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Are these PVC's?
I am hoping someone here can help settle my nerves a bit. I have noticed a huge increase in strange beats that I've been having the past 6 weeks or so. I have had PVC's for several years now since having 2 ablations for IST in 2003. The PVC's have always felt like a quick, electrical "jump" that I can feel in my chest and sometimes running down my arms. I also get bigeminy whenever I am nervous or scared. However, the past several weeks, I have been feeling more palps that feel like a rumbling sensation in my chest. I notice a lot more occurance when bending or squatting down, and it seems like it takes very little movement to have a palp occur. A couple of weeks ago I would get a skipped beat or two everytime I stood up and took a few steps. I have also noticed that these skipped beats happen with much more frequency right after I eat. I have a lot of stomach problems including GERD and am on Prilosec now. Two days ago I had just finished eating breakfast and was sitting down when I felt strange, so I took my pulse and it was going really fast for about 10 beats and then it slowed back down again (my normal resting heart rate after the 2 ablations is about 50). I just feel like my heart is really agitated--it seems constantly on the verge of arrythmia. I am scared to exercise or do much at all. Can the way a PVC feels change over time? I was so used to how they always felt, and this rumbling, sometimes fluttery feeling is new to me. I thinkit is still PVC's, but I'm not sure. I am supposed to go in for a Holter monitor on Tuesday, so I'll know more after that, but for now I could use some reassurance, suggestions, whatever! These heart things really get me down. I am a 37 year old woman, and sometimes I feel about 90. They really affect the quality of my life since they scare me so badly. Thanks for listening.
thank you so much you just described what i feel when i have one like im scared or the flight fright thing i get a burst of adrenaline and it makes it worse..i must tell you that i was speaking to someone on here and told them that i just found out my cholestrol got worse so i doubled up on my fish oil and omegas since then the pvc's got soooooo bad so he sudgested i stop i never put the two and two together but let me tell you its been 2 days since i cut back on my fish oil and no pvc's at all its back to the way it was just speratic sorry i cant spell....lol..im glad to here after all this time your ok...i hate that we have to go through it but at least we have had all the test done and we have healthy hearts...they just act up on us once in a while..lol..i look forward to a long life ahead of me im not letting these things take over my life they altmost did but im taking it back thanks again for your words they ment alot...Gina
Hi Gina - I've had PVCs since I was 21, and now I'm 43 - so I've lived with them for over 20 years! They're much worse the week or so before my period, either due to an increase in fluid/blood volume or in response to hormonal changes. I've had all the tests you mentioned and told everything looks "normal", but I have PVCs, PACs, SVT, and an occasional run of non-sustained VT - so I guess that's "normal" for me & lots of other folks ;) Even tho multiple docs have told me it's nothing to worry about, I worry about it, even after 22 years! Part of the problem with PVCs in particular is that the sensation they produce is similar to the feeling of being startled or scared - then you realize you're having them and THAT scares you even more and then the adrenaline starts flowing and it gets worse . . . . I've found that sometimes a few forceful coughs can stop PVCs and SVT - but sometimes, nothing works and you just have to take some deep breaths and MAKE yourself stay calm. PVCs just feel scary - they make you feel scared whether you really are or not!! But in the 22 years I've been having them, I've never lost consciousness or had any truly life-threatening episode - and that gives me encouragement! My doctor pointed this out to me at a recent visit and it was like an epiphany for me - I'd never really thought of it like that. Sometimes just getting someone else's perspective can help SO MUCH!!!!!!! You're not alone in feeling scared - lots and lots of people in your same boat, as you can see from the posts in this forum. I hope it encourages you as it has me!! God bless :~)))
hahaha that is funny...ive had such a bad day the pvc's or whatever i have are so bad today ive had about 3 episodes and im sooooo scared im gonna drop dead i dont know why this has happened to me ive been crying all day im on a buisness trip in new york right now and im all alone and scared..the worst way to be.
I don't really know the names, but I had one I think called thallium. I thought the dye test was only used to check for clogged arteries. sorry I am not much help here. I do know that our minds are our worst enemies. Funny story my shrink told me once. (A man walked the same way to work every day and always thought someone was following him. However, every time he turned to look, noone was there. Each day he got more and more frightened. One day her could even hear the persons steps behind him, but again, he saw noone. Finally he went to the psyciatrist and that doctor did not believe him. He finally convinced the dr. to hide in the bushes on the side and spy on him to catch the person. As the man was walking, again he heard the steps behind him, he ran faster and the steps went faster. The man was so scared he ran to the psychiatrist and found the man laughing. He asked him why he was laughing. The psychiatrist said "You had yourself convinced someone was following you. Noone was there. As you were walking you were kicking up the rocks behind you and the faster you ran the more rocks were being thrown." Moral of the story----DO NOT WORRY!
Hope this helps! :)
Hope this helps! :)
THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING ME IM SURE YOUR RIGHT IM PROBLY MY WORST ENEMY...HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THAT TEST I GOT ...THE CT SCAN WITH DYE IF SO IS IT A GOOD ONE? THANKS AGAIN..GINA
Hi Ginasouthcarolina. I had very rare pvcs for my whole life. Then one day boom-I got tachycardia out of the blue.Scared me so bad that I was daily in fear and stress-I had a test (ekg) and it said now I have frequent pvcs and bigenemy. Of course I read all the scary stuff on it and was freaked out. Then the dr. office calls and says I need to have a consult w/ the cardiologist. Well it has been 1 1/2 weeks and still no word from either the cardiologist. So yeah, scared scared scared. Finally I could not deal with the fear any more as the pvcs are terrible and so I begged God for some encouragement. Thankfully that night the forum doc. answered and said --no big deal. Pvcs-normal heart-youre fine. Funny thing is, I told him my old tests said trivial tricuspid regurgitation, mild pulmonary insufficiency and tachcardia, bradycardia, first degree heart block, and some other thing. Docs in the past say those are all very common things and I prayed for some reassurance, so I am going with the good report! I found that fear is worse than anything in the world. I read on one site that more people without pvcs die of sudden death than those with it. So in that respect- we are fortunate if our hearts are healthy structurally and your tests all say yours is. Besides most people never check their hearts. We all do! Try to cheer up and not worry about the what ifs. Easier said than done I know, but you are more likely to die in a car accident. As far as worse before periods, I haven't noticed, only that its been constant for me for about 1 month and I am tired of it. I found singing helps not feel them. Someone on one of these forums said it worked for them and it does. Hang in there, cheer up---you have had a billion tests--- :)
any women get more pvc's before and during your period? i had a couple short butst of nsvt...and since then the pvc's started out once a month or so no there once a day should i be concernd test ive had are nucleur stress test, echo, ct scan oh heart with dye...for blockage, ekg's, all were normal i do have some trace regurgatation in my 3 valves but they said very normal and my ct scan showed no blockage at all 0-5 % range so my heart is acually really healthy but why do i feel this way i am so scared that even though my heart is so healthy can i dye from a long run of v-tach? i live in fear every day and does anyone know how accurite the ct scans are i was told they are very good at detecting CAD..thanks for reading...Gina
Thanks to you both for replying. It helps to know that others understand and know what I am going through. I do appreciate it!
I am a 38 year old woman and I can sooooo relate! My pvcs use to be rare and isolated. I have nver been active, always felt faint or something (panic disorder, and panic attacks, so I said, hey, enough is enough-I started walking. Worked up to 4 miles a day, Then one day after beding over to pick up a piece of paper, I got tachycardia. Never had that before. Scared me so bad, that I haven't walked since, and that was in Feb. After that tachy experience I got pvcs all the time. So dr. did a holter for 24 hours and tell me I now have frequent pvcs and bigenimy. Yep-that sent me researching all over the place on the net for all the things listed on my holter (I got a copy sent to me). Well man oh man, the nerves make it so much worse! On another forum a cardiologist said my ekg is fine. Talk about an AAAAH moment! He said the sensations (which feel like you described) are harmless since my heart is structurely fine. OF course I did not know trivial tricuspid regurtation, mild pulmonary insufficiency, and bradycardia and tachycardia and T wave something or other were all ok I guess. Anyway, most likely you too are OK!
You are on the right track if you have consulted with your Doctor.
I have spent years looking for a specific trigger, but I never can seem to find one that is absolutely perfect in preventing the PVCs. When I get nervous, I go into Trigeminy, it can last quite some time, and the more I fear it, usually the worse it gets. (adrenaline). It's interesting that you mention GERD as well, another problem that I have. I have developed a swallowing induced arrhythmia, occurring especially by early evening. What an absolute drudge. It takes all the fun out of eating.
My cardiologist thinks it's from Vagal Nerve stimulation (look-up the Vagus Nerve on the internet on Wikipedia, some very interesting pictures of the extent and routing of the nerve). So I go to a Gastroenterologist, explain that I have a swallowing induced arrhythmia, and tell him that my Cardiologist thinks it's from the Vagal Nerve. The Gastro Doctor tells me that the Vagal Nerve has nothing to do with the heart rate. But he's WRONG! Now I am really at a loss, do I get another Gastro Doctor, or just try to tolerate the swallowing part of the arrhythmia.
Also, concerning GI Symptoms, I have been wearing Holter Monitors at various times over the years. They always say to record any sensation, so I dutifully record everything in the log book. Invariably, some of the items I recorded were probably due to GI Tract Motility, yet they always make such a big deal about me listing these items, as they have, in the past, been less than willing to accept the truth of my arrhythmia complaints and wanted to attribute many of my symptoms to the GI Tract. Unfortunately my arrhythmia has progressed to the point that they have plenty of true episodes to examine and are less focused on believing that I made them up.
I remember taking a stress test once, trudging along, trying to breath and keep up to the tread, my Cardiologist (another one in the past) starts to converse with me. He never converses, I guess he was trying to see if my breathing was ok. Anyway, he turns to speak with someone else in the room, I feel my heart go "bang", see the disturbance on the EKG, tell him about it, he turns just in time for the trace to have disappeared off of the right side of the screen, and he tells me that nothing happened. Right! Nothing serious happened I admit, but it was a bit insulting to have him tell me that nothing happened. Of course, I would start to get many PVCs as I wound down from the test, but they were unconcerned.
Your description of being 37 but feeling like your 90 years old fits me to a tee. (Except that I am 50). Funny thing is that, so far, when I've been really angry or in a confrontational situation, my heart does fine. But I pay for it shortly after, PVCs galore, and they last for hours. Not conducive to feeling your true age.
Wishes for a steady heart beat and a happy life.
I have spent years looking for a specific trigger, but I never can seem to find one that is absolutely perfect in preventing the PVCs. When I get nervous, I go into Trigeminy, it can last quite some time, and the more I fear it, usually the worse it gets. (adrenaline). It's interesting that you mention GERD as well, another problem that I have. I have developed a swallowing induced arrhythmia, occurring especially by early evening. What an absolute drudge. It takes all the fun out of eating.
My cardiologist thinks it's from Vagal Nerve stimulation (look-up the Vagus Nerve on the internet on Wikipedia, some very interesting pictures of the extent and routing of the nerve). So I go to a Gastroenterologist, explain that I have a swallowing induced arrhythmia, and tell him that my Cardiologist thinks it's from the Vagal Nerve. The Gastro Doctor tells me that the Vagal Nerve has nothing to do with the heart rate. But he's WRONG! Now I am really at a loss, do I get another Gastro Doctor, or just try to tolerate the swallowing part of the arrhythmia.
Also, concerning GI Symptoms, I have been wearing Holter Monitors at various times over the years. They always say to record any sensation, so I dutifully record everything in the log book. Invariably, some of the items I recorded were probably due to GI Tract Motility, yet they always make such a big deal about me listing these items, as they have, in the past, been less than willing to accept the truth of my arrhythmia complaints and wanted to attribute many of my symptoms to the GI Tract. Unfortunately my arrhythmia has progressed to the point that they have plenty of true episodes to examine and are less focused on believing that I made them up.
I remember taking a stress test once, trudging along, trying to breath and keep up to the tread, my Cardiologist (another one in the past) starts to converse with me. He never converses, I guess he was trying to see if my breathing was ok. Anyway, he turns to speak with someone else in the room, I feel my heart go "bang", see the disturbance on the EKG, tell him about it, he turns just in time for the trace to have disappeared off of the right side of the screen, and he tells me that nothing happened. Right! Nothing serious happened I admit, but it was a bit insulting to have him tell me that nothing happened. Of course, I would start to get many PVCs as I wound down from the test, but they were unconcerned.
Your description of being 37 but feeling like your 90 years old fits me to a tee. (Except that I am 50). Funny thing is that, so far, when I've been really angry or in a confrontational situation, my heart does fine. But I pay for it shortly after, PVCs galore, and they last for hours. Not conducive to feeling your true age.
Wishes for a steady heart beat and a happy life.
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