22 and ER said i have PVCs?

[mrsmommak]

First off I'm gonna say I have HIGH ANXIETY   I worry and stress over everything. I can't control it.

But I had this flutter in my throat and chest. The DR doctor said all my blood work was normal and my EKG was great. That it was just PVCs.....
They sent me home with a monitor and I see a doc on Thursday.

I feel these PVCs for hours sometimes. It's driving me nuts and honestly scaring me to death! I'm a mother or 2, married and 22years old and feel like my heart is messing up. I feel like I'm dying! Any advice or anything is welcomed! Is this normal? The ER doc said its no biggy but it feels like it is

[CCFHeart MD25]

Generally speaking, PVC's are benign. There are rare instances that they may cause problems (called PVC induced cardiomyopathy) that is typically associated with greater than 5,000-10,000 PVC's in a 24 hour period. PVC's can be symptomatic in some patients a require medications. For others, they can deal with them without medications. The holter monitor you are wearing is the perfect first step to make sure PVC's are the reason for your symptoms, and to determine the frequency of your PVC's. Seeing a cardiologist is the next logical step. It seems as though everything is setup appropriately for you.

[marlinspike]

To answer your other question, some people find they are triggered by things like gas, a heavy meal, caffeine, alcohol. Many people find they are anxiety related - a burst of adrenaline sets them off, but then the pvcs cause more worry, so it becomes a cycle of anxiety-pvcs-anxiety. I get them out of the blue, just sitting quietly, on occasion. If you don't feel they have triggers like food or caffeine, try to work on the anxiety. Two great books are 'Self Help for Your Nerves' by Dr Claire Weeks and 'Stop Thinking Start Living' by Dr Richard Carlsson. Both helped me a lot. The free app on meditation, Insight Timer, is great too, and Dr Tara Brachs website has free meditations that really help you relax. Good luck on Thursday.

[marlinspike]

Hi. If they caught the pvcs on an ekg, then that's good news as they are apparently easy to identify and very often benign. I sympathise though as when I was first diagnosed with pvcs it caused me huge anxiety, panic attacks etc. It is fair to say that anxiety about my heart cast a shadow over my life for several years. However, like Tickertock, 10 years later I am still here and the catastrophe I expected to come at any moment has not arrived. Pvcs can be frightening and distressing, but they are usually considered harmless even thousands a day. Please don't be like I was and waste precious time worrying over some disaster that will not happen. See your doc on Thursday - if the pvcs are very frequent and cause symptoms there are meds like beta blockers or flecainide that calm them, or other tests and options if they are very, very frequent, ie. 10k plus a day,

[mrsmommak]

Thank you for the reassuring words. Is it normal to have them even if I'm just sitting?

[tickertock]

Chances  you are 99.999% just fine, though it doesn't feel like you are. I was just 22 (male) when I was evaluated by an EP in Miami, Fl at the time. I live in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, he assured me I was going be just fine even tho I had a run of NSVT on an 18 hour holter moniter! I'll be 50 this year and I'm doing just fine, though the PVCs are a lifelong battle, the anxiety is worse and more harmful, hope everything works out just fine for you and this is just a fleeting episode.