Painful PVC's

[manatee-]

I began having, what I learned to be, PVC's in 1995. I became overly concerned about the skipped beats and in 1996 had my first panic attack. I was a State Highway Patrolman and was told by different doctors that stress was causing most of my problems. I was in pretty bad shape for a few years and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic stress disorder, due to some events that occured while on duty, and panic disorder. Over the last few years I have had an echocardigram,which was normal, Stress tests, worn Holter monitors and event monitors and other than having annoying skips my doctors have all said I was healthy and not to worry about the skips. The skips do seem more frequent when I am under stess. I take atenolol 25 mg twice a day and klonipin .5 twice a day. My question has to do with some recent symptoms. Sometimes while having a bowel movement or straining while exercising or while relly nervous I'll have a skip that feels painful or uncomfortable. I am guessing that if I have a skip while straining that the recovery beat is more forceful and causes some pain. Secondly lately when having sex sometimes I get very lightheaded. I have never passed out and it doesn't happen every time but it causes me to be a little nervous when having sex. I guess its a vicious cycle like worring about my skipped beats I began worrying about it happening which makes it worse. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. I really want to overcome all this and have made great strides over the last few years. I guess I just worry what the years of worrying and stress have done to me

[manatee-]

Thanks for all your comments. It is great to have a place to get support like this!! One of the things that my Doctor told me is that I'm probably more aware of them because I have such a healthy heart. As I said I was always very athletic and because of this and in people with hearts in great shape your heart tends to react quicker to stimulus than someone not as in shape or healthy. Sometimes it's hard to convince myself of this but it is getting much better. Thanks again for all your words of wisdom. And as one of my favorite singers songs says "Growing older but not up" is the best way to live life. Have fun and Phinz Up!!

[wilson-wilson]

If you want to take some of the heat off the kind Doctors here and just want to talk about our "special" hearts, I started a Yahoo Support Group for "we-uns"

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PVC_PAC/

Come by, have a cup of Gaviscon {thought I was gonna say coffee dent-cha}, and a couple hits of Selenium, Magnesium, Potassium pills, and Omega3 Fish Oil caplets and tell us what's on your ectopic beating heart!

I only have a couple of rules:

No messages about, who's on Oprah
(you may, IF: Oprah's gonna tell America why her BILLION DOLLAR heart NEVER skips)

No messages about, grandma's bunions'
(you may, IF: her bunion's on her heart)

No messages about, Weather in FrostBiteFalls Minn.
(you may, IF: you can tell me what happened to BullWinkle in the last episode I missed and what he pulled outa his hat then)

No messages about, the last meeting of "NO-MAAM"
[Men Against Amazonian Masterhood]
(you may, IF: you can tell me what the meeting was about.......
'Cause I was putting REAL messages about our hearts in my Yahoo Group and couldn't make it!

wilson-wilson

[wilson-wilson]

Hankstar said: "I think Mr. Wilson is a down to earth guy."

-------------

Yes Hank I am a "down to earth guy" and I hope to stay that way (here on Earth) for another 47 years! I really want to hear Willard Scott wish me happy birthday!!

p.s.  [I said to my wife, "I'm gonna live to be a 100 and be  shot by a jealous husband!"]

p.s.s.  "Just call me 'Shecky' Wilson!"

But seriously folks...If I didn't use humor, [and most of the time 'self-deprecating' (for all the folks in Loma Linda, the term 'self-deprecating'-IS NOT- "nasty words") these things would've gotten the best of me long ago!

And as Jerry Lewis would say...."Hey Laaaaady"

"Waiter.....check please."

wilson-wilson

[wilson-wilson]

I'll be 53 March. I -WAS- on atenolol 25mgs for about 8 mos. my self 'til last Sept.  I might as well been eating that NEW cereal on the market, you know, "Nuttin' -RAISIN'- Honey!"  I'd rather my BP be -UP- some, than something else taht all we men cherish, NOT! And; this -WILL- happen on atenolol

wilson-wilson

[dande4]

Hi,

I've experienced the some of the same symptoms.I have had pvc/pac since 1990, sometimes worse, sometimes better. You definately start to ignore many of them, otherwise you go crazy! I have suffered from panic attacks since they started,they also come and go. I do believe though, at times our symptoms can start to feel different. It seems to me when I finally can ignore one particular symptom, another seems to come out, or it comes out differently. I have had the lightheadness, I think it has happened to me when I have been stressed over a period of time, and without realizing that I have been, when it catches up to me, I am run-down and it hits. You seem like a strong person, and if you have been able to take some control over the symptoms you have now, no doubt this symptom you'll be able to deal with also....Feel well!!

[manatee-]

It has taken me almost 5 years to get to where I am now and I still have a hard time dealing with them. I can't ignore the strong or painful ones, I have just gotten used to the milder ones. When it comes to your heart, no matter what anyone says, when you feel these things it's going to get your attention. How you deal with them is a different matter. When mine first started one skip would send me in to a panic attack. Now I've just learned to deal with them better. What has helped me the most is finding a doctor I am comfortable with and having check-ups every 3-4 months to monitor meds and talk about anything new. Over time it will get better. Good luck with your check-up, I'm sure everything will be fine.