Arrhythmia//PVC's

[twhgait]

I am a 39 y.o. female with no big PMH.  I am a nurse and on occasion check my radial pulse.  While doing this for the past couple months, I have noticed frequent "skipped beats" in my pulse (just a pause in a chain of beats).  I do have the occasional palpitations that I can feel in my chest also. I cannot consciously feel these radial pulse "skipped beats" in my chest and wouldn't have even noticed them if I had not been checking.  They seem to disappear when my heartrate increases and are most noticeable at rest (at least every 40 beats or so).  I went to my FP doctor and my EKG was normal. I pick up my holter monitor on Monday (48hr) and will also have some fasting labs drawn at that time. He also ordered an echo which I have not scheduled yet.  My thyroid size appears normal although there were some cysts on it.  My doc feels these are probably benign PVC's as I have normal cardio results so far.  I've read thru these forums extensively and most pt's describe the "fluttering, flipping over" sensations.  Can PVC's like mine (not noticiable unless I am checking my pulse) still be benign?  Or, is this another possible arrhythmia that I may be dealing with?  How reliable is the ECG stating "normal sinus rhythm"  considering other possible arrhythmias?  Of course, my heart behaved in the doctors office (I was very nervous and my pulse shot up to 96 bpm).  I am worrying myself into a panic over this

[Karenbeth]

I totally understand where you all are coming from. I had an AFIB attack back in Feb of this year, it was the first AFIB attack I ever had. I was put on Toprol XL 50mg just to control the heart rate should I ever go into AFIB again. I went into AFIB because my potassium levels were REALLY low, and I woke up with acid reflux and was coughing so hard I was getting PAC's that lead into an AFIB attack.. Since Feb I have been fine with the occasional PVC or PAC, maybe a couple days before my period, or once a week if I was doing something stressful or something..

Just last week I started getting them alot in a day.. then it was going on for a couple days, I was getting VERY unearved at this time. After 3 days of them going on about 10-20 times in a day, I got concerned.. went to the hospital, they told me they were just PVC's.. my EKG was good, blood was good, BP was perfect, I had an echo done back in FEB and that was great too.. maybe it was stress the DR said.

Went home, accepted it and it got worse again, and this time I was going into anxiety which everyone told me was the WORSE thing you could do is get anxious over it, it will make them come more. My DR told me to up my Toprol to 100mg to see if they would sibside and BOY did that mess my system up.. DEPRESSION, worse anxiety.. after a week of 100mg, I went back down to 50mg toprol where I was before.. I am starting to feel myself again.

Just today I felt a rattling in my chest when I breathed in, got XRays and guess what? ACUTE BRONCHITIS.. the DR told me that I could have increased the PVC's due to this Acute Bronchitis that came on.. I am not on Zithromax to get rid of the Bronchitis, and geuss what? I started my period.. GEE can I have anything on me that could be the trigger for this onset increase in PVC's?

I know what you are all going through.. I get very upset, start crying sometimes when I get them, thinking something is wrong with me, and I have learned the hard way that reading all kinds of things on the internet is BAD! I love reading the board because people tell the story better than websites that think they know what you have wrong with you.

We are all together in this and we just have to take one day at a time.. that's what we are here for!

Karen

[cuaco]

I have had pvcs like yours, all quiet until I get up.  I believe this is due to the release of catecholomines and adrenaline the body needs to provide activity.(See archive questions)  Some people's hearts are more sensive to this than others.  I am currently on 2.5mg of bisoprolol fumarate (cardicor) per day for the last 2 weeks and so far (praise the Lord!) this apppears to vuirtually stopped them stone dead(I have had nil per day exept for 2 stressful days when I had probably about 2!!)  At the time of starting the tablets I probably was having about 2-4000 per day, so this is a blessed relief to me. In the past I have tried atenolol and propanolol  both of which had absolutely no effect on the pvcs and gave me a constant headache.  I have had these things for 17 years and only now have I had some peace.  I wish I had been offerred these pills 2 years ago when I become phobic of these things when I chanced to read an article in the daily paper that pvcs are dangerous and cause suden death! (wholly innacurate i now understand, but at the time it put me in state)

[patune]

Hi everyone. I'm a 48 yr. old male and over the last 3 or 4 weeks have been experiencing PVC's that seem to be becoming more frequent (worse in the AM and PM). They are very rare when lying down, but when I stand up and move around they start right in again. I've never had any previous heart issues, but this has me really concerned. Any input would be appeciated.

[kat_in_texas]

I am new to this board. Just found it today. I have had an "irrregular" H.Beat for as long as I can remember) I am female, 45 ( 46 in Dec) and Sort of learning to live with these horrendous, "life altering" for me at least, PVC's. I can take the Occ. pvc/pac daily. But the past 2 yrs., I have had episodes that have lastd for months on end. I even wore the event monitor. I am living just outside Austin and go to a wonderful electrophisiologist.(sp?) he has , though after going over my 30 day event monitor, related to me that ablation is out of the question due to the fact that my electrical system is firing these early beats from more than one area( good for me! I always did want to be the best at everything)ha..(totaly not really funy) I am on Corgard ( beta blocker) and I also take Luvox which was prescribed to me 5 yrs. ago for depression. All my newdr's think it isn't the right med for me as I am not obcessive compulsive, which is what Luvox or (generic) fluvoxamine) is used for. I also take xanax daily. It does seem to soothe the forcefulness of the pvs's. TRUST ME   I know I am probably addicted to them, but only take 1 mg. a day and I wpuld eat dirt if it would help. I am VERY med sensitive, and cannot even have caffeine or sugar. I had to stop drinking orange juice because of the sugar, Made my HR go really fast. I should also mention that my family is extremely dysfunctional. Not my husband or children . But My brothers, and two sisters. My mother is extremely critical and I just , for some reason am the black sheep so to speak. They don't understand these irregularities at all! They think I should be able to just "buck" it up and go. Anyway. sorry to stray, just wanting you all to know that when I get these  malicious phone calls from them, about a day to two days later, here go the PVC's FULL FORCE. I used to lay down on the floor, or on the bed with my feet propped up, and take a xanax and they would subside, now, they have made a Happy little Home in my system! My Dr. did have me take a stress test last october, and it was a stress echo. Everything was normal with a 65% ejection fraction. No signs of any previous heart attacks and normal size heart. He said that when he worries, it is usually when there is an UNDERLYING heart condition. I pray .. truly PRAY  that these will go away someday. But right now , I am sitting here with them just rumbling in the pit of my stomach.(that is where I feel them.. right in the pit of the tummy)  Dr. said he had never had a pt. that  was so symtamatic.. ( good ole Kat)  I try to put some sort of positiove spin on all this, but tonight, I cannot get past the half circle!  Seriously.. sometimes I think "how wonderful" my life would be if not for these irregular beats.  then I think about how shallow I possibly am being, since I do not have cancer etc. BTW.. I have become a little anxious, and somewhat confined to my comfort zone. I don't like to drive by myself etc. ( what if I have sudden cardiac death?!) I even saw where the FDA has just approved the defibulator device for the general public and told my hubby I wanted to purchase one. Thanks to all. I just needed to vent to someone, and I am also really scared...

[chi-chi03]

I forgot to add, that about an hour to an hour and a half after I eat, my PVCs seem to subside????  If I eat around 11:00 am.. my PVCs usually start around 4:00 pm?

[chi-chi03]

Thank you for starting this thread!!!

I am 40 with PVCs diagnosed a couple of years ago. I have only felt PVCs lately when I have slight indigestion.  I started a diet last week, and started having sinus drainage, then acid reflux, and then came my PVCs.  

1)I don't know if the diet change is making my sinuses drain?

2)OR eating less and my stomach is used to bigger meals and is used to sending out more acid? So now I have alot of excess acid?  

3)Could sinus drainage create alot of acid in my stomach?  

4)AND could that extra acid then cause my PVCs? Putting pressure on my heart?

I took Tagamet last night and my PVCs stopped as did my reflux (for the night)?  Or just coincedence!  And I feel my PVCs! :(