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First off, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to every single one of you that post on this board.  Just reading your responses has made me feel so much better.  I'm hoping some of you can respond to my post and tell me I shouldn't be petrified.

I have a four year old son and a father that just died of a massive heart attack (he had diabetes and high bp, neither of which he controlled) and taking meds for panic attacks for 7 years.  For the past few weeks I've been having palpitations pretty regularly.  90% of the time thye are when I am laying on my left side or in a postion that is putting pressure on my back.  Sometimes when I bend over as well.

I went to the doc today because I had enough of them and was starting to freak out about it.  The doc listend to my heart and said it sounded fine.  Then he did an EKG.  While the nurse was doing it, I was laying on the table and felt them start.  I started having a panic attack.  The doc came back and said that the EKG was showing bigeminal PVCs and that concerned him so he was sending me to a cardiologist for treatment.

Needless to say I am freaking out.  I'm in full panic attack mode  and convinced I'm going to leave my small son motherless.  I can't get in to the cardio until Wednesday so I'm tring to convince myself that it's fine and I just need to relax.  I'm not going to drop dead like my father.

Or I'm I just completely dilusional and should be freaking?  :)

[MomPOM]

I have no idea why it put that as the subject line.  Sorry about that.

[Sweetwaterguy]

   The first thing to consider is the worst case scenario almost never occurs.  The likely thing is your condition will be easily understood and easily treated. Don't be surprised if you find the cause is not heart related at all.
   To make you feel better and give you a sense of empowerment that you can and will live to a normal life expectancy and beyond, I recommend Arthur Agatston's book, The South Beach Heart Program.  He is a noted cardiologist and the person who developed the South Beach Diet.  He writes about aggressive prevention of heart disease even for those who don't have it.  Even for those who do have significant heart disease and are at high risk, aggressive prevention is allowing them to live to a normal life expectancy--and to be healthy along the way.
     Certainly, there are things to do to take charge of your health.  Rather than say it's never too late, the correct thing to believe is that is never too early.  When you know you are in control, you will feel better.

  

[Pepperliveson]

So sorry to hear about your father.  You have my sympathy and best wishes.  My father died of a heart attack almost 11 yrs ago now after a period of decline following a stroke.  He had uncontrolled very high cholesterol and was a smoker.  I inherited his very high cholesterol but I take drugs to control it.  Anyway, PVCs can DEFINITELY be caused by anxiety.  I have had them on and off for about 4 years now and they are clearly related to anxiety.  When life is stressful or difficult things happen, the PVCs get worse.  If you have a history of anxiety, this is the most likely explanation.  It sounds like you have alot to bear right now so it makes sense that they would increase.  But I can tell you that in a structurally normal heart, the PVCs, even bigeminy, will not hurt you.  Your doctor is right to refer you to a cardiologist to make sure that your heart is healthy and structurally normal.  This is a precaution but no need for alarm.  I have had bigeminy many, many times and it always goes away on its own and has never done me any harm.  It helps to meditate.  Please try not to worry as this just creates a cycle of worry and more PVCs.  Believe me, it was hard when I first developed the PVCs since everything in our family has always been about heart disease.  It was hard for me to accept that my heart was ok (with my history of high cholesterol)and that the PVCs wouldn't hurt me.  If you look through the site, you will see that many people here have PVCs, some thousands a day.  Please try not to worry.

[MomPOM]

Yeah, it's impossible for me to deal with the fact that there's something "wrong" with my heart but not something REALLY wrong.  KWIM?  With my dad dying so suddenly, even though it shouldn't have been a shock, I've got myself convinced that it's going to happen to me.  Forget the genes my mother gave me that have no health issues whatsoever.

It's now 11:24 and while I'm not having panic attacks anymore tonight (thanks to this board) I still can't fall asleep.  I keep having the PVCs no matter what position I lay in.  Last night I was at least able to lay on my right side and not have a problem.  Tonight it's happening no matter what.  Of course I'm sitting here on the couch and not having any so maybe this is how I need to sleep tonight.

I'd kill for an Ativan and a good night's sleep.

[Pepperliveson]

I know what you mean - losing a parent in that way can be so traumatic.  Having the additional physical symptoms of PVCs as a reminder doesn't help.  I hope that you are able to get some rest tonight.  Beta blockers like altenolol have helped me in the past - they are not medically necessary for PVCs but in some people, they help suppress them or lessen the feeling of them so you don't notice them as much or at all.  

[lojalo]

I just want to say that you are not alone.  I have had palps for over 3 years.  Sometimes they are continuous and scare me to death.  I can relate to your feeling of leaving your 4 year old.  I have a 5 year old and my husband works out of town so I constantly worry that I will keel over on him.  My father has heart disease and had triple bypass.  I have a history of high cholesterol and am working to lose weight, exercise and watch my diet.  I am not a person who wants to take pills.  They tell me my heart is fine, but it's hard to believe them.  I recently started having some sharp chest pains which I never had before which I think are due to an injury and anxiety.  No one seems to be able to help me with the palps and I feel mine are hormonally related.  I am going to a holistic clinic next month.  Hang in there! I find I need to take matters into my own hands and educate yourself as much as you can.  This is a good place for information.