Another PAC/PVC Question

[tony1976]

I have had bouts of PAC's & PVC's again, as have many on this board. Mine started several years ago and tend to come for a month or two and then go away for sometimes up to a year. Over the past several weeks I have had a reoccurrence which is not affecting my life, but are on my mind.

I have had two cardiac workups in the mast two years, Feb 05 & Mar 06 with all the proper tests including Echos, Thallium Stress tests and bloodwork, all have come back normal. My blood pressure is fine at 110/70 and my cholesterol level is 165 total. I exercise 30 minutes a day on a treadmill with no symptoms, in fact exercise seems to make the PAC's and PVC's go away. I have no chest pain, dzziness or SOB with these either. I lost 50 pounds in 2006 and need to loose another 30 in 2007 to get to my weight goal.

I mentioned these to my family GP during my annual check up last week and he said there was no reason to go back to the cardiologist if they are the same as before, which they are. He said that these are normally begning in the presence of a normal heart structure, is this true? Also, is it normal for these things to come and go like this or is it something that needs to be checked out again? With a normal echo in March of 06, I would think they are begnin as I had a normal heart structure with no abnormalities at that time, but I was not experiencing these palpitations at that time either.

Any input would be welcomed.

Thanks,

Tony

[Cleveland Clinic]

Tony,

thanks for the post.

It's PVC week on Medhelp!

Please see the last few post from today and yesterday for a more detailed explanation of the impact of PVCs and PACs.

With your previous workup, I really wouldn't pursue any further cardiac testing.  PVCs and PACs can change in frequency and quality over time. It sounds like you are on a good track with your cardivascular health and I would try to continue on your weight loss and fitness regimen.

good luck

[jeff 67]

I have had PACs and PVCs on and off for 20+ years.  The last 2 years have been really good with very few PVCs.  That all changed about 2 weeks ago when the PVCs suddenly came back. I am not sure about you, but when I get PVCs the ectopic beat is actually painful and leaves a lingering pain for a few minutes.  It seems all I have to do is bend over or start doing the mildest exercise and they start.  I have not changed anything in my life to bring these on.  However, they started when I went on holidays for the first time in a year and a half and I am pretty sure this is the cause.  I have learnt over the years that when I go from being very busy to idle that my heart takes the opportunity to start firing off ectopics.  With me, I don't get so many PVC's during stressful times; my body waits until the stress is over and then reacts with PVCs etc.  The only thing that really bugs me about this bout of PVCs is the pain (had this before).  I suspect they won't settle down again until I get back to work.  Anyway, just thought you might find this feedback about how they wax and wane for me of interest.

[CollegeGirl143]

With all the normal tests done, ide try not to worry about it and trust your doctors. There is a plethora of info on this site, and this question has been addressed many times so you will find alot of information on this topic if you search for it. Pac's and Pvc's are usually always there, its just a matter of if we feel them or not. I personally have a fair share of pvc's,pac's couplets, blah blah blah, that i never feel.

[tickertock]

Just wanted to say I hope the PVCs give you a break soon, so far I'm enjoying a 5 year break from a prolonged episode, only the the occasional pause , thump, skip and flip , luckily I have never experienced pain with a  PVC but heard of a few cases , now imagine that would be very terrible and even more unnerving. My PVCs always waxed and waned from time to time, a cardilogist once told me it mostly just the nature of the beast for most PVC sufferers. All the BEST for 2007.

[dquenzer]

1.  Benign beats.
2.  Continue to exercise.
3.  Don't drink caffiene, don't take decongestants, lower sugar intake, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water.
4.  Sometimes exercising raises your average heart rate that compensates for the ectopic foci.  That's why they often decrease when exercising.  OR it could be that exercising reduces stress.

I would bet that there is some trigger that you haven't discovered.  Stress, lack of sleep, don't drink enough water, whatever.

But don't worry about them.

[alistinker]

I would totally agree that there is nothing to worry about.  I know how you feel though ...they give you a break and then come back.  You know deep down that you are fine but there is that lingering thought that the dr's may have missed something....but we know they didn't.  It still amazes me to this day why there is not a safe cure for these pvcs/pacs? Lets hope they find one soon.  Also i can relate to the pvc's/pac's arriving a little after a stressful event rather than reacting during.   I did so well for a few months, even made a trip back to the UK for our green card interview in London back in september with 3 young children......now that is when i expected a total flare up from these bumps and skips but NO they waited until the stress was over and came back.  I hope you get some rest from this episode soon.  Look back at the many many postings regarding this same topic to see that you are not alone....comforting but so shocking that so many of us experience this.

Take good care everyone

sharon

[doug4767]

I’m 54 in pretty good health but have also been plagued with runs of painful PVC's (bigeminy single focal type) they can last for hours with few breaks.  I know that the PVC's themselves are not usually dangerous and I normally try to ignore them but the side affect that I find most debilitating and possible dangerous is the near blackout loss of blood to my head (the headache that follow are not fun as well). My last EKG showed me my effective heart rate to be about 30 bpm when the PVC run is happening. Is there a danger when I’m driving or engaged in other activities? Is there also a long-term detriment to my health due to lack of oxygen when I’m sleeping as with sleep apnea?

[sandrabel]

Hello to everybody.
It's my first post here and first i want to apologize me for my bad english.  I'm from Belgium and normaly i do not speak english.  I also suffer with PVC's (3000 on 24-holter) and i have a question to everybody here.  On this forum i have read that pvc's do not cause V-fib in people with a normal heart.  But on the question post by gaaz on 01/03/07 "pvc and pac are fatal and..." the doctor answered that pvc"s can initiate V-fib.  So with this answer the doctor confirmed that pvc's can go into a V-Fib or i'm wrong.  Please explaine this.  Because since i have read this answer i'm very afraid.

[tickertock]

I think what the doctor was saying is that PVCs/Pacs can initiate many different types of arrhythmia, including V-fib. This is a very rare(v-fib that is) and is usually only seen in someone with coronary heart disease or some other cardiac anomaly, in general it is not something that physicians worry about with PVCs and a normal cardiac evaluation, if this was the case many many more people would be dying suddenly as PVCs/Pacs are considered a normal finding among the general healthy population. I'm not a medical doctor but as a fellow PVC sufferer have did my research and consulted with many cardiologists also few EPs and basically they have all told me the same thing.

[sandrabel]

Thank you very much for y'r answer.  If i understand it well pvc's do not go into V-fib when you have a normal heart?  But in someone with coronary heart disease pvc's can go into V-fib but it is still very rare?

[sandrabel]

I still have another question.  What is V-tach?  And is it true that v-tach can go into v-fib?

[sandrabel]

Sorry, but it is my first day here and i have a lot of questions.  What is the difference between SVT en NSVT?  Thanks for answering.

[ROBHOFF]

I guess I'll jump on the PVC wagin this week...I have been going through a bout on and off...mostly on for months now.Tried all the beta/channel blockers..nothing..Totally fine EKG, Holter, Stress Tests, Echo. etc... I'm a 52 year old male with apparently a heart like a bull. Just a jumpy bull. After realizing that going through nights of these over and over is going to make me nuts soon as well as everyone in my family, I went to an Electrophysiologist who said he could "map and zap" it. 80% chance of getting the bad tissue. My cardio guy said many people like me are very "symptomatic" and really feel them and others are clueless. I can't fathom how someone could not notice these but nevertheless I'm scheduled for 8 days from now for an ablation. I guess since this is not a health issue but a quality of life issue...my question is does anyone think this ablation is hitting the "nail with a sledgehammer"??

[kitcurious]

Depends on how many you get because (people who have had avlations correct me if I am wromng here) even after ablation many people still seem to report they feel some sometimes.  I would assume the EP would not be offering an ablation if you did not feel ectopics frequently?
My son had 1600+ (PVC and PAC) on his Holter and honestly doesn't notice them. Not at all. Doctor noted them on every exam and so did his echocardiogram.
He had the holter because they were noticed by the doctor at his check up.

[ROBHOFF]

They did an ablation without you being sedated?? It seems like you actaully remember the process...not what I'm being told by my EP.
My guy is talking about me being basically out...I guess what they refer to as concious sedation....Your out but you do not need oxygen...

[mariop]

Great to hear your ablation was mostly successful and at least you are somewhat satisfied.  Mine is set for Feb 16, Pittsburgh PA.  I have V-Tach and none of the medications have worked, so I'm going the ablation route.  My focal spots are in the lower chambers; where were your focal spots that got zapped out?  Any residual problems?

[ROBHOFF]

Has anyone out there ever heard of stomach disorders...specifically esophogaus stuff being the root cause opf PVC's??

[sb786]

Hi ROBHOFF,

I personally think there is a connection between indigestion and PVCs. I have alot of indigestion problems due to IBS and find that when i have alot of stomach gases i have alot of PVCs without a doubt. In fact when i have no stomach probs i have no PVCs.I have read about others who also experience this but no one has ever mentioned what they are doing to treat the problem.

[ROBHOFF]

I think it may be exactly the same way for me...I'm noticing that everytime I have PVC's it's either after a meal or when my stomach is screwed up. The really compelling clue came when I was so busy one day a week ago, I didn't eat all day and I noticed that it was the end of a week long run of PVC's...as soon as I had food at 8 at night or so...they started again.
The best I can get out of the Docs is that one of them said it was "possible".....something about your esophogaus laying over
the atrium area and that it's all "mechanical". I have no clue what he meant by that. But I have heard others make the same connection and no one in the medical field seems to be tying this together as a possibility.

[sb786]

My cardiologist has said to me that it is possible that indigestion can trigger the pvcs by irritating the vagal nerve. One of my docs has also said the same thing but i just cannot control the indigestion. Do you find you get alot of trapped gas? For me the trapped gas is definitely a trigger for the pvcs. for some people its stomach acid.

[ROBHOFF]

I think for me it's either GERD symptoms or just this feeling in the pocket at the base of my neck between those bones where I get a very tight feeling and then these PVC's start. But 9 times out of ten they start after eating....when I've gone many hours without food I almost never get them

[sb786]

Have you ever tried acid meds? I have and they help alot with the pvcs but the only problem is they do nothing to reduce the stomach gas which also triggers pvcs for me. I have come across alot of people on the internet who say that they have reduced the pvcs by treating the indigestion. In fact alot of people on this forum believe that the pvcs are increased with eating.