Bizarre PVC holter results

[mls417]

I started having palpitations a few months ago and my cardiologist diagnosed them as PVCs. He eventually put a 24-hour holter monitor on me after I complained that I was still feeling them on and off every day (and I still am).  A nurse from the doctor's office called to give me the results today. It turns out that when I was pushing the button, the report shows no activity.  And the report is showing PVCs when I wasn't pushing the button. Completely backwards. They told me not to worry about it, again.

What in THE WORLD is going on? What am I feeling if it isn't PVCs? Anxiety? Gas???

I started out by feeling that extra "thud" that seems to be typical of PVCs, but now I am also feeling occasional fluttering in addition to the PVCs. It happens a few times an hour, but I can go a few hours throughout the day with no symptoms.  

[mls417]

Interesting... I'll look into that device.  

I've been researching cardiologists for a while now and made an appointment today with a new one (appointment is in 3 weeks).  

To be fair, I saw the original cardio in December. On Thanksgiving day, of all times, I had multiple EKGs and an echocardiogram in the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack. I now think that was a panic attack. But ever since then (and even for a few weeks before my ER episode) I've been having PVCs daily.

But anyway, he was basing his "diagnosis" on the fact the the echo was fine and from the description of the feelings I was having. He never ran any tests himself until the holter monitor about 3 weeks ago. But since the holter monitor, I've been getting more flutters. *sigh*

I am about to turn 37, also in otherwise good health except for anxiety, which I am going to address with a psychiatrist next week (that will be a new adventure for me). I'm kind of hoping that once the anxiety gets sorted out, that the PVCs will calm down a little.

[dedgod]

- i've had PVCs and PACs for years. Then in the last 6 months 5 instances of ( what i felt) were atrial fibrillation.
3 visits to the ER. They never caught it on an EKG. The first 2 times they said panic attack. Cardio put me on a 3 week even monitor that caught PVCs and PACs (benign) but no A-Fib.

So i finaly bought a device called AliveCor that connects to your phone.$80 bucks or so. And 3 days later i caught my Afib on my phone!!   Best investment i've ever made. You should consider it.

Showed the graphs to my cardio who diagnozed it as lone A-Fib, and will see a cardiac electrophysiologist next week,

Oh, and i'm 42. In good health. Except the tremendous anxiety. Insane anxiety (sigh)

[itdood]

The couplets were NOT dangerous for me.  That was 6 years ago for me, still fine,  heart is fine.  Back to running.  

[mls417]

Thanks so much for the info.

I was actually thinking of getting a second opinion because when I first started seeing this cardiologist, I felt like he was dismissive, especially since he didn't start off doing any tests--I had to complain multiple times to get the holter monitor.

Are couplets dangerous? I've been doing so much research on PVCs that I'm in info overload and I don't know what to believe!

[itdood]

Nah it's PVCs.  This happens once in a while.  It happened to me on a cardionet monitor.

I'm pretty sure their equipment is screwed up.  The reason is because I've gotten plenty of PVCs on live EKGs.  A bunch during a stress test, a few  during a visit to my cardiologist, and a bunch in the ER while on EKG.  I saw it with my own eyes and the doctors and nurses acknowledged it.  Thud, pause, PVC, it was on the monitor in real time and there was no denying it.

They are the ones making the mistake, but I love how they like to hit people over the head with that result.

I get the flutters too.  I have it caught on a cardionet holter once.  It was couplets.  two PVCs right in a row.