What do they feel like to you?

[pinklulu11]

Hi again!
Can you all tell me what you experience when you have an episode?  (Any diagnosis, just state what u have).
What do you feel like?
Whats your HR?
How often does it happen and how long does it last?
Any problems while sleeping? flutters?
And anyone taking beta blockers what are you experiences as well?
Thank you... God be with all of you!!

[Mom2four85]

pac's do? I haven't seen that on anything...pvc's show a very pronounced pattern; but pac's don't...or any that I've seen...that's interesting since they originate in different places; wonder why dr's don't dx pac's more often in the US - laziness perhaps? not wanting to go over every page...

yeah i don't think they would go through the holter on mine lol the ER dr said about the same thing - they looked like they increased but he wasn't going to sift through each page :P

I wonder how accurate ICD interrogations are then?

[is_something_wrong]

PACs often look like PVCs on EKG (you can tell the difference on the initiation of the QRS, where a PAC often have a sharp spike, due to rapid activation of the non refractory bundle branch) where a PVC origin from the ventricle (of course, lol) and spreads slowly, but PACs with aberrancy are also wide complexed. I guess if your Holter revealed 50k PVCs, the doctor didn't care to analyze them all. That's also a difference between Holter interpretation here vs in the US I think. Here, the cardiologist him self analyze the strips. You get an automaticly interpreted report (which contains more PVCs of course). Here, premature beats = PACs, and PVCs are scary. I'm trying to be balanced when answering posts, but as you can see, I suggest PACs more often than others. Who knows who is really right.. I guess most people have both.

[Mom2four85]

ick yes it beats hard during NSVT runs; I think that's the worst thing I get...it leaves me shaky, weak and tired for hours after; that's my "heart beating out of my chest" feeling.

PACs/PSVT are annoying as heck - that's what my dr called "palpitations" back in 2004 but my EKG didn't pick it up. What I find weird is none of the tests I had in 2009 picked up PAC's or PSVT until after surgery; even though I've felt them....

[is_something_wrong]

"PAC's & PSVT; these I feel more in my throat and upper chest area - a flip flopping feeling...but when my pulse is high these feel like my throat is clogging up."

Finally someone agree with me! :) Early PACs tend to backfire (the P wave falls on the T wave, not dangerous, but the atria contract against closed mitral/tricuspid valves. I often feel PACs like first one punch in the throat and then one in the chest. Flip-flop as you said.

By the way, is your heart beating hard during the NSVT runs?

[Mom2four85]

I've had about every arrhythmia caught on monitors there is except AFib.

My formal diagonsis is - Malignant pvc's/Polymorphic VT
(a ton more info in my journal http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/278338/Tests--Surgery-results-updated-March-2011?personal_page_id=861727 just too much to type out)

Depending on the day; I may have a low HR; before surgery my hr would bottom out  sometimes 20 or less sometimes no pulse - no direct relation to any type of arrhythmia found; usually fainting spells with this. Now HR above 60 is the lowest because of my pacemaker/icd implant.

I could turn on a dime and go from 60 to 195 or 200 heart rate with VT for no reason...NSVT runs that leave me breathless; dizzy, nauseous and my heart beating out of my chest like a horse kicking me over and over.

Then I have the run of the mill very frequent pvc's; a thudding in my chest - feels like my heart stops or skips beats....before ablation 50,000 pvc's daily; first caught on an EKG April 27, 2007, last monitor I had was 10,200 in December 2009.  

ICD interrogations show about those amounts and NSVT runs roughly every other day, sometimes 3 or 4 runs daily now.

PAC's & PSVT; these I feel more in my throat and upper chest area - a flip flopping feeling...but when my pulse is high these feel like my throat is clogging up.

I started exercising again last week or so...since I haven't for almost 18 mths; my HR shot to 228 within a few minutes time from being deconditioned; I had to stop and let my hr cool down or get shocked from my ICD since 220 is the threshhold.  The next few times I exercised, I did notice my HR was a bit more stable at 170-180 but still too high, so I'll be interested to see if it lowers with more exercise this week.

I haven't taken any meds from April 2010 until Jan 2011 because of insurance issues, but I do notice that when I take my Inderal daily now, my symptoms are better and Inderal doesn't give me the side effects other bb's do.

[pinklulu11]

Interesting! I guess what happened to me was not pvc's.  I just had a rapid heart rate of 150.  Tacychardia, not sure which kind yet.   However, I have noticed a flip flop feeling now that I am on a beta blocker...mostly at night, or when I wake up in the middle of the night.  Once during the day, but thought it was just a panic attack about to start.  I got flushed, hot and someone described EXACTLY what I felt..as if my heart was sinking!  OMG, I thought I was crazy!  My dr. didnt even know what I was talking about when I told him about that.  I wonder if pvc's can occur due to anxiety and that is why Im having them cuz Im so upset, worried and stressed about all this crap going on with my always healthy body!!!!!  I seriously thought I was at my end.  I had these flip flip things last night...i was so tired so I didnt even care...flip flop..id wake up....sleep...flip flop..wake up...and so on.   I sure hope my beta blocker isnt causing them and its my anxiety and stress issues that is bringing it on.  I like that my beta blocker really helps my heart rate.  My HR would be over 100 just walking around my house and about 130 if I vacumed.  That is kinda dangerous and not healthy.  It's about 50-60 resting...60-70walking etc...and only 82 when I vacumed.   So I am hoping the side effects of the betas subside.  
Well, thanks everyone.   May GOD look after each of us and keep us strong!!! <3

[is_something_wrong]

Diagnosis: PACs (they are bothering me right now)
Sensation: Double beat, pause, hard beat. Rinse and repeat once a minute or so.
Occur in me mostly with low HR. It's 57 right now.
They tend to cluster up before sleep and after a stressful day at work.
Beta blockers help against rapid heart rate and palpitations with rapid heart rate. May actually worsen premature beats when the HR is slow, by slowing it more and giving space for premature beats. I use them occationallly.

[bbxx]

Mine feel differently at different times. When I am having 20-30 a minute (caught in the ER) I felt flutter beat flutter beat etc... but felt fine. (other than being scared). Sometimes I will feel a hard kick but that is actually rare for me. I usually feel a flipflop. Sometimes I will also have a sensation in my throat--but quite rare. Sometimes I feel like the beat it starts in one part of my heart and finishes in the other. I also occasionally, thankfully, rarely have what feels like this sudden sinking feeling like my heart stopped--an empty feeling that lasted 5-8 seconds. I dont know, mine are different so often. I do have a lot though. As to my heart rate, well I have been dealing with quite a few health issues so have not been able to exercise as I should--so my resting heart rate is usually 78-83. Ocassionally I will have a heart rate of 73 and rarly 66. Ocassionaly my heart gets in the 90s and it feels awful to me--anxious like. I dont take any meds.My pvcs are off and on all day and night. Sleeping--yes--I have them--usually every 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 2nd, and so forth for a while--sometimes trigeminy or bigeminy for a while. Once I am asleep sometimes they wake me up if bad or very frequent. Triggers are-- my heart beating. lol
Diagnosis is frequent pvcs, svt, 1st degree heart block, mitral valve prolapse etc...

[IMFletcher]

My PVCs feel like a fluttering sensation in my upper chest and even into my throat...sometimes like a flip flop, or just a hard beat...I actually caught an episode at my only visit to the ER on an ECG and was told I was having PVC trigeminy (sp?), or PVCs every third beat...not fun. My heart rate is usually lower when they occur (near 60-70 bpm), then the anxiety kicks in, and my heart rate will increase to 90bpm. I have the odd PVC during the day, and I am always glad when the sensation passes without kick starting a full blown episode that can last for minutes to hours at a time. Bad episodes are less frequent (once a week?), but I feel isolated PVCs all the time, throughout the day, in the evening, and even get woken at night. Usually I feel them less when exercising, but I will get the odd "hard thump" when running or biking. At night time, I will usually sit up, grab some water, and walk around a little to hopefully jolt my heart back to it's senses..I have been given a beta blocker (Metroprolol), but am not using it, as I have heard very mixed reviews about it's effectiveness in treating PVCs...Magnesium has been somewhat effective for me, as well as lots of water to stay hydrated...as for "triggers", the list is endless, so try and record your episodes, and see if you can find your own common denominator...Good luck!