Aa
palpitations - why can't they diagnose anything????
I am a 38 year old female who has really been through the ringer getting my heart checked out. I have been for ultrasounds, EKG's, two unsuccessful ablations and probably any other testing that you can imagine. The doctors say that I have a structurally normal heart and not to worry about what I feel.
I have been diagnosed with PVC's, short runs of SVT, and non-sustained v-tach (which I don't think happens too frequently). I have been on numerous beta-blockers which I do not do well on and I still feel every skipped beat that I get. I find I get really bad headaches and my blood pressure is super low 80/56 when I am beta blockers. I naturally have low blood pressure so I think the beta blockers make it even lower.
Why can't they find out why my heart acts up all of the time? I constantly feel skips, a fluttering sensation and sometimes it just starts pounding for no reason at all!!!! I can't stand it anymore. There is not a day that goes by when I don't feel something funny going on in there and it really scares me. Is there not some operation that can fix what is going on???? Since they have found all of these things that are happening (ie: the PVC's - approximately 10 a day, but really hard ones, svt and non-sustained v-tach), why do they tell me not to worry????? They have said I could go on an anti-arrythmic if I wanted to but it was not necessary. I DO NOT want to go on an anti-arrythmic, I am too scared to go on it.
What else can I do? I am driving my doctor crazy, I go back to her probably once per month and tell her I can't take this heart issue anymore. She is always very nice to me but I am at the point I am embarrased to go see her because she says she does not know where else to send me.
What can I do?? Am I driving myself crazy with this. I really feel there is something wrong in there but everyone tells me there is not and a lot of people get weird sensations.
I have been diagnosed with PVC's, short runs of SVT, and non-sustained v-tach (which I don't think happens too frequently). I have been on numerous beta-blockers which I do not do well on and I still feel every skipped beat that I get. I find I get really bad headaches and my blood pressure is super low 80/56 when I am beta blockers. I naturally have low blood pressure so I think the beta blockers make it even lower.
Why can't they find out why my heart acts up all of the time? I constantly feel skips, a fluttering sensation and sometimes it just starts pounding for no reason at all!!!! I can't stand it anymore. There is not a day that goes by when I don't feel something funny going on in there and it really scares me. Is there not some operation that can fix what is going on???? Since they have found all of these things that are happening (ie: the PVC's - approximately 10 a day, but really hard ones, svt and non-sustained v-tach), why do they tell me not to worry????? They have said I could go on an anti-arrythmic if I wanted to but it was not necessary. I DO NOT want to go on an anti-arrythmic, I am too scared to go on it.
What else can I do? I am driving my doctor crazy, I go back to her probably once per month and tell her I can't take this heart issue anymore. She is always very nice to me but I am at the point I am embarrased to go see her because she says she does not know where else to send me.
What can I do?? Am I driving myself crazy with this. I really feel there is something wrong in there but everyone tells me there is not and a lot of people get weird sensations.
Wow! A co-worker turned me on to this site today after hearing about my heart episodes over the last year. I am 35 years old, this all started last fall, 1999. I have experienced every symptom listed on this site and I too am feeling frusterated and out of control. The first visit to the cardiologist brought me to drinking more Powerade, etc. He felt my body was low in electrolites due to my weight loss ( 10 pounds at that time) and the fact that I had started to run. Then they blamed it on the sinus meds I was taking for my allergies, went cold turkey on all meds and it still was happening.
Everything was fine over the summer, I'd feel the skipped beats every so often, then, WAMMO...I landed in the ER twice in the same week in September. I felt like I was going to pass out, the beats were pounding and flipping right out of my chest. It was, I believe, v tach or b phib or something like that (with every normal beat I was having an extra). Finally, someone could see what I have been feeling and the holter, EKG, etc. were not picking up. I wasn't going crazy! Well, since then I have been on Atenolol 25 mg to start, then they had to up it to 50 mg once a day. This really seems to help, however the flutters and extra beats are picking up again. Running on this beta block is like dragging a lead weight behind me, but I'm forging on and follow up with the cardiologist in December.
They, the doctors, say I have a structurally normal heart and they don't really know why this all is happening. Well, normal was what my heart was a year ago, THIS is NOT normal. Sorry...you can't pull that wool over my eyes.
Thank God for this site, sometimes I feel so alone in this. Good luck to all and I will be surfing this site often. :)
Everything was fine over the summer, I'd feel the skipped beats every so often, then, WAMMO...I landed in the ER twice in the same week in September. I felt like I was going to pass out, the beats were pounding and flipping right out of my chest. It was, I believe, v tach or b phib or something like that (with every normal beat I was having an extra). Finally, someone could see what I have been feeling and the holter, EKG, etc. were not picking up. I wasn't going crazy! Well, since then I have been on Atenolol 25 mg to start, then they had to up it to 50 mg once a day. This really seems to help, however the flutters and extra beats are picking up again. Running on this beta block is like dragging a lead weight behind me, but I'm forging on and follow up with the cardiologist in December.
They, the doctors, say I have a structurally normal heart and they don't really know why this all is happening. Well, normal was what my heart was a year ago, THIS is NOT normal. Sorry...you can't pull that wool over my eyes.
Thank God for this site, sometimes I feel so alone in this. Good luck to all and I will be surfing this site often. :)
tim,
i can bend over at the waist and cough, and send myself into psvt!!!!....needless to say, my g.i. was compleatly dumbfounded when i did it for him in his office, i think he $#!& himslf!!!....doctors still deny the link though.
i can bend over at the waist and cough, and send myself into psvt!!!!....needless to say, my g.i. was compleatly dumbfounded when i did it for him in his office, i think he $#!& himslf!!!....doctors still deny the link though.
I can initiate PVCs simply by:
lying on my left side
standing up quickly
eating too much
bending forward
"sniffling" quickly
lying on my left side
standing up quickly
eating too much
bending forward
"sniffling" quickly
I just want to thank each one of you for sharing your different
problems reguarding pvc's,pac's etc,it has helped me so much to know there are many very normal people out there who suffer from pvc's,pac's,rapid heart beat,anxiety etc.For many years I have been driving doctors and family members crazy w/ panic attacks &complaining of skipped beats only to be told that it's all in my head. I even had a doctor tell me that he no longer wanted to be my physician because he didnt take any of my ailments seriously.Finally,I found an excellent cardiologist who ran a number of tests(echo's,holter,event moniter& blood tests).He said that I was experiencing pvc's & pac's.Over the years my skipped beats have caused me much anxiety & panic attacks & I am having a hard time dealing w/ them.Even though the cardiologist continually reassures me they are benign I always seem to have something different crop up w/ them. For example I sometimes get a sharp pain w/ a skip,or I can sometimes trigger them by certain movements,like bending over,lying on my left side or making quick movements (hitting a punching bag,or turning suddenly).I am also starting to get them several in a row now at times.Does anyone out there experience any of these strange things,or am I truly going crazy. Tim
problems reguarding pvc's,pac's etc,it has helped me so much to know there are many very normal people out there who suffer from pvc's,pac's,rapid heart beat,anxiety etc.For many years I have been driving doctors and family members crazy w/ panic attacks &complaining of skipped beats only to be told that it's all in my head. I even had a doctor tell me that he no longer wanted to be my physician because he didnt take any of my ailments seriously.Finally,I found an excellent cardiologist who ran a number of tests(echo's,holter,event moniter& blood tests).He said that I was experiencing pvc's & pac's.Over the years my skipped beats have caused me much anxiety & panic attacks & I am having a hard time dealing w/ them.Even though the cardiologist continually reassures me they are benign I always seem to have something different crop up w/ them. For example I sometimes get a sharp pain w/ a skip,or I can sometimes trigger them by certain movements,like bending over,lying on my left side or making quick movements (hitting a punching bag,or turning suddenly).I am also starting to get them several in a row now at times.Does anyone out there experience any of these strange things,or am I truly going crazy. Tim
I just want to put in my results from taking magnesium. I have had heart palps all my life (I am 38). They have been more frequent and severe the last year. I went through the ER trips and the cardio workups and all the tests, got the standard answer "your fine", "reduce your stress", blah, blah, blah. Doctor wanted to put me on meds, I said "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" So I have just been living with it since my first major episode 8 years ago, which sent me to the ER. Anyways, since finding this great site and reading about magnesium I thought I'd give it a try. I am here to tell you that it has given me my life back. I was having palps every couple of seconds, was driving me to near insanity, constantly on my mind, could not think of anything else. Now after three weeks of taking magnesium I just realized the other day that they are gone.......I don't even think about them. My mind is free and I actually concentrate on other things. I have noticed that I might get 1 late at night before bed, but even those are not as strong and sharp as they used to be. If all else has failed you and you do not know where to turn, give magnesium a try it might just do the trick. It did for me and it is so much nicer being on a mineral supplement than some prescription med. Plus, it's alot cheaper too!
Reading all of these entries has been so interesting and also somewhat reassuring. The saying "misery loves company" seems to apply here as epsiodes of PVC's certainly seem to create misery for all of us who suffer from them. I'm not happy to hear that so many others suffer from them but find it interesting how similar our feeling about them are: How frightening they are; how much they can become the focus of one's day; how they can undermine self-confidence and even make a person very depressed.
I have suffered for many years and take medications which normally control them fairly well. Lately, though, there have been more episodes (after just having a normal EKG done!) and I found this site in looking for info on the internet. I've been wondering lately if there is a connection between eating or digestive problems and increased PVC's. I have been getting them almost every evening after eating. And I also notice that they can be more common at night, lying down. That seems to be true for some of you. I'm thinking of trying the magnesium which some have found helpful. I have no doubt that stress plays a role and that worrying about these, and expecting them, definitely makes them worse. And exercise generally is helpful. I do think, though, that they are worse when I'm very tired. So, I've rambled on a bit but would welcome comments from any of you. The big question for me: How do you stop worrying about something that makes you feel so bad; and how do you not let the stress of feeling them make them worse--the viscious circle?
I have suffered for many years and take medications which normally control them fairly well. Lately, though, there have been more episodes (after just having a normal EKG done!) and I found this site in looking for info on the internet. I've been wondering lately if there is a connection between eating or digestive problems and increased PVC's. I have been getting them almost every evening after eating. And I also notice that they can be more common at night, lying down. That seems to be true for some of you. I'm thinking of trying the magnesium which some have found helpful. I have no doubt that stress plays a role and that worrying about these, and expecting them, definitely makes them worse. And exercise generally is helpful. I do think, though, that they are worse when I'm very tired. So, I've rambled on a bit but would welcome comments from any of you. The big question for me: How do you stop worrying about something that makes you feel so bad; and how do you not let the stress of feeling them make them worse--the viscious circle?
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