Can PVC's, PAC's wake you from sleep?

[PennyGirl2]

I have been diagnosed with PVC's, PAC's, snd Mitral Valve Prolapse.  The only thing I've been told about my MVP is it is the kind that doesn't get worse.  I also have anxiety disorder and mild OCD.  I have been under the care of a cardiologist (as needed) for 10 years beginning when the PVC's started.  I have had all the appropriate test and wore the halter monitor and am told evrything is fine.  I am not on any meds.  Can a person be awaken by PVC's, PAC's?  In the last year I am awaken at night with heart pounding and feeling as if I am catching my breath.  When this happens  My heart rate seems to go back to normal fairly quickly but feeling as though I can't get a deep breath and the unsettling feeling stays with me for hours.    I also seem to have these "spells" from time to time during the day.  When it happens it's like a rush comes over me and again I have to catch my breath, feel nauseated, and then the panic sets in.  I don't feel anything irregular about my heartbeat when this happens just this strange sensation comes over me and i feel a tingling sensation from my chest/stomach area down.  I have been told this is panic but this feeling will happen and then 5, 10 minutes later, happen again and then maybe 20 minutes later happen again. I've had an onset of this and it keeps happening sporadically sometimes hours before it goes away.  Could this be some type of Tacycardia?  And if so can it happen over and over like that for several hours?

[lael]

Gosh! I have had this same problem! I also get gripping chest pain, which extends to my neck and left arm. I have had my cholesterol tseted, had a nuclear stress test (not walking the treadmill, but getting injected with the meds) and an echocardiagram. I have also had a carotid scan, and numerous ekg's. I also wore the holter monitor for 24 hours.]

In addition, I had ultrasounds of my gallbladdar, pancreas, kidneys and liver. I also had an upper GI with contrast. I was told everything--from all above mentioned tests--looked fine, and they were unable to give me a diagnosis.

What is going on?  These tests were all done in March 2007, and I did go for a bit without an "episode" but they started again last week. I am on no meds, and I'm 36 years old. This is defintely taking a toll on my quality of life. I don't know where to go from here.

[Forum-M.D.-ppb]

Premature contractions (PAC and PVC) can awaken a person at night.  However, what you are describing can be related to a tachycardia (atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter or even VT although very rarely) and can repeat over several hours as you have described above.  Tachycardia should be completely rulled out before we start blaming all this on panic attacks as your symptoms are really bothersome to you.  To best find out one should wear a heart rate/rhytm monitor (holter monitor is one of the simpler forms of those).  Sometimes Holter monitors are not enough because they are only useful when the patient has the symptoms during the time when they wear it.  If during the period when you wore it you experienced no symptoms, then the test was not very useful.  Event monitors are like Holter monitors except that the patient activates the recording when they  experience their symptoms.  This allows the physician to correlate the symptoms with the heart rate/rhythm.  If the episodes you are experiencing correlate with an abnormal heart rhythm then we would have the diagnosis and be able to go from there to treat you better.  You should discuss this further with your cardiologist or seek a second opinion.