My PVCS have disappeared after 35 years

[AlwynB]

Not a question, just sharing my experiences.
I've experienced ectopics , pvcs, flip-flops or whatever you prefer to call them all my adult life, particularly over the last two years. They have now totally gone. I thought I would share my experience with you to offer some reassurance and possibly some benefit to other sufferers.
I am 51 and first noticed a fluttering feeling in my chest when I was 17. I took little notice but came to realise over a few years that my heart was "missing" a beat. I noticed that I got more of them the day after drinking alcohol, and that was quite often. I spoke to people about it and found that others  were experiencing the same thing. I never worried or panicked when they occurred and for the most part ignored them.
20 years or more passed until one day my daughter who was also experiencing them, informed me that hers had gone since she gave up drinking caffeine. I did the same and lo and behold mine disappeared too. Not completely but almost. For the next 6 years I barely had a PVC, even alcohol  failed to bring them on.
In April of 2008 things changed. They were back. With a vengeance. And they didn't come alone. Not only did I get the thump thump pause big thump, I was getting continuous weird beats every beat. These I called flip-flops. When I would lie down after drinking alcohol they would start. If I rolled over they would stop for a while then start again. It would wake me up. Sometimes it would start while I was dreaming and I wouldn't wake up so it would continue in my dream. For the first time I began to worry and for the first time I consulted my doctor about it. A quick ecg showed nothing wrong so I was sent to a consultant for tests. A 48 hour monitor showed short bursts of ectopics and short bursts of sinus tachycardia. No treatment was necessary but if it got really troublesome they would try betablockers. This was a road I didn't want to go down.
The bouts continued, I stopped drinking, it helped a lot. I tried everything, antacids, various supplements, q10, herbals, magnesium, potassium, every suggestion on the forums and internet I could find I tried, but still the flip flops persisted.
Then mysteriously around 4 weeks ago they stopped. Pvcs and flipflops completely gone. I drank alcohol, nothing. I drank caffeine, nothing. I didn't know why.
I started to look at what was different over that period of time.
The only difference I can put it down to is this. My partner, although not overweight, decided she wanted to lose a stone. I, also not overweight, decided I would also lose a stone. My partner joined slimming world and I joined in. We changed our eating habits. Basically we started eating healthier as advised by governments and doctors. More fruit, less fat and more exercise. It was about a week after the diet started that I noticed my heart rhythm was improving. Then it improved completely. Fantastically.
So what was so different that after 35 years my arrhythmia had suddenly stopped?
I'm eating very little fat, only lean meat completely trimmed. When we fry we use the spray stuff. Could that be it? Maybe.
I'm only eating 2 slices of wholemeal bread a day. Is over processed wheat contributing to the problem?
I'm eating plenty of eggs.
I drink 2 cups of normal tea a day.
I drink some alcohol most days.
No chocolate or biscuits, never had a sweet tooth anyway.
No crisps or fatty snacks.
Not much dairy, just skimmed milk and low fat cheese.
Potatos, fresh veg, fruit.
Why had the flipflops stopped?
I wondered about it and then spotted a possibility. Here was something very different. I'm eating at least 2 bananas a day. Didn't I read somewhere that bananas are high in potassium and other minerals. I had tried potassium supplements without any success, why should the bananas be any different? I googled banana and there it was, all the health benefits you can shake a stick at. Especially for the heart.
Is that the answer? Bananas? The truth is I don't know. Perhaps it's a coincidence my problems cleared up at the same time my diet changed. One thing I do know is that I'm staying on this diet and will continue to eat bananas every day. If your symptoms are the same as mine give it a go. It might work, it might not, what have you got to lose? Good luck.

ABB Nov 2009

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks for the story and list of facts, I think I'll start eating bananas, even though I don't like the consistency of them, e.g., slices on cereal.  I can always liquefy and drink with milk or some other fruit.

Sorry, I start to ramble.  

I think you have given us all a "existence proof" that a healthy life style does have health benefits.  We sort of all know that must be true, but your results puts extra emphasis on us suffers of heart rhythm anomalies to give it a good try.  In fact, it seems you didn't give up much, still drink tea (coffee?) and alcohol - wow!  

Thanks,  

[AlwynB]

Hi Jerry, thanks for your comments. You're right I haven't given up much which leads me to think. Is my improvement down to something I've given up or something I've added? I could test out my theory by stopping the banana intake, but do you know what? I'm not gonna... lol
I haven't drunk coffee for years, perhaps I'll try it. If you try what I'm doing please let me know how you get on.
Regards
Alwyn

[itdood]

Thanks for posting and sharing!

I think for sure that diet plays a role.  Myself and a good friend I grew up with both have PVCs.  I tried magnesium, calcium, potassium, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, benzos, exercise, vitamins.....

My friend convinced me he had the most luck with going to a low processed food diet.  I did this and lost about 15 pounds.  My PVCs also dropped dramatically.  I can go weeks without them though once in a while i still get flareups.

I've also read, anecdotally, that males tend to have PVCs more and they generally start in late teens early 20s.  They worsen up to 40s, and some folks have reported they completely go away sometime in their 50s.  So i suspect hormonal issues or ventricular pacers calm down a bunch as the heart ages.

My philosophy on PVCs is that folks that get them (in a benign way) have great hearts.  nature put those ventricular pacer cells (which cause PVCs) there for a good reason, they backup the SA node in case the signal gets blocked or doesn't occur.  The ventricles can then take over beating for the heart, as is quite apparent in people with a-fib, the ventricles alone can get the job done though less efficiently.  When the ventricular pacers do their job under the right circumstances (meaning nor NSR), it's call an "escape beat".  Google "escape beat", it's very interesting.

When they fire when not needed, in the presence of NSR, it's called a PVC.

What I've found from folks that work in health care is that most people that drop over from sudden cardiac death (SCD) have never reported any arrhythmia issues.  So their ventricular pacers didn't kick in when needed. My feeling is that folks that never feel a single PVC might not be healthier, to the contrary, their ventricular pacers may not be effective when needed.

People with many PVCs (the benign variety), have the same risk of dropping from SCD than the general population.  However, they still bug the living daylights out of me.

[chuparosa]

I wish it was that easy.... I am nearly a lifelong vegetarian, have always been thin, eaten as healthy as I could etc. My mom is a real heath nut so I picked up a lot of good habits. When I started having pvcs I stopped drinking coffee and eating chocolate and it made no difference. However, I am really happy for you. Whatever one can do to feel better...go for it! It's certainly worth a shot to mod your diet if it might make you feel better.

[AlwynB]

Hi Chuporasa, the purpose of my post was to pass on my experience and I thank you for your comments. Perhaps the problems I have experienced were due to potassium deficiency and bananas provided me me with potassium whereas supplements could not. Obviously bananas aren't going to provide everyone with the relief I have discovered. Saying that I still don't know what has provided me with this relief but persons with my symptoms could do well to explore this avenue.  I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Good luck to you and everyone visiting this forum, I wish you the good fortune I have experienced.

Alwyn

[AlwynB]

Thanks for your comments, very interesting. I'm about to look up "escape beats".
I shall come back to you.
Alwyn

[AlwynB]

Still nothing. No pvcs or the wierd rhythm I was getting. Will keep you posted.
Back to an almost normal diet, keeping it healthyish, eating 2 bananas a day.
Fingers crossed.

[LindaTX]

I love it!  I am soooo impressed!  My a-fib started about the time I hit middle age and started gaining wt around my "middle"  My waist probably increased about 6 inches!  Have you ever done any research on the vagus nerve? I think sometimes it can get constricted and sends signals to your brain and it can change the rate and rhythm of your heart. Looks like we solved that little problem, lol Seriously I know these arrythmias have lots of components to them and there is no one answer but if we all work at trying to put this puzzle together, maybe, just maybe we'll find the answer.     PS. I just started taking a 300mg dose of EPA-DHA omega 3 fish oil capsule daily and what few pvc's or pac's I had are pretty much all gone.

[NTB]

interesting story, Alwyn. Good of you to post it.

Besides having potassium, bananas have magnesium, too. And potatoes have more potassium than bananas do.

Were you saying that you'd tried potassium supplements and they didn't work? That'd be an interesting angle, too - on absorption.

[Skippi]

Hello all, just dropping in (as I occasionally do :). I am a banana-eater too (lol), but what's really changed my life dramatically this year (after 14 years of pvc-nightmare) is fish-oil (enteric coated reflux-free fishoil, 1000mg, 2x day, with meals). Together with magnesium chelate, 500mg, 2x day, with meals. This is my regime, I've done the magnesium/bananas before, but since I've added the fish oil, my life has changed. I love it, and it works for me. The thumps aren't gone completely, but I can live with that. So I guess, we all have to find our own way to deal with this, but all posts help in one way or the other. I can only recommend the banana thing, together with an overall healthy lifestyle, it really does help. Wondering though if too many bananas could mean too much potassium in your body?

[AlwynB]

Yes tried Mag and Pot supps didn't make any difference at all. I tried fish oils, tried everything. I gave up and got on with things, changed diet just to fit in with my partner and they went!!! I'm only guessing its the bananas, I can't see what else it could be...

Alwyn

[smconorm]

I  observed a similar experience to what you have shared.   For me, the onset of SVT happened during a time last year when I was under quite a bid of stress.  Possibly because of the stress, l also gained weight.  

Last June I improved my diet and lost the excess weight.  I also noticed the symptoms go away.  Since I had an ablation scheduled for July, I was considering canceling the procedure but was assured the doctors could instigate the PVC's with medicine. (They were correct)  

I am aware of fat content measuring devices sold in sport shops that rely on body resistance to calculate fat content.  I have never heard of any correlation between arrhythmia and body resistance, but since this is basically an electrical process, I wonder if somehow there is a relationship?

At any rate, losing weight and eating a better diet can only help.

[AlwynB]

Its amazing how little we (the medical profession) know about ourselves. Sharing information on forums such as this is a relatively new advancement and is pushing the boundaries of knowledge and discovery.
PS I've been drinking.
No more pvcs so what the hell.
:o)

[AlwynB]

Too much potassium? Wonder what that could do to you. I've not gone mental I'm eating 2 a day. I quite like them anyway. Fish oil didn't do anything for me. Glad its working out for you. We're all different it seems.
Alwyn

[AlwynB]

I've always tried to eat healthy yet the arhythmia has always been there. As I said I've never panicked over it anyway. I've had periods when theres been little activity in the past but whats different this time is they are totally gone and I'm so relaxed and confident they've gone for good. Its difficult to explain.

My best wishes
Alwyn

[Madge270]

Skippi, I have reflux and have trouble with fish oil. Where do you get your reflux-friendly, enteric coated fish oil?  I really miss taking it. It's so good for us.

[Skippi]

I get it from Golden Glow, www.goldenglow.com.au, not sure if they deliver to other countries (I live in Australia).

[LindaTX]

Maybe you should try banana daquaris to further push the "boundaries of knowledge and discovery."

[sick and tired 47]

Costco makes enteric coated fish oil... reasonable priced and no fishy taste/burping for me.
Good luck all!

[Madge270]

sick and tired (and Skippi)...Thanks for the tips on enteric fish oil!  Wish we had a Costco nearby. I'm not aware of any in our area, but will check Google to find out for sure. Or, maybe Costco has a website? I'll see.