sorry, another pvc question

I am 32 yeare old male in good condition.  Resting heart rate is about 50.  I work out 5 times per week 1 hour with heart rate high between 150 and 170.  Sometimes after workouts for 4 hours i will get 25 or 35 PAC's or PVC's per hour, and maybe 200 or 300 for the day.  Other days I work out I hardly get any.

Could my PVC's and PAC's be somehow related to dehydration, or could my body be releasing something that contributes to them?

I had my thyriod checked a year ago.  I don't know the numbers but the nurse called back to say it was in the acceptable range. Is that the same as normal, or should I have the numbers explained further?

For some reason when I got the flu my resting heart rate was about 75, but I did not get any PVC's or PAC's for 3 days.  Any reason you can think of?

Had all tests done on my heart 11 months ago, so I don't feel like doing it again.  What do you consider to be too many of these in a normal heart?  Should I be taking meds to control?

In general, can I expect this problem to become worse and worse with age?


Thanks

Dave

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

Dehydration after exercise may be contributing to these.
The thyroid tests appear to have been normal.
Perhaps you weren't exercising when you had the flu and you got more rest; maybe this is why you weren't getting any PACs or PVCs. There is no need to take medications unless the symptoms are bothering you. These PACs and PVCs are unlikely to cause any damage to your heart. Generally, this sort of thing does not get worse with age.

[kim]

I am 32 years old and over the past year I have seen 4 doctors who have all told me that the PVC'S that I get every morning for the past year are nothing to worry about it's just stress.  I have had three EKG's, Thyroid levels were checked and they were also fine.  It was explained to me that is related to stress and at different times of the day your adrenaline levels change.  In the morning when I get up it seems the worst until around 10:00am and then they go away for the day until the next morning.  I have learned from reading all the other postings that people have wrote in about pvc's that almost everyone gets them and some people feel them more than others.  It just depends on how much you really worry about them.  When I first  use to get them I thought I had a heart condition.  But when I got them it felt like a hard heart beat or that my heart would be skipping a beat, and my heart rate would stay normal, it would be between 72 - 84 beats a minute with no chest pain and no other symptoms.  I was told just to learn to live with them and anxiety and stress was definately a factor.  So I have learned to deal with stress a little better and not worry so much about getting these PVC's.  Someone once wrote in that it felt like your heart having the hiccups.

[Rob]

It is all in how you look at it.

Hiccups... I like that.  I also like to think of it as a nervous twitch or tic, like you might get when you are over tired.

Check it out.  Like you've done.  And then don't worry about it.

Rob

[MikeB]

I've just joioned this group having seen the many people suffering from PVC's.

I was plagued by them and thought for a long time that they were the result of my two AVR surgeries in 1982 and 1993.

In 93-95 I had months when I would get 20,000 A DAY (bigeminy, trigeminy etc - sorry if that's the wrong spelling). Life was HELL. The best heart consultants, surgeons, could offer no explanation "They won't kill you" was the frequent reply.

To cut a long, long story short, I was finally properly diagnosed. I had noticed like many PVC letters to this forum, that "indigestion" and digestive discomforts seemed to be a factor. The cause was esophagitis, inflamation (inflammation) caused by acid reflux upsets the vagus nerve and makes the heart jumpy. I started on LOSEC but even that did not finally clear the acid damage enough. I researched may, many articles and began to see a pattern. There ARE a FEW doctors out there (gastro-enterologists AND cardiac consulants) who recognize the connection. Finally, I tried taking antacid mixtures (eg Maalox) VERY regularly. Within two weeks my symptoms practically disappeared. I still take LOSEC. I have LONG periods (months) with no problem. If I neglect my digestion problem (hiatus hernia) the PVC's can flare up. If I resort to Maalox and take care with my eating, I can generally eliminate them within 2-14 days depending upon how long I let them go untreated.
There is much misery from PVC's and I urge sufferers to try the Maalox and possibly LOSEC regime under a doctor's care.

I wish you GOOD LUCK. If you want more of my story and copies of articles found on the net showing the role of the esophagus as it affects heart rhythm, feel free to e-mail me 70403.***@****.

Mike

[Carol]

Mike, did you feel like you had stomach problems?  I don't feel like I have anything wrong in my stomach but the PVC's drive me NUTS!

I am willing to try anything to stop these things.

How much Maloxx do you take a day?

[MikeB]

To Carol

Did I feel like I had stomach problems? - Sort of, just what I thought of as indigestion really. I'm 62 now, and I understand most people over 50 have some level of hiatus hernia which allows acid and bile back up their esophagus after meals particularly when lying flat and during the night. This inflames the esophagus which runs behind the heart and affect the vagus nerve and in turn the heart.  If you let me have your e-mail, I could send you interesting articles about this problem, they are too long to post here. I am from England.

Losec is a very powerful drug that stops acid being produced but Maalox (up to the maximum dose stated on the bottle after each meal and at bedtime) directly protects the lining against remaining acid and bile reflux. Gaviscon may be even better as it is designed to coat the esophagus but I don't like the taste!!!

Mike
70403.***@****

[Lauro]

I am wondering if your Losec in England is the same as one of the
Proton Pump Inhibitors here, i.e. prilosec, prvacid, etc.

I am taking Mylanta but find the Aluminum in the mixture is not good for me so I am looking for one that does not have this in it.

I too have Palpatations and figure they are related to whatever
is going on with my Acid problems as they come and go and I now recognize the relationship.

I do not like the taste of Gaviscon either.  I will look into Maalox.  I too have a Hiatal hernia and am in my fifties.

Thank you for the information, Michael.

[MikeB]

To Becky and all

Losec is prilosec.

If you want the articles and other stuff, please let me have your e-mail address. I'm getting many requests for it all.

Please indicate if you could accept attached Word .DOC files rather than a very long e-mail.

Mike
70403.***@****

[kim]

Hi Everyone,

I have a long history of acid reflux and heart palpitations.  On the days when I have no stomach problems my PVCs and SVT are rare or nonexistent.  On the days that my stomach is upset, a drink of water will cause palpitations.  And for me it's double trouble because I have SVT as well as PVCs.  The only way I can convert the SVT is to get horizontal and hold my breath....hard to do when you're giving a lecture or sitting in the theater.

I take aciphex, the newest proton pump inhibitor.  I have mixed feelings about over-the-counter antacids.  Gaviscon is recommended by most doctors because it protects the esophogus, however, it does it by bubbling up, thus, it may cause PVCs by irritating the vagal nerve.  I use a natural product called Gastrosooth.  It contains pure calcium carbonate (the active ingredient in Tums) plus licorice root (the kind that doesn't make your blood pressure go up).  You can buy it in health food stores.

Now that I've said all that I am still having problems and I am scared that my palpitations are going to get so bad I won't be able to work.  I missed two semesters of work two years ago and never want to have that nightmare again because the stress led to clinical depression and was just awful.

I'd like to share some of the things that have helped my indigestion and palpitations and would like to have anyone interested share with me.  Maybe those of us who have a history of this can type a word document and e-mail it to one another.  All I know is that there is a clear connection to indigestion and palpitations that has been scientifically proven.  I don't know why all doctors are not aware of this.  It makes sense if you know anything about anatomy.

One thing that helps both conditions is magnesium supplements.  they are natural antacids and they relax muscles, including the heart.  My cardiologist prescribed magnesium five years ago.  Also, most people don't know that large doses of calcium can make PVCs worse.  Calcium helps muscles contract, including the heart.

[Steve T.]

What a relief!! I thought I was the only one in the world dealing with this problem. I have a hiatus hernia and GERD. I have been convinced for years that it is related to my PVC problem.  It is comforting to know that other people seem to agree. Mine usually occur in the evening (especially after exercise and meals) and last for hours. It is very difficult to get to sleep when you're having 10 to 20 per minute especially when you think you're about to die.
  
I take Prevacid for the GERD and it has really helped, but I still get the PVCs occasionally. I seem to go for weeks (sometimes months) with few PVCs, but then it will flare up and it seems like it will never go away. I really feel for those of you who have to deal with it on a daily basis.

I will definitely try the Maalox and I appreciate being able to talk with others about this problem.  Good Luck and Best Wishes.

[Paul]

We are so relieved to read about others who are trying to determine the cause for this thing (PVCs) that supposedly "won't kill you".  Easy for them to say, if you consider how damaging the worrying can be.  Both my wife and I experience PVCs (hers occur more often and for longer periods), so we knew there had to be a diet/acid relationship--it was too wierd that both of us would suffer the same thing.

We too have tried for a couple of years to determine the link between our stomachs and the PVCs.  We have been keeping track of the relationship to gassy and acidy foods. We found, but have not perfected the use of, items such as Maalox/Malanta etc.  

The biggest problem was always that acid blockers block the making of acid by the stomach, and Tums/Malanta etc soaked up acid, but not all of it.

Now, we are using an additive that absorbs FOOD acids before they can cause too much problem.  Prelief (tm) by the same people who make Beano (don't laugh!!) works well, if taken in time.  We are documenting the foods we eat, and the use of antiacids, and will post more results here.  Please don't laugh at our use of the Prelief: but it has definitely helped me (I am not as bad off as my wife). She has now started it too.  I also have found that falling asleep a little upright helps.

Anyone else tried Prelief yet?
Paul

[anon]

Hi everyone,

I want to thank everyone for the info being shared here.  
I am a 21 yr old female, have suffered on and off from acid reflux, and recently started having problems with heart palpitations.  Although my palpitations have almost stopped for now, other syptoms (symptoms) such as headaches, nausea, an asthmatic feeling in the lungs, muscles aches in the left arm and leg, have continued.  I am wondering if acid reflux can be contributing to these symptoms.  
Has anyone else experienced symptoms other than palpitations that they think are due to the acid reflux?

Thanks

[Jackie Sevier]

Hi

I am only 21 and don't understand why I have to put up with these PVCs.  It just started on me about 5 days ago and really freaked me out.  I failed to mention to one of the 5 doctors here in this small town that I now live in that I also suffer from what you all have been calling indigestion and that I call heart burn.  I have had awful heart burn since I was around 14 years old.  Along with these PVCs I get breathless and I have received a small amount of chest pain in my upper chest which I suppose could also be gas.  When a PVC hits me it feels kind of like my heart is going to pop out of my chest, I then feel sort of faint.  I am just a lost 21 year old that is so very tired of this now going on 5 days PVCs.  I have also been putting up with a bunch of stress that I shouldn't be.  If stress really even causes these.  IF I WERE TO CHANGE MY DIET AND GET RID OF SPICY/ACIDY FOODS WILL THESE PVCs STOP?  

If anyone hs any extra information on this or would like to just help me out a little on this PLEASE e-mail me at ***@****


Thank You,
Jackie Sevier

[Roxy]

I just spent another sleepless night dealing with palpitations and that awful, panicky sense of "fight or flight." I started searching the web for information and found this site -- what a relief to know that I'm not alone (or crazy)! I'm 47 and was diagnosed with GERD about 18 months ago; a 2-month regimen of Prilosec took care of the inflammation and pain, and diet and lifestyle have kept symptoms pretty much under control. But I've had these intermittent symptoms of palpitations/flutters at night when I'm trying to go to sleep; it's like being on the verge of a panic attack. My life is pretty stress-free, so I was convinced that there had to be a physiological cause for these episodes. But until I found this website, I hadn't been able to find anything that linked the GERD and heart palpitations (and my internist dismissed my complaint as stress-related). Thanks to you all for sharing your information. I'm going out to buy some Mylanta and see if that helps me get to sleep tonight, and will check back to keep up-to-date on new information. Again, my thanks to everyone.