PVC's

Hello!  I began suffering from PVC's almost a year ago.  I have had the usual round of testing...thyroid checked, non stress test, EKG, and two echocariograms that showed a healthy heart with thousands of PVC's.  I tried a beta blocker for two months and this only slowed my heart down enough to make them ten times worse.  I have found just through eliminating certain items that my PVC's are brought on by sugar and carb's.  If I stick to the "atkin's" diet, the pvc's are completely gone.  If I splurge on something sugary/carby, my PVC's start approximately 15 minutes after I eat and last a couple hours.  If I go completely off the atkin's diet, I have thousands of PVC's throughout the day.  

What is the connection with the PVC's and diet and is there any certain tests I need to have done?  I have not had any glucose tests.  Would this be a good idea?  Is it safe to stay on an "atkin's" type diet for long periods of time?  

I have really enjoyed the peace of not having the PVC's while on the diet, but wonder how long I can handle eating no sugar & carbohydrates.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear MLM,

It is possible there is a relation between your dietary changes and your electrolyte (specifically K+ and Mg+) levels.  You may wish to ask your doctor to check your electrolytes.

[kim]

I have also had food-related PVCs and found foods that caused indigestion or a rapid rise in blood sugar caused an increase in PVCs.  Fruit, because of the indigestion factor causes me to have PVCs.  Sugar, absolutely.  but I've found that I can eat a potato, green vegetable, as long as I include some fish, chicken, or other healthy protein.  I've done extensive research in this area and believe that a diet higher in protein causes fewer PVCs.  this is because it stabalizes your blood sugar level.  Believe it or not there are some cardiologists that don't believe this!  They didn't learn it in medical school, I guess.

Regarding beta blockers, Sectral is the only one that is approved for PVCs.  The others are not.  I found this out by looking through the PDR at every beta blocker.  Sectral does work to decrease PVCs but its side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, and sometimes depression.  Fortunately, I have a very good electrophysiologist who is current on most matters.  He's the one who prescribed magnesium for my PVCs and SVT.

Oh, eat slowly and that will reduce PVCs also.  don't have liquids with meals, drink up to a half hour before and wait about two hours after.

This is what has worked for me.  I wish I could find a way to get rid of my SVT.....ablation is out of the question because of the location.

good luck

[christine m. smith]

Hi!

I have found this also to be true. When I eat a high carbohydrate food I get what feels like palpitations and slightly short of breath. I don't know if I have PVC's or not. I had two stress tests done (one regular and one nuclear) and both tracings showed perfect rhythm yet I know I feel occasional palpitations. I try not to pay attention to them but the relationship to food caught my attention.  One day this happened while eating a sugar cookie (I don't often eat things like this but I was at a social gathering and decided to cheat a little). When I finished I ate a hunk of cheese and shortly afterwards the fluttery feeling ended. Weird? I don't understand how it can happen so quickly.

Chris S.

[christine m. smith]

Another comment on this relationship between PVC's and food. I wondered how it could happen so fast. Could it be due to the rapid release of insulin? What is the effect of insulin on the heart?  I know when you eat carbohydrates insulin is released quickly especially in carbohydrate sensitive people. I tried to research insulin but did not find any of the effects on the body except for glucose metabolism.

Chris S.

[christine m. smith]

Hi!

Thinking about my own comment, people who have what they call microvascular angina are often insulin resistant. People who are insulin resistant can have high insulin levels. So there is one example where insulin has an effect on the heart. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that it could also cause PVC's etc.

Chris S.

[Cuore]

HI Kim:

I noticed you said you can't have an ablation for the SVT's because of the location...that is my problem too.  Mine are on the left side of my heart.  What meds are you taking for them?  I'm on sectral (and by the way, I still get plenty of pvc's) but it doesn't completely eliminate the svt's and I hate the side effects.

Thanks, Lin

[chocolate lover]

I also got pvcs and pacs by the thousands everyday everynight, constantly. I stopped all caffine and went on a diet and I am telling you these things are gone! I will never go back to caffine or large quantities of food again.
                           a friend

[Mike]

Ever checked for acid reflux (GERD)?

From: Mike Brewer  70403.***@****

Originally posted 19 January 2001

Dear All

PVC

[Mike]

Ever checked for acid reflux (GERD)?

From: Mike Brewer  70403.***@****

Originally posted 19 January 2001

Dear All

PVC

[Mike]

Ever checked for acid reflux (GERD)?

From: Mike Brewer  70403.***@****

Originally posted 19 January 2001

Dear All

PVC

[Michael Brewer]

Have you been checked for GERD?

From: Mike Brewer  70403.***@****

12 February 2001

Since posting this on 19 January 2001, I

[urrl77]

My skips were so bad, every other beat, that when I felt for a pulse it seemed twice as slow. I could not walk without dizziness. I was on atenolol. I restricted my diet to Kashi puffed cereal, skim milk, fresh fruits and veggies without dressing. I suspected salt intake was at the bottom of my heart condition. Within the next day I found no more such skips, and the skips I did have decreased to sometimes 1 out of every hundred beats. I began searching the internet for info on salt intake but found something much more sinister. MSG is not only found in Accent seasoning but in almost everything we eat, and I mean EVERYTHING, from crackers to soda pop. The name has been disquised so we don't recognize it. Check out http://www.msgmyth.com/
and find out how big business is killing us slowly and softly with good tasting foods.

[From Kim to Lin]

I just noticed your note.  I am on Sectral also.  It has not eliminated my PVCs but it has reduced them.  It has not eliminated my SVT.  Some days I don't notice PVCs.  Today was bad.  I ate dessert then fell asleep.  when I awoke. I took my meds with water and a pill for acid reflux.  I started having PVCs and know it was from the acid reflux.  I get so scared when this happens.  I pray for relief and I know my condition is not as bad as most.

As for the Sectral, it causes me to have depression.

I couldn't have the ablation because the SVT originated from within my sinus node.  The doctor considered ablating a portion of my sinus node but said it might not help or even make it worse or create something worse.  

Prayer helps me more than anything.  God bless you.  If you want to know more you can write to me at ***@****