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PVC's and related arrhythmias
I am a 49 year old male who since early child hood have had episodes of premature beats which are easily felt because I am thin. Past EKG's have usually shown normal sinus rhythms with occaisional pvcs.
Also on exercise I would have runs of rapid 120-140bpm (after) that sometimes went on for hours but kind of outgrew them. Some doctors hear a click or slight murmur. Recently have had more frequent bouts of premature beats that sometimes are accompanied by a spasm like sensation which can be felt with finger tips under the left breast. They only last afew seconds but also create a flush or rush sensation. I recently had a stress test, EKG, and a doppler echo. Stress test was normal and echo was also except for mild regurgitation of the tricuspid and slight of the mitral.
Through the years some doctors have said that I also have MVP but this has not been proven on the echo. I am currently wearing an event recorder and have had 30 events in two weeks which the doc says are benign. However, am scared about the shuddering sensations and incresing frequency of other symptoms. I don't smoke, drink, and have cut out all caffeine. I want to think that I am doing all that I can to ensure my kids have a dad to grow up with. However, the increasing frequency of the symptoms are robbing me of sleep and making me paranoid about travelling etc. They seem to come out of nowhere and last for varying lengths of time. Any suggetions would be most appreciated.
PS have never fainted with these symptoms but have felt faint occaisionally with them.
Also on exercise I would have runs of rapid 120-140bpm (after) that sometimes went on for hours but kind of outgrew them. Some doctors hear a click or slight murmur. Recently have had more frequent bouts of premature beats that sometimes are accompanied by a spasm like sensation which can be felt with finger tips under the left breast. They only last afew seconds but also create a flush or rush sensation. I recently had a stress test, EKG, and a doppler echo. Stress test was normal and echo was also except for mild regurgitation of the tricuspid and slight of the mitral.
Through the years some doctors have said that I also have MVP but this has not been proven on the echo. I am currently wearing an event recorder and have had 30 events in two weeks which the doc says are benign. However, am scared about the shuddering sensations and incresing frequency of other symptoms. I don't smoke, drink, and have cut out all caffeine. I want to think that I am doing all that I can to ensure my kids have a dad to grow up with. However, the increasing frequency of the symptoms are robbing me of sleep and making me paranoid about travelling etc. They seem to come out of nowhere and last for varying lengths of time. Any suggetions would be most appreciated.
PS have never fainted with these symptoms but have felt faint occaisionally with them.
You speak a lot of sense and a lot of people will benefit from your knowledge you deserve a big pat on the back for sharing your knowledge with everyone
Hi,
I am relieved to find others with PVCs like me, but also sad that there are so many people who suffer with these and don't get the help we need. I am a 44 year old female and I think I have had them all my life at times, but they got a lot worse about 11 years ago when my kids were small and I was under a lot of stress. I have them mostly under control now and I can tell you what I recommend:
1. See your doctor first and have all the heart tests done to see if there is something else wrong with your heart.
2. If he/she recommends a beta blocker, TAKE IT. It will make you tired at first, but that is what you need if you have been having a lot of PVCs and are very anxious about them.
3. If the beta blocker isn't enough to stop the PVCs completely, see a psychologist or therapist to discuss your own personal history and your ability to cope with stress, panic attacks, and worry about your health and the PVCs themselves. You may be helped by an SSRI (anti-depressant) or another panic or anti-anxiety medicine.
4. If you are a woman, see your gynecologist and have blood tests done on your thyroid and hormone levels. You may be entering perimenopause or may just have always had erratic hormone levels and that can calm your mind to know that's what it is, whether you need to take hormone therapy or not. None of our bodies are perfect and we can all have fluctuating hormone levels that cause us problems throughout life. Even guys have changes in testosterone levels, but they can't measure and predict them like we do with menstruation. It helps to accept that we're not perfect.
5. Stop consuming caffeine in every form (that means no coffee, tea, colas, chocolate and even decaf coffee because it still has traces of caffeine. Be strict with yourself. It will calm you a lot. Accept the fact that you may be tired. Rest when you are tired instead of drinking caffeine to hype you up.
I have found that taking the beta blocker and an SSRI have helped me a lot, along with curing my migraine headaches which were very bad, and the panic attacks I got from the PVCs. I have accepted the fact that I have a very sensitive nervous system and notice things like PVCs and get them more often than other people. I am also prone to allergies and emotional sensitivity, so it makes sense that my whole system if hyper-sensitive. I worked through my family history with a psychologist and that really helped clear my mind. The beta blocker and SSRI dull my senses a little, which is the only way I can survive in life and I am happy to accept them as long as I need them. I am probably entering menopause now and expect that once I'm through it this will be better. If you are a Mom at home with small children, please be reassured that I was there once and was terrified I would drop dead from PVCs, but I never fainted even once and I have seen my girls grow into beautiful teenagers now. It helped my attitute when I got to the point that I just said to myself "Fine, drop dead. I can't stop these PVCs, and I can't stop this stress, so I don't care. I'm going to ignore them and let them go until I just drop and then someone else can deal with these problems." Once I faced them like that they were better and I felt tougher. I hope you all feel better soon. Take care.
I am relieved to find others with PVCs like me, but also sad that there are so many people who suffer with these and don't get the help we need. I am a 44 year old female and I think I have had them all my life at times, but they got a lot worse about 11 years ago when my kids were small and I was under a lot of stress. I have them mostly under control now and I can tell you what I recommend:
1. See your doctor first and have all the heart tests done to see if there is something else wrong with your heart.
2. If he/she recommends a beta blocker, TAKE IT. It will make you tired at first, but that is what you need if you have been having a lot of PVCs and are very anxious about them.
3. If the beta blocker isn't enough to stop the PVCs completely, see a psychologist or therapist to discuss your own personal history and your ability to cope with stress, panic attacks, and worry about your health and the PVCs themselves. You may be helped by an SSRI (anti-depressant) or another panic or anti-anxiety medicine.
4. If you are a woman, see your gynecologist and have blood tests done on your thyroid and hormone levels. You may be entering perimenopause or may just have always had erratic hormone levels and that can calm your mind to know that's what it is, whether you need to take hormone therapy or not. None of our bodies are perfect and we can all have fluctuating hormone levels that cause us problems throughout life. Even guys have changes in testosterone levels, but they can't measure and predict them like we do with menstruation. It helps to accept that we're not perfect.
5. Stop consuming caffeine in every form (that means no coffee, tea, colas, chocolate and even decaf coffee because it still has traces of caffeine. Be strict with yourself. It will calm you a lot. Accept the fact that you may be tired. Rest when you are tired instead of drinking caffeine to hype you up.
I have found that taking the beta blocker and an SSRI have helped me a lot, along with curing my migraine headaches which were very bad, and the panic attacks I got from the PVCs. I have accepted the fact that I have a very sensitive nervous system and notice things like PVCs and get them more often than other people. I am also prone to allergies and emotional sensitivity, so it makes sense that my whole system if hyper-sensitive. I worked through my family history with a psychologist and that really helped clear my mind. The beta blocker and SSRI dull my senses a little, which is the only way I can survive in life and I am happy to accept them as long as I need them. I am probably entering menopause now and expect that once I'm through it this will be better. If you are a Mom at home with small children, please be reassured that I was there once and was terrified I would drop dead from PVCs, but I never fainted even once and I have seen my girls grow into beautiful teenagers now. It helped my attitute when I got to the point that I just said to myself "Fine, drop dead. I can't stop these PVCs, and I can't stop this stress, so I don't care. I'm going to ignore them and let them go until I just drop and then someone else can deal with these problems." Once I faced them like that they were better and I felt tougher. I hope you all feel better soon. Take care.
I'm only 22 yrs. old, but I know exactly how you feel! You'd think this sort of thing wouldn't happen in young people, but the docs said that it can in young females. Lucky me. I've been feeling the palps for 3 years now (2 or 3 times a WEEK) and just two days ago they started being continuous. (From 3-19 Sunday afternoon to now on 3-21 Tuesday night). When it started happening, Sunday, it felt sort of like a jolt. Like someone gave me a quick little nudge in the chest. I lose my breath, and it usually makes me cough a little. I can't help it. I have no idea when it will happen. Sometimes I feel a little faint, too.
On Monday night I started having chest pain, so I went to the ER. Doc said that it was either an MVP or a PVC. When I looked it up on AskJeeves.com, the PVC definition/diagnosis was right on target. This morning (Tues.) I went to a cardio. doc and when they saw my reaction to the PVC, they're expressions were very concerning to me. As if they hadn't seen that sort of reaction before. They did an EKG, which picked up one PVC. They also did an ultrasound on my heart. And when she was almost done it happened. It was quite scary watching my heart jump like that. The nurse hooked me up to this stupid contraption...holter monitor...and I've been wearing it since 11:50AM.
It's now 11:35PM and this monitor has overstayed its welcome hours ago. I've also had to keep a time, activity, & symptoms diary (very annoying). I've realized that I get the PVC's as soon as every few minutes to as far as every 15 minutes. I also calculated them from 11:54AM to 11:37PM (now), and do you know how many PVC's I've had??? 183!!
Is this normal?? Am I going to be alright? I know how you feel about wanting to be around for your children. I have a 14 mo. old son, Dylan. And besides my husband, Dylan is my life and my joy. He's basically with me 24-7. I work at a daycare and he even goes with me. I'm afraid that this will affect how I'm able to care for him.
Anyway...I hope that it helps you to know that there are others who are in your situation...and are in waiting as to what we can do. Just remember...God has a plan, and I just hope that His plan is for you to be a great-grandpa and for me to be a great-grandma someday. God Bless and take care!!
~ Andie
On Monday night I started having chest pain, so I went to the ER. Doc said that it was either an MVP or a PVC. When I looked it up on AskJeeves.com, the PVC definition/diagnosis was right on target. This morning (Tues.) I went to a cardio. doc and when they saw my reaction to the PVC, they're expressions were very concerning to me. As if they hadn't seen that sort of reaction before. They did an EKG, which picked up one PVC. They also did an ultrasound on my heart. And when she was almost done it happened. It was quite scary watching my heart jump like that. The nurse hooked me up to this stupid contraption...holter monitor...and I've been wearing it since 11:50AM.
It's now 11:35PM and this monitor has overstayed its welcome hours ago. I've also had to keep a time, activity, & symptoms diary (very annoying). I've realized that I get the PVC's as soon as every few minutes to as far as every 15 minutes. I also calculated them from 11:54AM to 11:37PM (now), and do you know how many PVC's I've had??? 183!!
Is this normal?? Am I going to be alright? I know how you feel about wanting to be around for your children. I have a 14 mo. old son, Dylan. And besides my husband, Dylan is my life and my joy. He's basically with me 24-7. I work at a daycare and he even goes with me. I'm afraid that this will affect how I'm able to care for him.
Anyway...I hope that it helps you to know that there are others who are in your situation...and are in waiting as to what we can do. Just remember...God has a plan, and I just hope that His plan is for you to be a great-grandpa and for me to be a great-grandma someday. God Bless and take care!!
~ Andie
Celeste - how long have you been taking the co-enzyme q10 for it to make a difference. Do you get PVC's everyday? I have read other things on the internet that others say co-enzyme has helped them as well (even better than beta blockers!). Please respond.
Wendy,
I started taking CoQ10 about two years ago. I learned about it from a lovely woman whom I found on an internet newsgroup.
At that time, I had been nearly flat on my back for 3 months with PAC's that were almost incessant. I had quit my job, and pretty much given up on life. I tend to be skeptical, phobic even, about anything that comes in a pill. I had recently tried both digoxin which aggravated my condition, and Toporol which turned me into a zombie after only 4 days.
Before I tried CoQ10, I researched it thoroughly through the internet and by corresponding with people who were taking it for similar heart conditions. Apparently it is a naturally occuring substance, manufactured metabollically in the human body in diminishing quantities as we age, and found in many food sources, the richest being beef heart (yuk!). But CoQ10 is implicated in almost every cellular function, especially the contraction of cardiac muscle.
Because I tend to be hypersensitive to all kinds of drugs and supplements, I started with 10mg/day, a low dosage which is really hard to find.
Eureka! After only 2 days on that tiny dosage of CoQ10, I was like a new woman. I've never experienced anything like it. I was amazed at my renewed energy level, and the fact that it virtually eradicated my episodes of arrhythmia. Best of all, there were zero side effects. It was a godsend!
I don't know if my case was an exception, or if CoQ10 has this effect on everyone. Perhaps my sensitivity worked in my favor this time. Since the 10mg caps are so hard to find, I reluctantly upped my dosage to 30mg/day which seems to be the most common dosage. I've even taken as much as 50 mg/day when I ran out of the 30's. But 30mg/day seems to be the right amount for me. Dr.Andrew Weil says that he takes 100mg/day for general wellbeing. And one woman I read about in a newsgroup today varies her dosage according to the demands of her day, sometimes taking as much as 300mg. But at the price of the stuff, one has to wonder how she affords it. Between the CoQ10 and the price of gasoline these days.....geez. But there are times when I have suffered so much with this that I would gladly have given anything (except my child) to end the torment.
Interestingly enough, I spaced out and forgot to take my supplements for 2 days in a row last week and have paid dearly in severe episodes of arrhythmia all weekend. Just today, I have finally gotten stabilized and back on my feet again. I guess it takes a few days for it to deplete or build up in your system. I won't be skipping it again, that's for sure.
I hope this helps you and any others who may be considering trying it. I think CoQ10 is an undiscovered panacea that will someday be recognized for the crucial role that it plays in cardiac health.
Peace and health to you, and thanks for responding.
Celeste
P.S. In case you don't already know about it, this is a good e-mail circle / newsgroup with an archive of over 3000 entries:
http://www.onelist.com/messages/PeoplewithPVCs
I started taking CoQ10 about two years ago. I learned about it from a lovely woman whom I found on an internet newsgroup.
At that time, I had been nearly flat on my back for 3 months with PAC's that were almost incessant. I had quit my job, and pretty much given up on life. I tend to be skeptical, phobic even, about anything that comes in a pill. I had recently tried both digoxin which aggravated my condition, and Toporol which turned me into a zombie after only 4 days.
Before I tried CoQ10, I researched it thoroughly through the internet and by corresponding with people who were taking it for similar heart conditions. Apparently it is a naturally occuring substance, manufactured metabollically in the human body in diminishing quantities as we age, and found in many food sources, the richest being beef heart (yuk!). But CoQ10 is implicated in almost every cellular function, especially the contraction of cardiac muscle.
Because I tend to be hypersensitive to all kinds of drugs and supplements, I started with 10mg/day, a low dosage which is really hard to find.
Eureka! After only 2 days on that tiny dosage of CoQ10, I was like a new woman. I've never experienced anything like it. I was amazed at my renewed energy level, and the fact that it virtually eradicated my episodes of arrhythmia. Best of all, there were zero side effects. It was a godsend!
I don't know if my case was an exception, or if CoQ10 has this effect on everyone. Perhaps my sensitivity worked in my favor this time. Since the 10mg caps are so hard to find, I reluctantly upped my dosage to 30mg/day which seems to be the most common dosage. I've even taken as much as 50 mg/day when I ran out of the 30's. But 30mg/day seems to be the right amount for me. Dr.Andrew Weil says that he takes 100mg/day for general wellbeing. And one woman I read about in a newsgroup today varies her dosage according to the demands of her day, sometimes taking as much as 300mg. But at the price of the stuff, one has to wonder how she affords it. Between the CoQ10 and the price of gasoline these days.....geez. But there are times when I have suffered so much with this that I would gladly have given anything (except my child) to end the torment.
Interestingly enough, I spaced out and forgot to take my supplements for 2 days in a row last week and have paid dearly in severe episodes of arrhythmia all weekend. Just today, I have finally gotten stabilized and back on my feet again. I guess it takes a few days for it to deplete or build up in your system. I won't be skipping it again, that's for sure.
I hope this helps you and any others who may be considering trying it. I think CoQ10 is an undiscovered panacea that will someday be recognized for the crucial role that it plays in cardiac health.
Peace and health to you, and thanks for responding.
Celeste
P.S. In case you don't already know about it, this is a good e-mail circle / newsgroup with an archive of over 3000 entries:
http://www.onelist.com/messages/PeoplewithPVCs
I can attest to the debilitating nature of PVCS. I also seem to notice them more when I am ovulating and during my cycle. One thing that helps me, is to know that these things are not life-threatening. They are more annoying than anything and worrying about them makes them worse. We all have to get to the point where we decide in our minds that we are not going to let this control us! I don't know how or what to tell you to help you get to that point, but just decide in your mind what you are going to do and let nothing stand in your way! The mind is a powerful entity. Don't let it control you!
Good Luck to everyone and God Bless,
Mag
Good Luck to everyone and God Bless,
Mag
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