Dealing with Palpitations and PVC...

Seven days ago I went to the E.R. because my body felt tingly, I felt a little dizzy, and I felt like my heart was skipping beats.  I had a panic attack on the way to the hospital and it made everything I was experiencing much worse.  I was sure I was dying right then.  
I had felt like it was possible that my heart was skipping beats about a week prior to this, but I felt odd enough to act on it this day.

After an EKG and a chest X-Ray at the hospital, I was told I have heart palpitations and PVC - Premature Ventricular Contractions.
I was told that this could be something that arose naturally, although I have no family history of it.... or that it could be from working hard, partying hard, stress, lack of sleep, etc.  Due to my line of work, I commonly experience all of these things.
I was told it was likely that it would go away by itself or it may be lifelong.  I'm 24 years old and have never had heart problems before.

It is now seven days later and I am still feeling my heart skip beats often, and it makes my whole body jump.  I sometimes feel as if it has stopped for a long moment, and I start to get dizzy, before it kicks back in and I jolt hard.  The stress and anxiety it causes definitely make the problem worse, and I am battling them constantly in my head.

When I went to the E.R. I had no health insurance, and paid out of pocket.  Since then I enrolled with a health insurance provider, and even though my insurance is active at the moment, I'm still in the enrollment process and am waiting to find out if I got accepted.

My question is on how soon I need to get in and see a specialist.  I made an appointment to see a cardiologist but the soonest they can see me is in eleven days.  I am going to have a very hard time leading any semblance of a normal life with my heart constantly acting like this.

Also I'm nervous that if I'm not accepted by the insurance company, I'm in for some very large medical bills if this turns out to be something more serious, or something that needs to be treated regularly.  

Thanks.

[Tjalsma]

I understand exactly where you are coming from.

Keep in mind that almost all heart palpitations are benign and cause no harm to you or your heart at all (except for making you anxious).  Even if the palpitations were due to some underlying issue with your heart, I would be willing to be that you will be fine until your appointment.

I have had such severe heart symptoms from stress and anxiety in my life that it took months to recover.  

In the mean time, drink absolutely no caffeine, try not to smoke if you do, don't drink, etc.  Make sure you try to get as much sleep as possible but keep active.

[Ken_W]

I have had palpitations for around 2 years now and have had all the test available ran, and everything came back ok.

I do notice that if I do not get enough sleep, that it seems to bring them on more often....my Dr. put me on Toprol-XL and it has pretty much stopped them.....but as posted above...I do not drink any caffeine and try to watch what I eat.

My question is:  Does fattie foods make it worse ??

I have notice if I do eat foods that have more fat than normal....the palps seem to come on right after I have eaten....would this help bring them on ??

Thanks for your input !!

[teedleye]

Yeah, PVC's can be frightening.  I used to jump when I felt one too, and occasionally I'd panic.  Here's the deal - and I'm sure your cardiologist will tell you this too - PVC's, even multiply times a minute, are considered benign in the absence of heart disease.  Given your age and history, sounds like you're otherwise healthy.  So who knows what is causing them?  All the things you listed can be causes, especially caffeine, lack of sleep, excessive alcohol, certain foods and additives.  But even well rested, unstressed, with no caffeine or alcohol recently, you can still throw PVC's.  And they can really mess with your head as evidenced by your panic attack while having them.  The irony is that the anxiety from them only makes them worse.  I've had them since I was 18, usually just an occasional one or maybe several a day.  But about a month ago I started having them all day long, about 8 a minute.  Any anxiety I used to feel about them is now gone since I've had to live with them so frequently.  I figured out that even at this rate, they're not harming me.  That way at least I don't make them worse with my worrying.  I suggest you cultivate the attitude of "Oh hey, there goes another one - how about that," instead of "Oh my god, I must be having a heart attack."  Don' t get me wrong, they're still annoying, and my doctor is messing around with my meds trying to get this episode stopped, but the mortality rates for people with and without PVC's (as long as there's no underlying heart disease) are the same.  I know it's easy to say but much harder to do, but you've got to relax, see your doctor, and take common sense precautions.  Good luck, dude.      

[ChicagoJohn]

Thanks for the strong advice.  Dealing with these really is a struggle!  After prodding around this forum a little deeper though I've found comfort in knowing that there are lots of others that seem to handle this pretty well.  It has definitely helped me keep my anxiety about what is happening under control.

One more question while I'm here.... am I destined to never have a drink again?  Or is moderate alcohol going to be acceptable for me?  My days of partying hard are behind me for sure, but it would be nice to know that I can be social with a drink or two without worrying about my palps acting up and my anxiety coming up with it.

[Uboat]

Welcome to our world, one that none of us wants to be in, but we press ahead and deal with the sensations that you're experiencing. Six years in my case, many of us decades. That should give you some comfort knowing that the roller coaster ride in your chest will not kill you.

Regarding drinking. There are different triggers of palpitations that you can avoid. If you read through the archives you will find recurring themes, the most common being caffeine consumption, sleep quality, certain foods and beverages including alcohol. In my case, alcohol in itself isn't a trigger, but if I drink enough that it disrupts my sleep, then the combination of the two will lead to a bad day of palpitations. Experiment and tailor your drinking style so that it doesn't become part of the equation. Partying hard isn't good in general, we all know that, but a drink or two, if you can limit yourself to that, can be good for you. For some alcohol can be a major trigger, so maybe try eliminating it for several days and slowly re-introduce it and see what happens. Good luck, and keep reading and posting on this forum. You'll draw a lot of strength from it.