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PACs, PVCs, Tachycardia - possibly how to cure them
Most of you know me, I've been suffering from ectopic beats and sinus tachycardia for a couple of years now.
In my struggles to reduce the PACs and sinus tachycardia (PVCs have never been much of an issue in my case, even though some of my PACs feels like PVCs), it seems I have ignored how much of importance both stress, proper nutrition and exercise are.
First thing first, the stress. It's a bit strange, really. I've discovered that you don't necessarily have to feel stressed to be stressed. I had one week vacation now. And I didn't feel a single PAC. Not even before sleep, when they usually appear in large numbers. It seems, if you remove the underlying stress factor, they seem to go away, at least after some time.
Second, I know the last monts, my diet haven't been the best, with too many meals at McDonalds and unfortunately some chocolate now and then. It has caused some tachycardia events, and they tend to appear 30 minutes to one hour after eating. Some time ago, I stopped eating sugar and easy digestable carbs (like white bread) and the tachycardia events were gone. My heart rate got more stable, with less fluctuations. It seems the explaination is, when you eat sugar and white bread, your blood sugar levels increase, and the body responds by producing great amounts of insuline, which, again, makes the blood sugar levels drop. This is considered "dangerous" by the body, which responds by releasing adrenaline to increase blood sugar. And you get tachycardia.
Dark bread, carrots, white meat and fish is excellent. Trust me.
And make sure you get enough exercise. No need to go to the gym 5 times a week, it's obviously enough to go for a walk 30 minutes to 1 hour 3-5 times a week. Try to climb some hills, and/or jog a 2-300 meters now and then. It's a great stress remover.
I suggest that everyone who suffer from PACs/PVCs and other "light" arrhythmias give this some thought. It may actually work!
In my struggles to reduce the PACs and sinus tachycardia (PVCs have never been much of an issue in my case, even though some of my PACs feels like PVCs), it seems I have ignored how much of importance both stress, proper nutrition and exercise are.
First thing first, the stress. It's a bit strange, really. I've discovered that you don't necessarily have to feel stressed to be stressed. I had one week vacation now. And I didn't feel a single PAC. Not even before sleep, when they usually appear in large numbers. It seems, if you remove the underlying stress factor, they seem to go away, at least after some time.
Second, I know the last monts, my diet haven't been the best, with too many meals at McDonalds and unfortunately some chocolate now and then. It has caused some tachycardia events, and they tend to appear 30 minutes to one hour after eating. Some time ago, I stopped eating sugar and easy digestable carbs (like white bread) and the tachycardia events were gone. My heart rate got more stable, with less fluctuations. It seems the explaination is, when you eat sugar and white bread, your blood sugar levels increase, and the body responds by producing great amounts of insuline, which, again, makes the blood sugar levels drop. This is considered "dangerous" by the body, which responds by releasing adrenaline to increase blood sugar. And you get tachycardia.
Dark bread, carrots, white meat and fish is excellent. Trust me.
And make sure you get enough exercise. No need to go to the gym 5 times a week, it's obviously enough to go for a walk 30 minutes to 1 hour 3-5 times a week. Try to climb some hills, and/or jog a 2-300 meters now and then. It's a great stress remover.
I suggest that everyone who suffer from PACs/PVCs and other "light" arrhythmias give this some thought. It may actually work!
Haha --don't you understand irony? Jerry__NJ didn't suggest making Happy Meals illegal, just the opposite actually. He's making fun of people (like me) who think junk food should be illegal :-)
Are you a communist? Why on earth are you so stupid to think making a Happy Meal illegal is helpful!? It is scary how people's minds work? It is scary that stupid people can convince other stupid people to do these things in the name of caring... For God's sake please wake up.
It's worth noting that (a) certain SSRI antidepressants are more calming for some people than others, and (b) that to get the true effect of any antidepressants of this class, a whole, entire two to four weeks of use is needed.
Before that time has passed, patients will mostly be aware of side effects, which are likely to be either anxiety or sleepiness, and patients will have no idea how things would have turned out with an actual trial of the medication. Your doctor should have told you about this, and furthermore, he/she should have been in close touch with you during this period of time.
If the side effects are too bothersome, the doc can not only change the medication, but could also cut the dose in half or even smaller amounts to let your body kind of 'sneak up' to the full dose.
But good luck to you if you are doing well without meds. If for some reason you need to give them another try, bear in mind the suggestions I just made.
Before that time has passed, patients will mostly be aware of side effects, which are likely to be either anxiety or sleepiness, and patients will have no idea how things would have turned out with an actual trial of the medication. Your doctor should have told you about this, and furthermore, he/she should have been in close touch with you during this period of time.
If the side effects are too bothersome, the doc can not only change the medication, but could also cut the dose in half or even smaller amounts to let your body kind of 'sneak up' to the full dose.
But good luck to you if you are doing well without meds. If for some reason you need to give them another try, bear in mind the suggestions I just made.
I just recently began noticing my PVC's my doctor put me on alprazolam for short term anxiety and Paroxetine for a long term fix. Both of these meds made memuch more anxoius and made me feel very drugged. After a few days I stopeed everything and I feel much better. The anxitey is still there but I am better able to control with out meds.
If your heart has been checked out completely, and no organic reason can be found for the ectopic beats, remember " We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and rulers of wickedness in high places." Mark
Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia is treatable with ablation, you know. It seems you are really bothered by it, so you should ask your doctor to refer you to an electrophysiologist for an EP study and ablation.
What they do, is to burn or freeze the pathway that causes your condition. It's painless and usually low risk. Ask your doctor or your parents. If you want to discuss this further I would recommend starting a new thread/post for it.
What they do, is to burn or freeze the pathway that causes your condition. It's painless and usually low risk. Ask your doctor or your parents. If you want to discuss this further I would recommend starting a new thread/post for it.
Wow, i guess i am the youngest here. I was diagonsed with Psvc last year, and i am 16 this year. I am a male btw. The sad thing is, i am not even allowed to exercise, and the palpitations just come suddenly, I am always worried whether when would the palpitations come, and stuff like that. Sigh.. My life is being ruined. And whenever i fill in medical forms for some kind of school organised trips, I have to fill in under the heart disease, "Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia" and people would come and ask. "What? You have a heart problem?". I feel that i am so left out, so abnormal.
it is amazing to me how many people suffer from these and how clueless the medical community is about stopping them.there should just be a pill you can take every day to make yourheart beat normally and THATS IT!!! Plus i dont know about any of you, but none of my family or friends suffer from palpitations, so i hate to bring them up.whenever im aound people i just have to smile and pretend my heart is not flopping around.i ask people to repeat themselves because i just cant focus on what theyre sayingover my stupid heart.and not to mention the sneaky pulse check when it looks like im just standing with my hands clasped haha!ridiculous right!
the best medicine for me is this forum.i am not alone, and others have it worse than i do, so i need to just suck it up.thats what i tell myself.even with probably 10000 palps a day, my daughter still needs picked up, and dinner needs cooked, etc.etc.thank you to everyone who comments, you help me live a normal life.and one day ill find a cure on here!!!
the best medicine for me is this forum.i am not alone, and others have it worse than i do, so i need to just suck it up.thats what i tell myself.even with probably 10000 palps a day, my daughter still needs picked up, and dinner needs cooked, etc.etc.thank you to everyone who comments, you help me live a normal life.and one day ill find a cure on here!!!
So many similarities between us all. Does give some relief but the pvcs still are very frightening, to say the least, for me. What can aggravate mine are, or have been from several happenings. I used to swim but when I got into water up to my neck, the pvcs would happen, at times. I used to ride a motorcycle and the wind pressure, at times, would trigger the pvcs. Bending, twisting, sitting in a leaning forward position, deep breaths, straining and other aggravants can trigger these nasty pvcs. But not every time do these body moves create pvcs. They can get frequent and very intense and they can calm for a while. Thank you all for responding to these posts. They are so much help in trying to deal with something I thought I was THE ONLY ONE who suffers with these, especially after years of testing, EP Study, blood work and many holter monitor tests. Thanks to you all and I hope we can whip this problem with medical technology break throughs.
Hi,
A-flutter (and PSVT) can be triggered by a PAC, but it's not the PAC that is the cause. Arrhythmias require a re-entry pathway to maintain. In the setting of so-called PSVT (AV reentry tachycardia) this pathway is either a dual channel through the AV node, or an extra pathway in the setting of WPW syndrome. With a-flutter, this pathway is within the atrium, usually the right atrium.
Some of us are born with extra pathways. In some cases, changes in the heart causes them.
A PAC is the trigger because it appears early, before some parts of the heart are fully recharged, allowing the impulse to conduct through the extra pathway, by the time it has, other parts of the heart are recharged, and so on.
A-flutter (and PSVT) can be triggered by a PAC, but it's not the PAC that is the cause. Arrhythmias require a re-entry pathway to maintain. In the setting of so-called PSVT (AV reentry tachycardia) this pathway is either a dual channel through the AV node, or an extra pathway in the setting of WPW syndrome. With a-flutter, this pathway is within the atrium, usually the right atrium.
Some of us are born with extra pathways. In some cases, changes in the heart causes them.
A PAC is the trigger because it appears early, before some parts of the heart are fully recharged, allowing the impulse to conduct through the extra pathway, by the time it has, other parts of the heart are recharged, and so on.
Hi Linda,
I don't control my svt, wish I could. I am on no drugs, valsalva doesn't work. If they don't convert on their own I go to the hospital for a shot of adenosine which stops it every time. Sorry to hear you are having the a flutter. Hope it's just part of your healing process. My fingers are crossed for you. Hang in there!
I don't control my svt, wish I could. I am on no drugs, valsalva doesn't work. If they don't convert on their own I go to the hospital for a shot of adenosine which stops it every time. Sorry to hear you are having the a flutter. Hope it's just part of your healing process. My fingers are crossed for you. Hang in there!
Hey thanks, it seems like I'm sure to have an a-flutter episode if I notice even a few of those beforehand. Chuparosa, how do you keep yours under control?
So Carrie, did you quite smoking and drinking when your dr. told you to?
I find it funny that he told you they'd go away. My cardiologist told me to quite caffeine and alcohol, else they could become worse later in life. He never claimed they'd go away, but said he hoped that would slow them down a little bit.
Oh yeah, believe you me, unless my dr. tells me it's a huge risk to become preggars I will not let some skipped beats interfere with having kids in the next few years! Even if I've got to be hooked up to a halter for 9 months!
And Kane3, I think chips are like little plates of salt. They just cannot be good for the 'ol ticker!! Maybe try making your own, with less fat an no salt. Season them with something else, like lemon juice. :)
I find it funny that he told you they'd go away. My cardiologist told me to quite caffeine and alcohol, else they could become worse later in life. He never claimed they'd go away, but said he hoped that would slow them down a little bit.
Oh yeah, believe you me, unless my dr. tells me it's a huge risk to become preggars I will not let some skipped beats interfere with having kids in the next few years! Even if I've got to be hooked up to a halter for 9 months!
And Kane3, I think chips are like little plates of salt. They just cannot be good for the 'ol ticker!! Maybe try making your own, with less fat an no salt. Season them with something else, like lemon juice. :)
Well im very happy and glad to hear that after the years of putting up with all your flutters that you are still here! That makes me feel good for myself and for you also. I have heard alot of stories about how intense and horrible the heart arrythmias can get when your pregnant, I couldnt imagine going through that, so props to you and all the ladies who put of with that to bring our future into this world. I know right now sitting here and typing this, (just after watching the Oilers lose to the Flames..lol) Im having such horrible runs of pvc's. And i think ive notice that eating bbq chips doesnt mix well with my heart functions. It seems like everytime i munch on a snack it goes from 1 pvc every other beat to a pvc,pvc,pvc, beat,pvc,beat,pvc...ect! Oh how i miss just having junk food nights. I think I only ate 7 or 8 chips! Well Im glad to have heard your struggle and success and to be here tonight to share your story like the many others ive heard and the many people who just keep giving me confidence and advice to be strong and take each day at a time and enjoy life to its fullest.
OMG Kane! I read your posts and your life is EXACTLY what mine WAS. I was 23 when I started getting flips and flutters and freak out. I went to a cardio and he just basically said "normal heart" quit your smoking and drinking and they will stop. Well 5 years later I was pregnant and they got really bad and went on a holter. They caught something with v-tach and had me in the hospital when my kid was 6 months old. I have scared myself to death ever since this even though I have gone thru 2 cardiac abalations and they still can't find anything to fix! Go figure that one! I am 49 now (by the way I live in Calgary, Alberta)......and I am still kicking along. I take Prozac now because I became SO obsessed with this heart thing I couldn't even live anymore. I totally took over my life! I am feeling better now but I still freak out daily when I feel these skips and flutters. Don't let them take over your life. I did and it basically ruinned mine for 20 plus years! I am still here (god knows how) but I am still ticking and have been given a clean bill of health with my heart....I know these are AWFUL though! My dream would be to one day not think about my heart once and just move on with things.
hey nj001 it sounds like you and me have had very similar cases of freak outs because of our pvc's! I still have alot of problems with holding my hand on my chest and the taking time and freezing it at that moment to pay attention to my heart to see if its still beating and so on. I guess I have better days than some. Let me know how everything goes along with you and your pvc episodes, and congrats on nursing school!
Lindatx, i know a few of my pvc's have led (next beat after) to something, maybe a-flutter or a pac, but i have so many pvcs thats it hard to really catch it at that moment. How did your ablation go? And the telling the difference varies from person to person who have pvc's or pacs. I know that alot of people dont feel the difference, like myself, but im sure if you gave enough attention to your heart you may be able to catch or feel a pac. Although i'd advise you not to pay attention, because that, at least for me leads me to go crazy after awhile!
Lindatx, i know a few of my pvc's have led (next beat after) to something, maybe a-flutter or a pac, but i have so many pvcs thats it hard to really catch it at that moment. How did your ablation go? And the telling the difference varies from person to person who have pvc's or pacs. I know that alot of people dont feel the difference, like myself, but im sure if you gave enough attention to your heart you may be able to catch or feel a pac. Although i'd advise you not to pay attention, because that, at least for me leads me to go crazy after awhile!
Also, how do you tell the difference between PAC's and PVC's in how they actually feel?
I'm curious if any of your PVC's or PAC's have led to a-flutter? A few weeks ago I had an ablation for a-fib and it looks like I've traded it for a-flutter. It always comes on after I've had a few hrs of a few PVC/PAC's
Just a little contribution from me here - despite my freak outs...lol!
Apart from my recent 'tachycardia' - i found my ectopics were helped greatly by eating oily fish 3 times a week....and also...
CAMOMILE TEA - i discovered this yesterday....I actually feel it's calming things down a bit
Apart from my recent 'tachycardia' - i found my ectopics were helped greatly by eating oily fish 3 times a week....and also...
CAMOMILE TEA - i discovered this yesterday....I actually feel it's calming things down a bit
I'm also freaking out on another thread, but I still hope I can help over here!! Hahah!
I'm also 25 (female) and I have about as many PVC's as you do. They are constant, and it's really frustrating that they don't go away.
I'm so sorry to see that they've had such an effect on your life!! You mentioned that you were symptomatic? What other symptoms do you have that are bothering you?? When I first started having them last year, I freaked. It was all I talked about at work, all I thought about at night. I thought I was going to keel over any minute. But I've gotten pretty good at just occupying myself. For one, I DO NOT stop to intentionally feel my own heart. Sometimes it's impossible to avoid, but I try. Sometimes I wake up at night with my had under my chest, feel a beat, and whip my hand from my heart so I don't feel it anymore. Otherwise, I just freak the heck out and it doesn't help anything!
I'm actually in nursing school, and when students are listening to hearts, I let them listen to mine so they get to hear 'abnormal beats,' but I will NOT listen to it myself. There's just no reason when it bothers me so much.
And kudos to you for changing your diet. I teater in trying to eat healthier and cut out caffeine and alcohol, but I've really struggled having any success. I will cut them out for a few weeks at a time, check my heart, still have the skipped beats just as frequently, so I hardly see the point! But really, I need to do that. Starting tomorrow this time. I swear. :)
I've nothing helpful to add really - i'm the one freaking out in another thread! LOL! However, after reading this thread i can really see how emotion is linked up with these pvc's and pac's.
I'm kind of ok with them. i don't know exactly what i have but i'm ok with them......been told that they are normal (the ones that were captured on a monitor - although have had worse not captured). With me it's the latest 'tachycardia' that is the worry....i feel so out of control with that one - feels much more dangerous than pvc's/pac's - at least they are short lived, even if frequent.
Anyway, just wanted to say that emotion really does seem to play a part in these symptoms and may be key to sorting them out ......as well as following a low sugar diet.
I'm kind of ok with them. i don't know exactly what i have but i'm ok with them......been told that they are normal (the ones that were captured on a monitor - although have had worse not captured). With me it's the latest 'tachycardia' that is the worry....i feel so out of control with that one - feels much more dangerous than pvc's/pac's - at least they are short lived, even if frequent.
Anyway, just wanted to say that emotion really does seem to play a part in these symptoms and may be key to sorting them out ......as well as following a low sugar diet.
So you'd think eating a healthy diet might help the little buggers diminish, but it seems to work opposite for me. I normally do eat a varied, healthy diet anyway, but when I get motivated to eat REALLY healthy, and cut out bad carbs completely, increase greens, etc. all I do is palpitate. Then when I reach for the chocolate, my drug of choice, or other chocolate coated treats, nothing happens, even though I think they might. I don't get it.
kane3, the frustration you feel is very relatable and indicative of all that I feel with these life changing annoyances, BUT I think in the end, accepting this PVC reality may diminish the anxiety. I am trying (between my freak out episodes) to learn to accept reality. Fighting it with "why me" and " how crappy that this is changing me" etc. results in nothing but added confusion and continued misery. So I lay there and just watch them happen and try to teach my brain not to react as I feel them. You teach your brian not to react by choosing not to have ANY thoughts about the pvc as it happens, just as you don't have a thought if you burp, or hiccup, you just let it happen. This of course is very difficult to practice, but it cab be a way out of the misery. Take care.
kane3, the frustration you feel is very relatable and indicative of all that I feel with these life changing annoyances, BUT I think in the end, accepting this PVC reality may diminish the anxiety. I am trying (between my freak out episodes) to learn to accept reality. Fighting it with "why me" and " how crappy that this is changing me" etc. results in nothing but added confusion and continued misery. So I lay there and just watch them happen and try to teach my brain not to react as I feel them. You teach your brian not to react by choosing not to have ANY thoughts about the pvc as it happens, just as you don't have a thought if you burp, or hiccup, you just let it happen. This of course is very difficult to practice, but it cab be a way out of the misery. Take care.
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