Problems with PVCs

[racooper]

I am a 31 female, overweight but not extreme, non smoker.

I have been living with PVCs since I was a teenager, but had them diagnosed in 99.  I stopped with caffinated beverages and that helped tremendously.  Well for the past month or so, they have been occuring on a more regular basis.  I know, I know that they won't kill me BUT.  Friday evening I had taken benadhryl for sinuses (dr told me it was the only medication I could take) and had a horrible reaction.  I had a strange hot sensation of blood raging from the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes.  SO we go to the ER.  The RN there told me that his wife had PVCs and that I was fine, put me on an EKG and everything was normal once my heart rate calmed down (that happened after he told me I wouldln't die)

Major problem here???  I am having strange sensations when I try to go to sleep.   Kind of like the pvcs but more of a almost fainting sensation.  Has anyone ever felt this?  Is this strange?  I am planning on seeing a dr asap just to make sure everything is OK (never had the heart monitor on for more than 20 minutes).  I am wondering if this is just me in a panic over my heart..  Yes I do have a stressful job/life and I paln on discussing that with the doctor too.  Thanks in advance for any assistance you can share.  Reading everyone's storys have helped me more than you know!

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hello,

I know PVCs affect quality of life in some patients -- we tell people the PVCs won't kill them because it is very common concern and some people are afraid to ask the question.

Benadryl can cause a high or buzz, especially when given IV.  I cannot be definitive but it sounds like you might have a had a panic attack, possibly precipitated by the benadryl making you feels strange.

1. I am having strange sensations when I try to go to sleep. Kind of like the pvcs but more of a almost fainting sensation. Has anyone ever felt this? Is this strange?

I have heard of this before and it has a name that I cannot think of right now.  If it happens every night, a holter monitor while you are falling a sleep would tell you if arrhythmia is contributing to the sensation.  In general, this sensation  is not caused by arrhythmias but it should be easy to look into.

A holter will also help quantitate how many PVCs you are having.  If you are having significant symptoms, it may be worth trying a beta blocker to decrease the sensation of the PVCs.


Thanks for posting and good luck.


I am planning on seeing a dr asap just to make sure everything is OK (never had the heart monitor on for more than 20 minutes). I am wondering if this is just me in a panic over my heart.. Yes I do have a stressful job/life and I paln on discussing that with the doctor too. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can share. Reading everyone's storys have helped me more than you know!

[oneil420]

I cant find any ryhme or reason to my pvcs, over the last 6 years i have had them do everything and anything they can(to **** me off) from everyother beat to gone for months. I encourage anyone with pvcs to always seek medical advice when they feel the need, your not crazy! these things exist and your symptoms are real, you just need to believe your NOt going to die (point) your still alive today even thought im sure the other day your thought you wouldnt be. Been there many many times over last few years and like i already said my pvcs throw soemthing new at me all the time, hey what was that? whats that feeling? why is it doing that? f&*ck call 911 go to the Er!!!what do you mean it nothing? BUT!!! yeah your not alone and its not easy but for me ,i just refuse to be afraid(doesnt always work) but has really helped. i trust my dr and his diagnoses and thats prob the single most important thing.I dont know i guess i just wanted you to know first your not alone many of us battle with pvcs and its not uncommon for new "symptoms" to occur. Also i wanted you to know there is nothing wrong with seeking medical help(ER) if you believe you need it, it really is all about you and what you feel is appropriate, its your life. IS it anxiety? probrable, pvcs and anxiety go hand and hand they love each other company:) but for your own peace of mind follow up with your PC or cardio prob nothing but if you dont know you will always wonder, there is a great forum on yahoo peoplewithpvcs@yahoo its full of pvc support, hope you feel better and happy new year, oneil

"ITs better to die once then fear death a thousand times" julias cesare

[woodruff]

Terrific advice, oneil.  Good to know of another place where people with pvcs can talk about them, too.

[momto3girls]

Hi racooper,

Wow, even though I read these posts pretty much regulary I'm always taken aback by the similarity to myself.  PVC's, PAC's whatever you want to call them, are nasty little beasties.  They rear their ugly heads at the oddest times (for me at least) and come and go whenever they wish.  I don't notice any triggers and have tried altering my diet/caffeine intake and it doesn't make a lick of difference.  My own PVC's have picked up recently and I've learned to just ignore them.  That is easier said than done, I know!  When I get many of them in a row, my first reaction is "Oh ****, here we go again!"  I find that for me I learned to talk myself down.  What I mean by that is, I would say to myself something like....ok, I've had zillions of these before for years now and guess what, I didn't drop dead like I thought I would!  You know one of the doctors, I think from this wonderful forum here said that people aren't cursed because they have pvc's, pac's, they're cursed because they feel them.  Isn't that the truth.

People who've never experienced heart skips like these are a bit annoying to me because they're so dismissive.  They say things like, oh your fine, you're probably doing it to yourself.  Well, let them feel a couple of skips in a row where you feel heart fluttering around like a trapped butterfly on drugs!  It's a very disconcerting, disturbing feeling but the key is like these forum doctors tell us 1,000 times...they're just a nuisance and you're not going to drop dead from them.  Always good to hear.  Most of the questions posted here on the heart forum have to do with pvc's, pac's or tachycardia!  I wonder if the forum doctors just roll their eyes when they log in and see yet another question about these things!  Bless them for their patience (:

Oneil, I just loved your ER analogy, LOL!  Ya, I've made that trip more times that I care to admit to (:  Great quote too!  Take care everyone and enjoy the new year!  Best wishes (:

momto3girls

[sb786]

Hi all and happy new year!!

i am also having strange sensations whist trying to sleep. it only seems to happen the moment i am drifting off to sleep. It does feel like PVCs but not as strong, and sometimes rather than a thump in the chest i feel it in my head and i usually jolt awake with them. Other than this strange feeling i do seem to get alot of pvcs when i'm drifting off to sleep, does anyone know why? i can be relaxing in bed laying very still and nothing but as soon as i'm about to fall asleep the pvcs and other weird beats start!!

[racooper]

I have to say that you all are incredible.  You have put me into tears, but in a happy way. SB786, you put what I am feeling into better words than I could have tried.  But I did just want to respond and say thank you to everyone for their kind words and understanding.  Oneil, I have already signed up to that yahoo group.  Happy New Year,  May we all be healhty and have fewer of these little buggers!

[Sweetwaterguy]

I am fairly new the forum and have received help from others regarding my afib and ablation.  I had to go to the internet to learn about PVC's, because I am not up to speed on heart related language.  I did find a web site that I think has a good explanation, and more importantly, good information for those who have the problem and are concerned about their health.  I hope this site helps:  http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/arrhythmias/a/PVC.htm

[kitcurious]

"People who've never experienced heart skips like these are a bit annoying to me because they're so dismissive. They say things like, oh your fine, you're probably doing it to yourself. Well, let them feel a couple of skips in a row where you feel heart fluttering around like a trapped butterfly on drugs!"

I have had them and I dismiss them.

[anacyde]

The almost fainting sensation sounds like the way I felt when going into a panic attack.

HOWEVER I would get that checked out.  Some arrhythmias can cause fainting and those need to be followed by a doctor.  If you get the all-clear, do anything you can to reduce stress and relax.

Hope all turns out well for ya.

[dwg1998]

The PVCs are keeping me awake tonight.  I get angry at how doctors shrug their shoulders at them.  Right, they are not going to kill us, but neither are migraines.  Docs don't seem to tell patients, "It's just a migraine so get over it."  I too, go months feeling none, and then I can have days on end of every 5t or 6th beat.  I used to get dizzy with anxiety, but now I just get annoyed.  Some people say to ignore them.  I find that like trying to ignore somebody poking you in the chest with a finger every 10 seconds.  I take atenolol, but it does nothing but make me feel like I'm being poked with a pinky instead of a forefinger.  I can drink caffeine and take sudafed and not have any.  At other times, they strike with a vengeance when I haven't had either for weeks.  I've had it with being told they are "nothing."  I'm sick of feeling like this.  I'm sick of staying awake after taking an Ambien CR.  Most of all, I'm sick of being told that I'm in great health when I fell unwell so much of the time.  It's ablation time for me baby, as soon as I can find a cardiologist who will greenlight it.  God bless those of you that have learned to live with them.  I'm ready to gamble on a procedure.

[oneil420]

Im am not defending the behavior of the medical field toward pac/pvcs, i know how frustrating it can be and how cold there answers seem but just know that these cardiologist see the worst of the worst. They see the people whos hearts are failing and whos arrythmias are life threatning!! They save lives and just like everyone else whos never felt a string of palpitations they are ingnorant to the bodies natural respone to them. Its not that we cant ignore them its are minds, our will to survive is saying , hey somethings wrong here when we know thats not the case, we all need to take the proper arrangments to improve our quality of life and if a ablation is the next step for you then i am sure you will find a doc to do it , somewhere??? most major hospitals wount perform it for pvcs unless your symptomatic ie(dizzy,fainting etc. do what you need to do but you should still take the time to be thankful thats its only pvcs because there is over 1 million people out there tonight that would swicth with you in a heart beat, skipping or not.

[tickertock]

Most EPs caution against ablation for PVCs, even though some have met with success, some have met with devastating effects that left the patient worse off than before. I was to the point one time of pursuing an ablation for PVCs and I'm glad I took the advice of several cardios and EPs not to. I used have them in 1000s daily for weeks to months at a time , bigeminy, trigeminy , you name it, then theyd disappear for years with only the odd one now and then. I do take atenolol and cozaar mainly for hypertension, its been going on 5 years without any prolonged episodes of PVCs so far that I'm thankful. I know its almost impossible to ignore them when you feel everyone, but you can learn to control the fear and anxiety that they cause. All the best for 2007 to everyone.

[kitcurious]

How on earth can you determine that no cardiologists ever feel palpitations? Just because not everyone REACTS to their body the way you do doesn't mean other people don't get them too.

How often one gets and reacts to palpitations is largely based in personality and only people trained in treating emotional issues are qualified to deal with extreme ongoing anxiety.

Even for those professionals it's very hard to treat because they are not treating a physical illness, they are treating a person's behavorial responses to a benign flutter in their chest.

[Momto3]

Sorry to hear your palps are bothering you to the point of such frustration.  I know how frustrating they can be, but I would run pretty fast from any cardio ready to ablate just because you "are ready." I was "ready" for years, with persistent, consistent pvcs....Not one doctor was interested in ablating until other heart-related issues came to a forefront.  Then,m and only then, was an ablation considered.  I've been aware of palps for about 30 years so I can definitely relate to the sensations and related anxiety.  I agree, it can be difficult to ignore them, so I find it best to just "accept" them. Tell yourself, you're just beating to the beat of a different drummer...no better, no worse, just different.  

You may want to reconsider your plight for an ablation and look into coping mechanisms (yoga, therapy, medicine, etc) instead.  As tickertock pointed out, an ablation could actually lead to more significant and frequent arrythmias.

Hang in there!  Some of us have been in your shoes, some are still in them...we're help to help : )

[Gabby46]

I understand your frustration with your PVC's.  I would give just about anything for a good nights sleep.  I just want to caution you not to rush into an ablation.  I recently had one and it didn't work.  I was having over 25,000 PVC's per day and any medicine I tried to reduce them made me sick.  That's why my cardiologist and I decided to try the ablation.  However I think the ablation made me worse.  My PVC's were coming from my right ventrical and he ablated those.  During the ablation, as soon as he got them all ablated in the right ventricle, they started up again but in the left ventricle.  The doctors are suggesting I try another ablation but warned me that the risks for complications had gone up (because they are coming from the left side of my heart) and the chances for success have gone down due to the previous ablation. I am going to try every medicine out there, including SSRI's, and hope I can find one my body will accept.  I am also going to make lifestyle adjustments, such as diet and trying to exercise and reduce stress, before I even think about having another ablation. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[sb786]

hi everyone

i've just got my holter results and would greatly appreciate your opinion. I haven't got a clue how to make sense of it.

normal beat total: 103355, premature normals:0 SVT:0
Aberrant total: 70 Premature aberrants: 54 isolated aberrant: 7
couplets:0 triplets:0 salvos:0 vts:0
Bradycardia: 90 (longest 16 beats and slowest 37 bpm )(during sleep)
Dropped beats: 0 pauses: 0
max heart rate: 118bpm min heart rate: 44bpm qrs total:103544.

When i went to see my cardiologist he said i had 54 pvcs and no pacs. in the summary it says aberrant total:70. can someone tell me what the 70 means?? Also what do they mean by isolated aberrant:7? i had 1 run of ventricular bigeminy and trigenminy is it dangerous?? Whats the difference between couplets/triplets and ventricular bigeminy/trigeminy i thought they were both the same but my holter shows had the latter but no couplets/triplets. Sorry for the boring post but i'd love to hear your opinions :)

[jhawk09]

Hi, everyone. Just found this site also. I am a 28 year old male. 6' tall 235lbs. I lift weights 3 times a week, and 1/2 hr of cardio. I have been suffering from pvc's for three years now. I have a stressfull job and a stressful personal life(divorced with kids). Recently the pvc's have become more frequent. Sometimes 10 or more in a minute. I have been trying to control my anxiety. But, started freaking out again about this. I am glad I found this site. I have spent a lot of cash going to the doctor and getting tests. And of course, everytime I am OK. Was thinking maybe something had changed this time. But, I am glad I found this site. My girlfriend thinks I am nuts. Everytime I get a real bad bout, I become very irratable and grouchy. I used to be constantly worried about this. I have just learned to accept it. Once in a while it gets the best of me though. I think I exercise because it makes them go away almost entirely. In an hour and a half work out. I might only have a few. Sometimes none. The cardio makes me feel like I am strengthening my heart. I highly recommend (if your doctor says it is ok) some exercise when you are have a rough bout of PVC's. It has worked for me, and it could for you. I also try to limit my drinking. I noticed that the PVC's were less frequent while drinking, but the next day I would have an increase in PVC's. This was not a good trade. I try to eat a healthy diet, but haven't noticed any PVC benefit from this. I am overweight 20 pounds. A lot of my weight is muscle mass. So I don't think loosing those extra pounds will help. I am glad I found this site though. It will help with my stress over this hard to deal with condition. I will look forward to hearing from you all.

[NurseKagome]

wow, i love this site. seriously i understand what you all are going through...not fun, i would love to have that freedom from pvcs during exercise, but i don't. i seem to get more. it's hard becuase i am trying to be healthy and fit and that deterrs me away from exercise. arg. happy new year everyone!!

[Barbarella]

You're so right with everything you say.  A distant relative of mine had two heart attacks by age 42, he said to me one time "would you like to trade with me? I would GLADLY take your PVC's"  I always think about what he said.  I admit I still hate these PVC's, anything coming from the heart after all your heart is your lifeline, but we also have to trust our doctors/cardiologists.  The cardiologist I saw told me to stay away from the Internet and chatrooms because even though they can give you comfort and support they can also scare the hell out of you.  This happened on this very board a bout 3 yrs ago. "PVC's during exercise" were discussed and some people mentioned that they read that PVC's during exercise can be fatal.  Matter of fact one person posted to me "watch out your next exercise might be your last one".  This statement worried me a lot.  I asked the Cardiologist and he told me in my case NO WAY, lots of people with healthy hearts have PVC's during exercise, and he told me to stop logging on these sites they sometimes can scare you more than comfort you.  He said people have to ask themselves who they trust more i.e. what they read on message boards or trust what their doctors/cardiologists tell them.  If you don't trust your doctor then no matter what he tells you you still wont believe him/her.  I look at it this way, the doctor/cardiologist went to school for many yrs to study and learn about these heart issues I did not.  He/she knows more than me about this issue if I can't trust him then who can I trust? Sometimes doctors do make mistakes, if you feel you can't trust him/her then you need to seek a second opinion.

[ROBHOFF]

PLease be acreful about touting ablations in general..although it may be true that some cardios consider it "overkill" for this condition...if dwg1998 feels
1.That he has exhausted all of the drug therapy options.
2. And this is important...it is originating from a very low risk area of his heart..meaning not in conductivity land where they could really screw things up with a mistake, it is VERY low risk.
3. I too am sick of taking Ambien CR wevery night just to fade out past these and have that stuff overtake the feeling of the PVCS. I like dwg1988 would love to have the old luxury of staying up all night once in a blue moon...being anxious, pushing the limit etc...without the impending fear of these hitting me. I wish him luck and will being following the same course. Let me know how it works out and I'll do the same for you.

[ROBHOFF]

By the way dude....I could not have written your post to describe myself and how I feel about people who don't get this any more aptly than if actually I wrote it. It is dead on in it's assesment of this whole nasty thing and I really do hope for you that it's going to give you a new lease on the quality of your life. That's what I'm banking on for myself. I was just telling my wife the other day exactly what you said about the "finger poking" thing expect I used battery cable hooked up to my chest as the analogy. And just mast night I used the migraine thing to try and describe it to my cousin. Best of luck for you.....

[mariop]

yes, it's pretty much like dwg1998 says.  I have VT and the focal spots are in the lower chambers.  After many drugs my EP has agreed to go with the ablation, which is scheduled Feb 16, Pittsburgh PA.

Those doctors who are dismissive are that way because PVCs are the limit of what they can handle; so they make it seem as if you are the problem.  Some of the patients fall for that **** too;  there's a lot of advise that PVCs will go away if you change your attitude.  Maybe those people can learn to welcome them; being more realistic it is ablation time for me.

dwg1998 you need an EP doctor for ablation, do not trust a cardio to do it.

[ROBHOFF]

You got got exactly....the most compelling thing for me was when the EP said to me: Listen, this thing may come and go forever..you can change anything you want about your lifestyle and attitude but at the end of the day...your heart is looking for a reason to do this. Be it stress, exhaustion, anxiety, alchohol...whatever...Why not just stop walking on eggshells and living in fear of this thing all the time if you have an 80-80% chance of having it ablated easily and with almost no risk...Makes sense ....I am very active, waterskier, diver, motocross etc etc...I hate always wondering if I'm going to out with my 12 year old son doing one of these things and they're going to pop off and srcew up my day..I'm with you...

[kitcurious]

The only difference beteween you and someone like my son is that you FEEL things others don't.

Benign ectopics may be a financial bonanza for EP docs, but they are not dangerous and no drug company is going to spend millions of dollars developing drugs aimed directly at them because in the long run the beats don't kill you and their medications can. This makes them liable in court when they go "on the book" for a "treatment" for people with perfectly healthy hearts and cause arrhythmias that kill a percentage of people. Here comes the law firm on Dewey Cheatham and Howe.

As a person who gets migraines and who is not "permitted" to take migraine meds, due to arrhythmia, I assure you, they don't always treat that either and that HURTS. They make a friend of mine blind and students I've known projectile vomit on the floor.

Benign ectopics are not immediately in need of treatment like that kind of blinding , nauseating , disabling PAIN. Many would trade places with ya. All some of us are allowed to do is take an ineffective med and go to sleep in a dark room. The ectopics are a 1000 times easier to deal with for me.

[ROBHOFF]

Sorry to hear that you have migraines and their isn't much point in comparing your migraines to PVCS...as you said, we all feel them differently. Your point about the ONLY difference between your son and I being that I feel them... is kind of understating the point. That IS the entire point. I could tell you stories about being way out on the ocean or up in the air in a small plane and getting runs of these so bad I felt like I was going out cold...If you can't feel them it's like not having em. But we are probably all different in the way we are symptomatic...I read a posting where a guy actually gets chest pain every time he has them and years ago in my twenties, I remember them kicking me so hard it felt like someone punched me in the chest. As far as anti-arrythmia drugs...no decent doctor would prescribe those for PVCS that are benign as they can be pro-arrythmic and toxic as well. My cardiologist is on them as he has very bad A-Fib himself and an ablation will not help him. I do agree with you that the lawyers like everything else in this country of ours would screw up any chance of a decent med being released...but I'm not sure it's fair that saying PVC's are not in need of immediate treatment as a migraine may be...as you say...we all feel them differently.

[kitcurious]

Yes, every person perceives their body differently.
I have had palps that feel like a top winding up and down.
In my teens I got the atypical chest pains from MVP and had to pant for a shallow breath during them. My friend, who also got them and had MVP, would just keep on talking until it passed and I would do vice versa for him. We never took them seriously because we knew they were benign.

A person projectile vomiting needs immediate assitance, yes LOL
I have a migraine right now, cannot take a thing for it. My vision is blurry and I am so nauseated I will be unable to eat dinner today. I will go to bed, as this is my only option, and when I wake up tomorrow for work I will typically have residual pain and be foggy all day long. My face is numb as well.

I just wish I could have some Excedrin LOL

That was my whine for today, please forgive me. ;-)