Plague with Arrythmia Problems

[beehwalow]

To all of my friends out there, do you still harbour hope that your  arrythmia can be cured? Do you think that such problems will go away without medications or surgical interventions?
Any success stories?

I have been having PVCs for the past 6 years. I resisted medications (though I am on sotalol currently) and have tried all sorts of experimentations. Despite that, the number is increasing as I age. From 40 per day to now in the thousands sometimes with 3 - 4 beats every other minute. I am very upset to know that I may have to depend on medication for life and those medication has its own side effects on my otherwise healthy heart. I have read about the horror stories of ablation. My doctor is also conservative that discourages ablation.  I am 32.

How are you coping?

[beehwalow]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I dont normally pray. But now I see myself praying more often. Hoping for a miracle.

[MichelleP_3811]

I have only recently in the past year become aware of my ectopic beats.  I had an svt avnrt that kind of masked that I was also having ectopic beats and no one told me of the secondary condition.  I only became aware after I had my svt cleared up and still had symptoms then was told that they were ectopic beats and nothing to worry about.  So I really don't have a lot of history to speak of and my ectopic beats were likely really flaring because of my ablation.  I would say they have now settled down to the state they were before my ablation.  I feel something from time to time but it is not super noticeable.  That said they will become more apparent when I stress out, eat certain foods, or over exert myself but I have gotten to a point where I don't always feel them and only know based on some pain I sometimes feel at the spot where they are flaring.  From what I have been told they don't ever really go away but you can try and avoid the things that trigger them and keep them from bothering you too much so I would say if you are having more now investigate if something in your life is different, are you more physical, have more stress, or are experiencing more stomach issues then before.  Those are the biggest triggers and if you can clear those issues up you may find relief.  I will also say my doctor, also conservative on ablating ectopic beats because ablations for them can cause more or worse issues and it doesn't always work.  But he also stated that meds don't really work all that well for heart rhythm issues.  They can manage them to a small extent but it doesn't always work.  Have you been on the beta blockers for quite some time?  If so your body may have adjusted and it is no longer helping to calm the ectopics down.  I have heard that happen with other people.  So you may want to try a different med, a different dose or simply try to go without and see what happens though if you have been on them for a long time talk with your doctor about weening off the med.  Do not stop on your own.  If you are super physical you may want to take a break and give your heart a chance to rest a bit.  If you have a lot of stress in your life you may want to find ways to release that stress because stress is a super big trigger.  And if you have stomach issues definitely work to clear those up and you may indeed see a decline in the number and intensity of the beats.  Well I don't know if I have been much help.  My ectopic beats were making me sick last fall but don't make me sick now.  They are more distracting then anything else but if you are really being made super sick by yours my heart goes out to you.  I do hope you can find your main trigger and get them to stop or at least ease up so you can ignore them.  Take care and stay strong.