PAC? Someone please help!

[anxiousheart79]

Im a 28 yr old male. I supposedly have PAC's of the heart, suffer from anxiety disorder, have GERD (acid reflux), have a hiatal hernia and recently found out i have a 1 inch size cyst on my thyroid. I take 40 mg nexium, 0.5mg of xanax and 25mg metoprolol.

My heart feels like it stops and restarts constantly. I was told by my cardiologist that I have PAC's. I can understand that and agree with him but im worried. My left arm sometimes feels like I have pressure in my hand and shoulder, its sort of hard to explain the feeling. I had an MRI to see if i had a pinched nerve which came back negative. It feels like my veins hurt. Anyway, the skipped beats I feel happen OFTEN. I have them one right after another sometimes for a minute straight. Throughout the day I would say I have about 3000-4000 skipped beats(PAC). The metoprolol Im taking was supposed to help but it hasnt done anything for me. I had a lot of tests done, ecg, ekg, holter, nuclear stress test, regular stress test, heart sonogram. The thing is, i never have the PAC's when I have the tests done, even the 24hr holter. They caught a couple of PAC on an ekg once but that was it. Im really scared because it feels like my heart is slowly getting worse. When I exert myself it seems to get worse which contadicts the PAC diagnoses. Im really scared that the doctors are missing something and Im going to have a heart attack or an underlying heart issue.

Can anyone else relate to this? Does anyone else get left arm pains/pressure feelings?

[KHan82]

You sound a lot like me.  I'm very anxious and was sure that the doctors were missing something.  Honestly, they probably aren't missing anything that is life threatening, especially if you've had all of those tests done.  My doctor doesn't think that I am in control of my PVC's but I think for the most part I am.  Is it possible that your PAC's don't act up because you feel safe when you are in the presence of a doctor or know that your condition is being paid attention to.  I think that's what happens to me.  As soon as a doctor mentions a possible diagnosis I am so sure that I have it.  I start to experience symptoms of that illness until I'm told that I don't have it and then I feel silly. My husband's sister went to the emergency room (26 years old) for pain in her heart and left arm.  They tested her and I guess it was stress.  She has no heart condition...she smokes though.  I know of a woman who was terminally ill and was told she had a month to live.  Everyday she kept a positive attitude and said,"I feel better today."  The cancer went away.  I'm not saying that you are making up your symptoms but just know that the mind is a powerful thing.  It's hard to be positive when you feel scared and like ****.  It's easier to be negative and scared.  Get angry.  Fight back.  You have a lot left to do in this life.  


How does the cyst affect your thyroid function?
Has your doctor talked to you about how GERD affects PAC's?

[KLB32]

I am in the same boat and it is so frustrating.  I started taking 25mg metoprolol on Friday and I thought it was already helping but just a few minutes ago, I had a horrible string of skipped beats.  I thought I was going to collapse.  Then I got that same arm pressure you experienced.

I am so fed up with these things.  I don't know what to do anymore.  

I also have GERD (mild) but I don't take my medicine anymore.  I didn't notice a huge reduction in my palps when I was taking daily Zantac so what's the point?  I've had all the tests, too and they can't find a reason for it.

I do think there is something to be said about what the previous posted stated about thinking about it too much.  I was told last week they may have found something abnormal on my echo that could indicate a connective tissue disorder and I have been thinking about it non-stop since then.  Every ache and pain I get I think it's related to that condition.  It's maddening!

[anxiousheart79]

Thanks for the replies. The cyst was just recently found when my doctor sent me for an mri of the upper spine to see if i might have had a pinched nerve causing my left arm to hurt. ni pinched nerve was found but they spotted a nodule on my thyroid so he sent me for a sonogram of the thyroid and saw it was a cyst. I am scheduled to go back to have a more in depth sonogram of the cyst to see what it really is and I have to get blood work of the thyroid to see if its functioning properly. I know the mind is a powerful thing and I know it causes me to feel worse then I actually am sometimes. I know my anxiety is caused a lot by me thinking too much about things but im sure it doesnt give me more PACs. Its a catch22 though. I feel anxious because every PAC i have makes me anxious, which in turn makes me feel worse. As for the GERD, my doctor hasnt really said anything as to the affect it has on my PACs. ive been on nexium or prilosec for 10 years now. Metoprolol for 2 months and xanax for 1 month. before the xanax I was on paxil for about 5 years. The changed the paxil to xanax because the paxil isnt good to take with the metoprolol. It just feels like im progressively getting worse. Im losing faith in my doctors. Especially when i walk into a cardiologists office and mention i have anxiety and im 28 yrs old. It seems like they cant believe some one my age can have a heart condition and they brush it off as anxiety. I try to stay positive but thats the hardest thing to do when everything i try to do in my life is either stopped or effected by the way i feel.

[KLB32]

I can completely relate.  I'm 33 and it's taken me nearly 3 years now to get someone to listen to me.  Finally, they are evaluating me for a connective tissue disease.  If that comes back negative (and I pray that it does), then I am back to square 1.  I am so sick and tired of being told it's all in my head.  I've been to the ER 5 times this past year for these "episodes" where I feel like I am about to collapse and every time they look at me like I'm insane and I'm wasting their time.  I have a script for Xanax, too and it does help take the edge off but it doesn't help stop the palps.  I have anxiety as well but I have it because of these episodes, not in spite of them.

Something that has helped me cope a bit are relaxation CDs.  Google Dr. Andrew Weil.  He has some excellent CDs that help retrain breathing patterns.  It's something you have to commit to doing long-term but I do think it's helpful.