I ran accross this forum while search via Google on some palpitation related keywords. I'm too tired and palpy right now to compose a long message so I thought I would just introduce myself. I'm a 44 yr old male who has had bouts of palpitations on and off most of my life, probably first noticed around age 12. Been reading messages here, and I feel fellowship with you all as a fellow sufferer or should I say tolerator of PVC's, which is the classification mine were determined to be by a cardio workup which all stemmed from having a bad episode back in May of 1994 and going to the ER with it. ECG recorded it all. My med record from that incident reads "Sinus tachycardia with frequent ventricular premature complexes in a pattern of bigeminy. Abnorman rhythm ECG." Had a regular echo in follow-up with cardiologist to that incident (cardiologist said it checked out okay) and a stress echo last year due to flare-up. Cardiologist present at the stress echo said I have no underlying heart problems, and as we all have heard many times, that if the PVC's get intolerable we can look at Beta Blockers, otherwise try to ignore it.
I have a high stress job, I'm a police officer, been working investigations as detective since 1994, small to medium size department of 285 sworn personnel (metro area population around 170,000). Okay not as high stress as big city policework but enough to keep one busy. I absolutely do not like taking meds, I don't want anything to dull or reduce my level of alertness. I did cave and go on Atenolol (Tenormin?) 50mg for a while years ago but it didn't help the palps so much and seemed to take the edge off my level of alertness so I discontinued. Herbal supplement Hawethorne (flowers leaves, berries capsules) seemed to really help for awhile but might have been placebo effect.
Like what I have read in many of you all's messages, I can also go for months and months with no PVC's then BAM they flare up seemingly out of nowhere. Although I do know that if my immune system is kicking in for any reason like if I'm coming down with the flu or a cold or whatever, I'll start throwing PVC's in the days leading up to actually having the flu symptoms, etc. I joke with my wife that the PVC's are like my body's health barometer in that I seem to start throwing PVC's when my immune system begins working in response to a flu virus, etc. I have moderate autumn hay fever and can count on PVC's aggravating me during the hay fever season until a couple weeks after the first frost.
I stay in shape and will say that running helps. If I run a few miles I do get some PVC's the rest of the day that day but the next day is usually not bad most of the time. I don't seem to throw them as much during actual exercise, usually only when body is at rest.
Well, I'm writing a book here and didn't intend to. I do want to mention that mine also seem tied to my digestive system, mainly my stomach, but also intestines because if I get bloated and gassy I start throwing PVC's more often than not. But its more than that, because sometimes if I'm hungry I might throw PVC's but eating something can almost immediately quell them, peanut butter on crackers with skim (fat free) milk to drink seems to quell them the fastest when they are hunger related (I know pb is loaded w/ fat which negates the fat freeness of skim but I like cold skim milk...yum).
One last thing, in light of the digestive link that I seem to percieve at least with myself, I've recently been having digestive issues mainly acid and bloating, long story short an abdominal echo found some small non-shadowed gallstones in my gallbladder. That had me researching gallbladder problems, and since its been causing me to throw PVC's a lot I Googled arrhythmia and gallbladder gallstones and found some forums (maybe even this one, can't remember) where people were reporting palps with their gallbladder problems and the possibility of the Vagus Nerve being the link between digestive problems and palps was raised. I think there's something to it, even though the surgeon I talked to about gallbladder removal blamed any increase in PVC's I experience as being tied to increased anxiety about being diagnosed with gallstones and he dismissed any link between stomach/digestion and PVC's.
Thanks for listening.