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Mild chest pains after Afib
I am a 29 year old male with some moderate chest pains. I first went to the doctor in Jan. with complaints of random numbness in my arms, followed by terrible cramps. I was then sent to a neurologist, who ran an EMG and cervical spine MRI that didn
I was just saying that it sounds like I was not hearing what my Dr was saying. I kept thinking if you have PVC's that it pretty much means you are going to have a deadly arythmia sooner or later. I guess I just made that assumption and probably should have asked him!!
Thank you for the response. I ran out of word space in the initial post, so I could not put in that they did an echocardiagram at the hospital and everything looked fine. I will talk to my doctor about switching some of the medicine around.
So does anyone know what causes your heart to go from plain old PVC's to a rhythm that can really hurt you -- or are the 2 unrelated???
That helps so much to know! So when my Doc says they are only PVC's and they do not lead to other arrythmia's is it like saying indigestion leads to ulcers -- which is wrong. Or that a migraine leads to a brain tumor?
My Toprol XL is to control an SVT (tachycardia) I get that goes in the 180s, too. I do know that it helps me not feel the PVCs as much (I still feel them, just not as hard), too.
As far as PVCs and other arrhythmias, the two are almost always unrelated, unless you have reentry tachycardia, in which case, the SVT can be sparked by a PVC or PAC. Others out there may know differently, but this is how my cardio described it. In order to have the tachycardia or another arrythmia besides the PVCs, you have to have the existing pathway or "fiber" or whatever. PVCs will rarely, if ever, lead to anything more sinister. Some of us are just lucky to have been blessed with both PVCs and another arrythmia. Lucky us!
As far as PVCs and other arrhythmias, the two are almost always unrelated, unless you have reentry tachycardia, in which case, the SVT can be sparked by a PVC or PAC. Others out there may know differently, but this is how my cardio described it. In order to have the tachycardia or another arrythmia besides the PVCs, you have to have the existing pathway or "fiber" or whatever. PVCs will rarely, if ever, lead to anything more sinister. Some of us are just lucky to have been blessed with both PVCs and another arrythmia. Lucky us!
I can't tell if you're asking whether you're doc is right or wrong. Did he tell you that it's just PVCs and that it won't lead to anything else? He's most likely right. If you develop an arrythmia, chances are it had nothing to do wtih your PVCs. someone who says migraines lead to a brain tumor are incorrect, yes. They can coexist, but one does not beget the other. It does seem to be the case that many people with arrhythmias also have PVCs, but not necessarily vice versa.
Inderal is a decent drug and well worth trying. I've been taking it, in varying doses, since 1998. While it is not a magic bullet in the medical sense, it can be quite effective at controlling the heart rate and smoothing out some of the palps.
Try it...you just might like it.
Try it...you just might like it.
Have you always had the chest thumps and are just noticing now that they're increasing? Or is this a new thing for you? I would try the Inderal. Just so you know, your doc is most likely putting you on it for your comfort, and not to control any "bad" heart problem. Beta-blockers for PVCs are almost always for the patient's comfort and symptom control. It doesn't change that your PVCs are benign.
I get the big THUD every now and then. I feel the skips at different levels and from different areas of my heart -- which really scares me because I start thinking I have problems in multiple areas of my heart. The THUDS come out of nowhere and usually only do it once or twice followed by the next hour or so filled with lesser ones that of course make me think my heart is going inot a death rhythm! Its really starting to affect my life. I know th e docs say they are benign but how do you know that they are going to go into A-Fib/A- Flutter or somethin like that???
Hey there,
I too am on a beta blocker, Atenolol. My dosage is pretty small, only 12.5mg twice a day. I have tachycardia issues and pac's, pvc's. I will say this, once I started the beta blocker I had an increase in the palps which finally subsided after a couple of weeks. Now I still get them but not like before where I felt they were on top of each other. I also get the big THUD sensation during a pvc. It always feels like someone just chucked something at my chest! Weird, huh. Anyhow, good luck to you. I agree with the other posts too, beta blockers don't take away the pvc, pac, they just lessen the sensation of them. The whole reason I went on it in the first place was for high heart rates in the 180's with no exertion. Good luck (:
I too am on a beta blocker, Atenolol. My dosage is pretty small, only 12.5mg twice a day. I have tachycardia issues and pac's, pvc's. I will say this, once I started the beta blocker I had an increase in the palps which finally subsided after a couple of weeks. Now I still get them but not like before where I felt they were on top of each other. I also get the big THUD sensation during a pvc. It always feels like someone just chucked something at my chest! Weird, huh. Anyhow, good luck to you. I agree with the other posts too, beta blockers don't take away the pvc, pac, they just lessen the sensation of them. The whole reason I went on it in the first place was for high heart rates in the 180's with no exertion. Good luck (:
I also take blood pressure medication. I just worry about taking too much medicine... My doc says I can take the Inderal as needed but if doesn't eliminate the PVC's what does it do?
Hi, I'm on Inderal and it's working great for my tachycardia and PVCs. The only side effect I got was some tiredness, which went away after a couple of weeks. I'm now taking 40 mg daily and I feel great. I agree it's no miracle drug, but there are no miracle drugs for PVCs. However it is effective and it is harmless so if your doc feels it is OK in your case, I would take it.
Thanks for the clarification. I seem to be in a phase where my heart feels like its skipping A LOT! I hate it! Sometimes it thuds so hard it feels like someone threw something at me. I do not understand how that could be benign!! My husband is sick of hearing about it and I don't know what to do. My Dr has now suggested Inderal. Has anyone tried that?
A rapid heartbeat can be up to about 10 different things. Sure, some may feel slightly different than others, but a doc would have to catch the rapid beat on a holter to properly diagnose it. A-fib is not necessarily a condition. People can have it for just a short time and then never again (I know a guy who had it for about three hours about 10 years ago. Got it converted at the hospital and has never had it again). Chronic A-fib is when someone's heart is in constant atrial fibrillation. Any rapid beat should be checked out. Almost all are benign in a healthy heart.
Does anyone know the difference between A-Fib and just a very rapid heartbeat? I thought A-Fib was a "condition" so to speak versus a very rapid heartbeat which is more something that can occur. Isn't A-Fib something a cardiologist would have to diagnose???
I had the same sort of thing. My BP had been borderline, and then something triggered both anxiety which led to 2 short lived episodes of a-fib. First time lasted around 30 mins and the second around 2 hours. I was on Toprol during the first. Since, my cardio pume on aspirin and Cardizem LA which has pretty much kept everything in check, even eliminating the PAC's, so I consider myself lucky! Best advice is to stay persistent with your Dr. At first, mine wanted to diagnose only anxiety (which did exist among other things), but I kept pressing until they gave me a 30 day event monitor which revealed the a-fib. Stay on top of it. They are supposed to be the professionals, but you know your own body! Since, my heartrate has been normal. Only exception has been 2 occasions a little irregular first thing upon waking, but it only lasted less than 5 mins both times.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
I had the same sort of thing. My BP had been borderline, and then something triggered both anxiety which led to 2 short lived episodes of a-fib. First time lasted around 30 mins and the second around 2 hours. I was on Toprol during the first. Since, my cardio pume on aspirin and Cardizem LA which has pretty much kept everything in check, even eliminating the PAC's, so I consider myself lucky! Best advice is to stay persistent with your Dr. At first, mine wanted to diagnose only anxiety (which did exist among other things), but I kept pressing until they gave me a 30 day event monitor which revealed the a-fib. Stay on top of it. They are supposed to be the professionals, but you know your own body! Since, my heartrate has been normal. Only exception has been 2 occasions a little irregular first thing upon waking, but it only lasted less than 5 mins both times.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
Hello,
You chest pain symptoms sound pretty atypical. There are two ways to approach the problem. One is reassurance. The likelihood that you have cardiac cause for chest pain is very low. The one thing that strikes me is that you had atrial fibrillation and that you had high blood pressure. Considering this, I would probably do the following:
1. echocardiogram to make sure there isn't a valvular reason for chest pain, AF, and hypertension. The most common valvular problem in someone your age is a bicuspid aortic valve. Biscupid AV can be associated with coarctations of the aorta. This is rare but should be ruled. I would also assess your overall heart function. Your doctor probably did not hear a murmur on exam and thought this unlikely.
2. If this was negative and you are still having symptoms, you could do an exercise stress test. I agree with your doctor that this would be low yield in the setting of a normal echo.
3. An event monitor to press a button and try to correlate your symptoms with any arrhythmias that may correspond to your symptoms.
4. It might also be worth evaluating your blood pressure. It may have only been elevated because you were stressed. If this is the case, you could potentially stop the coumadin and the antihypertensives. If you are hypertensive, I would consider switching the atenolol to a diuretic or ACE inhibitor. Young men sometimes have side effects with beta blockers that are undesirable and there are other medications that can be substituted appropriately.
I hope this helps. Good luck and thanks for posting.
You chest pain symptoms sound pretty atypical. There are two ways to approach the problem. One is reassurance. The likelihood that you have cardiac cause for chest pain is very low. The one thing that strikes me is that you had atrial fibrillation and that you had high blood pressure. Considering this, I would probably do the following:
1. echocardiogram to make sure there isn't a valvular reason for chest pain, AF, and hypertension. The most common valvular problem in someone your age is a bicuspid aortic valve. Biscupid AV can be associated with coarctations of the aorta. This is rare but should be ruled. I would also assess your overall heart function. Your doctor probably did not hear a murmur on exam and thought this unlikely.
2. If this was negative and you are still having symptoms, you could do an exercise stress test. I agree with your doctor that this would be low yield in the setting of a normal echo.
3. An event monitor to press a button and try to correlate your symptoms with any arrhythmias that may correspond to your symptoms.
4. It might also be worth evaluating your blood pressure. It may have only been elevated because you were stressed. If this is the case, you could potentially stop the coumadin and the antihypertensives. If you are hypertensive, I would consider switching the atenolol to a diuretic or ACE inhibitor. Young men sometimes have side effects with beta blockers that are undesirable and there are other medications that can be substituted appropriately.
I hope this helps. Good luck and thanks for posting.
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