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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
PVC's and Chest pain daily
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 Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
PVC's and Chest pain daily
by momoftwins24, Dec 21, 2006 12:00AM
I am 27 yr old female, I have had two sets of twins in the last four yrs. 2 yrs ago given Depo Vera for birth control and started having panic attacks from that.Still having them on daily basis. I have had EKGS, Holter Monitor, Chest X-Rays and blood work everything comes back normal. Recently started having fluttering in my chest was captured on holter and told was normal just anxiety related.Also wake up every morning with numbness in face and hands as well as throughout the day.I have hard time believing that it is all from panic.I have done research on panic and know all the crazy symptoms it can give you. DR told me no way it can be heart related or I wouldnt have been able to carry two sets of twins full term without heart complications.Is it possible this is all anxiety? Also can holter monitor and EKG diagnose heart disease? No history in the family I am slightly overweight and smoke I know I should take care of both and have been trying to. I am so afraid that I do have something wrong with my heart and they just aren't finding it. Also pressure behind my temples that comes and goes please help I am so afraid that I won't be around to see my daughters grow up. Also when diagnosed with panic disorder DR said "your mom is bi-polar the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" does that have anything to do with my anxiety? I never had problems like this before getting the Depo shot and it lists panic and anxiety as a side effect. Havent had another shot in 18 mons but still have the same problems could I still be having a reaction or is it a mental thing now? Thanks
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-M.D.-MJM, Dec 21, 2006 12:00AM
Hello,
Wow, two sets of twins. You must be very busy. I am sorry to hear that you are having these problems and understand that it has significant implications for your day to day life.
Is it possible this is all anxiety?
That is a hard constellation of symptoms to attribute to any one diagnosis. I can tell you that when people have symptoms like this and there is no unifying diagnosis, it is often attributed to anxiety. Numbness around the lips and finger tips/hands is often caused by hyperventillation, which does happen with anxiety. I am not sure why it only happens in the morning.
Also can holter monitor and EKG diagnose heart disease?
If you have fluttering in your chest while you are wearing a holter monitor and there is no heart rhythm disturbance like PAC/PVCs, it is hard to attribute it your heart.
I am so afraid that I do have something wrong with my heart and they just aren't finding it. Also pressure behind my temples that comes and goes please help I am so afraid that I won't be around to see my daughters grow up. Also when diagnosed with panic disorder DR said "your mom is bi-polar the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" does that have anything to do with my anxiety?
It is true that anxiety can run in the family. If your holter, echo, and ekg and you are having these symptoms every day, it is pretty unlikely that it is your heart. If you are really worried, obtain a second opinion. If the second doctor agrees that it is anxiety, I think you have to start thinking seriously that they are right. If it is anxiety, the treatment can't really start until you accept it and believe it.
Havent had another shot in 18 mons but still have the same problems could I still be having a reaction or is it a mental thing now?
If it is happening every day now, it is not being caused by a shot given 18 months ago. It is likely that you have panic anxiety and that it is manifesting in a time of significant stress (4 young children). This is very common for panic anxiety. I think the key for you is finding a doctor that you trust to take a close look and being able to believe him when he says it is anxiety.
I hope this answers your questions. Good luck and thanks for posting.
Wow, two sets of twins. You must be very busy. I am sorry to hear that you are having these problems and understand that it has significant implications for your day to day life.
Is it possible this is all anxiety?
That is a hard constellation of symptoms to attribute to any one diagnosis. I can tell you that when people have symptoms like this and there is no unifying diagnosis, it is often attributed to anxiety. Numbness around the lips and finger tips/hands is often caused by hyperventillation, which does happen with anxiety. I am not sure why it only happens in the morning.
Also can holter monitor and EKG diagnose heart disease?
If you have fluttering in your chest while you are wearing a holter monitor and there is no heart rhythm disturbance like PAC/PVCs, it is hard to attribute it your heart.
I am so afraid that I do have something wrong with my heart and they just aren't finding it. Also pressure behind my temples that comes and goes please help I am so afraid that I won't be around to see my daughters grow up. Also when diagnosed with panic disorder DR said "your mom is bi-polar the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" does that have anything to do with my anxiety?
It is true that anxiety can run in the family. If your holter, echo, and ekg and you are having these symptoms every day, it is pretty unlikely that it is your heart. If you are really worried, obtain a second opinion. If the second doctor agrees that it is anxiety, I think you have to start thinking seriously that they are right. If it is anxiety, the treatment can't really start until you accept it and believe it.
Havent had another shot in 18 mons but still have the same problems could I still be having a reaction or is it a mental thing now?
If it is happening every day now, it is not being caused by a shot given 18 months ago. It is likely that you have panic anxiety and that it is manifesting in a time of significant stress (4 young children). This is very common for panic anxiety. I think the key for you is finding a doctor that you trust to take a close look and being able to believe him when he says it is anxiety.
I hope this answers your questions. Good luck and thanks for posting.
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However I would also suggest that you look at getting checked over for imbalances. My wife was on anti-depressants for 10 years. They weren't doing much good, so she found the book THE MOOD CURE. It gave a list of supplements to help with depression and even anxiety. Long story short she is no longer on anti-depressants and hasn't felt this good for years. She doesn't take
If you are suffering from anxiety try and deal with it for the long term. Some psychiatrists will keep you on expensive meds.
What that means is that you have to ASK your doc that question.
I didn't know what WPF was when I was visiting the cardiologist regularly. And since I have already beaten this to death, I am seriously embarrassed to call them to ask about yet another mysterious heart ailment. On here I am just a nameless, faceless person, but I think when I call them I hear them rolling their eyes. But thanks for all your comments. I always appreciate reassurance.
True, but we cannot see your EKGs, and even if we could, we're not docs anyway (except for the Forum Doc--who still cannot diagnose you without seeing your tracings and probably seeing you in the flesh. You cannot be diagnosed anonymously. The only way for you to find out if you have WPW is to make an appointment to discuss your EKG. And that, by the way, is just what I would do.
EKGs have characteristic, stereotyped peaks and valleys formed at certain intervals. These describe what's happening where in the heart at any given time. There is a TON of information on that tracing, and going over it with your doc might just show you how medicos know what they know by looking at those squiggles. Trust me; a doc is not just pulling something out of a hat when he/she tells you how your heart is doing.
I've had classes in human anatomy and physiology, and I think part of the problem people have with their hearts (and indeed, their bodies in general), is that they just don't have any idea how things work. But the workings of the heart can really be understood, at least at a basic level, by anyone. All you have to do is take anatomy and physiology at your local community college. The price per unit is low, and the level of instruction is usually pretty high.
Good luck.
Well, if that isn't enough to set off anxiety, I don't know what is!
"Also wake up every morning with numbness in face and hands as well as throughout the day.I have hard time believing that it is all from panic.I have done research on panic and know all the crazy symptoms it can give you.
Sounds like full-bore panic to me. Why do you have a hard time believing that panic is involved here? In your research on panic, did you not read descriptions of the things you're experiencing?
"Is it possible this is all anxiety?" Uh-huh.
"Also can holter monitor and EKG diagnose heart disease?" Of course. They are tests of heart function. That's why they are given to people who have cardiac symptoms.
"No history in the family I am slightly overweight and smoke I know I should take care of both and have been trying to."
The smoking is just a disaster, in terms of health. Quit it now.
"I am so afraid that I do have something wrong with my heart and they just aren't finding it."
How likely is it that smart people who went to med school and who actually specialize in the heart would miss something bad? Yeah, I know it occasionally happens, but it's truly rare. Docs really do know stuff, and when they checked you out, they were SERIOUSLY looking for disorders, which they know how to find.
"Also pressure behind my temples that comes and goes"
This is a classic symptom of anxiety.
"Also...diagnosed with panic disorder"
Ah, you have been officially diagnosed with panic disorder.
It boils down to this: You have a negative family history for heart trouble. You are young and female, which means your risk of heart disease is even lower. Of course, you have your tests repeated, but if they keep coming back normal, you are going to have to accept that your problems are not physical. It's important to understand that people with heart disease are sick. They are sick in ways that you would find hard to imagine, because they cannot do the kinds of daily activities that you take for granted. I assume you can carry your children around, bathe them, dress them, run after them, and that you can cook, drive, shop, and even break into a run now and then? You don't faint or puke, break out into a cold sweat, and have to sit on the curb to catch your breath? If not, your heart is functioning normally.
On the other hand, you do have a family history of mental disorder. This does not mean that you are crazy, but you are at risk for some instability, at least. And if you have been diagnosed with panic disorder, this is your clue to go to a psychiatrist and get your fears treated the proper way.
I like your comment, it was very reassuring to me b/c I am always afraid my docs missed something important like Wolf Parkinson White when reviewing my holters and event monitors. Do you think something like that could be missed? I am suffering big time from anxiety, panic and OCD with my extra heart beats.
"DIAGNOSIS.
The electrocardiogram — The WPW pattern is detected by an ECG even while the patient is in a normal rhythm. Conduction through the accessory pathway produces a characteristic ECG pattern. A classic finding is a delta wave, which reflects early conduction to the ventricles through the accessory pathway. If, however, most of the impulses traveling from the atria to the ventricles go through the AV node, then a delta wave and other findings associated with the WPW pattern will not be seen since the degree of early conduction is limited."
http://patients.uptodate.com/topic.asp?file=hrt_dis/12118
Just out of curiosity, since you know that you suffer from anxiety and panic, are you being treated specificially for those? Those conditions cause tremendous pain, but they're highly treatable, as I myself know very well.
It always surprises me that people would rather have organic heart disease than go to a shrink. If they only knew how comfortable they could once again feel--and how quickly--they'd be amazed that they waited so long to make that appointment.
"My holter showed PACs with aberrant conduction. Does that mean I could have WPW?"
What that means is that you have to ASK your doc that question.
"My cardiologist gave me Xanax but I am afraid to take it b/c side effects list palps/irregular heartbeat...I am afraid of meds (except my beloved beta blocker)."
Funny thing about the fear of meds: Sometimes you have to take meds to get over it! It's important to give a drug a try. Just because irregular heartbeat is listed as one of Xanax's possible side effects does not mean that YOU will experience that. Speaking for myself, Xanax reduces (temporarily) my pvcs.
" have seen a counselor one time, but it was too far from my house." I just scheduled another appt. today for next Wed. with someone close to home. I don't know if they can help me..."
What you are describing here is what it's worth to you to seek treatment. My sense is that you are suffering greatly, but that you are not yet in enough pain to do what you suspect (but do not know for sure) will be necessary to get well. The only way to break free of obsession is to get treatment.
It's all up to you.
And it sometimes almost feels like quivering. Have had lots of doctor's visits and moitors, and nothing out of the ordinary.
Anybody have any good home remedies? Fish oil doesn't help a bit, nor supplements.
I am a Mom of three and that is enough to make me feel anxious some days. Anxiety is a close cousin of depression and you my want to revisit that possibility with a new DR. It truly sounds to me as though the current one you are seeing is just not getting you and your circumstances.
Its all fine and good to realise you are a busy Mom, but the realities of taking care of them and keeping a low stress family unit together 24/7 month after month is a very big goal. Having had two twin pgs in 4 yrs puts you at an elevated risk for PP depression and that may be a path worth checking out. Physical symptoms such as you describe are really your body trying to get your attention, you have decided to listen to your body, now its time to listen to the possible explanations and find the best fit for you. Clearly your cardiac Dr seem to have cleared you, but there are simple but very common thyroid conditions that can make you really anxious and are super common post partum. Do a depression Q an A sheet could help pin point what is happening.
I feel so much more even on low dose Lexapro after giving birth to our third. I certainly have dx medical issues, both cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and endocrinoligical, all very serious issues with some long term management required. I hit the jackpot really good Huh!
Wishing you peace, hugs and good health really soon
Fiona
In addition I have found that exercise helps. If I exercise too hard then the PVCs will be obnoxious - but if I exercise moderately then they are relieved. For the past year I have not noticed them at all and in fact I have had 3 ekg's this past year and no PVCs showed up. However in the past month they have come back and I am back to my anxiety regiment of moderate alcohol and exercise.
I have also found that keeping my stomach under control helps. It seems that either my stomach is upset by the PVCs or my upset stomach is contributing to my PVCs - I can't determine which. Drinking lots of water helps. Drinking water with apple vinegar helps too.
Just my info to share. I, like the rest of you, wish I could go get "fixed". At times it truly rules my life and its a struggle. At other times I have what seems to be complete relief and its the best feeling in the world to have my heart beating normally.
Ironically, thinking about it is the worst thing you can do. We have unconsciously trained ourselves to sense our hearts beating and we have to re-train ourselves to *not* feel it. Its like pushing a rubber band but the first step is to not think about it and stop checking your pulse!
Anxiety is a terrible thing and fear is worst of all. I wish you all the best in the coming new year. And thank you very much for this forum - it helps immensely!