Bigeminy anyone?

[sinead]

Does anyone here get bigeminy?

What does it feel like?

How long can it last for?

Is it more dangerous than single PVC's?

I am trying to figure out if this is what is happening to me when my heart goes from the normal: b..b..b..b..b.. to: b.boom....pause....b.boom....pause....b.boom....pause...

thanx so very much for your help :)

[anacyde]

My bigeminy feels exactly as you described.  I get that when I am REAL upset.  I usually need to be yelling when it happens.

[anacyde]

My bigeminy feels exactly as you described.  I get that when I am REAL upset.  I usually need to be yelling when it happens.

[sinead]

as an embarrassing side note: I also get this when having sex... especially after that big O moment... scares me!

is this normal or ok?
my face is totally red now :)

[CollegeGirl143]

i had bigeminy for quite some time after my ablation, not a few runs, but nonstop for a few weeks.. in a structurally normal heart they are no different than a run of the mill isolated pvc.. also,  i know alot of people here happen to experience them at the same special moments you talk about ;)

[Manhattan]

hi sinead,

according to both my cardiologist and electrophysiologist (who is considered the best around), the worst that would happen is bigeminy would turn into a tachycardia and even that would not be considered dangerous. if you take your pulse while it's happening you would feel a pause every other beat. the biggest challenge we all have is trying not to focus on them and letting them influence our lives. this website has been a tremendous help to me in that area and i hope it does the same for you :)

[frs87]

Sometimes I have bigeminy, specially when I lay down abruptly. It scares the **** out of me.

I know a few people who also have this when having sex.

[Darwingirl]

I had these this morning in two seperate incidences when pushing when going to the toilet. Scared the **** out me, so I posted below just to see if it happens to anyone else. Never had it happen before whilst going to the toilet but has happened during sex and a couple of other times.  

[Barbarella]

I get these after eating a meal when I am stressed or very tired.

[sinead]

Manhattan said:

"if you take your pulse while it's happening you would feel a pause every other beat".

that is exactly what it feels like. which also makes it feel like my pulse is much SLOWER too...  is that how you guys feel when it happens?

I am so greatful for your advice guys.  I'm still waiting on holter results & have to be sent for an echo.  I am sure deep down that these are all benign PVC's, but until they say my "heart is structurally normal" I will probably have some fear lingering.  you all help me so much :)

[anacyde]

My bigeminy feels exactly as you described.  I get that when I am REAL upset.  I usually need to be yelling when it happens.

[brooklynbetsy]

just wanted to know who your ep was? i may have to have another ep study done for my pvc's and the ep i used for my svt has only done a few ablations for pvc's. wondering if your ep is in manhattan like your name bc i live in brooklyn.

[Manhattan]

i actually drive out to connecticut to see my aunt's ep. of course, we have access to some of the best doctors in the country, so i'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to find someone here in nyc.

[Barbara]

     You wanted to know if anyone has bigeminy's, well I have them most all day long.  They start from the time I wake up till I go to bed.  I have had every test in the book, and they all tell me live with them.  I am now going to make an appointment at Cleveland Clinic to see what they have to say.  I just had an echo last week, and I'm waiting for the results.  These have continued for approximately 5 years-----each year getting worse.  I even went for a catherization.  They certainly have ruined my life.  I'm even afraid to go for a walk sometimes, because they start up again.  They tell me there are pills for these, but they could be very dangerous.  I would have to go into the hospital in order to be put on them.  How does that sound?  

[Santino72]

The medicine is most likely betapace, I just started on it 14 days ago,  Biggest issue is that it made me tired for the first week.  You do have to be in the hospital for monitoring when you start taking it.  So far so good, with a few extra beats last night.  I also had an abalation done on March 31st, 2009 for SVT.  So far no more SVT.

Best thing to do is to not let it affect your life, keep exercising, keep playing, keep having fun.

[dabsinfiction]

Hello again, Barbarella,

Yep, I get them when eating sometimes. Definitely when stressed. I come to Medhelp when I let them get me down. The forum helps me to relax and Miss Barbarella's posts are very relaxing and reassuring. I know I shouldn't let them get me down, but sometimes after a few weeks of on and off they do.

Thanks again....

[yar1950]

Hi,I have ventricular bigemy quite bad, what make mine feel worse is that I have a very slow pulse of usually 42 - 50 when sitting. The doctor put me on some low dosage beta blockers and although it helped , it slowed my heart rate down even slower so I came off them as I felt my heart would stop while asleep.
I have them all day but worse after meals. I had the heart tests and all was fine, the doctor said my heart has a leaky valve and was very slightly enlarged probably due from having high blood pressure for many years but nothing to worry about.
I often read the forum and would like to asked other sufferers, it seems more women then men have this? i'm a 59 year old male by the way.
Is there anyone else that has ventricular bigemy with a extremely slow heart beat?

[Lisa33167]

Yes I've had bigeminy with HR in the 40's & 50's, bigeminy, trigeminy, couplets; triplets, salvo's, heart ryhthm problems can seem so simple, but be so complex :P

Makes me tired just thinking of what my heart's gone through.

[yar1950]

Thanks Lisa, as I mentioned earlier it seems there are a lot more women than men with this problem. I do find it difficult to digest that the problem is benign, you do tend to think that it can't do one's heart any good running erratically for years.

On the subject of slow heart rate, I sometimes think that some of my aches and pains are caused by the heart going so slow that it's not pumping enough blood to the parts that need it.

[Lisa33167]

It can cause the heart to do that, I've got so many problems with my electrical system it's mind boggling.  54,000 pvc's out of 129,000 total HB daily wrecked havoc on my system.

I also have VT; which was very dangerous for me and I had to have an ablation and pacemaker/icd put in I was having so many problems.

A PM might be useful if your HR stays low, which makes you tired alot - has your dr recommended it?

I have heard that when your HR is lowered, you tend to feel the pvc's more and exercise is supposed to alleviate some of the problems in some patients but not for others like me.

[yar1950]

I had a holter test at the start of the problem 15 months ago,  they suggested fitting a pacemaker but changed their minds after further tests. The only concearn I would have had is that the travel insurance firms are reluctant to insure  with a pacemaker and I would not have been able to have my annual vacation to Orlando. (I am in the UK)
The reason I say I wouldn't have worried about having a pacemaker is that I have observed over the years that people with pacemakers seem to have healthy long lives.
I was doing so many miles walking that I recently had to stop as I wore my facet joints out but try to cycle instead.

Lisa I hope you are now well after the PM and other treatment as you certainly soun  as though you have been through it.

[Lisa33167]

yar try the pm/icd support group Im a member of - if you google icd support groups, it will come up - there's quite a few from the UK there that travel and cruise etc and I haven't seen any of them say about the insure problem - at least ask and see what possible solutions they have.

Some of the members have pacemakers or icd's and some have the combo, but it's worth posting to see what they say