runs of pvcs and bigeminy - just one day (or even one minute sometimes) of pvc-free-dom would be so nice but it seems its just not to be for me !!
Evidence to support my (and other peoples) theory PVCs are often related to digestive problems and specifically BLOATING (or maybe sometimes just putting weight on around the middle!)..
1 Affected by posture i.e. bending forward/lying on side makes them worse.
2 Burping/using the loo offers relief for some.
3 That time of month (i.e.bloating) makes them worse.
4 Pregnancy can make them worse/can start them.
5. Any digestive distress symptoms make them worse such as GERD.
6. Large meals make them worse.
7. Hiatus Hernia is sometimes connected.
This is not to overlook that anxiety also plays a major part once they develop but anxiety has serious affects on the stomach !
Tensing the stomach when anxious probably has the same affect.
Whether this is all caused by vagus nerve irritation or physical pressure on the heart i don't know.
I myself have a longstanding wheat/gluten sensitivity and am now addressing this more seriously in the hope of some improvement to the bloating and thus the PVCs..
Gandalf,
You are right on the mark!! I had an ablation 20 years ago and it saved my life. However, positions and GI issues DOES affect the PVC's. Twenty years ago my surgery was not common so my cardiologist really did not believe me when I told them of these symptoms. This was fairly new to them yet they did not believe my symptoms even though I was the one experiencing them. Many Cardiologist today are still sceptical unfortunately. My V-Tach disappeared completely (Thank God)but the PVC's can be induced with bloating, full meals, and lying flat on my back. In addition to extreme exertion. My life is full and busy but I learned 20 years ago to make modification in an effort to keep my life balanced and enriched. I rarely get PVC's so I am blessed. This site is great.
Someone said something about the vagus nerve, and I think that this must have something to do with it although I've not found anything scientific in relation to it.
I get mostly PACs but I think I must get some PVCs too. This has been established on a Holter.
I seem to get them every few minutes, sometimes less. I've gone through menopause and I must say, they've been getting worse over the past few years, but are now worse than ever. Mostly I am able to disregard them.
However what I eat seems to really effect them. If I have food that allows gas to build up, or I don't eat enough and get hunger pangs they get a lot worse. I would be interested to know if anyone else has the same experience.
I'm having a very similar experience at nights now.
My PVCs had pretty much gone over the summer when I was excercising more. On a cycling holiday doing 50 miles per day, never a symptom, and not for a few weeks after either.
But back now, and have been prescribed Bisoprolol. Still agonising over taking it, sounds like side effects can be worse than the original problem !
rosie ,i am 27 years old, same thing hapen to me when i eat something which allow gas to build up , then pvc get worse , friends my doc told me , when it(pvc) comes then you close your nose n lips , and try to push hard breath like sometime we do in te toilet ,,and dont eat over food , it sounds funny but it works , and my doc also told me "you wont die,take it easy" so frends when pvc come you have to change your mind dont think about it , nothing wll happen (i had first pvc at 1 year ago and now again it come one month , i tried these things n pvc has gone not competly but most sorry about my poor english
Hi Im a 39 year old female and suffer from 42,000 pvc's a day. I have just found this site and want to say Thankyou, its a big relief to know that im not the only one out there. After a range of testing I now know that these arent going to kill me but like you all they certainly make your everyday life challenging. Im currently on veracaps sr 160 and in 4 weeks am off to the specialist as a candidate for ablation. All i want is my normal life back, so again thankyou to you all for your posts it has certainly helped me feel a little normal mentally!! Regards from Down Under
Hey anonymous Claudia the founder of this group has also started a face book group at Cardiac Arrythmia Support Group on Facebook
it seems to have more action. There is a link on the first page of this blog GOOD LUCK
David
hi... i have just started to experience pvc's (for about 4 weeks).. am waiting for cardio appointments next week, but just wanted to know whether they can make you feel a bit breathless and tired. I also get a litle bit light headed sometimes with them and get a stitch like pain which comes and goes on lh side of rib cage
I find that lack of sleep a few days in a row will activate my PVC. I need to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep and have been getting 5 to 6 hours only.
Can lack of sleep activated PVC?
Sue
I also suffer from pvcs stomach problems do bring them on anxity ext thay do scare me some times but if it is my time then jesus will take me I do not think I will go from pvcs but I do think any one that has to suffer with them has to be a vary strong person laying on right side will stop them but you have to change your mind set anxiety will make them worse low blood sugar digetive ext im not a doctor but I do suffer from them stress is a trigger I say prilosec can help because it keeps the acid down so the nerves in the stomach are as agrovated once again im not a doc but im trying to find out what triggers them so if it helps me maybe others will find rest also keep your faith some day we will find rest I think it starts with the digestive track and then our minds take over when you get them try mediation I know its hard but it has worked for me go out side and look at the stars breath deep but first go to your doc make sure they are benign also some hbp med will causes pvcs just know jesus loves you and if you believe that he is real then maybe that can also give you piece of mind it helps me hope my post helps at least on suffer may god bless all.ps low potassium and over eating will also bring them on fish oils mite help coq10 may help magnesium ask for a hpilory test this is a infection in the stomach if I find some more relief then I already have I will post hope this helps relive someones symptoms. Im.not.a.doc god bless
I have been having Ectopic beats since I was in high school, although at the time I didn't have a clue what was happening, and of course they scared me. And now I am sixty-six, and the beat still goes own. Sorry, for the corny pun. They were getting more and more frequent, sometimes ever six beats are so, and off to the doc I went again, and for low all these years the same answer, "a lot of people have this problem". Over the years Ive had the Holter and other tests etc., but never any concern from the medical family. So at this age, I feel more silly that ever when those around me have such greater problems. I have been otherwise a healthy creature all my life. With this forum its really clear "I'm not alone" as the doc said.They say that sharing the load always divides the weight, and it is so true. God made us to depend on Him, this is just one more test. I'm retired, but as busy as ever, and I don't mean golf. I build furniture and paint and sell things at a antique shop.(I need the money)Keep busy and find a greater need than yourself. Thanks to all for taking the time to share.
Hi all. Just found this website, and was so relieved to learn I am not alone with PVC's. I am a 42 year old male, very healthy (regular exercise and endurance events), eat healthily and don't smoke or drink alcohol. And I suffer chronically with PVC's to the extent that some day's I am literally waiting on the heart attack to put me out of my misery.
My PVC's came around from taking migraine medication for a few years, which was a result of an incorrect diagnosis and management by GP. I was told the medication was unsuitable for me, and as a result was left with left branch bundle issues and hence PVC's.
Although I have what feel like hundreds of PVC's each day and some nights (like last night) I can barely sleep, I refuse to let this stop me taking part in the sport I love. Hence I train for c. 7 months each year for 1 international endurance event (triathalon) and find the ONLY TIME my PVC's stop or are not noticable is when I push myself physically in the gym / running / cycling. I therefore exercise regularly (usually 4 or 5 times each week, maybe more) which does help, but if ever someone found a cure for PVC's I would sell a kidney for it!
Best wishes, and good luck.
Saturday I was told I have PVC, being new to this weird uncomfortable feeling is very frustrating and more so frustrating when doctors tell you that it is normal and I will be fine. I am 42 and I just cannot understand how this came to me out of no where or what led to it. Confused.....
Glad I found other people with this problem (in the best possible way!)
I've been having these now for about 7years. At first they were just once or twice a week and manageable. But over the last 3 weeks or so I've been having 60+ a day and it's hard to live with. Like others have said I just feel like I don't want to do anything that may cause them to worsen, like exert myself, excercise, go out for a drink etc.
Due to have a 24hour tape on for the third time now, whatever good that will do. Been told numerous times I'm fine etc by Dr's but it doesn't really alleviate the fears.
Unlike most thing iv'e read here mine are actually worse whenever I'm moving about, even just walking, but when lying down or being at rest for a prolonged period they are far more infrequent.
Is a difficult thing to live with at the moment.
hi ive been having ectopic beats for about 3 years off and on some times i have a string of beats but normally its just a random beat and if i can controll the panic then i tend not to get any more for a while but there are many factors make it worse for me but it is nothing compaired to what some of you are getting i really do feel for you.
I do have a QUESTION though i am going to be sedaited to have a tooth taken out has anyone been sedaited and did it make your heart beats worse im really nervous of going in case the medicaition sets off my beats any advice please would be welcome
Hey guys! I am a 24 year old male from England (I don't know why that's relevant) and I have had PVC's for around 3 years. I had all my tests done and as expected, everything came back normal. The doctor said I had pvc's brachycardia and tachycardia but nothing worrying, he just brushed it aside and said most people have this. I started taking 20mg of Propranolol every day and it really helped my pvc's from having 100 feelable ones a day down to about 1 every couple of days. But now for some reason they have come back. They don't occur during the day really when I am sat up, but as soon as I get into bed, they start. So I too am convinced there is a connection between posture and PVC's. They can be really uncomfortable and painful, and it feels like my heart is stopping (I checked my pulse while having one and there is a noticeable gap)and so I haven't had much sleep recently. I am thinking of trying magnesium citrate as I have been told this can help, do you guys have any thoughts on this? Thanks alot, Daniel
DANIEL, I AM GOING THROUGH EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE WITH THE POSITIONAL PVC'S. PLEASE KEEP ME INFORMED AND I WILL DO THE SAME. I AM TRYING MANY DIFFERENT MEDICAL AVENUES TO TRY TO FIGURE THIS ALL OUT AND SOLVE IT ONCE AND FOR ALL.
Just been through a stressful period at work and BAM the PVCs have taken a aerious turn for the worse. I'm now alternating between bouts of bigeminy, trigeminy and normal rhythm, must be in the tens of thousands PVCs a day at the mo. I need to get my mind off them as this will improve the situation but a wicked circle develops when the PVCS are this bad its just impossible to ignore them! In desperation i decided to try the Propranolol the doc gave me some time ago - i held off it as i had a bad experience with Bisopropol but to my surprise it has helped. I take 5mg twice a day and it makes the heartbeat less forceful which takes my mind off it to a degree - i have noticed longer periods of normal rhythm in the last few days so my lower anxiety levels/the beta blocker are having an affect and at this low dosage i have had no side effects. I don't won't to end up on BB's permanently so am still exploring supplements/dietary changes but it seems they are an option in a crisis !!
Hi there
Thanks for this blog. I have been living with pvcs since I was 20 years. I am now 51 and still get them every now and then. they have become more frequent. I have done lots of EKGs, holters, ecos and all were normal and the cardiologist always told me not to think about them and not to worry as they are harmless. Lately, I am also feeling like a short buz in my heart with the pvcs. This happened to me 4 times in the last two months where short buzzes in my heart happened and could last for almost 10 minutes.They took place when I was physically tired and anxious at the same time. I took all my tests after these incidents and all came out normal. Is there anyone there who feels that buzz feeling with the PVCs? It is comforting to share this with other people who experience the same. Thank you.
:Hi CLAUDIA,
I'm so glad I found your blog ... I've had this for a number of years now, but it's been "quiet" for the last few years ... then suddenly, presto, it's back. I am under a GREAT deal of stress and anxiety is through the roof, so, I figure it's from that. It's not as bad now as it was a number of years ago, but it is still just as frightening! I'm sitting here now, at 5:21 A.M. (EST) because they started up again, just now, when I went to bed. I read your entry about laying on your back, and how that makes it worse, Okay, yeah, that's me! Yes, for some reason, it's worse on my back,,,I have to lay on my side...but tonight, that didn't even help! Damn, that scared me! I jumped out of bed, and started to pace, because I also felt this weird sort of "pain" (hardly anything really) around my left breast area and a little to the center...it sort of spread up to the left breast more...but see, I have had that before with this, plus I've read some good articles about anxiety and they say that you can have those kind of "pains" with this ectopic heartbeat stuff..UGH!
Anyway, I just thought I'd drop you a line and let you know that your blog DID help me right now ... it's good to know there are other people out there with this. I definately intend to read your blog more often!
have a good day!
Sincerely, Starlight
Hi..I have just discovered this blog and I am so delighted to find that I am not alone. I have had PVC's for about 10 years now and they are fairly well controlled by one 25 mg atenolol every am. I have just had a total knee replacement (5 weeks ago) and a few days ago started having PVC's at night when I go to bed and in the morning when I awake...sometimes during the night also. I found this Blog by searching PVC's and position. I had no idea that position could affect their frequency. I am curious that this has never happened before. However, it's so reassuring that this is an obvious cause. Thank you so much. Any comments would be welcome. Marylynn
Hi all. I'm 28. I never felt my pvc's but getting around 10ooo per day. I don't know for how long because i don't feel a thing. Started taking omega3 and i hope it will heal with naturist medicine as i'm not so eager to take beta blockers. I bet there's a cure for it other than medicine or wires. If i find it i'll inform you guys:)
I can't handle the fear anymore! I am afraid to leave my house in fear that I am going to have an episode in a public place. I have suffered from these things for years and although the quantity of my PVC's has dramatically decreased, the intensity of the ones I do get is almost unbearable. I get about 3 really hard THUDS a day and they hurt from my throat all the way into my stomach. Doctor says to relax..how when I feel like i am going to pass out walking through the mall. I feel like I have to grab on to something while I panic and get my rhythm back. I feel so depressed :(
I was just diagnosed with having PVCs 48 hours ago. I haven't worn a Holter yet, I haven't even done my stress test yet. I did spend a wonderful 9 hours in ER after feeling these things for days wondering if my end was near. I am 34 years old, male. I am a bit overweight but it's never been anything my doc's been concerned with. I naturally eat heart healthy foods and aparently have for years. This whole experience is quite disruptive for me. I am running my own business, working full time, and going to school full time and I don't have time to feel like I'm going to die multiple times per day. It's horribly distracting and it's taking away from my life. I spend more time in blogs or on google reading about what's happening to me than I do with my wife. I'm terrified. I cried while in ER and I never cry. I was certain death was imminent. This is a terrible experience.
Andrew, my heart goes out to you (no pun intended)! :) Yes, this is a scary thing to have to go through, but the good news is that PVCs are almost always harmless. You're going to be fine physically, you just need to learn how to deal with the mental/emotional aspect of PVCs. I recommend joining our Facebook group (see link on the sidebar) where we have quite a few active members now
Hi all you fellow sufferers. I have had Arrhythmia including PVC's and occasional SVTs (200 bpm)and palsatile tinnitus since my Dad died 2 years ago. This means I can hear my heart beating all the time except when asleep and so when it goes out of rhythm I can not only feel it, but hear it jump or speed up. I take bisoprolol, a beta blocker to reduce the symptoms. Having read some of the other posts I believe that stress and anxiety do make it worse and bending down and laying in different positions in bed also make a difference. If I lay on my right side, my heart speeds up by about 10bpm in the first 5 minutes and then later I wake up with palpitations etc. I no longer eat very spicy foods or those with a high fat content nor drink much alcohol, especially after mid to late evening - or I will most probably regret it later. I think that sites like this are a great idea as you quickly realise that you are not alone.
Hello
I am a 38 year old female in Oklahoma City and suffered with PVC's/PAC's since I was 22 years old. They are life altering to say the least. Sometimes I can go for periods without them and then other times they are horrible. If I stress they are significant and can come in bi/trigeminy and be quite alarming. Different positions bring mine on too. Bending over, sitting slightly to my left and sudden twisting can illicit them. Coughing or pushing my chest out seems to stop them (or simply changing to another position). I feel my heartbeat all over my body at times and have had episodes of tachycardia. Have been tested several times with Holter, EKG, stress test, echocardiograms. Shows PAC's/PVC's but the weird thing is I had some really big ones and marked it on my holter but the doc swears it didn't show one. It's made me question the diagnostics of this device (or perhaps just his one office). Sometimes I go from fear to anger over how it limits my life. I am scared to stress out at all. Currently, I am an RN in school to become a Nurse Practitioner and I am praying to find a solution to this mess. I have a host of other symptoms that I wonder if are linked to this. It is hard not to live in fear of sudden death or strokes. I would love to join your Facebook but cannot find the logo to join. Thank you for creating this site. Anyone tried Calcium Channel blockers?
Hey Traci,
Isnt it horrible when you are in the medical profession and experience these stupid things. I have been suffering from PVC's for over 10 years now, blew them off, and now they are back with a vengeance. So much so that I went to the ED yesterday and was in Multi-focal Bigeminy. Really, Really, Scared right now......So much so that I had a panic attack in the ED and needed some Lorezpam.
Hello
I have had PVCs for the last 30 years. Sometimes more than other times. I feel that I get them when I want to enjoy something and looking forward to it. for example I love exercising and running. Today I was running and I felt them while I was at the highest enjoyment on the running track. They came in a row for around three minutes. I had to stop running and freak out and ruin my time and enjoyment. What should I do when I feel them while exercising? Does anyone feel the same while exercising?
Great blog thanks - very reassuring. Developed ectopics last year during a 3-month cancer scare - benign as it turned out (42yr, non-smoker). No previous health anxiety / panic attacks though have IBS. ECG normal and marginal reassurance from the doctor - however this blog is genuinely reassuring - as I get exactly what many of you describe. It is one thing to be told they are harmless, but quite another to confidently believe it when you feel them really go. The involuntary sucking in the gut thing is weird though. I never do it for vanity - in fact usually catch myself doing it when alone. Definitely anxiety related though I've never thought of myself as anxious or medicated for it. I usually just try to distract myself with something pleasant for a few mins. Thanks Claudia - good luck all.
Hi there ,
I have had problems with palpatations on and off for years, iam a 39 yo female . The episode that started 2 weeks ago has been the worst and i am aware of the PVC'S probably up to 60 times a day , i notice alot of the bloggers have it much worse and a cant imagine how you can function normally !
I feel like my life is severly limited as a result! !I love to walk and walked a marathon last year . Since it began i am too scared to walk, which is depressing i also feel fatigued and low on energy .
I have had only normal ECG'S as typically they dont happen when i am with the dr !
I am awaiting a 24 hr holter ...
I had a echo done 18 months ago as i was v concerned and that showed mild mitral valve regurgitation ... I wil have that repeated asap ... I am also an ex cardiac nurse which isnt helping me !
I have GERD and take omeprazole which seems to be a common companion of the PVC'S !
I have no doubt that posture and position have a influence on frequancy and severity of the problem ! I too experience it especially bending over and on my left side ...
I know from a medical perspective that they arent life threatening but its very hard to tell myself that when they happen !!
Thankyou for your blog it has certainly made me feel less anxious ...
Goingquietlycrazy.com
Hi everyone! Like all of you, I am a loooong time sufferer of pvcs & pacs. My heart started flip-flopping around rite after my first period @ 13 yrs old. I am now 31 w/ 2 kids & expecting my 3rd. Both of my first 2 pregnancies were nightmares because of the pvcs/pacs that were a thousand times worse during & after the pregnancies & now here I am again 5 mths pregnant & suffering. Though we are all suffering pretty much the same symptoms, i cant help but wonder if my pvcs are different. Do anyone else get da heart "hiccup" followed by a sickening flash of adrenaline?? Thank you for reading my post & pray that I will survive this pregnancy.
Hi lolly
I sympathize with you alot. I do experience exactly what u describe where it feels like my adrenaline kicks in after a pause ... Its very unpleasant and i too am curious to know if the other sufferers experience the same sensation ...
I was lying down on my left side and started to feel like my heart was beating weird. I felt a little nauseous and got my blood pressure monitor it was 125/67 pulse 77 and showed irregular heartbeat symbol on monitor. This is the second time this has happened in a month. It is not the normal thud I feel when my heart skip a beat and I couldnt really tell in my pulse that it was irregular but the sensation in my heart felt funny. Of course I went into full panic mode and I checked my blood pressure again 147/84 pulse 111 but no irregular heartbeat symbol this time. I have all the work ups and have been told my heart is structually normal except for mild MVP. Had an echo, 30 day monitor, ekg. Just worried what this could be AFib or something worse? could it still be PVC's. I am used to having the normal thud feeling PVC's but this was like beating weird but I really couldnt feel the skip Please help!
I have been having approx 20,000 PVCs on a daily basis for approx 8 years now and my heart is just fine according to cardiac tests - This might help reassure some people i hope! I never, however, completely get used to them but i do not constantly worry about my heart just stopping these days as i did at the start of all this ! I have found no cure and have tried just about everything supplements wise to no avail. The following 'lifestyle' changes do help me to some degree :
1. Enough sleep
2. Combat stress where possible
3. Avoid very large and spicy meals
or anything which causes digestive distress
4. Avoid too much sugar
5. Don't lie down after meals
6. Cardio exercise
7. Stop constantly taking pulse !
Alcohol and carb heavy meals such as pizza do not agree with me at all.
Despite all this these things are unpredictable and a 'moving target' in my experience so its imporatnat when you get an improvement not to get too carried away as i have on numerous occasions in the past.
Good Luck
I'm a 26 year old male..bout 180 pounds..5'9. I was sittin in my bed on the computer about a month ago & had to go to the bathroom and when I got to the toilet I got a really bad head rush & had a panic attack..which what I thought was a heart attack. Each attack only lasted about a minute & were about 5 minutes apart all night for several hours. No matter how hard I tried I couldnt fight em off & finally went to the ER. I've been to tje ER 3 times since this happened..was diagnosed with palpitations on the 1st visit & pvcs on the 3rd. I've had 3 ekgs..2 blood work tests..urine & a chest x ray. Of course the 3rd ekg showed pvcs. They have been so bad the past 24 hours I havent slept AT ALL. Just got back from the ER a few hours ago. They prescribed be vistiril & metroplol. I'm really hoping these help because having these are so rough & I just feel exauhsted inside & it just feels like I'll never be normal again. I'm gonna make an appointment with my family doctor inna few days & start on my meds then possibly have him refer me to a cardiologist. It's sad but at the same time great to kno that I'm not goin through this alone. makes me feel as if I can live to see the next day! Oh yeah..my symptoms are..tingling all over the body but not very often, occasional light headedness, very little chest pain, when I stand up &/or move around my heart starts pounding but goes back to normal when I sit, shortness of breathe when I walk & yes, I do freak out a little when I feel them. Sorry so long..I needed to vent lol.
I'm a PVC sufferer who has also found that bending over can cause me to have PVC's.
I also suggest everyone AVOID eating large meals, fast food and chocolate (or anything loaded with sugar). Stay away from caffeine also.
hey guys,
I suffer from pvcs and the position of my body or the fullness of my stomach definitely make a difference. It's almost as if something touching, pushing or applying pressure on the heart causes these anomalies. I hope this helps you guys; it certainly helped me.. My best friend is a doctor and he said to me one day.."...you've been for all the necessary tests..there are, lets say, 6 potentialy serious things that could cause extrasystoles and you have none of them..that's the main thing..you're just gonna have to live with it, it's part of you..." guys i've had them since i was 21 now im 35 and i dont care anymore. Until they put me to the floor i just forget about them. Try eliminating the bad stuff so you can stop worrying too:)
Does anyone experience gas and belching due to the palpitations?
Hi I am definitely having belches and always felt that they had to do with food. I am 52 and am in menopause, and the pvc's started with the onset of menopause. When my stomch gurgles, (empty) I feel aq little better. I had a monitor on for 5 days and was told that I have pvc's, and that they are totally harmless.... still feeling uncomfortable especially while I am resting or trying to go to bed.
Hi, this is my first blog.
I am having horrible ectopics at the moment. They seem to come in runs but since losing my job at Christmas, my anxiety levels have been bad, and now I am getting ectopics again. I have had a lot of stress recently but they happen out of the blue, when I am looking forward to something, or when I am nervous about something. Also I get them when I am hungry, or feeling very empty inside.
I have been taking beta blockers for 18 years now, after being diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia in 1996. I have had recent heart tests and all is apparently normal. The cardiologist told me he and his wife regularly get ectopics and that they are nothing to worry about. Trouble is I DO worry about them as they are SO scary and cause me panic attacks. I am thinking of trying the Breath Easy programme that I have just come across. Can anyone vouch for it? Also does Magnesium and Calcium help with ectopics? I am really desperate as I am becoming housebound for fear of going out and collapsing! Mary
Hi Mary,
I've had very similar episodes as you (18 years now). I've had many palp free days and other days, not so good. Have had all the tests. I think our stomache/vagal nerve can have a lot to do with the symptoms. I agree that relearning how to breathe could minimize the problems. Very frustrating, I know. Henriette (57)
Hi, I'm 50 I have been suffering from pvc's since age 17. I have found over the years that certain things greatly increase these things. The biggest thing lack of sleep, anxiety, stess, alcohol, heat and sweating, low potassium. I considered this my thorn in my side thats always there to remind me to live a healthy peacefull lifestyle. I have learned to maintain and accept. Sometime their better somtime their 12 or more in a row especially in menapause, but I'm still kicking fatigue seems to be the worst symptom to overcome. good luck to all you pvc'ers out there keep faith.
Hi Claudia, Great blog and loads of comments from fellow Palpateers! Just thought i'd share my experience for what it's worth. I'm a 36 year old male, pretty fit and healthy and started with PVC's around 15 years ago. I used to think that I was going to drop dead at any moment but as the years have gone by I realise that what hasn't killed me yet surely has made me stronger. The latest pattern (If you can call it that) is to have 1 or 2 a day for a number of weeks and then something triggers en episode and I literally get about 4 or 5 a minute every minute of the day for up to 2 - 3 weeks and then at a moment when the palps choose they just stop again and i go back to having 1 or 2 a day until the next bout. I wouldn't say that i'm scared any more but it does invade your life and is very hard to switch off to it. Like so many of the other posts, been checked out with ecg, echo, holter and all benign. I think mine are stress related as I have a busy management position with 30 staff. I think of my body as a cup and the stress as water, as the water builds up in the cup all is ok but when it gets to the top it starts to overflow and that's when the palps start with a vengeance, the water flows away and then the cycle starts again. A bit silly possibly but it makes sense to me. anyway, would be interesting to hear if anyone else has the same sort of patterns as me with this annoying thing. And I hope for the newer sufferers it is a comfort to know that after 15 years of these things i am still here to talk about them. When they got really bad I went to the gym and thought let's see what will happen, I took my HR up to 187 on the treadmill for about 30 mins and nothing happened so it made me realise that what the Dr's are saying is true. They really are nothing to worry about :-)
HI everyone i have suffered for about 5 years now,had all the standard tests,heart is normal blah,blah,i have had some good results with atenolol beta blocker even though it slows me down a little.i have noticed that bowel gas triggers my pvcs,whenever i fell one it is almost always followed by a fart,fluff,trouser burb whatever you want to call it,so by reducing gas i have reduced my pvcs as well,might be gas is irritating the vegus nerve,dont forget to tyr and be happy even though you feel horrible.
I have gotten these for years and recently got a bad bout of them. I was having a PVC every other other heartbeat for several days and then out of nowhere, it just went away.
I do notice there is a huge psychological component that if I thought about them, I had more of them. Also, I read someone else's post on here that talked about body positioning and to not suck in your gut. Well, I never thought I did this until I tried to relax my abdomen and I couldnt keep it relaxed. It is almost a natural pose for me to tighten up my abdomen and when I relax, I definitely notice less pvcs.
I have anxiety/panic disorder/hypochondria so these little heart issues can really ruin my day but I try not to let it. I've had every heart test under the sun done and all negative. I'm pretty much through with doctors at this point, I just live and learn.
I am 81 and had mild ectopics for years. They did not worry me, but after an operation they became very powerful and scary as it felt as if my heart was turning over. I know that it can not do that but that is what it felt like. I have now been on Betablockers for about 20 years and for the most part the extra beats are under control. I have found that if I am developing a viral infection they get worse but settle down. If things are bad I take an extra half dose of the beta blocker.
I started getting them about a year ago. I am an otherwise healthy 32 year old woman. They come and go when they please. Mine come whenever I stand up. I'm perfectly OK while sitting or laying down. I also get the dizziness and I start burping a lot. I'm not sure if one things has anything to do with the other. I don't know what to do. I just started a new internship and it requires a lot of walking. I'm so stressed out.
Hi, a Colleague recommended Agorophobia by Claire Weekes. It has a great section on dealing with panic attacks. All the best
Neale
Hi, had these since about 21 years old, stopped me doing a lot of things in my 20's cos I was too scared - took me 4 years to go see a doc! Bit of background, non-smoker, non drinker and always watch what I eat - 178cm 64kg age 58 now. Pretty much one-offs at first, the odd missed beat or flutter. Anyway, I was a pretty good athlete but let this go after 18/19 and was too scared to take up anything in my 20's cos of these damn things, but eventually got the nerve to take up running again which I found helped or certainly didn't make them any worse. Early to mid 30's again didn't do much and they remained the same, out of the blue. Late 30's decided to take up cycling again - was a good cyclist in my teens and again it helped - formulated a conclusion here, exercise has to be a help! 2002 (age 48) I got a bad bout for the first time, went on for weeks and started getting them in the night, woke me up a lot - nothing to lose, started getting up early and going for long bike rides - helped again, certainly calmed it down during the day - had bad bouts on 3 or 4 year intervals (can't figure that out at all - leap years maybe - lol). 2006 started running half marathons and cycling fanatically - definitely didn't make things worse. 2010 (age 55) had a bout for 3 months just after winter lay off for cycling (was it because of that?) - got rid of it eventually by building up a training schedule. One thing, it doesn't matter how shit I feel with them, I can still go out and do a 100km ride and feel better afterwards - I guess I'm trying to say that don't let them stop you doing anything. I'm 58 now, they still 'bother' me but I've done a lot of research and there is definitely something psychological with them deep down - I'm the most lay back person ever, I don't worry about anything but still get them. This year I've had them since March BUT during the summer I spent 6 weeks away in a hot tropical climate riding 100 - 160km per day and never got one during that 6 weeks, only to return to the UK / work and have them start again. I'm riding around 50 - 70km per day commuting and when I stop at the weekends I get them again - psychological, maybe? Cardiologist on 1st Oct just reiterated what all the others have said along the years - nothing to worry about. Conclusions - get them more when not exercising, when it's cold or damp, if I get stressed (not often), can't say that caffeine has any effect at all, sometimes have an ache in my upper back when they occur (seldom), whenever I was going to see the cardiologist they would cease completely (psychological?) - Hope this helps - try to live as normal a life as you can
Stop drinking caffeine check your medication your on and see if it is one that causes them and depending on how you cope with stress and anxiety. All of those are factors and people don't think that one cup of coffee can trigger PVC's You will be surprised even if you have been on it all your life. What you do eventually catches up with you.
I have been getting these off and on fir years and often in waves or storms that last an or so to days. They are very bothersome and fir years I was afraid to exercise. One evening I was back at the ER not because of the PVC's but because of additional symptoms that were nit as common and I thought it would be good to get the combination of symptoms checked out.
The attending ER physician refused to run any tests on me knowing I had been there twice in the previous year. He scolded me a bit and told me I need to exercise this out. I thought he was a quack doctor and was going to file a complaint
Years later I realized he was right. I lam still here and have not had a heart attack and like one of the previous poster wrote, I realized every time I exercise it seems to buy my heart calmness. Often the rigor ness of the exercise coincided with the level and length of calmness.
This is counter intuitive to the feeling you get when having PVC's as the chemicals being released are telling you doom and gloom is coming. Anyway thanks for all the great comments. These posting have reassured me. Despite my long history I still feel very uncomfortable when I get long periods of these but not as fearful as I used to be.
Hi My Name is Jeni, I am 40/female of two children and I am in fairly good shape. I began having these same type symptoms with PVC's and PAC's when I was pregnant with my first born at 24. Never having any history of problems before in any way, the day this curse (which is what I call it) began I just knew I was having a heart attack!!! My heart literally felt like it STOPPED for several seconds, I was about 7 months pregnant and needless to say the onslaught of panic and anxiety when they happened has not gone away since and that has obviously been 16 years ago. I like many of you will have episodes that they are small little "blips" that are no big deal and then there are times that they can make me feel like my eyes actually cross, (those scare the crap out of me) and times when I will have a quick run and make my self cough to try and "interrupt" their pattern of chaos. I also have a list of different symptoms I have experienced with them, some symptoms are normal and then there are some symptoms or feelings, I just cant accurately describe, However I do KNOW THAT UNLESS YOU HAVE HAD THESE YOU CAN NOT BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE ANXIETY AND PANIC THAT INVOLUNARILY ENSUES!! So I for one, absolutely understand and can confirm and validate each and everyone on this blog's fear and concern. I have been having a "Season" of these things and I swear the older I get the more different they feel, I can not correlate these to any one thing in my life, there have been times that I have been stressed and never feel a one, then there are times that I feel relaxed and suddenly they about knock me over...... I currently have been having them off and on all day, everyday for weeks now and I like you am always searching for an "cause and effect" method so that I can MAYBE understand why they are happening.. some people can just say, Oh, well.. I have them, they suck... and move on....NOT ME!... I WANT AN ANSWER... SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE SOMEWHERE IN THE BODY TO CAUSE THESE TO ABRUBPTLY BEGIN AND END... I just wish I knew..... Jeni
Thank you, Claudia, for the invaluable advice on the magnesium treatment for PVC. To the naysayers: your advice is that nobody should take any magnesium until we have a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical study on the benefits of magnesium intake for treatment of extrasystoles (aka PVC or VPBs)? Who would be interested to fund such a multi-million dollar clinical study for a “harmless” medical condition, especially in view of the abundance of the low-cost over-the-counter generic magnesium drugs, under no patent protection? If you call the big (or small) pharmaceutical companies, they will laugh in your face. And if you try to get this funded through the NIH, the committee will just move your grant proposal straight to the garbage bin.
So, here is my “case report”, I know that it is just me, but this is already case #2, in this list of comments. A 54-year old patient (me), professional (MD and PhD degrees), healthy life style, healthy diet (vegetarian+fish), normal weight, regular physical exercise. Not a single health issue in the last 5 years. More than a month ago, in early March 2014, I started to suffer (I know, not everyone consider this a “suffering”, but bear with me) from PVC. I had an extrasystole or two before, once in a blue moon, like every normal person, but this time it was worrisome to me, the frequency was one event every few minutes during the day, but night time, from approx. 1 AM until I go to bed at around 4 PM (I am a night owl, working on the computer at my desk), the frequency was 3 to 5 extrasystoles per minute. I was not scared of them per se, but because they may have been a consequence of a more serious condition, such as myocardial infarction. So, I bought a 12-channel EKG unit, set it up at home, tested myself in bed and on the treadmill, and the result was no EKG abnormality, no signs of current, recent or old myocardial infarction, no signs of ischemia, ventricular hypertrophy or anything else, except, of course, the ventricular extrasystoles. At the worst time, 1-4 AM, under physical stress (running on the treadmill), the extrasystoles actually subsided. Possible explanation: my extrasystoles were related to the parasympathetic nervous system; they worsened at night, when the parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest” system) was gaining in relative strength over the sympathetic nervous system (the “stress responder” system). By exercising, I changed this balance back to what is normal during the day, i.e. more active sympathetic nervous system, and less frequent extrasystoles.
I tried every conceivable non-invasive treatment, including diet change, exercise routine change or cancellation, sleep routine change (instead of working night time, I tried sleeping, but was awaken by the extrasystoles), shielding from EM devices (including turning all electronics off), and, of course, medication, both OTC and prescription drugs (I am not going to elaborate and self-incriminate here), but nothing helped, for more than a month. That is, until yesterday, when I read this report on the Internet, went to the pharmacy, bought a pack of 10 effervescent magnesium tablets (Jamieson, 200 mg) for 5 dollars, took one tablet at 9 PM (more precisely, the tablet auto-dissolved in a glass of water, and then I drank the water), and did not have a single extrasystole since then (it is now past 3 AM). Every single night for the last month I had the high frequency night-time PVC, and it stopped right after I took one Mg tablet. The magnesium worked.
I know that one person’s miracle is another person’s disaster, and that we all can be sued for giving wrong medical advice, but this is magnesium, an over the counter cheap medication (not Vioxx), it won’t do much harm for those willing to try it, to do so. If it works, problem solved, if not, then no need to take it anymore.
Thank you, Claudia, for the magnesium advice. Good work!
v.o., from Montreal
I cant tell you how glad I am to have stumbled over this page in one of my many google searches about ectopic beats...I am a 35 year old mum to seven beautiful kids and this just started about 3 months ago and has got worse ..I have a history of af and have been on metoprolol for close to five yesrs ...I cant sleep as I cant lie down they get worse when I try to lay back ...I feel sometimes like im goin mad so I am so grateful for all your stories that make me feel not so alone ... thank u and god bless Ana
I am very glad I found this site. Been having problems with an hiatal hernia, pvc's and tachy arrythmias. On bisoprolol going on 3 years now . Last year has been great, have had no problems untill the last few weeks,everything gone pear shaped. Used to have the occasional pvc(skipped beat) and now I get the couplet variety of pvc's when I lie down and sometimes they just start running which scares the living crap out of me. Doesn't matter what I do , I have a few hours of normality and the next thing you know its back . Now I have increased my beta blocker in the hopes that it might help the feeling but since I have increased it , still no change
I feel like I'm losing the plot sometimes and I don't know what to do anymore. I have quit smoking, I exercise ,I eat correctly.
I really struggle sometimes to cope with the idea of having to live with this and having to wonder when will the next time be the last.
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This site, is very helpful, to a short term sufferer of PVC's I had a cryo ablation in March 2013 for A/F all fine, until January 2014 was on Tambacor to control rythmn for 9 months I collapsed due to the build up of side effects of this drug.A dangerous drug with extended use over 9-12 months. Cardiologist took me off the Tambicor, as I was and am in normal sinus rythmn.
Hospitalised for 5 days, holter monitor, showed arrythmia, last day of stay PVC started, Cardio was present at the time by the bed, unconcerned, said I will have to live with it.
since then the attacks are getting worse to the point of absolute distraction.
I am currently trying a course of specific breathing exercises over 8 weeks, I am hopeful of giving relief.
As with most when sitting with correct posture, walking, exercise, bed laying on my back, then when drowsy off to sleep-some discomfort, with correct breathing I am asleep with 15 minutes.
I am a 65 year old male, losing weight, hopefully may help, my sympathies to all with this curse.Unless a sufferer you cannot convince a medical professional of the negative impact these episodes have on your life.
Good luck to all, Best Wishes.
I am 56 years old and have had my PVC's return in the last few months. When I have had bouts of PVC's in the past it has usually gone away after decreasing my coffee intake or getting past a stressful period. This time though they don't seem to be going away. This of course concerns me even though my doctor says I'm healthy and not in danger.
The reason I'm posting today is I've noticed something in the last few days that is interesting and I would like to know if anyone else has had this same experiance? I've noticed that when I wake up in the morning my heart rhythm is completely normal. This I figured was because I am very relaxed. But a couple days ago I noticed that actually my rhythm begins to level out almost as soon as I lay down. Last night, for instance, I noticed just before getting into bed that my rhythm was horrible, a PVC every third or fourth beat. But after just 10 minutes in bed the PVC's were down to maybe every tenth beat and 10 minutes later they were completely gone. Has anyone else noticed that your PVC's go away after you lay down?
Hey Clayton and everyone else
I am 42 male and have been experiencing PVC's for 10 year now. When they were at their worst I was in the ER 3 different times, I wore a heart monitor and had stress tests done and any other test you can think of. I even say my heart flat line in the ER. The conclusion my Dr. told me was PVC and they wouldn't kill me. There were times when they were do bad that I would stay awake at night because I was afraid to go to sleep.
When they got really bad I went back to see my Dr and he said lets try getting you off caffeine completely and other stimulants. So I quit drinking caffeine and it helped. Now I can go 4 - 6 months without having an episode, but when I have them they can last for up to 3 weeks.
So Clayton I am like you when I go to bed they stop, when I am at rest, when I get up in the morning my heart beats fine. Then as my day progresses they come on. I wonder if it is stress for me that causes them.
I am meditating more and eliminating caffeine and for the most part that helps.
I hope others out there benefit from my experience.
Cheers!
Hi,
Great to find this site (although shame so many others suffering as me). I'm 34 yr old male and cycle and go to the gym. I have had this extra\skipped beat sensation for about 15 years but only ever happened a handful of times throughout the day. For the last week they happen nearly every other beat when I'm at rest and even as I type this. Had an ECG and doctor showed extra beats but said nothing to worry about. She also said if they happen 10,000 times in a 24hr period then normally a referral to cardiologist is required. Doing the math this might be the case at the moment but I have over a week to wait for the 24hr ECG monitor. It's going to be a looong week! I also agree with the comments that position affects this as when it's not as bad as it is now, lying in certain positions can set it off. Sleeping is difficult at the moment as well. Never been a very anxious person but I am now :(
hi everybudy, this is RC male 42 havin arrhythmia fr last 4 months started all of a sudden.the diagonosis is RVOT PVCs with overall normal heart. the symptoms are typical as discussed by u guys. i should say its not life threatening but a quality life threatening or a pure comproised life.....got my holter report yesterday which shows as follows.............................in 24 hrs. total ventricular ectopic beats 28800 / single VEs-155 /single pvc 4294 / Bigeminy 19911 /trigeminy 4368...min HR 58 BPM - max HR 130.....supraventricular ectopic beats- 47 / late-9 / single PACs-38..isnt it severe...somthing to worry about.......Any guidance , suggestion , advice....Attn all including CLAUDIA...love u all...Regards RC
Been on beta blockers for years and pvcs are still getting worse. Feel like I am going to die and then break into a panic attack. Will only drive to and from work. Terrified to drive alone while having pvcs. Help!
I had 12,000 per day
Got ablation and rarely feel them
Dr hoa insan Fran
Let me know if you have questions
I am suffering from pvcs. They really really scare me. I am so afraid that my heart is going to stop. I am a single mom of two small children. Plus my mother passed 3 years ago of a cardiac arrest. I'm not sure if pvc's are causing my anxiety or stress and anxiety are causing the pvc's. My doctor says I'm fine. These started about 5 months ago after a bad stressful situation and have not stopped. They are constant all day
I started to suffer from pcvs out of the blue really. Most of the time they were just the odd flutter. But at the worst point I thought I was dying! I would wake in the night almost passing out. I had several A&E visits because of my faintness, and I generally felt unwell and fatigued. On the last occasion the DR who assessed me in A&E was a cardiologist. After a 7 Day ecg etc and being told by my GP that my problem was normal I was being told it wasn't normal! He has referred me for more tests.....The reason why I speak about it all in the past tense is because the PCVs have stopped just like they started - suddenly! Now the only thing that I can relate to my symptoms is the use of Aspartame. When the PCVs came on I had just started a diet club and was consuming 'diet' food. Yogurts, drinks etc that are low fat and low calorie tend to have artificial sweetener in them. I stopped consuming these foods quite a while ago so I'm not absolutely sure they're to blame. But it does seem a coincidence.
My symptoms began four monthes before, after a horribly stressed time, caused by a personal problem. It began with bigemin extrasystolia, first only shorter times a day. After five days it began and didn't stop. It scared me so much that I went to the hospital. At home I took some beta-blocker, and there I got an infusion of magesium and kalium. It stopped only next day morning. Than it was over. I had the 24 hours ekg, ultrasonic exam, labor and so, everything was negative. I took the beta blocker and lived my life. After two monthes I went to a rheumatic sanatory. Befor the day I arrived, I woke up in the night for this crazy bigeminia. And I had it all the time I was there. It came always in the evening when I went to bed. Sometimes came in the night. Rarely in the day-time. I was thinkng, what did I different? I was free of symptoms for two monthes. The only thing I took was the light cola what I drank in the hotness. And I asked sweetener to my tea there, what was not my sweetener. When I came home after two weeks suffering, in two days I was okay again. So I am sure that the Aspartam made my symptoms. I don't remember if I eat or drink anything with Aspartam before I had to go to the hospital, but I am sure of this. Inhave extrasystoles sometimes a day, but not chained, and no bigeminia. So I am sure, the Aspartam is harmful for me.
Thanks for everybody, who wrote in this blog. It helped me very much, and learned a lot. I hope, my lines can also help someone.
I, too, have positional bigeminy. I started noticing this a few years ago. Always while laying down. Caffeine intake made no difference. Since I am a nurse, I was able to lay down at work and hooked myself to a monitor. Consistent bigeminy. No weakness, dizziness or pain, but it was very disconcerting. I saw a cardiologist, had a stress test, echocardiogram and heart cath. ALL within normal limits. I was started on Tenormin 25 mg per day and have had none since. Don't know the cause, but glad there was a cure. I tried going off the Tenormin for a awhile and they came right back.
I have been wondering about postural ectopic beats and here I am!
I get EBs and have on and off for many years. I also have rare paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. (PAF). Mostly I can stop it by straining to breathe, sometimes with flecatabs, and once I had to go to ER for defibrillation, pre flecatabs.
I have found that after days of hard work, especially if I am bending or straining my back a lot, ( and probably if I am tired) I get ebs if I stand up straight, especially if I have been sitting. It's not the standing up that does it, but the stance; it can be several minutes after stand up that they start.
The seriousness ranges from missed beat every 12 or more down to missing every second beat (that has only happened once). I have never felt dizzy or weak because of it. From experience with panic attacks in the past, I do know that fear can cause dizziness, so that is worth considering. Even with PAF I have felt dizzy only until I was at the doctors!
I probably slump a bit when I sit. I find that if I stand up,say, washing dishes, in other words erect and in particular with neck slightly bent and arms in front of me, I get EBs. That thing where you strain to breathe will stop them for quite a while, but I have found that leaning forward will stop them temporarily. That is the bit that is interesting on the postural side.
So basically if my spine is straight and compressed, in the right circumstances (tired after a day's work, have been sitting, have been bending a lot or generally being tough on my back) I get EBs. If I bend my spine by bending forward, they stop until straighten up again. Straining to breathe stops them for quite a while.
I know the feeling in the chest of EBs and PAF and I am pretty sure I don't get them much,if at all, when I am actually working.
Strangely,Iam on amlodipine for high BP and it's not a beta blocker. It's also not doing much for my BP. Why Drs don't seem to put two and two together I never understand.
I do have a question. I have been told to take magnesium tablets, one a day,to help with these irregularities. I noticed mention of liquid or powdered, not tablets. May I ask why that would be? And also I guess, why my Drs are just giving me tablets.
I believe there is a connection between anxiety, panic attacks, stress and the occurrence of PVC. most of the people who had/have pvc are suffering from panic attacks or anxiety in general.
It probably have to do with the sensitivity of the heart to adrenaline. since panic attacks and anxiety release so much adrenaline, i believe our heart becomes sensitive to it that even the slightest thought and make it worse.
PVCs happen to most normal hearts, but since we suffer from anxiety, our subconscious mind is focused on everything happening inside our bodies. So when we think we get the PVC out of the blue, the truth is that our brain is constantly scanning our body and that is why we can feel the slightest change in our heart rhythm.
I am sure that i have PVC before, but it only came annoying and scary when i googled it.
For anyone in the same (rare) situation I was this may be of some help. I'm 35 and noticed these ectopics\PVCs or whatever you want to call the since I was a teenager but only the odd one throughout the day, which doctors say is completely normal. However about a year ago I suddenly started getting them a lot more to the point where they were happening every 2-5 seconds. As someone who is a nervous person I thought I was dying. I ended up spending over £1000 on private health tests only for the cardiologist to say my heart was physically fine and nothing other than drugs could help which he and I didn't want to try. I was so scared but soon hit a brain wave. Whenever I've been ill or felt sick I've used menthol as something to make me feel better as I like the smell. After a cold I started using a Vicks inhaler stick but was sniffing it a lot to the point I was sniffing it every few minutes to make me feel better. A few times I thought it could be that but talked myself out of it but I had a few days of palpitations that happened every second. I decided to try leaving the inhaler for a couple of days. Sure enough after about 3 days the palps all but went and haven't been back to that degree since. I think it's too much of a coincidence to not have been the inhaler. I just thought I'd mention this incase anyone else overuses a similar inhaler and gets palps.
I have had PVCs since I was 20. I am now nearly 57 and still get them for days at a time whenever I am stressed, hours and hours of bigeminy, trying to sleep, sitting.....yes, I agree, they are distressing, but I hope this gives some of you out there a bit of peace. I am a healthy person, by the way. All the best. Enjoy your life. Lizzie
I am a 44 year old man and I have suffered from pvcs and other weird beats for probably 25yrs. I too have had terrible anxiety from them or from being scared of having a bad spell. I have had all the tests and they all say my heart is healthy and not too worry. Sometimes I will just be sitting or lying down feeling fine and all of a sudden my heart would beat wildly, like it is completely out of rythym and flopping like crazy and then just stop for 2 or 3 seconds at a time. I start to pass out and think I am dying then it finally corrects itself. Every time that happens it is very scary and I just feel like it is not going to recover. I have wore all kinds of monitors and of course they have never caught a bad episode. I finally was referred to an EP that told me I was a good candidate for an ablation, so I had it done in February of this year and for several weeks I was convinced that I was going to be cured. I had very few pvcs and if I had some they were so light I could barley feel them. I seemed like the longer I went and the more my heart healed the more the pvcs and funny beats have came back, and now they are as bad as the every were. My theory is that they burned the right spots but just did not completely destroy them. I am now scheduled to have another ablation August 30. I am hoping that it fixes the problems this time!
Hi,I have had palps since 2003...it is August 2016 now. I recently seen a cardiologist. Did a EKG and Echo. They told me i have PVCs. He told me that it was a normal-abnormal.
Since the visit a month ago, the PVCs have been more frequent. I have been having them at night while laying down, even sitting. Shoot, I have them anywhere. They are sporadic. I have noticed, position changes help, but it's like the heart either relaxes or tenses up and they happen again. I have also noticed taking deep breathes makes them happen too. I try not to worry about them, even as im reading these posts they are happening. I have nevwr been hooked up to a Holter monitor, and think I need too. It scares the crap out of me having these. I have good days, where I'm normal and have no flipflops or flutters at all. I can be a normal person. Then BAM...I can wake up having them. I am really concerned and scared for my life here.
I am overweight, on a diet. 36, fixing to turn 37 in 2 weeks. Hairstylist. Not really active.
Cholesterol is high...trying to get that down. Testing heart rate is 50s sometimes upper 40s.
That don't bother me as much as the constant fluttering or double beats in my chest. Just glad to know I'm not alone...even tho when they happen, you feel as tho your heart is fixing to quit. :-(
After my investigations and tests on my self. I found the reason. It is %100 and completely related to digestive problems. As you may already read on the internet and 1000 comments all people complain that it happens in some positions. That is because the stomach is making pressure on heart and vagus nerve which results vagus nerve to send invalid signal to the heart then results a early heart beat. The only question I dont know is why this does not happen to all other people who have stomach issues ? My logical answer for this is, we have some kind of different stomach issues as a plus to GERD and other digestive problems and this different problem is unknown by the doctors today. They say it is about stress, no it is bullshit stress. It only happens when I eat something heavy and then after I bend over or sitdown fast, this is because the stomach causes. It does not happen when I'm hungry. Again %100 related to some kind of unknown digestive problem. My guess is our stomach is goes somewhere up where it shouldnt and causes pressure there, that cannot be detected by the doctors because the stomach is not staying in that position all the time.
PCV Solution: I have found a solution that stops PVC as long as you drink it. Simply, it is ACV, apple cidar vinegar. Put one tablespoon in a glass of water, mix it and drink half of it before the heavy meal and then drink the rest of it slowly after the meal in 2-3 hours. You will notice that there is no PVC again. Might happen on the first day but second day, they will go off if you continue to drink. So I'm calling all doctors, are you still saying stomach and PVC are not related after this explanations. The problem is we cannot drink apple cidar vinegar for the rest of our life, as it will be harmfull that much.
Hi there,
I am 50 year old generally fit and well though have been on blood pressure tablets since having pre eclampsia with my first child 22 years ago. I am post menopausal. I walk a fair bit each day (2-3 mikes) but this last week I've had a run of ectopics on and off and two really big thumps when exerting myself. The thumps have been felt in my upper back more than my chest like someone has startled me. I was about 30 mins into my walking at a brisk pace. It's really scared me... any ideas?
Hi, sorry I know this post is very old but just interested to see if you are still having these PVCs or if they have resolved? I'm currently dealing with these nightmares myself :(
Unknown, I wrote a solution above. But here it is again; PCV Solution: I have found a solution that stops PVC as long as you drink it. Simply, it is ACV, apple cidar vinegar. Put one tablespoon in a glass of water, mix it and drink half of it after 1 hour you eat lunch or dinner. You will notice that there is no PVC again. Might happen on the first day but second day, they will go off if you continue to drink.
Miss Claudia. It is good that you have this blog. But I wonder that you posted the generalization about beta blockers, which, as you know, are not all the same. You had responded: "do you have asthma? People who have asthma generally can't use beta blockers because it suppresses something in the breathing mechanism that can make it dangerous for asthmatics. But I think that if you have very mild asthma, most doctors aren't too worried about it." I carefully researched all manner of beta blockers to see which would have the least effect on compromised lungs. The one I finally found, and have taken for nearly two years, has not had an adverse effect, and I am in generally poor health. This is probably just an oversight, as the demands of maintaining a blog are great. Just suggesting no generalizing about the beta blockers.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to cope with suddenly-increased PVCs, with the addition of what seems to be positional vertigo. Tonight is one of those nights when I am tempted to go to the emergency department. I do have various cardiovascular diseases, but this seems so very directly to position, and, I believe some kind of vagus nerve reaction... but it surely does stink, and I feel for everyone with this garbage. I also have pulsatile tinnitus so I also hear the skipped beats.
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OK so i'm a PVC on and off sufferer for last 12 years and here is my thoery after all this time off experience and self experimentation. The source is STRESS, the sympthom producer is VEGUS NERVE and the triggers putting pressure on that nerve is your Neck/Shoulders muscle structure or your digestive system.
Your body reacts to stress the same way regardless if its emotional (stress from work or family ect.) physical (lack of sleep, over excaustion, sensitivity to EMF ect.) or chemical (bad food choices, water or lack of specific nutritional vitamins or minerals). The body does not know the difference and it reacts the same to all above. The connection between GUT and Brain has now been well established and stress will just stop digestion in its track. ON the other side stress is responsible for muscle and tendents tension in your neck and back and shoulders so both can be the triggers to vegus nerve overstimulation.
The source of the trigger will explain why some people react well to digestive aids and why some people dont but also why some will not have any digestive issues but still suffer from PVC and such but those i will bet have issue with neck pain, discomfort, headaches and so on triggered by muscle tension. At the end anything that addresses stress in your body, like magnesium, beta blockers, anti anxiety meds, breathing methods, regular intense excercise if you can motivate yourself to go pass first 10-20 minutes and such will help with the sympthoms. Addressing the stress is dealing with the sources of the misery addressing PVC, or digestive issues, or muscle tension is just addressing the sympthoms that will not get rid off the main cause.
Now the problem is that stress is a part of life and we really cant get rid off it no matter how we try to we have to focus on finding that one or few things that helps our body deal with stress or its effects. You have to find those things that help you.
Is it biking, running, playing regular physical sport or some kine of focus on excercising regiment. For some it might be the relaxation approach like meditation, breathing, walking in nature on daily basis. For some it might be change in their diet to make sure your body has the basics it needs since stress is an increadible factor in depletion of basic materials needed for minimum function. For others its focusing on their posture since most of us are seating in front of computer monitors for hours on end devolving into hunched over shadows of ourselfs or had one few many small car accidents that drove our spine into the disfunction its att. Whatever that is you need to find it. After you do then you can start to help the sympthoms a little with some herbs or supplements that support your body and help restore your day to day function. With those that have lots of neck and head issues need to focus on relaxation and ATLAS/Axis adjustments. Those that struggle with digestive issues focus on ACV or digestive bitters to help your stomach but not before you deal with the stress managment first. IF you are looking for the magic pill, the miracle procedure, the right doctor you will spend your life looking.
I wish you all good luck and hope this will get better for all of us.
Cheers,
I do not wish to nay-say you, because I feel that you have a clue: I reckon it's tied in with stress and posture, in my case directly, and I feel the Vegas nerve may play a huge part; it was suspected years ago as being tied in with ulcers. and while that appears to be incorrect, it may well be linked if not blamed. We all have helicobacter but few get ulcers. But have you _achieved_ anything from applying your theories?
Too easy to "find THE answer" and lose sight of other possibilities.
The other very strong connection i have also noticed is PVCs and Systemic Candida. Which would also tide nicely into stress and vegus nerve. Candida once overgrown and is in its fungal form causes a great deal of chemical stress not to mention very wide range of physical sympthoms which will definatelly cause anxiety and emotional stress. It also high jacks vegus nerve to communicate to the brain its need for sugar therefore strong sugar cravings are always a sign of candida trouble. The toxins it releases are also tide to sore muscles, specially neck which creates tension on vegus nerve not to mention digestive troubles that also affect vegus nerve connection. When i go on a Candida Diet i get strong PVCs from the diet off and when i excercise for a long time with the relaxation effect of excercise and all the detox from sweating my Candida symphtoms and PVCs lessen dramatically.
I've tried mostly beta blockers, first it was Atenolol and it slowed my heart rate down to about 41 beats per minute at night, I was afraid to go to sleep and instead of reducing my dosage my cardiologist wanted to put in a pacemaker,CRAZY I KNOW. So I cut my dosage down myself and I seem to be okay but I would tell my doctor that the medication was making my PVCs worse so they put me on bisoprolol which seem to work good at the beginning and then my pvc seem to be getting worse right after I took my medication, it was definitely noticeable. I forgot to mention the reason I was on the medication is because I had sleep apnea and I was waking up with Afib which was being caused by the sleep apnea. Since then I've gotten my nose fixed and lost a bunch of weight and my sleep apnea is much bette, and now I just stopped my bisoprolol a couple of months ago and I've been doing just fine so far. I look at it this way when I first started having my afib I was on no medication and I did just fine it seems like the medications the doctors give you just make things worse. I also wanted to let you know that my PVCs get worse when I eat a meal and if I eat and then lay down to go to sleep I can't do that. I have to lay down with an empty stomach and then I'm ok. I always thought I was pushing on my vagus nerve just like what you guys are talking about that has a lot to do with everything with the heart. Also eating too much sugar makes my PVCs worse too. Ok, I guess I'm done. I'm talking too much, thanks.
Its all about position and stomach. When your stomach is swelling and if you bend your self all the time, like sitting at wrong position and bending, it causes pressure on vagus nerve which brakes electric signals and changes heart beat time which then feels like your heart skips but in fact it doesnt. It just beats early.
I lived with PVC for 4.5 years. I have learned to fix it. First of all you have to accept it. It is going to happen for the rest of your life. The moment you accept this, it will start to cool down. Do NOT fight with it. If you dont have any other heart issue diagnosed by your hearth doctor but only PVC problem, beta blockers makes it worst, trust me I have used all of them in the past.
So what is the solution
It never goes completely, understand this first. However, it happens time to time that you even forget it. For example it happens to me between 3 months 1 time or between 6 months 2 times now.
What I did
I stop figthing it and I accept that it is going to happen forever. Do NOT bend your self while you sit, do NOT bend your self while you drive a car. These two triggers the issue slowly not immediate.Do NOT masturbate. It sounds funny but masturbation cause squeezing on your stomach and whole body. You can find tons of questions on google about masturbation and PVC. Have an active sex life, which does not cause PVC and to be honest it helps PVC to be fixed.
Drink ACV (Apple Cidar Vinegar) after lunch and dinner, just a tablespoon of pure ACV into glass of water and drink half of it after lunch, drink the rest after dinner, your stomach will be okay.
Stress relation between PVC, it is not directly stress, the stress person has always have a bad stomach, swelling stomach and instentines which causes pressure on vagus nerve the main reason of PVC is this. So if you are unable to fix the stress, fix your stomach with ACV and thank me later.
This is how I fixed the PVC in my life. It was happening everyday for 4.5 years even while sleeping. Now it only happens 1 time in 3 months or 6 months.
Hi there,
As far as ectopics are concerned, it surely has sth to do with the vagus nerve irritation due to gastrointestinal issues> Anxiety can also bring them on because our sympathetic system responds to a sudden release of adrenalin or cortisol. Generalized Anxiety Disorder tends to keeps the stress hormones up for long periods of time. Anxiety is almost always the culprit but you cannot ignore other possible triggers like stomach issues and improper diet both having a negative impact on your vagus nerve.
Same here. I’ve been told it hormone related. Honestly, I think they just don’t know. I feel mine is positional as well. If I lie in my back or left side at night. I feel them. They make me cough to get my heart back into rhythm. It’s annoying as hell! I’ve also found weight gain makes them worse too. I already have a congenital ventricular septal defect and I have to take blood pressure meds for that (which I hate). I was put on metoprolol a few months ago when the pvc’s were constant for several hours. Scared me so bad, I went to the ER. After that episode, they went away for a really long time. Now, they’re back. Not as bad, but still annoying. My mother died at 50 after having had a cardiac bypass. I am in constant fear that my heart is going to blow any minute. I’ve had every test imaginable and am told it’s fine. Doesn’t make me feel better though. I’m the one dealing with them!
My cardiologist told me that the beta blocker would cause coughing. She was right. It drove me madder than the pvc’s did.
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