Greetings, all fellow PVC sufferers. I know I've been a stranger to this blog lately, but I've been very busy and just haven't been able to keep up with all the comments. I'm glad to see that other sufferers have been finding us, because I get new commenters almost daily to the blog, and hopefully you are all finding some reassurance and good advice from others who understand what you're going through.
I apologize if I can't respond to each comment and question, but I know a lot of people check in regularly and most of us wonder about the same things. So it's useful to read through ALL of the comments under all the different posts. Some really great info there!
I've been going through a pretty good period PVC-wise. I still have them each and every day, probably getting several each hour, but they've been fairly mild for a couple of months and I haven't had any really bad bouts of them. Of course, I know that one is perhaps just lurking around the corner, but I try to focus on today being a good day and remember that even when that bad bout comes, it will pass.
Hope you are all well and managing. Even if I can't always respond, I welcome each and every one of your comments!
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36 comments:
New to the blog and PVC's....I have had a difficult time dealing with PVC's! Just turned 30 and I have been very healthy with little or no problems... until playing basketball one night with friends, I get this weird feeling of a stopped heartbeat or a skipped beat. It was over fairly quick but yet that would start a plethora of test and dr. appt over the next few months. The doc told me it was nothing! Heart was great and some people get these occasional skipped or extra beats. Even though he told me it was benign, I still feel like I am going to die or need to go to the doctor when I have them. Glad I have found your page...any helpful hints to dealing with this? Thanks..
Hi Claudia! I just found your blog after searching for "ectopic heartbeat" on Google. I just wanted to mention that I was having horrible panic attacks and PACs (like PVCs but in the atrium not the ventricle) every day, and then in February 2009, I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea.
Since I've started treatment for that (CPAP when I sleep), the PACs rarely show their ugly heads.
Most recently, I had a partial small bowel obstruction, which brought on HORRIFIC ectopic beats and tachycardia (fast heart rate). Once that cleared on its own at the hospital--no surgery! I got lucky--the PACs went away and my resting heart rate went down to a comfortable 76.
I also have IBS, and my ectopic beats are VERY correlated with gut issues. Vagal response?
If anyone has the symptoms of sleep apnea--reflux, daytime sleepiness, panic attacks, ectopic heart beats, etc.--go for a sleep study pronto!
Be well!
My name is Samantha im 28 years old and ive been suffering frm pvc for 10 years and im still not usd to it they scare the hell out of me,i have no one to talk to about it i feel like im going to die!!If anyone wants to talk call me at 334 282 2881
A reminder to Samantha and everyone else, remember to join the Facebook group (see link on the right hand side) because we now have a lot of members there and there is usually more discussion going on there than here. Hopefully you can find some good support there!
Group,
Great blog site and many thanks for this shared source. I am also a 20 plus year sufferer.
As with most of you, I have accepted them as normal to my daily routine and thus have learned to deal with them - primarily by not panicking and controlling me breathing. Changing of my body position (standing up, rolling over to the other side, etc.) often stops them. They are often initiated during a breath intake - not sure why?
I've also learned there food related things that can significantly increase their likelihood of occurrence. In addition to caffeine, alcohol, tiredness, etc, I've observed two main culprits: parsley and black tea. By avoiding these two culprits, I was able to reduce my incident frequency to a few per a day, from hundreds. It also has reduced the frequency of multiples.
I would like to know if others have found certain foods and/or spices as a cause.
Thanks
So happy to have found this site! I have had pvcs for the past 3 months, and felt almost 20 in a row this morning. I had a normal echo last March, but the pvcs started afterwards, so that has me all freaked out. My cardiologist says they are benign, but it's hard to believe with 1) the number of them, 2) the way they feel, and 3) the occurance AFTER the echo. I feel like maybe I should go back and see him or have a holter monitor done. I can't stand them!
So glad to have found this page. To all you fellow sufferers i sympathize with you. I ended up in A and E over 2 years ago with weird palpitations and was kept in for further testing as my ECG was abnormal. I thought i was having a heart attack and very scared. These docs dont realize how scary these things are!!!...Dont worry they tell you. After a few tests ive been told they are benign and a nuisance. Both Atrial and Ventricular. I avoid caffeine, dont drink either but what makes mine worse is stress. This week in particular they have been bad to the point where i was on the verge of calling 999. Lying down is bad too so i try to sleep propped up. Just a nightmare. Its hard not to get stressed about them as i think i,m going to give myself a heart attack. I have read a few comments and i can relate to all of them. IBS, yes... def think there is a connection. If anyone has new ideas , let me know. They say to avoid stress but very hard when you have an 18 year old and a 12 year old whose hormones are haywire !!!. Please help !!!...thanks
My palps were very scary. More so when I first started having them. I found this article written by a doctor whos wife suffered from palps. It really give me some peace of mind.
http://pvcgroup.webs.com/palpitations.htm
Just turned 71 and been getting noticeable heartbeats about 2 years now. I take a bisoprolol as needed when I can't take it any more. Wondering if coffee is a major culprit. I try to avoid coffee and when I fall off I get heartbeats about five hours later. Yes and lying on my side encourages the spells sometimes. I worry because dad and brother died of heart attacks but tests are negative. Mom had a pacemaker in later years. She died at 92. I suffer IBS and tend to worry easily so doc said see a therapist which I do.
Claudia, do you still post on this blog? How is your health now? Still living with PVCS?
I'm a 25 year old female and have known something was up with my heart since I was in junior high school. Drs always said it was nothing.
Finally when I was 22 I was rushed to the hospital with SVT which was deemed to have been set off by PVCS. Since then, my PVCs have gotten worse and worse and now I have them hundreds of times a day. When I eat, swallow, move a certain way. I hate it!
Reading your stories helps me know that I'm normal and don't need to rush to the hospital every time they start up or I get short of breath.
Hi Alexandra,
Yes, I still read incoming comments, but don't get time to respond to all of them. I encourage everyone to read through all the comments on all the different posts, since there's a lot of good info and shared experiences there.
How is your SVT going? Are you on any meds for it?
I've actually been doing pretty good for several months. I still have PVCs all the time, but they haven't been too intense and it's been a while since I've had a sleepless night because of them. Crossing my fingers that it stays that way. :)
Hi everybody.I am a 44 yr old female recently diagnosed with PVC's and sinus tachycardia.I have had pvcs previously but intermittently and they were never able to catch until now.I had a 21 day event monitor.So,since Feb 3 I have had them every day.I have not had SVT thankfully and I just had my follow up with the cardiologist after numermous other tests.I was put on a beta blocker,Atenolol.My blood pressure has also been creeping up so a low dose of this should help both problems he says.I cant' wait to feel relief!I totally agree with everybody here,it does feel like you are dying sometimes!Kind of hard not to panic.I get dizzy and short of breath sometimes with mine too.It's very nice to know I'm not alone!!Thank you Claudia for starting this blog!Shannan
Hi all - just found this blog. I have had pvc's for 7 years. They started after a major operation I had. I have had tests - in fact a holter monitor just a couple of months ago - and doctors assure me they are benign. However, they cause me huge ammounts of anxiety and distress.
I wanted to let you know of a medical website where a cardiologist answers questions. Dr David Richardson's answers have given me huge support in trying to come to terms with my pvcs.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Heart-Cardiology-964/
In terms of dealing with the anxiety I have read a few cognitive therapy books which have been helpful - Stop Thinking, Start Living - Richard Carllson, The Worry Cure - Richard Leahy, and Feel Good; New Mood therapy -David Burns. Self Help for Your Nerves by Claire weeks is very good too.
This site has lots of articles on anxiety:
http://www.anxietynetwork.com/helpcope.html
The important thing is to have your pvc's checked out by a doctor - then work on the anxiety they cause.
I am 65 and have had pvc's for about 30 years now. Holter monitors, ekg's, 3 different doctors,all found no underlying cause except anxiety. Pvc's come and go - no pattern. We all know coffee, certain foods, stress, are all contributors, but they arent the cause. I think if you can learn to just ignore them, they go away. I know it's scary, but after all these years, I try to just continue about my business like they arent' there. Keeping weight down, exercising, all help, but don't cure. I think it's like having a big nose, or big tonsils. You just HAVE it!
Has anyone tried Magnesum? It has worked for me. I take Magnesium Taurate, but there are a few different kinds of magnesium that works.
Thanks for putting this blog up and nice to see all these comments from other folks. I have been suffering from a recurrent anxiety disorder, and the last bout (still ongoing) has caused a surge in extrasystoles. Had my heart checked 2 years ago and no problem was identified, but as work is really stressing me out these days I try calming myself with the thought that these "extra heartbeats" are a mental disorder, not a physical one. Please keep up this community
I started having ectopic heartbeats when menopause began 10 years ago (I am now 60). This led in turn to an anxiety disorder of such magnitude that it overrode the fear of the irregular heartbeat! In time medication for anxiety prevailed although I still suffered from the occasional "heart bounce" when relaxing after a hard day at work.
My daughter got married in September this year which was very stressful as I had to deal with an influx of visitors from the UK. In addition, on 09/11 (a day to remember) I was watching South Africa play Wales in the rugby world cup (I am an avid Springbok supporter) and they beat Wales by only 1 point. This sounds so stupid (although I suppose you have to laugh), but that is when my ectopic heartbeat began again in earnest! It has now been going on for 2 months, with a few reprieves in between. My family in the UK know nothing about it (my sister-in-law has PSP and is almost wheelchair-bound, my brother has just had a brain tumour removed and is undergoing chemo, my mother is in early stage Alzheimers, my Dad has to look after her and my sister has to look after them all so I figure they have enough problems of their own!). My 3 children are also unaware of the problem because I raised them on my own and being their only lifeline, I always tended to keep my worries from them. So this website is an absolute GODSEND to me. I find many parallels with some of the info on this site. Exercise improves my heartbeat and makes me feel much better until a few hours after when I relax, then it starts leaping around. I love to read in bed, but get disturbed by the bounce. On the subject of alcohol, don't tell the doctors this, but it helps to regularise my heartbeat if I have a few drinks in the evening, and it also helps me to sleep. Smoking is a no, no but caffeine doesn't seem to have any effect. I am certainly going to try the magnesium taurate (I eat bananas every day as I believe they also contain magnesium)? Thanks for the support.
Jacky, Johannesburg, South Africa
Hi everyone
I have just been diagnosed PVC about a month ago after an episode of nearly dying feeling on plane. Saw two cardiologist and did tthe stress test, echocardiogram and 24 hr holter. There's nothing wrong with the structure of my heart and doctors said I was alright.
I am quite upset about this since I do not drink alcohol, coffee or smoke and now I avoid coke, too. Sometimes it really kills me for having this suffocating, light-headed less and weakening feeling. It is particular worse when I have my periods.
I started taking a low dose Concoz about a week ago but it does not seem to be working apart from slowing my pulse.
I would like to try Chinese medicine and acupuncture so I wonder whether there's anyone out there tried these before and can share their experience?
A few things I find which may help:
Have enough rest
Eat properly but not too full
Keep optimistic and stress low
Thanks,
EK
From Hong Kong
hi there i have been suffering from ectopic heart beats for 15 years previous to this i had suffered anxiety so i think there just might be a link between the to maybe i seem to get them around my period time or if i am run down or stressed i do feel breathless with them sometimes which makes me panic even more i was put on a halter monitor to check the ectopics out about ten years ago and the doctor said there was nothing wrong they do worry me alot but what reinsures me is that i am not the only one that suffers from them and being able to talk and share my experiences with other people helps.
So glad I found this site. Have been having PACs and PVCs and atrial fib since June of 1992. Right now am going thru a horrible bout of them and also am having upper GI issues. I hate these things. Once they started, it changed my life forever. :(((
My experiences with PVCs follow the classic pattern - I've had them intermittently for about 12 years; I've tried the recommended strategies; I find it extremely difficult to cope - but here's the thing: the anti-anxiety drug Ativan really does work for me.
At least in the short term - ie. if I feel a panic attack approaching or that awful squeezing/prodding sensation in my chest I take 1mg Ativan under the tongue and in a few minutes feel restored to normal. However - sad to say - this medication is not the ultimate answer.
Ativan belongs to the benzo family of SSRIs and is EXTREMELY addictive. Without really meaning to or noticing I've progressed to taking 1mg a day. This is still far short of full-blown problem addiction but I'm concerned; I'm watching myself.
I am not recommending the use of Ativan but it has saved me from agorophobic tendencies - for now anyway it lets me go about my usual business.
Bottom line, people - this may be a solution with strings attached - talk to your doctor!
I have suffered from ectopic heartbeats in the form of PAC's (premature atrial contractions) for 37 years. They have appeared on and off for all of this time. There have been periods of remission - sometimes for months - and as I recall, more than a year on occasion. At the time of writing I am going through a dreadful phase of them - I just have to move, bend, sit, and up they come. The frequency of the dropped beats is the alarming thing, with sometimes one missing beat in every two, and it is hard to meekly accept that these episodes are 'benign' - this is really cold comfort for a sufferer. About 15 years ago, the PAC's switched to atrial fibrillation - which was terrifying - and I had a catheter ablation in 2001 in an attempt to eliminate the AF. This seems to have worked but the PAC's remain. They just seem to appear without forewarning, and I'm just praying that they will subside once more to get a bit of my life back. The Internet seems very short of any useful information to help sufferers but is flooded with suggestions and amazing claims as to how to conquer the anxiety symptoms accompanying or preceding heart arrythmias. Those I have investigated have all drawn blanks. There are so many contradictory claims out there - which is utterly confusing - that I think that the problem is merely compounded rather than being resolved, which only undermines confidence in the remedies being advertised. It takes time and effort to explore all the avenues and when these end in a cul-de-sac it's just so much more time wasted..... so these are the comments from a somewhat cynical sufferer. I'm grateful to have come across this site, though, and hope that the sharing of experiences will provide some reassurance.
I started having what I thought were palpitations in July. I woke up out of a dead sleep and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I had my husband take me to the emergency room where they did blood work, a CT of my chest, monitored me and gave me fluids. Everything was normal. I had some sinus tachycardia but I was told it was probably stress and sent home. I followed up with my doctor and he did an echo and had me wear a 24 hour holter, both were normal.
I had the same thing happen in August and Septemeber and both times nothing could be found. My doctor said anxiety, my family thought I was exaggerating but each time I felt like I was dying.
This past weekend I was walking to my car in a parking structure and my heart starting racing and then it felt like it stopped. It kept doing this ... racing and stopping. I waited a few minutes and then called 911. I was terrified. The paramedics were able to catch the abnormal rhythm on a 3 lead ekg and took me to the hospital. I was having a PVC every other beat. I self corrected after about 15-20 minutes. It was the scariest thing I have ever experienced.
The ER doctor finally acknowledged that what I had going on was not mere anxiety. I went to see a cardiologist who now has me on a 30 day event monitor. I am only 28 and terrified. How much is this going to effect my life? I feel like I am getting these irregular beats all day long. No one around me seems to understand my fear and sadness. I am so afraid of another bad attack that I do not want to do anything. I am happy I found this blog. It is comforting to hear other's stories.
Hello Beth...
Saw your 'tale of woe' today on this site. You can see my own story immediately above yours. I know just how you feel as I go through the unpleasant experience periodically. The resulting anxiety generates a vicious circle from which it seems hard to escape. I'm looking at various strategies right now and will post these as and when they seem to be paying dividends. Do feel free in the meantime to respond to this comment. Best regards, Donald (a.k.a. Composer)
Thank you Donald. I ended up in the E.R. again last night. I woke up at about midnight with my heart jumping out of my throat. I tried to calm myself down but after about 15 minutes it was too much. I started getting nauseous and having some left arm discomfort. My husband called 911. When the paramedics arrived my heart rate was around 130 and my blood pressure was a little elevated. They gave me baby aspirin and nitro as a precaution which only made me more nervous. My heart rate then jumped up to 150 which is the highest I have ever seen it ( the ER doc said that was most likely due to the nitro). All of my tests checked out ok but my potassium is a little low, 3.3. Last week it was 3.4 so my cardiologist told me to eat a banana every day. I have been doing this so I don't know why my potassium is even lower now? I am terrified. I read about VT and other serious arrhythmias and I cannot stop worrying. I am wearing a 30 day event monitor but took it off last night because my skin is becoming irritated. Talk about bad timing. I wish the original palpitations could have been caught. What if it's not just PVC's? I am very depressed and anxious all the time. I don't know what else to do.
Beth - thank you for your email. I'm sorry that you're having such a tough time.
The worry and anxiety generated by the cardiac bad behaviour (fear of another episode, and other frightening but unfounded speculative thoughts) tends to have a feedback effect that keeps the symptoms going, so I believe that any way to dampen the anxiety is important. You've already read my (cynical?!) views on Internet-based remedies but I'm still looking and will report back. I can really and truly identify with your worrying and anxiety as this has nearly been my downfall on many, many occasions.
Right now, I'm taking Magnesium Malate tablets (Malate version apparently important) which seems to have reduced considerably my ectopic heartbeats. This is a recent step I took but so far so good. Take a look also at the letter from colby12 at the following website:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Heart-Rhythm/magnesium-taurate/show/797743
Many years ago I became so concerned with my arrhythmia that I ended up buying my own personal monitor, refurbished, called King of Hearts Express, that allowed me to record events in similar fashion to Holter monitor, and I sent the recordings telephonically down the line to a reception terminal in the local hospital. Comments on the traces were always the same - i.e. nothing wrong - although plenty of ectopic beats were detected. Until last week I hadn't used it for years, and still awaiting comments from cardiologist.
Cardiac arrhythmias have been described by some cardiologists as: the misdemeanours of a normal heart. Not sure whether this offers any reassurance to sufferers. Remission of the severe symptoms is virtually certain to happen sooner or later. Right now I'm doing battle once more with an old enemy. Don't let this beat you. Will keep posting on this site. Bye for now.
Hi there! I had NO idea there were this many people with the same issues, I have. I have read several posts only to realize it sounds just like me. I have also found some helpful hints.I do have a question. Does anyone have chest pain with their "episodes"? If so, what can I do for it? I try controlled breathing. I've gone for a quick, brisk walk (hurts worse, at first, but does seem to help, but only for a little while) I guess I could just exercise constantly...LOL (one way to lose weight). Anyway, sometimes I get light-headed, but not often. The chest pain is probably the worse second only to the actual flutter, thump, rolling sensations.
HELP!
I'm new to this blog but was searching but am happy to find some sort of support. I began having PVC's almost two years ago. Of course, I was alarmed to feel my heart acting so weirdly, so I went into my doctor, got referred to a cardiologist and underwent all the tests that they run; ekg, holter monitor, 30 day monitor, echo, stress test, and a saline bubble test (anyone else have the bubble test?). After all that the cardiologist gave me the news that they were something I'd have to live with. It's so disconcerting when you feel like there's really something wrong.
Well, I've been trying to live with them for a year but during a recent routine checkup, my dr said I better get another ekg since the PVCs were happening so frequently. I'm in the whole process of testing again but am getting the same responses of, "It's normal", "Lots of people have them," blah blah blah. What's different this go round is that I've been getting faint/dizzy a lot more recently and having strange headaches. Also, like another who just wrote I get slight chest pain. (I was told it's muscular and not to worry).
Though I wouldn't wish this on anyone, it's reassuring to see I'm not the only one who has a hard time being okay with this condition.
hey guys my name is mike. i suffer from pvc's pac's dizzyness. i keep thinking im going to die. i seen my 30 day results, i had a 3 beat run of v tach. now i keep thinking i will die. i have a 2 year old daughter and a soon to be wife. im even scared to have sex. this is ruining my life.
im 27 years old
and a 5 run of pac's. i feel all of my pvcs through out the day.
hello my name is John and I started suffering PVCs/PACs over a yr ago after mentally tiring myself out over a research project. It was annoying me and eventually I complained to my GP doctor and he did blood tests for thyroid hormone and electrolytes -all normal but sent me to a cardiologist. The specialist did resting ecg and echo at rest. Then 24-hr holter and told me to write down the times I felt the palpitations so he could correlate with the holter. Then after that he did echo stress treadmille test. Look, folks, please if you feel these palpitations do the routine I did - the blood tests ought to be normal and echo at rest and treadmill have to be normal and holter show uncomplicated PVCs/PACs BEFORE a benign diagnosis can be made. Most likely, if you have this problem it is BENIGN. So, treatment? Well, exercise relieves them. Also, no coffee nor sports drinks. I find a vibrating pillow against my head at night in bed helps sooth me and relax -so much so I carry it everywhere now! Psychological support! A good holiday is not out of the question either. I still get them and they annoy me and I run the tension out at times and it stops them-for a while anyways.
Beta-blockers might help too a little-but that varies!
Lots of medical reassurance is the key and pray and have faith-we all need that folks.
Best of luck,
John
GB
Hi Claudia - This is Jeff from Skippinghearts.com - do you remember me? I was wondering, since you aren't maintaining this blog anymore but people are still finding you and looking for help - would you mind posting a link in this post to our site? We've been growing into a nice community, both in size and in the quality of people we have there. It's a great place.
Thank you in advance.
I hope you're well.
Jeff
Hi, Jeff!
I'm doing well, thanks! The past couple of years my PVCs have been much less intense. Still frequent, but not as intense as when they were disrupting my sleep and quality of life. I don't really know why, since I actually went through an extremely stressful few months last year. I was amazed that I wasn't more plagued by PVCs. So I'm just crossing my fingers that it lasts. :)
I'm happy to refer readers to your site. I'm going to write a new post right now. ;)
I've come to this blog so many times for solace over the years, and now, I finally have something to say. I've suffered from supra ventricular tachycardia since I was in my mid-twenties. In the last 6 years or so, however, I began to experience ever worsening PVCs. I went to several cardiologists in the States and here in Mexico where I live. Always the same thing, take beta blockers and aspirin and learn to live with them. They're benign, they won't hurt you. All the usual stuff. Well, I really didn't struggle too much with that until the past 2 or 3 years when I began having bigeminy and trigeminy. It would come and go, an episode usually lasting a month or so. Finally, it got to the point where I was having so many that I told my latest cardiologist that I sometimes felt like sticking my hand down my throat and ripping my heart out. I was exhausted and disgusted. This new cardiologist told me he would never tell me to just live with it. He did extensive testing, tried a couple of meds, and ultimately sent me to a gastroenterologist. Turns out I have a huge hiatal hernia that presses against the vagal nerve. I always knew that eating affected my heart rate, but every time I told the cardios, they'd poo poo the idea. Well, guess what, had the hernia repaired and went from 10,000+ pvc's a day to once in a great while. This may not be the answer for everyone, but if you KNOW that eating affects your pvcs, get an endoscopy done. It's so worth it!
leuk!
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