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PVC's are now constant
I have had PVCs, PATs,and Vtach leading to SVT since I was 20. I have been to several cardiologist with the same results. Benign. Lately, I had an attack of a few PVC's in a row followed by a tachy rate that I could not count. It lasted for about 5 minutes. It happened again right before a trip to DisneyWorld. It ruined my trip). Again, EKG showed nothing. I do try to eat pretty well, and take supplements. Now I started a new job that I love, but I am TOTALLY exhausted all the time. Plus my PVCs have started coming constantly, probably thousands a day, with couplets, FELT:(kick in chest, sharp pain, tightness for seconds, breathlessness at time of palp). No ignoring these. I had a holtor and an event monitor before the symptoms got too bad and of course only light PVCs showed on the test. My doctor told me everything is benign with a normal heart and that I don't have heart disease. How does he know? My chol. is 240, my LDLs are 138 and my HDL's are low. I have had no stress test or any other. My mother has extensive cardiac disease.
I take 50 mg of atenelol, and .25 of Xanax daily. It is like telling me to ignore a sharp pain. I have high anxiety. Who wouldn't? But I am really tired of being told that it is causing it. I had PVC's first. I wonder why money is spent fixing men who have problems with their sex lives, but I see no one trying to come up with any help for those of us who suffer with this. Any help would be appreciated.
I take 50 mg of atenelol, and .25 of Xanax daily. It is like telling me to ignore a sharp pain. I have high anxiety. Who wouldn't? But I am really tired of being told that it is causing it. I had PVC's first. I wonder why money is spent fixing men who have problems with their sex lives, but I see no one trying to come up with any help for those of us who suffer with this. Any help would be appreciated.
Hello,
Sorry to hear about your struggles. I think the obvious answer to your last rhetorical questions is the men with erectile dysfunction have a problem that can be fixed with a single pill taken when needed, there is no such magic bullet for people with PVCs because PVCs are a problem that we don't fully understand.
Without knowing what workup you have already had, it is difficult to suggest other directions. A standard work up for PVCs could include depending on clinic circumstances:
EKG
ECHO
STRESS TEST
Holter monitor and if you don't exerpience your typical symptoms, try an event monitor where you will have to wear the monitor for a longer period of time and press a button when you have your typical symtpoms.
If there significant abnormalities on the above tests, if indicated, the work up may include
MRI to evaluate for structural heart disease and rule out less common conditions
EP study and possible ablation of monomorphic PVCs -- if there are too many shapes or morphologies the PVCs, an ablation will not help unless one of the morphologies is predominant.
Signal averaged EKG to evaluate for late potential suggestive of heart disease or scar
Again, these are not tests for everyone, only people that appear to need them. Just because they are not ordered does not mean that your doctor doesn't believe your symptoms.
If the symptoms are severe, there are medications like flecainide that can suppress PVCs, but success does vary by the case.
I hope this answer the questions. Good luck and thanks for posting.
Sorry to hear about your struggles. I think the obvious answer to your last rhetorical questions is the men with erectile dysfunction have a problem that can be fixed with a single pill taken when needed, there is no such magic bullet for people with PVCs because PVCs are a problem that we don't fully understand.
Without knowing what workup you have already had, it is difficult to suggest other directions. A standard work up for PVCs could include depending on clinic circumstances:
EKG
ECHO
STRESS TEST
Holter monitor and if you don't exerpience your typical symptoms, try an event monitor where you will have to wear the monitor for a longer period of time and press a button when you have your typical symtpoms.
If there significant abnormalities on the above tests, if indicated, the work up may include
MRI to evaluate for structural heart disease and rule out less common conditions
EP study and possible ablation of monomorphic PVCs -- if there are too many shapes or morphologies the PVCs, an ablation will not help unless one of the morphologies is predominant.
Signal averaged EKG to evaluate for late potential suggestive of heart disease or scar
Again, these are not tests for everyone, only people that appear to need them. Just because they are not ordered does not mean that your doctor doesn't believe your symptoms.
If the symptoms are severe, there are medications like flecainide that can suppress PVCs, but success does vary by the case.
I hope this answer the questions. Good luck and thanks for posting.
Ok if you say that pvcs are not fully understood, then why is it day after day you doctors tell each and everyone of us that they are not life threatening? If you dont understand them then you really dont know. I would say having these pvcs runs of nsvt and all the other palps that we all get are the absoulte worse thing anyone can have. They control our lives give us anxiety, make us live in fear on a daily basis and all we hear is dont worry. I have been going through this for many years now and yes im not dead yet, but sometimes I just think go ahead and kill me and get it over with.This nsvt has ruined my life in so many ways. Yes I have heard that there is no silver bullet but this just doesnt seem normal to have these nor to live like this forever. And yes if this somehow someway affected a mans sex life I would bet you that there would be a magic bullet soon. Living this way is not living.
I totally agree. I am a cardiac nurse. I have lived with these things for years. I have studied, studied, studied...maybe trying to do what no one else will...figure SOMETHING out. I know the feeling of, "Oh just kill me and get it over with." I have started a new job and fear I will lose it. How can I concentrate on what I'm being taught when I am getting "jolted" from inside a million times. I'm not a stupid person by any standards, nor am I a hypochondriac, yet I am treated like one. My cardiologist told me to "stop putting [yourself] on monitors. I was astonished. I am in the middle of feeling like dropping over and cannot get an appointment with a cardiologist. They all tell me to go to an ED, if it is that bad. There you mostly get treated like you're psycho. I am at wits end. And yes, if they are not fully understood, why aren't there new things being seen each day? People are certainly working on cancer, heart disease, MS, DM....the list goes on. There are a lot of us suffering and not able to live and it isn't because we're scared cowards. I used to be content with reading other people are going through this. That isn't enough anymore. I want to LIVE!
A related discussion, Can anything help with my PVC's ? was started.
What you describe could be a type of PVC and they can most definitely occur just before your cycle and then not show up again until the next month. They can also occur just before, during ovulation. I don't think it means anything that yours started so young. Have you been checked by a doctor because if this is what they are and your heart is otherwise normal then they are not life threatening, just a little scary. I have read posts from people who are seventy something years old and have lived with them all their lives starting at a young age. However, you should have yourself checked out by a cardio just to be sure nothing else is going on and then when they occur you will have the information you need to reassure yourself that although they are scary, you will be fine. Hope this helps.
Okay, so... I realize I'm probably just high-strung (self-proclaimed hypo when it comes to anything that deals with the heart or brain) but I have a few questions.
First... some personal information.
I'm a 20 year old white female with no known history of heart disease in my family. My BP is almost always 105/60; normal resting HR 65-75. I don't lead an extremely active lifestyle, but I am active. I'm 5'7" and 130 pounds. I do have some anxiety issues that have diminished over time.
I don't drink soda, either diet or regular and my diet consists of a good amount of fruits and vegetables... I am not taking any medication, nor have I ever (aside from sinus infection meds... etc).
My first noticeable 'episode' happened when I was about 13. I was in the shower (super hot) and I bent over to grab the shampoo off the bottom shelf when... bam. My heart was all skippy and a little fast (I'd peg it at about 130). I instantly became terrified. I jumped out of the shower and called my mom who told me to calm down... I was otherwise non-symptomatic. After I sat down and took a few deep breaths, I felt a tiny kick and it went back to normal.
This all happened just a year or so after my grandfather dropped dead from a heart attack... but his was NOT hereditary (he drank like a fish, smoked since he was 12 and was obese). He died at 64.
Okay... well, from that day on, I was heart-conscious. I experienced a few little split second episodes of the 'wiggly' heart, but I had no other 'major' instances for a year or two. The next really noteable one came when I had taken a couple years off from the whole active scene (ran a lot, played basketball... always super active) and started becoming a bit more sedentary. Well... it was the first day of gym, and I think I pushed myself too hard. Needless to say, when I stopped and went to put my hands on my knees to relax, it kicked into one of those crazy, wiggly episodes. Well... I got really nervous and the anxiety fueled it. I kept trying to calm down, but I couldn't (kept having flashbacks to the shower). I was otherwise non-symptomatic.
It lasted for about five-ten minutes. I walked all the way from the gym to my next class upstairs on the other side of the school. When I sat down and took a deep breath, it went back to normal.
The third major incident occured when I was under a lot of stress -and- ill. I woke up in the middle of the night extremely hot and achy. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to lie down on the floor because it was colder. Well... I knelt down and went to lie down when my heart kicked up and felt pretty fast (140-150). I freaked. I woke up my girlfriend... it lasted for about five minutes. I was insanely nervous the whole time.
There again... kicked back to normal. Completely non-symptomatic otherwise.
Ever since then (I became more active... I eat better, get out more... etc) my 'episodes' seem to occur about a week before my cycle but are otherwise non-existent. To give you an idea... I might feel a brief series of wiggles anywhere from less than a second to 5 seconds at the MOST twice a day... usually once a week or less.
Am I ******* insane to think I have a problem, or does this sound very much within the normal range? Does it mean anything that mine started earlier in life? I would also like to excuse my hypo-ness before anyone responds with, "WTF I HAVE LIKE A MILLION A DAY".... etc.
... I feel like a puss.
First... some personal information.
I'm a 20 year old white female with no known history of heart disease in my family. My BP is almost always 105/60; normal resting HR 65-75. I don't lead an extremely active lifestyle, but I am active. I'm 5'7" and 130 pounds. I do have some anxiety issues that have diminished over time.
I don't drink soda, either diet or regular and my diet consists of a good amount of fruits and vegetables... I am not taking any medication, nor have I ever (aside from sinus infection meds... etc).
My first noticeable 'episode' happened when I was about 13. I was in the shower (super hot) and I bent over to grab the shampoo off the bottom shelf when... bam. My heart was all skippy and a little fast (I'd peg it at about 130). I instantly became terrified. I jumped out of the shower and called my mom who told me to calm down... I was otherwise non-symptomatic. After I sat down and took a few deep breaths, I felt a tiny kick and it went back to normal.
This all happened just a year or so after my grandfather dropped dead from a heart attack... but his was NOT hereditary (he drank like a fish, smoked since he was 12 and was obese). He died at 64.
Okay... well, from that day on, I was heart-conscious. I experienced a few little split second episodes of the 'wiggly' heart, but I had no other 'major' instances for a year or two. The next really noteable one came when I had taken a couple years off from the whole active scene (ran a lot, played basketball... always super active) and started becoming a bit more sedentary. Well... it was the first day of gym, and I think I pushed myself too hard. Needless to say, when I stopped and went to put my hands on my knees to relax, it kicked into one of those crazy, wiggly episodes. Well... I got really nervous and the anxiety fueled it. I kept trying to calm down, but I couldn't (kept having flashbacks to the shower). I was otherwise non-symptomatic.
It lasted for about five-ten minutes. I walked all the way from the gym to my next class upstairs on the other side of the school. When I sat down and took a deep breath, it went back to normal.
The third major incident occured when I was under a lot of stress -and- ill. I woke up in the middle of the night extremely hot and achy. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to lie down on the floor because it was colder. Well... I knelt down and went to lie down when my heart kicked up and felt pretty fast (140-150). I freaked. I woke up my girlfriend... it lasted for about five minutes. I was insanely nervous the whole time.
There again... kicked back to normal. Completely non-symptomatic otherwise.
Ever since then (I became more active... I eat better, get out more... etc) my 'episodes' seem to occur about a week before my cycle but are otherwise non-existent. To give you an idea... I might feel a brief series of wiggles anywhere from less than a second to 5 seconds at the MOST twice a day... usually once a week or less.
Am I ******* insane to think I have a problem, or does this sound very much within the normal range? Does it mean anything that mine started earlier in life? I would also like to excuse my hypo-ness before anyone responds with, "WTF I HAVE LIKE A MILLION A DAY".... etc.
... I feel like a puss.
I am extremely grateful to have found this site. Although I do not get them all the time when I do I am on a ride to the emergency room as quickly as I can get there. My insurance company hates me I am sure, but my trips there have slowed down because I am learning more and more about what may be the causes of them. But you see, I have never known what caused them so now I understand why I might be having them. I dip snuff (tobacco) , I have stress (pvc's , loss of breath), I drink diet coke (caffeine), and I am tired quite a bit from staying up and worrying about this all of the time. Plus I should sleep with my cpap every night but I cheat myself and do not. Honestly I think I am trying to end it myself without doing it outright. But I do not want too. I want to live a happy healthy life but I just cannot seem to get started. I know I need to exercize but I am afraid because I do not want to start these things up for nothing. So I am stuck there. It is truly sad that I put myself through it but I do not know how not too. It is like telling someone take a pencil and put it in their hand and then tell them to "try and drop it ". Well a person cannot try to drop a pencil. A person either drops it or holds on to it. The same for telling someone to try to stop thinking about it. The more I try the more I think about it and the more it gets me uptight until I end up having a full anxiety attack. I have to watch a movie to go to bed to keep my mind on something else. That is very sad to me. Sympathy is not what I seek. Freedom of fear and anxiety is my ultimate goal. I truly sympathize with each and every one of you who have these and are worried as I am. I currently take a 5 milligram dose diazepam when I feel the anxiety coming on. Believe it or not that does help me from going into a full panic attack.
I totally believe that stress and fatigue can cause increased frequency of PVC's. I noticed I get them when I am fatigued or stressed out. Caffiene doesn't seem to increase my PVC's BUT my PVC's happen more often when caffeine wears off likely due to the "crash effect" (I feel tired once it wears off).
Thought you'd be interested in another study, this time on effect of fatigue and stress.
I'm not sure whether they looked at the same interns under different conditions or two different sets of interns, which would be less convincing. I noticed that the maximum pvc's is 23 per hour. This is quite high and one intern with frequent pvcs like this could have skewed the results quite a bit if he/she happened to be in the 'stressed and fatigued' group. Would need to see the whole paper though (You'd be amazed at the poor quality of statistics that sometimes get published in the biological sciences).
The effect of stress and fatigue on cardiac rhythm in medical interns
Stamler et al. Jelectrocardiol 1992 Oct;25(4):333-8.
Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
Twenty-four-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring was used to determine the incidence of arrhythmia while on-call and its relationship to stress and fatigue in 20 healthy medical interns. Mitral valve prolapse was present in 8 of 19 interns (42%). Heart rates ranged from a maximum of 103-167 beats/min (135 +/- 16) to a minimum of 38-61 beats/min (47 +/- 5). Interns had at least one episode of sinus tachycardia/h during 57% +/- 21% (range, 8-88%) of their hours on-call. Atrial premature beats (APB) were present in 19 of 20 (95%) and ventricular premature beats (VPB) in 12 of 20 (60%) subjects. APB/h ranged from 0 to 1.2 (0.4 +/- 0.3) and VPB/h from 0 to 23 (2 +/- 6). Three interns had multiform VPB and two had ventricular couplets. More APB/h occurred in interns under greater stress (0.5 +/- 0.4/h vs 0.3 +/- 0.1/h, p < 0.05) and combined stress and fatigue (0.6 +/- 0.4/h vs 0.2 +/- 0.2/h, p < 0.01). More VPB/h (5 +/- 9/h vs 0.5 +/- 0.6/h, p < 0.05) and higher (Lown) grade ventricular ectopy (2.3 +/- 1.6 vs 0.8 +/- 1.1; p < 0.05) occurred in interns under greater combined stress and fatigue. Mitral valve prolapse, sleep deprivation and caffeine intake were not associated with increased arrhythmia. The authors conclude that (1) rapid sinus tachycardia is frequent in interns while on-call and (2) interns experiencing greater stress and fatigue have more APB/h, VPB/h, and higher grade ventricular ectopy. These data support the notion that stress and fatigue may contribute to arrhythmia in healthy normal subjects.
I'm not sure whether they looked at the same interns under different conditions or two different sets of interns, which would be less convincing. I noticed that the maximum pvc's is 23 per hour. This is quite high and one intern with frequent pvcs like this could have skewed the results quite a bit if he/she happened to be in the 'stressed and fatigued' group. Would need to see the whole paper though (You'd be amazed at the poor quality of statistics that sometimes get published in the biological sciences).
The effect of stress and fatigue on cardiac rhythm in medical interns
Stamler et al. Jelectrocardiol 1992 Oct;25(4):333-8.
Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
Twenty-four-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring was used to determine the incidence of arrhythmia while on-call and its relationship to stress and fatigue in 20 healthy medical interns. Mitral valve prolapse was present in 8 of 19 interns (42%). Heart rates ranged from a maximum of 103-167 beats/min (135 +/- 16) to a minimum of 38-61 beats/min (47 +/- 5). Interns had at least one episode of sinus tachycardia/h during 57% +/- 21% (range, 8-88%) of their hours on-call. Atrial premature beats (APB) were present in 19 of 20 (95%) and ventricular premature beats (VPB) in 12 of 20 (60%) subjects. APB/h ranged from 0 to 1.2 (0.4 +/- 0.3) and VPB/h from 0 to 23 (2 +/- 6). Three interns had multiform VPB and two had ventricular couplets. More APB/h occurred in interns under greater stress (0.5 +/- 0.4/h vs 0.3 +/- 0.1/h, p < 0.05) and combined stress and fatigue (0.6 +/- 0.4/h vs 0.2 +/- 0.2/h, p < 0.01). More VPB/h (5 +/- 9/h vs 0.5 +/- 0.6/h, p < 0.05) and higher (Lown) grade ventricular ectopy (2.3 +/- 1.6 vs 0.8 +/- 1.1; p < 0.05) occurred in interns under greater combined stress and fatigue. Mitral valve prolapse, sleep deprivation and caffeine intake were not associated with increased arrhythmia. The authors conclude that (1) rapid sinus tachycardia is frequent in interns while on-call and (2) interns experiencing greater stress and fatigue have more APB/h, VPB/h, and higher grade ventricular ectopy. These data support the notion that stress and fatigue may contribute to arrhythmia in healthy normal subjects.
Thank you for your comment. I started Klonopin 12 years ago at a dose of 0.5. I still take 0.5 at bedtime. I have weaned myself off Klonopin many times during these years. I have not needed to increase my dosage in all this time. I only know that after I have been off the benzo for awhile.......my heart goes back to having it's own life again. I don't have answers for others.....I only know what works for me. My doc told me I was not addicted because I have not had to increase the dosage for Klonopin to continue to work for me. I have read everything I can find on this disorder, but I do not have the proper education to understand what I am reading most of the time. Laughing......I just "get the drift." (Texas saying.) Usually I find people with a greater understanding....such as yourself...and learn from them. numberc
AnthonEE, you are right on. I'm glad you and Awake agree. It can't hurt.
Let me tell you my progress. By the way, this is great forum I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. I have learned quite a bit from you guys, and it has helped understand some things. We are not alone, which in itself, is reassuring. I also believe that PVC's are related to other simuli in our bodies, rather than a 'heart condition.' I think our hearts are just fine, they are simply 'victims of circustance' if you will.
Over the past ten days, I have drank a lot of water to stay hydrated, especially in this heat. I'm in Atlanta. I have also been taking vitamins to include; multi's, magnesium, calcium, and potassium (the electrolytes). I have noticed a decent decrease in PVC's, at least ones I could feel. I tend to get PVC's when I'm hungry. I then eat, and they go away. There is a blood sugar thing there, I think. However, if I eat junk or heavy food, I tend to get them for a while after I eat, but they eventually go away. I used to take Klonopin for Restless Legs and Anxiety, but quit about a year ago. Thinking back, since I have quit Klonopin, I have noticed more episodes of PVC's for longer periods of time. Maybe something there. I may go back on Klonopin and see. I drink several beers a day and smoke a half pack of cigarettes a day (bad furry). I have noticed no correlation between drinking and smoking and PVC's. I think with drinking alcohol, though, it is key to stay hydrated. Dehydration, I believe, can cause PVC's. I do notice a stress/anxiety connection as well. I get them when in a stressful/anxious situation. Job interview, crazy drivers/traffic, etc..... I have not noticed that exercise directly eliminates PVC's, but I believe that exercise relieves stress, which can cause PVC's.
I will keep track of my progress and will try some new things and then report back. If others want to participate, great. If not, whoever wants to add their results/comments, wonderful.
Good luck and have a PVC free day.
Furry
Let me tell you my progress. By the way, this is great forum I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. I have learned quite a bit from you guys, and it has helped understand some things. We are not alone, which in itself, is reassuring. I also believe that PVC's are related to other simuli in our bodies, rather than a 'heart condition.' I think our hearts are just fine, they are simply 'victims of circustance' if you will.
Over the past ten days, I have drank a lot of water to stay hydrated, especially in this heat. I'm in Atlanta. I have also been taking vitamins to include; multi's, magnesium, calcium, and potassium (the electrolytes). I have noticed a decent decrease in PVC's, at least ones I could feel. I tend to get PVC's when I'm hungry. I then eat, and they go away. There is a blood sugar thing there, I think. However, if I eat junk or heavy food, I tend to get them for a while after I eat, but they eventually go away. I used to take Klonopin for Restless Legs and Anxiety, but quit about a year ago. Thinking back, since I have quit Klonopin, I have noticed more episodes of PVC's for longer periods of time. Maybe something there. I may go back on Klonopin and see. I drink several beers a day and smoke a half pack of cigarettes a day (bad furry). I have noticed no correlation between drinking and smoking and PVC's. I think with drinking alcohol, though, it is key to stay hydrated. Dehydration, I believe, can cause PVC's. I do notice a stress/anxiety connection as well. I get them when in a stressful/anxious situation. Job interview, crazy drivers/traffic, etc..... I have not noticed that exercise directly eliminates PVC's, but I believe that exercise relieves stress, which can cause PVC's.
I will keep track of my progress and will try some new things and then report back. If others want to participate, great. If not, whoever wants to add their results/comments, wonderful.
Good luck and have a PVC free day.
Furry
I also agree it's a great idea. I propose an experiment with stress. My PVCs have been relatively mild for the past few months. But I injured my leg and I cannot exercise. Walking is difficult. And I'm moving to a new house this weekend. My stress level will be elevated to a very high level over the next few weeks. I propose to report back if the PVCs increase in frequency and/or intensity as a result. I'd be happy to keep all other aspects of my life (like diet, caffeine, etc) as much the same as possible. Is this like the idea proposed by Furry Murray?
I agree. This sounds like a great idea.
I am a 17 year sufferer of PVC. It drives me nuts. Nobody understands our problem and they don't want to keep hearing about it (non-sufferers that is). I, too, agree with several people on this forum that we need to address the causes and not the symtoms and stories. We have them. We have to deal with them. Nobody in the medical field is going out of their way to help us. We have to help ourselves. The comments from readers on what they think, or know, causes pvc's is what we need to focus on. We need to put our heads together, pool our resources and information and work as a team. I sound like a football coach.
Let's do a test. Go for a week or two. Take a suggestion/opinion from one of our readers or panelists. (ie: take magneium and potassium, eliminate stimulants, exercise, stay hydrated, relaxation techniques, diet, etc....) and see if you have improvement. Post your results when you are finished. The following week or two, try another test and so on. After a while, we may see a pattern. I know everyone is different and respondes to different stimuli, but if we could help just one person feel better, we've succeded.
Furry
Let's do a test. Go for a week or two. Take a suggestion/opinion from one of our readers or panelists. (ie: take magneium and potassium, eliminate stimulants, exercise, stay hydrated, relaxation techniques, diet, etc....) and see if you have improvement. Post your results when you are finished. The following week or two, try another test and so on. After a while, we may see a pattern. I know everyone is different and respondes to different stimuli, but if we could help just one person feel better, we've succeded.
Furry
Forgive me for straying off topic, but this seems relevant to the anxiety so commonly connected with PVCs. One thing they may not have mentioned to you about influence of benzo (Klonopin) on the GABA receptors is that after taking these meds regularly for a while (even just a very short while, like two weeks) the body somehow begins to reduce the responsiveness of the GABA receptors to the body's own naturally produced GABA. At first when you take the medication the anxiety is greatly reduced or eliminated. It feels wonderful. But then the receptors begin to rebalance (or reduce) themselves to the presence of this medication, and the anxiety returns just as before. But now you need the medication just to get back to where you started in the first place. For many people this can happen in as little as two weeks even at minimum dose. Then when you stop or try to taper down from this medication, BEWARE. I tell you this from my own direct experience with 14days on 0.5mg Klonopin. Worst nightmare in my life, and it took me probably a full year to recover. Please see my posting to heartandsoul on 7/18/07 (in this thread) about Xanax, a similar benzo medication. I know anxiety and stress are tightly interwoven with PVCs, either directly or indirectly, and it should be respected and treated. But PLEASE, for your sake, heed my advice about Klonopin, or any benzo, and get fully informed about the pros/cons and potential risks. Once in a while it's ok. But any regular usage can really spell trouble. I'm not an expert either, but all I'm saying is do your research and get informed because if your experience turns out to be anything like mine, the PVCs and their associated anxiety will absolutely pale in comparison with the horror that cessation from Klonopin can cause, even after as little time as two weeks. And I'm not the only one that responds this way, there are hundreds or even thousands like me. I hope you're fine with the medication, and I only post this because I am concerned. But if I can save just one person from the nightmare that I lived through, my time on this forum will be very well spent. Best luck to you. And now, back to PVCs...
I have all the symptoms mentioned on this forum. They started at sixteen. My dad had these also. I was going to the emergency room sometimes three times a week to have Calen (sic) injected into my vein to stop these episodes of heart running away. After my heart beat retuned to normal......whatever that is......I would pass hugh volumes of urine. On my last trip......12 years ago.....a doc in the EM asked me if I had ever taken Klonopin. I had not, but I had been on everything else. He gave me a scrip for it and I have not been back to the EM. I spend lots of time on the puter, looking for the reason for all of this. Seems we have something called Gaba receptors in our brains, that control our anxiety and heartbeats and other things. When Gaba is low or whatever we experience these episodes of our heats taking on a life of their own. Now I am not an expert by any means of the word. I have little skips and flutters now and again, but I have not had anything I could not deal with. Seems Klonopin is a benzo and it fits right into the receptor just like the gaba. Even progesterone works like gaba. My dad and I both always thought the brain was involved in some way. Anyway it gives us something to think about. numbercruncher
I too am a sufferer from pvcs. I was diagnosed with them about 5 months ago. My holter showed around 3,400 single ectopic beats over a 24 hr period. Amazingly, almost 70% of them came in just a 7 hours period (2PM - 9PM). I remember sitting down with my wifes stethoscope listening to my heart beats as I counted them. I was only trying to figure out what my resting beats per minute was. This is when I first heard the odd beats. I wanted to try and encourage everyone who deals with this beats. Trust your doctors and live your life. If it causes you to fear you are going to die any minute, (which you probably won't), then live your life to the fullest. What better way to live than to think that this may be your last day. Nobody is promised tomorrow.
I've had them for 40 years. Still breathing, still biking and still doing tricks. But they are hard to ignore and get me down occasionally. Just gotta keep keeping on! Yeah, 'benign' says the cardio but it doesn't feel too benign when the pump jumps and bumps all night. You all have my sympathy but at least we're all still on the right side of the earth1
My comment is also for you too frs87. :)
Please don't be offended because that's not my intention. Why are you torturing yourselves? I understand your anxiety but using stethoscopes and wanting personal holter or event monitors to monitor your heart arrhythmias would only add to your suffering. This is becoming your whole world and I can't imagine the life's you are enduring. How are using these instruments going to help you, except make you more obsessive in tracking every single PVC etc. Get rid of them and start treatment for anxiety, this will truly help you, I know, because I've been through it.
Hi
I too am in my 30s and I have a lot of palpitations in a day. I don't know how they are related to eating with me but I do notice they are definitely related to my cycle. It may help you to keep a chart for a couple of months and see if they increase at certain times in your cycle. I am in the process of doing that myself. I don't know of any holistic approaches to dealing with these awful things but I am always on the look-out and will share anything I find out...with the rest of this thread too. If the palpitations are showing up on the holter monitor, they are not in your mind. Find whatever it takes to help yourself relax a bit more. Hopefully, these things will go away as quickly as they came on for you. Good luck!
Heart_and_soul <3
I too am in my 30s and I have a lot of palpitations in a day. I don't know how they are related to eating with me but I do notice they are definitely related to my cycle. It may help you to keep a chart for a couple of months and see if they increase at certain times in your cycle. I am in the process of doing that myself. I don't know of any holistic approaches to dealing with these awful things but I am always on the look-out and will share anything I find out...with the rest of this thread too. If the palpitations are showing up on the holter monitor, they are not in your mind. Find whatever it takes to help yourself relax a bit more. Hopefully, these things will go away as quickly as they came on for you. Good luck!
Heart_and_soul <3
I have been getting PVCs off and on for almost 20 years now, but only during the last 4-5 years have they been enough to really bother me. To answer your question about fatigue, I do not generally get any feeling of fatigue or of being tired as a result. But when I'm getting a series of palpitations I do feel a little drained at that very moment I suppose. I think light headed is maybe too strong a description, but sort of gives the idea. Almost as if the cardiac output is not as efficient during these times. But I do not get any heart burn or symptoms of indigestion. Never have. Very interesting you mention the connection with eating. I almost always get these PVCs after I've eaten, but sometimes in the morning before getting out of bed. There is a very strange connection between PVCs and eating (for me). Other contributors to this forum have also mentioned a connection. And stress and coffee as I've mentioned before. I've heard people also suggest spasms of the esophagus that may feel like heart palpitations. I guess some people do get that, especially after eating. But at least in my case they are not from that, they are PVCs of the heart. The EKG will determine.
I have not really heard of a holistic approach to managing these, but would be very interested if you came across something. I don't think they are completely in the mind because there are many PVC events all through the night (when my conscious mind is not active) and they show up on my holter reports. It is something very physical, like how the heart (ventricular) muscle can occasionally depolarize in a funny or premature way on certain beats. As if the heart muscle is irritable, or if there are some overly excitable areas of the ventricular muscle that fire off before their time, and the rest of the surrounding heart muscle will then depolarize in response to this rogue "command". It is good in the sense that your heart muscle is working (depolarizing) just as it should, only the various parts have gotten their signal to "beat" in a way that is unusual and a little out of order. So what you feel is this heartbeat that has not progressed at the right time or in the usual orderly way. The fact that the ventricles can and will eventually depolarize on their own without the usual command from the atrial sinus node can be a life saving mechanism in the heart. It's a really beautiful and amazing thing. But it seems like this mechanism can get out of hand, or alternate pathways or blocks can develop to alter the normal propagation of the heart beat. In the case of PVCs this is said to be benign. Anyway, I believe this is all very physical and not only in the mind.
What may be in the mind is whether we're tuned in to it, or anxious about the effects that we feel from it. Plus stress and the mind/body response to it does release lots of cortisol, adrenaline, and other things that may cause the heart to become more apt to behave this way. That's just my layperson theory. But if stress is a trigger, which it seems to be in my case, then I'd say in that sense it is definitely in the mind. Stress can do tremendously bad things to our bodies and overall well being. It can also save our lives.
So with the possible connection to stress, maybe you are very correct in looking for a more holistic approach to managing this. I'm very interested in this idea too and hope to hear back from you. Best wishes.
I have not really heard of a holistic approach to managing these, but would be very interested if you came across something. I don't think they are completely in the mind because there are many PVC events all through the night (when my conscious mind is not active) and they show up on my holter reports. It is something very physical, like how the heart (ventricular) muscle can occasionally depolarize in a funny or premature way on certain beats. As if the heart muscle is irritable, or if there are some overly excitable areas of the ventricular muscle that fire off before their time, and the rest of the surrounding heart muscle will then depolarize in response to this rogue "command". It is good in the sense that your heart muscle is working (depolarizing) just as it should, only the various parts have gotten their signal to "beat" in a way that is unusual and a little out of order. So what you feel is this heartbeat that has not progressed at the right time or in the usual orderly way. The fact that the ventricles can and will eventually depolarize on their own without the usual command from the atrial sinus node can be a life saving mechanism in the heart. It's a really beautiful and amazing thing. But it seems like this mechanism can get out of hand, or alternate pathways or blocks can develop to alter the normal propagation of the heart beat. In the case of PVCs this is said to be benign. Anyway, I believe this is all very physical and not only in the mind.
What may be in the mind is whether we're tuned in to it, or anxious about the effects that we feel from it. Plus stress and the mind/body response to it does release lots of cortisol, adrenaline, and other things that may cause the heart to become more apt to behave this way. That's just my layperson theory. But if stress is a trigger, which it seems to be in my case, then I'd say in that sense it is definitely in the mind. Stress can do tremendously bad things to our bodies and overall well being. It can also save our lives.
So with the possible connection to stress, maybe you are very correct in looking for a more holistic approach to managing this. I'm very interested in this idea too and hope to hear back from you. Best wishes.
I am a 35 y/o mother of two little boys.... I've been having PVCs for about 2 wks now. I woke up one morning 2 wks ago & there they were. I went to my doctor & he said he could see nothing wrong w/ me so he had me go get the holter monitor. They said I was having palps, but that they were benign and they called them PVCs. I went back today for an EKG & Thyroid test. Both were normal and I am "said" to be fine. My hubby thinks these are brought on by stress as we have a very stressful life and that if I would slow down a bit I might be able to control them. Also, I had not slept well for months and had not drank water like I normally did. I am a health nut, but I have been taking care of an ill family member for years now, and this has taken it's toll on me. So, anyways, I am wondering how much of PVCs are in the "mind"??? I probably have about 25 or more a day and I notice they are when I am more active and always when I eat... that one is strange. I am gonna try & keep my stress to a minimal.
Are there any wholistic remedies for PVCs????? Would love to hear any/all comments on that. Thanks!
Are there any wholistic remedies for PVCs????? Would love to hear any/all comments on that. Thanks!
P.S. I also wanted to say I enjoyed reading all the posts on here and they gave me some comfort & support I longed for!!!
Also, does anyone else w/ PVCs suffer from heartburn & extreme fatigue after you have a lot of pvcs in a day??? My doc never mentioned anything about being tired w/ them, but I am. Is that a bad sign?? I have never had heartburn before, ever! So to get this the same week as the PVCs has made me wonder what is up!? I hate the exhaustion... I hope that gets better. I am too young for this. God bless you all:)
Also, does anyone else w/ PVCs suffer from heartburn & extreme fatigue after you have a lot of pvcs in a day??? My doc never mentioned anything about being tired w/ them, but I am. Is that a bad sign?? I have never had heartburn before, ever! So to get this the same week as the PVCs has made me wonder what is up!? I hate the exhaustion... I hope that gets better. I am too young for this. God bless you all:)
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