how many is too many palpitations?

Could you please clarify for me how many palpitations is too many.  

I sometimes get a PVC beat every second or third beat that goes on for hours and just stops on its own.  The majority of the time I get probably about one per hour.  The feeling is a couple of quick beats or a fluttery feeling in my heart and then a big thud and a feeling of lightheadnesses sometimes.  They seem REALLY STRONG.

I have read that everyone gets "occasional" missed beats and not to worry, but I don't know whether or not I should consider mine "occassional" or not?

I also get sometimes when my heart just starts to race and then does a thump and just goes back into its normal rhythm.  Wierd or normal?  This happens maybe once per month.

I have been for testing and have a completely normal heart and docs say don't worry.

Is that abnormal for a person to get a PVC every couple of beats and is one or two per hour not considered anything to worry about?

Thanks.

Carla

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Carla,
Generally in a normal heart there is no "maximum limit" to PVCs although in someone with underlying heart disease doctors are somewhat more concerned if they are occuring more that 6 times a minute.

[Mommydee]

While you are waiting for the doctor's reply, please be reassured.  Many times I experience many more PVCs which are what feels like the skipped beats and the thumps.  I have had as many as 20-30 or more per minute, which contributes to me having a very fast heartrate, up to 120 beats per minute, but it is still considered to be benign.  I sometimes get four or five PVCs in a row which feels really lousy, but still they tell me it is ok.  Some days they are really bad, then other days they don't come at all.  The more PVCs there are, the more tired I feel, and the more I notice them.  It took a long time before I quit worrying about them.
Be sure you limit or even eliminate caffeine from your diet.  Also antihistamines and allergy medicines and especially asthma medicines can aggravate PVCs....be sure to check it out with your doctors.  Going without enough sleep can trigger them, as can illness (I tend to have more if I have a fever).  Certain herbal remedies can make them worse too.  
Dee

[Ben]

Carla,
Your condition sounds a lot like mine.  I get PVC's every now and again all the time. But sometimes they start coming every other, or every third for hours at a  time.  They call this Bigeminy and Trigeminy. They tell me it is not dangerous if you have a normal heart.  I also sometimes get what's called non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, which is PVC's in a row.  From 5 to 15. It feels like a flutter of PVC's followed by a thump.. This very well could be what you have.  They tell me that this is also safe if your heart is normal..  I'd get a holter or event recorder to see what it is you have.  If you habe Bigeminy and non sustained VT, They probably are both coming from an idiopathic spot in your heart. That's how it is in my case, but maybe yours is completly different.  It just sounds similar. If it's the same case as mine it might be able to be cured through catheter ablation, if it bothers you that bad.

Ben
***@****

[b w]

carla    
i am a 29 yr old girl who has been suffering with pacs pvcs for 6 years now 2 years ago the pacs got worse.
i was having thousands a day. they gave me inderal it helped for a while and then they flared up again. they could never figure out why. any of the doctors. they changed my beta blocker to atenolol and they never got better finally 3 weeks ago i went into atrial fib with fast ventricular response. and they cant figure out why i even had a normal echo. now i am on an additional med  as for the amount of pacs pvcs that are normal i wish i knew not one doctor seems to be able to give me a straight answer. it is very frustrating. for me id like to go be evaluated at cleveland clinic  good luck to you maybe someday drs will be able to have more answers

[jan]

I have IST and valvular disease. I am on atenolol and verapamil. Just recently a dr. put me on naproxen 500 mg 2x a day and just recently I started having pac's more than usual. They still aren't many (like some posts I've read), but they are bothersome as you all know.  Have any of you ever taken naproxen, it's a NSAID and if so, did you get palps.?

[heartfull]

Hi Jan, it's me again. I just ran accross this post and remember you telling me that you have some enlargement in your heart. I know that NSAID's can cause your body to retain fluid and thus make your heart have to work that much harder. Please check on this med for that side effect. Dont depend on the pamplet they give you from the drug store. NSAID's are not recommended for some people with some heart conditions. I once took Vioxx, also a NSAID and it nearly drowned me. I had constant irregularities in my heart.  Just wanted to share that with you.

[Brenda]

I am a 32 year old female whos been suffering from pvc's for about 6 years. sometimes days will go by without a one then all of a sudden, they don't stop for 2 hours!  I don't have any pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness.  They are just annoying.  Sometimes it almosts feel like it triggers heartburn, so I take a Tagamet and feel great within an hour.  I've had several EKG's, had an Echo, and worn 2 Halter monitors in the past 3 years.  Docs say all is normal.  I don't smoke, drink maybe 4-6 beers a week, and have almost totally cut out caffeine ( maybe an occasional piece of chocolate) The one thing I don't do regularly is exercise.  I'm sometimes afraid my heart will freak out on me. When I was pregnant 3 years ago, not 1 palpitation, until 2 weeks after giving birth.  Hormone-related?? I've read that a 400mg intake of magnesium has helped those sufferers of pvc's.  Can acid-reflux cause more pvc's??
I can sympathize with those of you who suffer day to day with this condition, wondering if its life-threatening or not.  I try to go on with my life, and act like nothings wrong, but it really can get ya down in the dumps. Please respond.  Thankyou.

[Tim]

I am a 32 year old male who has been suffering from pvc's & pac's for about 10 years now.I,also like many of you have gone through ekg's,holter moniters,echos,stress echos & event moniters
& am told they are benign.I was wondering if any of you have noticed changes in in the amount ,intensity,& duration in which you get them.I used to just get an occasional skip a few times a day to getting constant skipping 6-10hrs a day from time to time.
Now when my heart skips it seems to skip 4-5 times in a row.This isn't a constant occurance, but it sure is new to me.This whole pvc,pac thing is ruining my day to day life! Someone please help me to cope with this.

                Tim
            ***@****

[jan]

To "me again",
Thanks for your post. Who are you? :o) My heart isn't enlarged. About fluid retention, my ep actually has me on salt tablets. When the orthopedic dr. got my message about the naproxen making me tired (I didn't tell him about the pac's) he made me call my cardio. because he said it wouldn't make me tired. I did call and the ep said he agreed it wouldn't make me tired, but when he heard I was getting palps he told me to tell the ortho. he recommended I stop it. He suggested it was possibly lowering my blood pressure. I don't know what that has to do with it, but I stopped taking it anyway.  Thanks for your help.

[chocolate lover]

TIM   I gET pACS SOMETIMES ALL DAY EVERY DAY SOMETIMES THEY WILL GO ON LIKE THAT FOR MONTHS. I UNDERSTAND HOW UPSETTING THEY CAN BE. SOMETIMES YOU FEEL AS IF YOU CANT GET THROUGH ANOTHER DAY. IVE GOTTEN THEM FOR 7 YEARS NOW. DID HAVE A NORMAL ECHO BUT ALSO WENT INTO A FIB AND SPENT 3 DAYS IN ICU. SCARIEST THING EVER DRS STILL ARENT SURE WHY ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING TO MY HEART.I DO KNOW THAT THE SKIPPED BEATS ARE THE WORST AND VERY ANNOYING. I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH. I DO LIKE THIS SUPPORT GROUP IT ALWAYS HELPS ME GET THROUGH THESE THINGS.

[Mike]

Hi,
I probably should join in this chat, but I'm new to the site and I need some advice...

I get what I have been calling palputations, but reading your conversations I'm not so sure: Out of the blue I will get a realy large 'thump' and heavy squeezing sensation in my chest (just under my breat-bone)(preventinting me from breathing). It will last just a couple of seconds normally, though occasionally it will keep happening for several minutes.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Sorry to intrude!!

[sue]

hello all
it,s reassuring in a way to read all your post. I,ve been suffering from boutsof tachycardia and ectopic heartbeats for the last 12 odd years. I also suffer with M.E., and they seem to be linked to this, as they only occur when I,m in a relapse. I too have undergone many tests, only to be told that everythings fine, it sure doesn,t feel like it when your heart,s beating like fury, and throwing wobblies!I,m due for a consultant,s appt this Fri, and I,m sure that I,ll be sent away yet again with "you,re fine"  Though you tell your self that it,s fine . it doesn,t always feel that way!!!!!!! The last bout that I had lasted for 7 days,then just stopped of it,s own accord, but I,ve also had bad chest pain too, which caused my daughter to call 999.That was a new symptom, and a scary one too, my G.P says it could be angina? Wish someone would tell me then I could have medication for it if it occurs again.

[lisa]

I am a 34 year old female that has many of the same symptoms you've described.  Test are always ok, although a few missed beat show up, but I'm always told not to worry.  The missed beats have been more and more frequent and I wonder if I will have a heart attack.  I never experience dizziness, but I can feel my heart beat and THUMP.  very scary.  write back.

[sue]

Well, I was really surprised at my appt. on Friday. I saw a new consultant and he was really nice! (the other one that I,d been seeing was a man whoreally thought he was God!)
This one took the time to explain things to me, though I can,t remember half of what he said. But , HE TOOK THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!, makes a big difference. He,s given me a spray for the chest pains, and says that if the rapid beats come back, I,ve not had them for a week now) to go back for some medication. No one,s ever bothered to do that before, they,ve always sent you away feeling as if you,ve wasted their time. In fact when I was last admitted, the doctor on duty up on the ward said to me " You can,t keep coming in like this"  ? As if you really want to be going in and out of the docs and hospital.
This site has been good in the fact that you know that it obviously does happen a lot, and that you,re not the only one that gets these really horrid feelings. The ectopic beats can feel like donkeys trying to kick their way out of your heart.I think that maybe they forget that people do get scated, it,s only natural, when you think you,re about to breath your last,but we,re all here , still kicking, so I guess it,s O.K.

[Gary]

I started having Trigeminy and bigeminy for extended periods in August, 2000.   I have tried to experiment on myself by controlling certain variables.   For me,  there is a clear culprit...too many carbohydrates and sugary foods, especially after 4pm.   Substitute protein,  like a can of tuna with a glass of water when you get hungry at bed time.  You need some carbohydrates during the day, but limit them to breakfast and lunch.   Follow this very carefully.  It may take a few days to see the results.  Don't eat that candy bar!!  If I am overloaded on carbohydrates,  even walking or a light jog will not stop the PVCs.   But if I am just a little too high on carbohydrates, a 10 minute walk or light jog will stop them.  Take a walk after meals.  This has worked remarkably well for me...almost no PVCs.

[trudy]

I was very interested to read the messages in this thread.  I have sporadic atrial fibrillation - also with no apparent heart disease (a clean echocardiogram and clean stress test).  I currently have very occasional 2-3 second afib events and quite a few more 2-3 second THUMP or missed beats or rapid pulse each week.  I am wondering how many people in here actually have afib. My understanding is that afib of 1-2 days can be dangerous as blood clots can form and can get kicked out of the heart when normal rhythm is re-established.  I wonder if "just" strong regular beats do not present this possibility, and that is why most people here seem not to be on medication.

I was put on a beta blocker, which is causing unpleasant side effects and am hoping to get off it.  I sympathize with everyone who is scared by this and has not gotten much help from doctors, a lot of us are in that boat.

There is a support group at www.egroups.com called afibsupport which I find very helpful.  Most people there are on meds or have had surgical procedures for afib, so there is a wealth of info.

[roosevelt772]

A related discussion, palpitations again was started.