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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
A Simple Question ... Maybe
Answered by
Cleveland - OH
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests
A Simple Question ... Maybe
by ChadCA, Feb 20, 2004 12:00AM
A simple question … maybe. Why can’t the medical establishment help those who SUFFER from benign PVCs/PACs.
I began experiencing PVCs 2 years ago, after blood tests, stress tests and an echo, I was booted out the door by the Cardiologist with the all too common phrases of ‘in the setting of a structurally normal heart, the PVCs are benign’ and ‘I see these all the time, don’t worry’.
Okay, I probably will not die from these, but I have a very real medical condition that is controlling my life. My quality of life went from a 10 to a 1 in a matter of weeks. I, like others suffering from these arrhythmias are left begging for help. I hear Cardiologists say it is not life threatening, so no research is done, no support groups are formed. Well depression is not life threatening, nor is penile dysfunction or small breasts, but every city in this country has hundreds of doctors ready to help patients with these issues. Why can’t we have a center for benign arrhythmias? A place where people who suffer from this form of Chinese water torture can go to learn why it is not life threatening, to get specialized physiological therapy, or to get testing done of Magnesium, Potassium and other levels which are known to cause arrhythmias. It is quite possible, by having a center, operating in a structured treatment/evaluation setting, that we may find ways to reduce these arrhythmias and help those afflicted cope with this life altering affliction.
Why is the medical establishment turning its back on this condition, why is no one willing to look under the hood a little further? The lack of interest by the medical community has turned otherwise normal individuals into lay researchers, struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together, searching through the hundreds of PVC related message boards, trying to find a reason for their sudden affliction and looking for the comfort of others. I urge the medical community, including your clinic, to step up to the plate; it may help millions who have lost the enjoyment of life.
I began experiencing PVCs 2 years ago, after blood tests, stress tests and an echo, I was booted out the door by the Cardiologist with the all too common phrases of ‘in the setting of a structurally normal heart, the PVCs are benign’ and ‘I see these all the time, don’t worry’.
Okay, I probably will not die from these, but I have a very real medical condition that is controlling my life. My quality of life went from a 10 to a 1 in a matter of weeks. I, like others suffering from these arrhythmias are left begging for help. I hear Cardiologists say it is not life threatening, so no research is done, no support groups are formed. Well depression is not life threatening, nor is penile dysfunction or small breasts, but every city in this country has hundreds of doctors ready to help patients with these issues. Why can’t we have a center for benign arrhythmias? A place where people who suffer from this form of Chinese water torture can go to learn why it is not life threatening, to get specialized physiological therapy, or to get testing done of Magnesium, Potassium and other levels which are known to cause arrhythmias. It is quite possible, by having a center, operating in a structured treatment/evaluation setting, that we may find ways to reduce these arrhythmias and help those afflicted cope with this life altering affliction.
Why is the medical establishment turning its back on this condition, why is no one willing to look under the hood a little further? The lack of interest by the medical community has turned otherwise normal individuals into lay researchers, struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together, searching through the hundreds of PVC related message boards, trying to find a reason for their sudden affliction and looking for the comfort of others. I urge the medical community, including your clinic, to step up to the plate; it may help millions who have lost the enjoyment of life.
Doctor's Answer
by Cleveland Clinic, Feb 20, 2004 12:00AM
, Feb 20, 2004 12:00AM
chadca,
I'm waiting for the simple question.
Chronic diseases with no treatments are really the bane of medicine. I wish I had a simple answer or pill for you to take.
The pure prevalence of people with similar complaints affirms how many suffer from the condition.
The nice thing about the internet is that it allows these types of communities and support groups to form. I would use it to your advantage to see how others have dealt with their illness.
good luck
I'm waiting for the simple question.
Chronic diseases with no treatments are really the bane of medicine. I wish I had a simple answer or pill for you to take.
The pure prevalence of people with similar complaints affirms how many suffer from the condition.
The nice thing about the internet is that it allows these types of communities and support groups to form. I would use it to your advantage to see how others have dealt with their illness.
good luck
I truly appreciate you comment regarding other life threatening arrhythmias that need research and treatment, by no means would I suggest study of begin arrhythmias take precedence. I’m only asking that some effort be made to understand the cause of, and to help those who have the begin flavor.
By the way, I don’t drink coffee, eat chocolate or take any type of stimulants. I’m 42, 160lbs, ride my bike three or four time a week, surf and ocean swim every other day and eat a very health and balanced diet. All of my blood tests have come back ‘stellar’. I live the quintessential healthy California lifestyle. In my case I think my metabolism changed in some way when I turned 40. I would just life some doctor to complete some form of comparative analysis of my metabolism, to at least attempt to find the cause
Not so with the penile dysfunction or small breasts! But, the difference there, is that there ARE solutions available for those conditions. Each person so afflicted can make an informed decision as to whether or not to avail themselves of the solution.
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to the PVC problem. I wish you the best in your search for the answers. I agree that more research needs to be done in this area.
The current thinking is that these electrically-active islands are located in regions of the heart wall/PV ostia where only structural cardiac tissue is really needed. But as evolution and fate would have it, nature didn't think it too important to be too careful about constructing the heart. Basically, we procreated well enough with or without these beasts in our chests.
I think the most significant problem facing the PVC/PAC sufferer is anxiety and OCD. I know I fell victim to it myself and I see it discussed throughout this forum and others. The anxiety feeds upon itself, and leads to both a heightened awareness and a worsening condition (more skips). There's nothing I can say that will make you feel better. But I can say that I solved the problem for myself, because I realized that I was becoming victim to a curious version of OCD. Maybe it's self-realization that is required as the critical first step...once you truly believe you understand the problem and that it's not critical, it's just the way your are constructed, and if you don't stop worrying about losing your life to an imagined runaway arrythmia, you will lose it to an obsession instead. Your choice.
-Arthur
p.s. loved the penile dysfunction and small breasts analogies!
My palps get worse when stressed and after the 100 centimetres (for those in the US that's approx. 40 inches) of snow we got lastnight and the 15-25 centimetres (4-6.25 inches) we are getting tomorrow, well I am stressed. The province declared a state of emergency so we are not allowed on the roads. I am terribly stressed had major panic attacks and palpitations today and thought for sure I was having a heart attack. I managed to calm myself down for my children's sake.
I definitely could use a support group and treatment for the anxiety of the PACs/PVCs.
If anyone has an psychotherapy tricks they'd like to share I'd love to hear them!
at times? eating, reaching over my head, bending over, clothes that are confining around the waist, stomach growling, and heavy lifting. I wonder if it has anything to do with changes in blood pressure. I am not a big person 5'5" 106 pounds and my blood pressure gets low at times 78 over 48 sometimes even lower, I am on low dose beta blocker, the low blood pressure does not affect me too much just cold all the time in sunny California. Also there are heart suport groups in most places. I go to one monthly and it has helped me to realize that as bad as my situaion seems to me at times, there are so many people that have gone through much worse with their hearts and are still with us and finding ways to cope. That helps me a lot when my arrhythmia gets bad. I think having a good understanding doctor makes all the difference in the world. Mine always says there is no magic bullet for this, and I am sure if there were one this doc would find it.
Best Wishes to you, Linda