Ongoing Palpitations

[Dracee322]

I have a few questions about ongoing palpitations and trying to understand the etiology of them. In particular, PAC's. I delevoped these PAC's this past fall. They come and go and can get quite frequent at times. I have seen a cardiologist (an EP doc) and had an event monitor, bloodwork, and an echo stress test. The PAC's were determined basically benign. But I feel anything but "benign" when they pop up. I'll admit that there is  some anxiety involved when they do occur but otherwise I do not have any issues with anxiety.
Could the palpitations be at all related to Epstein Barr virus?
I tested positive with "recent primary infection" after looking into a possible case of Mono and ongoing fatigue last May.
How and why are PAC's hormonally related to women? The EP doc indicated that he sees a lot of menopausal women with PAC's. I am not menopausal but I am 34 and just recently completely stopped breastfeeding. The PAC's seem to be related to my monthly cycle. But I have never experienced anything like this in the 20 years of having menstrual cycles so why now?
Also, I am told over and over that people have these all the time and I probably have too and I am just more aware of them now. There is NO WAY that I just "became aware" of these PAC's. I am not doubting that I ever have had them but I guarentee that I have never had them like now.
When I get the flare ups of PAC's, it is not just the "skipped beat" feeling that concerns me. I also feel very fatigued, dizzy, and discomfort in my chest area. I get sort of an "aura" and can tell they're coming. What is this?

[Dracee322]

Although I feel like my PAC's are hormonally related or even initiated by hormones, they have come for no rhyme or reason and follow the same pattern that you have described. since I have only had them since about OCT/NOV I am still trying to associate them with something as well. But I have had the same exact pattern that you describe. Maybe they should put us all in a big room and do a study!

[NHS]

Thanks for the information about your condition and your meds. It's provided some helpful, additional insight. Hope you'll have a complete recovery. Please keep the "message board" posted on your progress.

NHS

[flipflop]

I definitely can relate to the "aura" it is like you wake up one morning and just know that this feeling you have over you is a feeling associated with PVC/PAC activity to come on soon. It is a feeling of foreboding that you will have some that day say, even for quite a awhile before they actually occur. other times it can occur within minutes or seconds of actually feeling the PVC or PAC.

There is no extra beats. They are premature atrial or ventricular contractions. they are no extra or skipped beats, that is just general term that is used, only premature beats results in a small amount of filling and thus the following beat is much harder because of the extra volume of blood pumped out, surprisingly the beat that you feel is actually the normal beat , just with more force and blood volume.

I can aslo relate to this" buzzing " feeling chest your chest, that has no relation to the pulse or is not shown on ECG . I agree with Arthur that is probably electrical impulses firing  that never reaches the cardiac tissue to actually effect the heartbeat and I guess it is a good thing it doesn't, because it is so rapid it feels like a buzzing or humming, more than a fluttering.

I suspect persons that have this is probably more susceptible to A-fib, PVCs, PACs and other irregularities of the heartbeat.

Of course this is just my personal opinion and should not be taken as facts, at the end of the day who really knows??


flip(Lyn)

[joshmom]

Hi,

This is the first time I've ever seen the "aura" discussed, I get it too.  It is very hard to define, but definately there.  It's like I know when they are coming, but it's not just a physical awareness or a mental one, a bit of both.  


I also cannot lie on my left side.  It isn't a pain thing with me either, but very uncomfortable, unsettling?  A lot of these things are hard to define arn't they?

Anyway, always good to know one isn't alone in all of this.  I am a 36 year old female, and my PVC's where diagnosed 2 years ago after the birth of my third child.  I'm convinced my pregnancy had something to do with it.


Take care
Lianne

[Dracee322]

The "aura" I am referring to is not actually the "skipped or premature beat". I am actually referring to a real aura. Like hours before they start happening. I start feeling all of the previous listed symptoms. I can tell when they're coming. That is what I mean about the weird "aura". I think it is all the symptoms together

[Coon23]

Hi my name is Pat and I am a 23 year old male, after reading your comments made me feel a little bit better. With me Like 7 years ago i had mono and thats when i started to smoke as well..But thats when I started to get the palpitations but after a month they pretty much went away besides when i did some activity then my heart would pace hard and fast for about 30 seconds then go back to normal..But now I feel my heart beat pretty much most of the time which is very very annoying on the verge of driving me crazy..Went to the Doctor few days ago and checked me out and said i was fine but still got the echocardiogram and the holter monitor and the tests results were normal..But in my head its not okay yet until i stop feeling my heart beat..My doc says it deals with my stress, anxiety and little bit of depression but can;t understand how that can affect me feeling my heart beat..I get a little bit of loss of breath but its no big deal..I am chlostaphobic and sometimes when i am in a normal place it feels like i need to go outside and catch my breath..Also i quit smoking like a week ago and going through that and all the anxiety i guess its too much for me right now...Just want all this to stop because i am getting really scared, i'm too young for this stuff to happen..Anyone out there have any pointers, should i go to a heart specialist??...thanks..Pat!!