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Questions posted in the
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Subject: Re: Frequent PVC's To Whom it May Concern, My name is Danny Hayes and I am a 27 year old, male, dental student at Temple University. In the past 48 hours, I have frequently experienced what I used to refer to as a "skipped heart beat". By frequently, I mean that this has been occuring once every 2-3 minutes and sometimes even 2 to 3 times per minute. Last evening, I went to the ER out of concern. This condition has not caused any pain or angina, but it feels like someone has grabbed and squeezed my heart. When it occurs, I feel like it grabs my breath and sometimes causes a feeling of light-headedness. When I checked into the ER last evening, they hooked me up to a monitor which showed several PVC's in a relatively short period of time. To attempt a diagnosis, the physician ordered blood labs to check my electrolyte balance and an EKG. Both tests returned normal, however, the PVC's have continued for the past 24 hours. Since I am only 27 years old and have never experienced this before, I am concerned. The physician did not offer a diagnosis nor did he prescribe any medications. His advice was to monitor it for a day or 2 and then return if the symptoms have not subsided. Currently, I do not have health insurance and do not wish to make unnecessary hospital visits. However, this is causing me great concern. Is it possible that this condition could be Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrom. If not, what other explanations could be given for this condition? I am not a heavy caffeine drinker and am not a heave drinker of alcohol either. Please advise me on possible treatment options and recommendations. Thank you. Sincerely, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is unlikely that your PVCs are the sole manifestation of WPW. PVCs can be triggered form too much caffeine, stress, or lack of sleep, a combination often found in a student's life. I would recommend eliminating any caffeine (including soda or medicines to stay awake) or alcohol as a first step. Certainly if the symptoms do not subside soon you ought to see a cardiologist. You could try the cardiology clinic at your own university; they would probably be understanding about the insurance issue. I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back. Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
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