Skipped Heart Beats (PVC's

[alexawesome1]

Hello Doctor, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for hosting this forum, I've posted once before and have found it very informative and helpful, thank you!
I have a few questions concerning PVC's & PAC's. I have been evaluted by two different cardiologists with a battery of tests and everthing is normal, noted 1/2 apical ejection (flow) murmur only (28 year old male, 5' 11", 190LBS, athletic).
1. From what I understand now, PVC's & PAC's are not harmful, is either worse than the other? ie. more PVC's
2. Is the sensation of a skipped beat the result of an extra beat or is the sensation from the extra flow of blood resulting from a longer pause in the heart rythm?
3. If an individual is experiencing for example 1,000 PAC's/PVC's on a daily basis, does that signify an extra 1,000 beats? Wouldn't these extra beats over a span of an average life "tire" the heart muscle?
4. I notice in my resting pulse only (around 48-52BPM) that  sometimes after relaxing from either a work-out or just normal activity that a few beats are longer apart then others, however this is pattern is repeatitive, meaning the longer pause are not totally random but will repeat after the same number of beats per minute. My question is what's considered and irregular to regular pulse?
5. From your experience with past and present patients, have you seen any individuals experiencing PVC's/PAC's every go away entirely?
6. Are they the cause of some part of SA/NA node's deteriating?
7. Lastly on average, individuals with normal healthy hearts with benign PVC's/PAC's develop other serious conditions?

[faithinme]

Hi John,
I am new to this forum.  I have been reading it for about a month now because I to suffer from PVC's.  What a nightmare when I get them.  It was touching reading your comments.  You have really gone through a lot.  I feel for you. I can tell you that I have had this condition for over 20 years and I am still here!  If that is any help for you.  I get periods of Pvc's where I will not go out or go to the gym.  I even left work early because of them.  I have tried beta blockers but they seem to make them worse!  I also have SVT where my heart races all of a sudden up 180 bpm but only during the night.  It wakes me up and I am terrified.  I can take a beta blocker which works for this but it makes the pvc's worse during the day.  Not very good luck for me in this area.  Had all the tests. Just trying to deal with it all.  God BLess and Good Luck.
***@****

[traceyc]

Hi Mark! Thanks a million for the info---I am going to check that website out. I think the resounding message here seems to be that stress plays a significant role in the management of these things. It's interesting that you had the PVCs following a bout of bronchitis. My mom who is an E.R. (and flight) nurse, says that PVCs are very typical with "lungers". I tend to have a lot of respiritory stuff (chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, etc). As for the beta blockers---I didn't get any relief with the Atenolol, but I've had great results with the Nadolol. I think my case is a bit different in that the beta blocker prevents me from having the SVT (without it, my resting h.r. is around 130-- going up to around 200 during a run of SVT---not fun!)I was exhausted all the time. My h.r. is normal now-- 70's, and I feel a lot better. When I work out, my h.r. stays right around 135 or so (I'm guessing it's due to the beta blocker). When I broached the wine issue with my cardiologist, he said "Yeah, some people are just more sensitive to it (alcohol) than others"...THANKS! I noticed that the wine had a "delayed" effect in that I didn't have any problems until about 6 hrs. after my last drink. You could just about set your watch to it---Bizzare! Then I would actually wake up with a racing heart and PVCs that would last about an hour or so. The more I had to drink, the worse it was. Finally, I decided that it wasn't worth it, and now I limit it to an occassional drink (1 or 2 glasses a month). It would be interesting to know if others have had similar experiences. Thanks for all the info!!! Let me know how it goes! ~Tracey

[Wayne Monaghan]

Hi jenilyn ....Batesville here. And yes I have those mornings too. Wake up feeling good and some days as soon as I sit up on the edge of the bed.....BAM. Aint much scares me but those things do. Also take Magnesium and Calcium and Zinc supplement. No change. For some I hear it works. May go to a speacialist in Memphis. If ever in yahoo chat look me up to talk about different docs in Ar. that might help......chat name and e- mail is  ***@****......

[traceyc]

Thanks so much for taking the time to reassure me!!! Maybe I can help alleviate some of your fears of becoming pregnant---I was taking Atenolol during my first and second pregnancies and I was fine all through both of them. I started to have problems with my third, but they really were confined to the first trimester---I think it had a lot to do with the "hormonal surge" when you become pregnant. Other than that and the "run" I had when 5 months pregnant with my last (there is also a big hormone fluctuation at that point), it was nothing worse than what I usually experience--MAYBE even less. When I'd have the occassional bout with these, I'd try to focus on the pregnancy and the little one in there, and it did seem to help. If you have any questions about any of this, you can e-mail me at: ***@**** Good luck to you!!! ~Tracey

[mark4]

I have had PVCs daily, for about two months, beginning after a lengthy  bout with bronchitis. They were so intense, I ended up in the ER where I received IV treatment including a gram of Magnesium and two bags of electrolytes. It turns out I was dehydrated from being sick. After going through the EKGs and Treadmill Stress test (all negative), I decided to focus on natural treatment. A short stint with Atenelol made me feel much worse, and I decided that beta blockers were not for me.

Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise(getting your heart rate up to the target zone is critical) each day, and supplements (Magnesium 400 mg, CO Q10 90 mg, Vitamin E 800 IU, and a Multi-Vitamin/Mineral), and daily meditation (very important) have allowed me to "function" without obsessing over the PVCs. At times I have them every three beats, but there are periods where I don't notice them at all. Of course, I'd prefer not having them at all, but I'm optimistic that they will eventually subside.

As for the wine, it's interesting that for the past year, I would have an allergic reaction to certain wines (white or red). After a couple sips, my face would turn red and itchy, to the point I would have to hold an icy washcloth to my face for relief. If I stopped drinking the wine, the symptoms would gradually subside in about an hour. Since having the PVCs, I've stopped drinking completely (not easy for a former wine importer). Now, I'm wondering if the first reaction was somehow related to the eventual onset of PVCs. It so happens that I had 3 or 4 glasses of wine the night before my PVCs really kicked in.

For an interesting take on alternative treatment, check out Dr. Walt Stoll's site (http://askwaltstollmd.com/relax.html) on Skilled Relaxation. This is not a dramatic, immediate cure, but I think it is worth the effort for anyone suffering from PVCs or similar heartbeat irregularities. Stress plays a major role in the effects and intensity of PVC episodes, and the time spent perfecting meditation techniques is certainly worthwhile.

Best of luck,

Mark

[traceyc]

Thanks for the tip on exercizing! It's great to know that all the trips to the gym might actually help the PVCs too! I am going to try the magnesium thing as well--how much is a good starting point? I'm not a big red meat eater, but I do notice something when I have red meat (always thought it was the red wine I had with it!!!) Ha ha! Speaking of... has anyone noticed more of these after having a glass or two of wine? That's when I seem to get the SVT followed by the PVCs. Someone mentioned something about the sulfites possibly aggravating the condition. Any word on that?