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PVC's and related arrhythmias
I am a 49 year old male who since early child hood have had episodes of premature beats which are easily felt because I am thin. Past EKG's have usually shown normal sinus rhythms with occaisional pvcs.
Also on exercise I would have runs of rapid 120-140bpm (after) that sometimes went on for hours but kind of outgrew them. Some doctors hear a click or slight murmur. Recently have had more frequent bouts of premature beats that sometimes are accompanied by a spasm like sensation which can be felt with finger tips under the left breast. They only last afew seconds but also create a flush or rush sensation. I recently had a stress test, EKG, and a doppler echo. Stress test was normal and echo was also except for mild regurgitation of the tricuspid and slight of the mitral.
Through the years some doctors have said that I also have MVP but this has not been proven on the echo. I am currently wearing an event recorder and have had 30 events in two weeks which the doc says are benign. However, am scared about the shuddering sensations and incresing frequency of other symptoms. I don't smoke, drink, and have cut out all caffeine. I want to think that I am doing all that I can to ensure my kids have a dad to grow up with. However, the increasing frequency of the symptoms are robbing me of sleep and making me paranoid about travelling etc. They seem to come out of nowhere and last for varying lengths of time. Any suggetions would be most appreciated.
PS have never fainted with these symptoms but have felt faint occaisionally with them.
Also on exercise I would have runs of rapid 120-140bpm (after) that sometimes went on for hours but kind of outgrew them. Some doctors hear a click or slight murmur. Recently have had more frequent bouts of premature beats that sometimes are accompanied by a spasm like sensation which can be felt with finger tips under the left breast. They only last afew seconds but also create a flush or rush sensation. I recently had a stress test, EKG, and a doppler echo. Stress test was normal and echo was also except for mild regurgitation of the tricuspid and slight of the mitral.
Through the years some doctors have said that I also have MVP but this has not been proven on the echo. I am currently wearing an event recorder and have had 30 events in two weeks which the doc says are benign. However, am scared about the shuddering sensations and incresing frequency of other symptoms. I don't smoke, drink, and have cut out all caffeine. I want to think that I am doing all that I can to ensure my kids have a dad to grow up with. However, the increasing frequency of the symptoms are robbing me of sleep and making me paranoid about travelling etc. They seem to come out of nowhere and last for varying lengths of time. Any suggetions would be most appreciated.
PS have never fainted with these symptoms but have felt faint occaisionally with them.
I am a healthy 28 year old and also suffer from multiple PVCs whilst exercising which can be a little disconcerting, so I take it slowly these days-walking for 1 hour a day instead of aerobics and swimming. One thing that my cardiologist did warn me of, he said that if I continue to exercise during the PVCs there is a chance that they may degenerate into A-fib and I don't want, the PVCs are enough thanks very much. So please take care, don't push yourself too hard during exercise and good luck with your echo.
I have never heard of PVC's turning into A-fib before, I was always told that if you get seven or more in a row, it was considered V-Tach, not a good thing to have happen and worse is V-Fib depending on where the PVC occurs in the heartbeat it can set of V-Fib. PVC's are from the Ventricles so it can disturb the normal beat. Atrium beats are not as serious and the Ventricle ones, PAC's I believe can go into the A-Fib, A-Flutter, or A-Tach. I also get PVC's when I excercise, much less most of the time, as well as PAC's. It is very common and it is very rare for it to turn into the V-Fib. I don't do much excercise because the faster my heart goes the more I get. Has anyone else heard about the PVC's turning into A-fib?
Thankyou for your reply, I would like to point out that I don`t seem to get this heart thudding during exercise but I did get it for 24 hours after which was a shame because it has stopped me from going to the gym again,which to be honest I had only just started an I did very little cardiovascular exercise. Do you or anybody out there know exactly what my ecg reading meant? It said I had minimal voltage criteria for lvh and something about pre-eptopic complexes and my ecg was borderline, on the info I have given does this sound like something I should be very concerned about or am I just getting a warning sign, because I think that it is years of drinking every night that has caused this outcome and my h.b.p. is another warning sign to slow down , or does anybody think I should realistically give up all smoking and drinking, and will my heart return to normal(ish!!). I would greatly appreciate any info as all this has come on me very suddenly and is causing great anxiety. Please respond either to this excellent site or E-MAIL me at alan.***@****. THANKS
Thankyou for your reply, I would like to point out that I don`t seem to get this heart thudding during exercise but I did get it for 24 hours after which was a shame because it has stopped me from going to the gym again,which to be honest I had only just started an I did very little cardiovascular exercise. Do you or anybody out there know exactly what my ecg reading meant? It said I had minimal voltage criteria for lvh and something about pre-eptopic complexes and my ecg was borderline, on the info I have given does this sound like something I should be very concerned about or am I just getting a warning sign, because I think that it is years of drinking every night that has caused this outcome and my h.b.p. is another warning sign to slow down , or does anybody think I should realistically give up all smoking and drinking, and will my heart return to normal(ish!!). I would greatly appreciate any info as all this has come on me very suddenly and is causing great anxiety. Please respond either to this excellent site or E-MAIL me at alan.***@****. THANKS
I thought I would pass on some interesting news to all of you in hopes maybe someone else is taking Claritin for their allergies. I have been on Claritin for about 5 years. My original posting talked about my PVCs getting much worse lately. The cardiologist suggested changing my allergy medication from claritin to allegra. I thought I would try no allergy medication at all and about 10 days after stopping the Claritin, my PVCs are basically GONE. After dinner they used to be the worst about 1 PVC per every 4 or 5 regular beats. Now I've only felt 2 or 3 a day with none on some days. I've heard that Claritin D could cause palpitaions but not regular Claritin. I'v just started drinking 1 cup of coffee in the morning without causing any more PCVs. I'm convinced it was the Claritin causing the problem. Hope this may help someone. Good Luck to all of you with the PVC problems.
After reading all these entries, I am in tears. I had no idea that so many people were suffering and having their lives ruined as have. I have been experiencing similar symptoms for more than 10 years now.
My PAC's began halfway through my pregnancy with my son in Tokyo Japan almost 11 years ago. The doctors there treated me with Valium and told me to relax and not to worry so much. After my return to the U.S. I began having severe episodes of skipped heartbeats for weeks at a time, and then they would just disappear for months, even years.
In 1992, I had a sonogram and was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse. I also have had episodes of Panic Disorder throughout my adult life. I have made numerous trips to the ER for this condiditon and have been to every kind of doctor.
My family practitioner suggested that I may be suffering from depression. My gynecologist thinks I may be peri-menopausal (early). And my cardiologist can offer no treatments except digoxin (which seemed to make the arrhythmia worse) and Toporol (a beta blocker which turned me into a zombie after about 4 days).
A psychotherapist diagonesed me with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and treated me with EMDR (a mild form of hypnosis). Acupuncture also seemed to help somewhat, mostly for helping me to regain my stamina.
I often find that listening to my own heartbeat with a stethoscope seems to help. It's a simple form of biofeedback. A glass of wine will often relax me in the evenings. But these are not always an option when one has to function.
I am also looking into something called HeartMath, Freeze Frame and Cut Thru by a man named Doc Childre. His techniques are getting favorable attention and feedback from the cardiology world. You can find web pages about this by plugging these names into any search engine.
I am currently going through another severe episode of skipped beats which have been increasingly disturbing over the past several months. I've missed several days of work this month and am beginning to worry about my future livelihood.
What I would like to ask everyone is:
How do you cope with daily life? How do you function at your jobs and meet the demands of parenting while experiencing these symptoms? How do you make plans for simple outings and ever hope to fulfull your dreams for the future?
My PAC's began halfway through my pregnancy with my son in Tokyo Japan almost 11 years ago. The doctors there treated me with Valium and told me to relax and not to worry so much. After my return to the U.S. I began having severe episodes of skipped heartbeats for weeks at a time, and then they would just disappear for months, even years.
In 1992, I had a sonogram and was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse. I also have had episodes of Panic Disorder throughout my adult life. I have made numerous trips to the ER for this condiditon and have been to every kind of doctor.
My family practitioner suggested that I may be suffering from depression. My gynecologist thinks I may be peri-menopausal (early). And my cardiologist can offer no treatments except digoxin (which seemed to make the arrhythmia worse) and Toporol (a beta blocker which turned me into a zombie after about 4 days).
A psychotherapist diagonesed me with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and treated me with EMDR (a mild form of hypnosis). Acupuncture also seemed to help somewhat, mostly for helping me to regain my stamina.
I often find that listening to my own heartbeat with a stethoscope seems to help. It's a simple form of biofeedback. A glass of wine will often relax me in the evenings. But these are not always an option when one has to function.
I am also looking into something called HeartMath, Freeze Frame and Cut Thru by a man named Doc Childre. His techniques are getting favorable attention and feedback from the cardiology world. You can find web pages about this by plugging these names into any search engine.
I am currently going through another severe episode of skipped beats which have been increasingly disturbing over the past several months. I've missed several days of work this month and am beginning to worry about my future livelihood.
What I would like to ask everyone is:
How do you cope with daily life? How do you function at your jobs and meet the demands of parenting while experiencing these symptoms? How do you make plans for simple outings and ever hope to fulfull your dreams for the future?
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