Ectopic beats

[donna1208]

Hello there i am a 43 year old woman who carries a bit of excess weight and has up till the past few weeks walked approx 2-6 miles on a daily basis, l have been having strange sensations in my chest which feel like missed beats, i am terrified as they are there every minute, can anyone help please.  My Doctor has informed me that i have isolated SVC and also some PAC and PVC i think they seem to be coming from the pathway between if this makes any sense, she has also informed me they are very common and as far as she can tell are benign and can be brought on by anxiety.  I however seem to be very anxious at the moment and listen intently to every  missed beat believing l will drop dead at any minute from heart failure as these beats seem to be coming more frequently.  My Doctor is very supportive and understanding but seems unconcerned by this as she still maintains they are anxiety related.  In the beginning i thought they were PAC, but from what i understand now i seem to be having PVC OR SVC and i have read that the PVC are more dangerous than the PAC can you help me as my mind is running riot reassurance please.
Donna xx  

[Momto3]

Try not to worry; I'm still here and I used to have at least 20,000 PVCs every day. I've had PVCs for around 30 years and for many, many years they were of no consequence.  I'm not sure what "SVC" refers to, but the PVCs and PACs in the setting of a structurally normal heart are considered benign.

There are people on the forum who have 30,000 PVCs daily and they're doing fine also.  Try not to worry.

[andie3330]

Are you sure your doctor didn't say you have isolated "SVT" instead of "SVC" -  I 'm not a doctor, but I haven't heard of SVC. SVT is supraventricular tachycardia and it is often triggered by a PAC (premature atrial contraction) so that is how they are related. Also SVT is really like a bunch of PACs strung together.  If your heart is otherwise healthy, isolated PVCs and PACs are benign - and almost everyone in the general population has them - although some people notice them when they happen and some people have them more frequently than others.

By the way, SVT is also generally benign, but it can cause symptoms (lightheadedness, fatigue) if an episode goes on for a long time ex. for longer than a few minutes. Most people who have longer episodes of SVT recognize it when it happens and are often able to do "vagal manuvers" to reset their heart rhythm back to normal. I have a family member who does this, and she's perfectly healthy!  

I've personally had PACs and PVCs for years - trust your doctor when you are told they are benign.  PVCs terrified me at first, but once I learned more and accepted that they wouldn't hurt me, I became less and less bothered by them and now I hardly even notice them.  Take care, you'll be just fine!

[jsuter69]

What exactly is a "vagal maneuver?"....

[andie3330]

A vagal maneuver is a physical action you can do that influences the vagal nerve - which can slow your heart rate, ie bearing down (as if having a bowel movement) while you hold your breath.  Other things that can work include doing a handstand or anything that inverts your body - you can hold a child upside down.  Putting very cold water on your face is another option. When these manuevers work, it is quite remarkable. Your heart rate goes from SVT (ex 230 BPM) to normal (ex 80 BPM) at the moment you convert.  

[Angel138]

this want cure the palpatations just slow them down?  Is this true?

[andie3330]

Vagal manuvers can convert an episode SVT back to normal sinus rhythm and thus end that particular episode of SVT. But that doesn't mean that you would never have another episode of SVT. Generally, at any given time, a person is in an episode of SVT or not -its like a light switch - your rate might go from say 220(SVT) to 80(normal sinus rhythm) in just two heartbeats as you convert from one rhythm to the other.

[mabebesc]

Having had SVT for 36 years before my ablation, I know exactly what it's like to stop an episode by holding my breath. That's how I dealt with it all these years.  I would go into SVT and my heart would be racing @180 ( the Nadolol kept it from going up to 220 or so). I would keep holding my breath for as long as I could and eventually it would stop suddenly just  as if I turned the switch off.  My rate would go from 180 to 80  just like that.  SVT is such a crazy thing!  I was perfectly fine and no one would have ever known there was anything going on with my heart.