PVCs during and post exercise

[Alfred]

Hi

I get regular bouts of chest pain and PVCs.  I have a had a full cardiac workup including a normal angiogram as well as gastro tests etc over the past 4 years.  I have a great GP (National Health in the UK) who is still trying to figure out why a fit 33 yr old male is suffering from these symptoms.  I am not anxious or depressed but the PVCs and chest pain do make me more anxious.

The questions I have are:

1)  I get PVCs regularly but not always post exercise (e.g after a 1 hour run)- the GP tells me to continue but I read on this site that post exercise pvcs can be dangerous.  In a otherwise structurally normal heart with normal angio - should I be concerned and look for yet further cardio tests?  My cardiologist said "whatever the pain is, it's not your heart".  So is this overkill?

2) In a regular pulse at the wrist and neck I still get flutterings by my heart - can the wrist pulse, neck pulse and heart be different or are they always in sync?

3) How does anxiety related chest pain present itself?  I am exploring this as an option even though I don't feel anxious or stressed.  I get pains with every heartbeat for about ten minutes at 3am.

4) Do you have any further advice about any further discussions/tests I can request from my doctor or do I accept this and get on with life.

Sorry for the ramble but any advice will help.

Regards

Alf

[Quantav]

A related discussion, Follow up was started.

[jaz5802]

About 10 years ago I started noticing my PVCs much more and they quickly got my attention. At the same time I started experiencing various levels of anxiety (including 2 major panic attacks). Prior to this, I had about 10 years worth of a high stress life (including a career) with 2 marriages that failed, etc.

I sought out a psychologist for the sudden onset of anxiety.  My issue was why would I be falling apart now (this was a relatively quiet time in my life) when I've been through so much more prior to this?  It was explained that when the body has enough, it will let you know.  Some forms are presented as anxiety, heart issues, neuro problems, etc. So basically, all those years of high stress depleted my adrenals (I became tired but wired) and by body was finally sick of it and trying to tell me something!!

My life is much more simple now.  I wish I could retire, but not yet -- lucky you! I am sure your ND has told you it takes time to re-balance your body whether these PVC outbursts are from years of stress or hormone related. I know I've always had PVCs, they were just dormant for so long.

Balance and acceptance, I believe, really is the key.

I too use a plant-based progesterone but just 2x day. I'm also a bit of a health nut; I don't take any meds -- not even a Tylenol -- and I don't drink alcohol anymore (gave me a rapid heartbeat).  I just started a weight training program in my home (Joyce Vedral) and continue to eat as healthy as I can. I feel better now (even with these darn PVCs) than I did when I was in my twenties!

Good luck and happy hiking!

Beth

[jaz5802]

I used to notice my PVCs more so in the morning and in the evening while winding down.  I have heard this is because we are more aware of them at these times -- we are not involved in our everyday and sometimes hectic schedules -- which makes perfect sense to me. The busier I got, the less I noticed.

I have them starting on day 13 of my cycle and continuing through day 17.  Today is day 18 and they are completely gone -- not a trace.  I am 44 years old and have been experiencing PVCs since I was 17, however, more so since I turned 42.  I believe there is a connection with hormones (at least for women) and I have seen many posts on this board in regards to that.  So if it is mostly hormone related during this time of your life, welcome to the club!  (By the way, I don't experience hot flashes or insomnia.) It would be interesting to hear what your naturopath has to say.  I see an alternative nutritionist.  She's trying to balance my hormones with natural progesterone. If this is all that will happen during this "change", I am ok with it.  The challenge is when PVCs interfere with our quality of life.

Hope that helps!

Beth

[debigriffs]

Thanks Beth - I will definitely pay attention to see if there is any correlation with my cycle - given that I am 46 I am sure there are many changes going on. My naturopath has me on a timed-release progesterone (plant-based) cream that I apply 3x/day - it has helped with insomnia. He also says that it will have an effect on my adrenals/cortisol levels as my adrenals are pretty burnt from 20 years at a hig-stress high-tech job which I just retired from. Funny I get the PVC/PAC activity after I retire and spend my days hiking, kayaking, skiing and having fun! My ND also gave me CoQ10 which has had some study regarding improving heart health and also gave me a supplement with calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. He says he believes it will help with the PACs/PVCs as well.

[debigriffs]

I have some days where I have 2 normal heart beats and then a PVC/PAC, then 3 normal beats then a PVC/PAC, then maybe 10 normal beats before the next PVC/PAC. It varies for me...when it gets that bad, my whole body feels like it is beating and jumping and I feel a lump in my throat and it is difficult to function.

I do manage to have almost an entire day here and there without noticing them or maybe noticing a few but most days if I have 20 normal beats before a PVC/PAC, I feel fortunate.

I really hate these things as they do get in the way a bit, but I am determined somehow to "beat" them without drugs if possible!

[debigriffs]

Since March '03 I have been having these weird sensations in my chest and then a sensation like my heart is beating hard in my throat near my carotid. I went to a caridologist and had a Holter monitor test and Stress Echo - both confrimed I have been having PVC's & PAC's. In putting on the leads for my stress Echo I was having several PVC's & PAC's ... the cardio tech said what we want to see is that with exercise these PAC's/PVC's decrese in frequency. Mine did decrease by about 60% so I felt better. In my anxiety about all this, I forgot to ask why we wanted to see a decrease - does anybody know?

Also, when I have a rash of PVC/PAC activitiy, I put on my sneakers and go for a 30 minute, 2mile brisk walk around my neighborhood. This forces me to look at beauiful mountains, trees and birds and have fun with my dog and I hardly notice the PACs/PVCs during the walk and afterwards they are greatly reduced or non-existent!

Now after reading some of the concerns above about post-excersie problems with PACs/PVCs I am a little hesitant to lace up and take off!!! YIKES!

Also, I seem to notice that my PACs/PVCs are worse between 5-8AM and 9-11PM no matter what the rest of my day has been like. My naturopath is working on a hormonal evaluation since I am 46...anyone else notice any time of day issues with the PACs/PVCs?

[Quackbust]

Help! This site is great.

What if you have PVC's while you exercise vs. post exercise?

Are PVC's more dangerous with a HR of around 60 at rest.

The only test my doc. will give me (I've got an HMO) is an EKG and a holter.  Is a stress test that important?

[jaz5802]

Was it ever mentioned as to WHY red wine (or any alcohol) would induce this type of irregular heart beat?  I am trying to understand the works behind the symptom.

Thanks!

Beth

[raylock]

About two years ago I suffered an eposode of Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia which was associated with Paroxysmal A-fib.  That occured after drinking three large glasses of red wine.  I was put on a beta-blocker and have not had an occurance since.  I have since limited my red wine intake to no more than two regular glasses and only with dinner.   With respect to the number of PVC/PAC's being reported, my last 24 hr Holter moniter reported about 5400 PAC's in 23 hours down from over 10,000 the year before.  One in twenty beats is pretty calm for me.  Fortunately, I don't worry about them and they only bother me when I sleep on my left side.

Good luck
Ray

[valger]

Hi again everyone, I was just wondering about the frequency of my PVC's.  When I sit and take my pulse, I rarely get up into the twenties without a PVC.  I try to see how long I can get, and today, it was like 24.  Do any of you have them that much?  I'm just getting used to the jumpy feeling that I have all the time from these.  I've been walking a couple of miles in the morning, and usually feel pretty good on my walk, but then they start in a few minutes after I stop again.  I don't really know if I'm having them during my walk, I don't feel them, but my cardiologist said maybe I'm having them, and not feeling them then.  I don't know what more I can do.  I've had the thallium stress test, numerous ekg's, blood tests, echos done a while back, and a holter, but during the holter time, I didn't have them as bad as I do now.  I am pretty sure these are related to hormonal changes, since I'm having really weird cycles, and going through menopause early.  Anyway, I was just wondering if you thought that the frequency of mine could be dangerous.  I read where some people say they have hundreds a day, and I'm thinking, I have hundreds an hour!!  Well, thanks a lot for any help!!  Val

[ToppBoffin]

Re Red wine, Just adding my experinece: Yes certain red wines will increase my heart rate at night.  I find it is mostly related to cheaper wines (and definately cask wines) I've always assumed that it was the chemical additives that they put in these wines.
Any comments welcomed.
cheeers
Topp

[tucan]

Hi.  My normal heart rate is 72.  It goes up to about 160-180 when I'm having an "attack".  PSVT is: Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia.  It is usually triggered by alcohol, caffiene, smoking, and certain drugs.  Luckily I don't smoke.  But I do like coffee and NO MORE WINE!!!  If I continue to have frequent attacks my Dr. wants to try me on Beta Blockers.  I really don't want to do the pill thing.  I'm a very active person.  I run every day and have a lot of skipped beats during and after a run, but my cardiac workups are always good.  So "the beat goes on".  I just really take one day at a time, and enjoy the heck out of my 5 yr old!  Thanks all.

[jaz5802]

I was amazed to see your post about the red wine!  I don't know anyone else who gets rapid heart beats from that.  If you don't drink wine or have caffeine, is your heart rate normal?  Also, what exactly is PSVT?  I believe it's some sort of ventricular tach?  thanks!

Beth (jaz5802)

[tucan]

Where do I start. 1st, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one, althought I don't wish this on anyone.  I started having rapid heart beats when I was a teenager.  Dr.'s told me it was an eating issue.  I was very thin and active and passed out frequently when I didn't eat often.  Then in my 20's I was told I had MVP w/leaking.  I have yearly cardiac workups and am in good health.  I run about 20 mile per week and have to be premedicated for dental work/surgery etc. Since giving birth in my early 30's my rapid heart rate/irregualr heart rate symptoms became worse. Even bending over could provoke an "attack".  The real rapid beats episodes are usally always in the middle of the night and last anywhere from 2 min to 30 mins.  The last episode was Sunday morning.  I had consumed 3 glasses of red wine the night before.  It was the worst episode ever.  My heart was racing up to 180bpm (it woke me up from a sound sleep at 7am)then I started sweating and then passed out.  I was freaked out.  However, it went away within min's.  I went to the Dr. today and found out it was a PSVT.  Which now that I know, I know I've had several in the past year.  Mine are usually brought on by Caffeine and alcohol. (and now Red wine) I'm rambling on, but whew!  I can run, eat healthy and not croak! I just have to live with these sometimes untimly and irritating "attacks", (which I am also going to try to control with my abstinance from alcohol and caffeine) Thanks all for listening.

[valger]

Hi again everyone, I want to thank you again for all of the help!  This board is better than going to the doctor!  I actually am not sure if I wrote about this already, but I did get my blood test results back, and are looking into why my sed rate test was high at 38.  Other than that, I don't know if there is much more I can do, except to loose weight, and hope that if my life becomes less stressful, it might help with the PVC's.  I've been walking, and it really seems to help during the walk, although they come on again after I'm done.  It does seem to calm them down a bit though.  Sometimes I just have such a hard time with them, if I'm hot (we live in a hot place) and am running around too much, they just get very frequent and hard, and I have to stop, and lay down, and put a wet towel on my head, which seems to help, along with drinking lots of water.  But, the sed rate test has me concerned, I don't have any obvious reason why it would be elevated, my ANA test, and my RH factor were both negative, and I don't really have any other symptoms other than the palpitations.  I'm tired alot also.  I wrote to the doctors on here, and a couple of them said that sed rate of 38 is not that high, and that it can be caused by lots of things.  Anyway, thanks again so much for all of the support, I wouldn't have been able to go through the stress test without you!!  Thanks, Val

[jaz5802]

Hi Jenny --

Alcohol caused me problems about 3 years ago.  I always indulged during holidays and on the weekends; mostly red wine.  I would wake up in the middle of the night with a pounding, racing heart that lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.  I was never out of breath, but the pounding and fast beats scared me. My cardiologist told me alcohol can cause palipations.  So, I stopped drinking.  On a very rare occasion I will have one glass of red wine but it is with a meal only. I decided I just didn't want to feel like that anymore so it wasn't worth the drink(s). Plus without the extra calories, I dropped 10 lbs.

In regards to your PVCs: ask your doctor to issue you a Holter monitor.  This way they can see what is going on.  More than likely it is nothing but they can't tell until they see it.  When I wore mine (for 24 hours), I was told to do every activity I would normally do.  I was afraid to even bend over for fear of setting off a string of PVCs, but I followed the doctor's instructions.  When he reviewed my "tape", he said I had PVCs and a very unusual beat that happened once.  He said I had an episode of 2 extra heartbeats (the original one beat and 2 more).  I felt it when it happened.  Didn't hurt, just felt real bizarre. He said he'd never seen anything like that before but I probably had it all my life!  So, you see, being different doesn't mean you're dying.

PVCs in a structurally sound heart (according to the doctors out in the medical world) mean NOTHING.  They will not kill you; they will not provoke a heart attack.  If tests are normal (other than noting the irregular heartbeats), PVCs do not have any siginificance.  Of course, tell that to us... those who are annoyed and scared of them!

My suggestion is to get thoroughly checked out -- if nothing else, for peace of mind.  When you know all is well, learn relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation or even just a walk outside.  I love to walk!  It brings me closer to the outdoors, I get to see different birds and some good ideas on house remodeling! Losing some weight will help you physically and mentally and it appears you're on your way; congratulations!  Being internally balanced helps me too -- mind, body, spirit thing.  And I don't eat junk food or take any over the counter medicines.  And no caffeine (coffee and chocolate).

Hope this helps you.  Read all the posts and look at this site's archives in the Heart Forum for other PVC info. Take care.

Beth

[trulala]

I have been experiencing  constant PVCS  for the past three months now. It is  like out of the blue.  I had them in the past BUT very rarely.  Only fleeting moments where I would have these PVCS.  They would come and go.  I never worried because  they were so few and far between.  Now,  all of a sudden,  I am experiencing them very very frequently. All day sometimes!!  I suffer from very bad generalized anxiety and panic attacks  as of late as well.  I have been under an extraordinary amount of stress. I wonder, can anyone please tell me,  could anxiety and stress cause these terrible PVCS?  First,  I went to the emergency room.  I had  blood tests  done, and my heart enzymes were normal.  Then I had an EKG in the emergency room,and it showed  just sinus tachacardia, BUT ironically enough  no PVCS  showed up! (How  interesting heh?  )  LOL!!  Now,  it  just continued  so  I went to a good cardiologist  in  my area.He was a doctor that my mother suggested(she by the way,  had a bout  of PVCS  when she was under stress and pressure in Chiropratric  college  years ago.  She explained to me that they were  so bad  that they lasted her 9 months straight.  She has  experienced  them  every day  slightly  ever since.) I am 100 pounds overweight.  I gained a lot of weight in a short amount of time.  I gained 48 punds in one year which is  alot for me. Thankfully, I have joined Weight Watchers  and have lost about 9 pounds so far. I even had an Echocardiogram and the doctor said "Well dispite your obesity and the fact that the tests results were not as clear as I had hoped.  I do not see or suspect heart disease."  He said,  "  Your chambers are clear and your heart beat is normal and strong."  Again,  I did not experience ANY PVCS when the technician  was perfomring the test (Very interesting indeed!!) LOL! I was prescribed  propanol (inderol) but I do not see  that it is really working. I heard   stuff about Magnesium and Hawthorne.  Please some one help me.  I am scared  that I am going to die from these dreaded PVCS.  Please can someone  ease my  fears?  My email address is ***@****.  I would appreciate any commments  and suggestions. As I am typing  now,  I had about  25  or 30  PVCS.  It disturbs me and it is cutting down the quality of my daily life because  I am so scared.  Will I die from them?  Should I have a stress test and have a haltor monitor  put on  to see what is truly going on?  I also get them  when I excerise and that  disturbs me.  I was feeling a bit better last week, BUT  drank  too much alcohol on an empty stomach  on Memorial day weekend  and got very sick.  I have not been feeling better since.  I feel as though alcohol set me back.  Can alcohol  cause  irritation in the heart and cause  more PVCS?  Please someone help me. Thank for listening    Jenny

[cyn123]

ok  after reading all that  i dont  know if i should laugh or cry.   Can anyone tell me if these damn pvcs of fluttering or funny feeling in your chest  make you scared to leave your house.  It seems when i get them at home they arent so bad but when im out at a store or vacation or anywhere else but home  the bother me so much more.  It robbs me of my life and it pisses me off to no end.  I try to ignore but it scares me to think im going to throw a blood clot or something.  I have 2 beautiful girls ages  8 and 2  and i dont have time to think of dying.   Just wondeering if anyone else feels the same way.  By the way  had and ablation in 2000 for svt,echo and echo stress and they say wverything is ok.  I say they need to go into my brain and do an ablation on the part that remembers  the svt.  But still feel the damn pvc   I think maybe i would cut off my right arm  if they would go away.  Thanks for letting me vent

[valger]

Hi Beth and everyone, and thanks again for all the help!!  I took my blood tests today, so I'm anxious to see how those come out, and then go on to the next step.  I think I should probably have an echo, because the last one I had was years ago.  Then, beyond that, I think I'll have to start trying different types of things.  I've been going for walks each day, and it's weird, I feel good on my walks now, like the PVC's almost go away, maybe just one here or there (or maybe I'm just not feeling them), but they start in again about 10 minutes or so after I'm done.  The exercise seems to calm them down for a while.  But, I'm reading on here where post exercise PVC's can be dangerous, but it seems to me like it would be good if I'm not getting them during exercise.  Who knows.  I always worry cause of what happened to my Dad about cardiomyopathy, he passed away of that at 69 years old.  He was always in excellent health, too.  He was a runner.  So, I worry that PVC's could be a sign of heart failure.  But, then I come on here, and see how common they are, and maybe I should try to stop worrying about that, I'm sure it's anxiety about my Dad, especially since he was so healthy.  And, Beth, thanks for the kind words about my Dad, I'm sure that does add to the stress of this.  It seems like it gets worse with time, kind of like the numbness of it all wears off, and then it starts to sink in.  I have had palpitations for 10 years, though, so I think I'm definitely prone to them for whatever reason.  I keep thinking maybe it's menopause related, but I'm through all of that.  I am only 43, it's kind of early, but it is all done.  My doctor did say you could have symptoms for years, though.  It's werid, when I sit and type on here, I have really hard and frequent ones, it drives me crazy!  Thanks again for all of the help!!!!!!  Val

[jaz5802]

Welcome!

Glad to hear you got yourself checked out -- now it's just waiting for the results; try to keep an open mind.  As you have read, there are others out there with more severe issues and yet they still living life!  Most problems can be treated, so try not to worry, and that's even if there is a "problem."

In regards to your concern about exercise induced PVCs/PVCs after exercise I too have read of an increased risk HOWEVER I have also read a post in this forum from one of the doctors that this "at risk" statement means that there's a possiblity. If you take all the people who experience PVCs during exercise or after (and I am one of them) and do a study, the outcome would be that there is a possiblity of being at risk -- does not mean that will definately happen.  I wish I could quote the doc because he explained it so much better.

A suggestion as you await your results: maybe make a list of all your questions for when you speak with your doctor. When I first started having tests done I would often forget questions I had and/or not have a pen handy when the doctor answered them.  It was easier for me to write and review his responses later.  My mind tends to get overwhelmed with "did he mean this?"  If it's written, I can't run with it!

Let us know how everything turns out.  It is very comforting to know we all may be different but we are all similar in some way!

Beth

[deandm]

Hello...I can't begin to tell you all how glad I was to come across this site, I feel as though a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders now that I know that there are others of you out there who suffer along with me by having pvc's...this is my second go round with pvc's, in fact I turned in the my event monitor today. I'm looking forward to meeting with my doctor next week to discuss the results of my blood work and the event monitor and what I can do about them....My father died at the age of 42 with heart related problems (don't know whether he to experienced pvc's but I do know that he had WPW Wolff-Parkinson White) which if not treated with the proper meds can cause ones heart rate to take off 200-300bps.....I have been checked for WPW and I do not have that however I do have pvc's and because of my fathers early death, any disruption to my heart rhythm concerns me a great deal. I'm 40 years old, a father of 3 and married to the most caring and patient woman in the world who tries very hard to comfort me during my episodes of pvc's that usually always cause me to become very quiet and withdrawn when having them.

Though I wouldn't wish pvc's on anyone and from what I read there are many of you who experience them far worse than do I, I am so relieved to be able to talk with others who can relate to them...if I had a dollar for every time I was told that pvc's are harmless, forget about them and get on with your life, I'd be a rich man!! Real easy for a doctor who does not have them to say...or that family member who thinks because the doctors said they are harmless, you're now a hippocondriac every time you have an episode.

I'm currently on the Atkin's Diet (need to loose 15lbs) and have wondered if maybe that has anything to do with increase in the pvc's all of a sudden??  As I said this is my second bout with pvc's (to me that's about a dozen or so /day), up until about a month ago they hadn't been a problem for about a year and a half. Now I occasionally have a few during the day with most of them coming in the evening especially after my evening walk of 2 1/2 miles....they don't seem to last long and then they'll go away for a while and then return around bedtime and become worse when I lay down. I guess that's because your at rest and they are much more disturbing when you are relaxed and the pvc's change your relax state to an anxious state just like that.

During exercise I seem to be fine...maybe cause the hearts beating so fast that they aren't as noticeable.... but I must admit that I am very concerned after reading about post exercise pvc's and the increased risk associated with them...I am seriously considering stopping my evening walks, though I guess only my doctor can advise on that.

This web page will become my most visited now that I know you all are out there!!

Sorry for rambling on....I have so many questions and finally others to talk with about them!!

Thanks so much!!

Dean

[jaz5802]

Sorry to hear about your dad.  It sounds like you're under quite a bit of stress these days, which of course, can contribute to the frequency, intensity and quantity of PVCs.  This may be difficult but try your best to relax.

I see a chiropractor but not for the reason of PVCs (it's for overall health).  I've heard others visit acupuncturists -- I haven't.  Whatever works for you is what you should do (or try).  Just remember: there's no miracle cure or we'd all be out there getting it!

The following may sound far fetched to you (I don't know your background) but it's something I learned in a 12-Step program.  It can be applied to anything in life:

Awareness
Acceptance
Action

We are aware of our PVC condition and have taken the necessary steps to learn more about them; we fully accept our condition of PVCs realizing they exist and are there; we take action to help ourselves whether to alleviate them medically (testing, medicines, supplements/vitamins) or spiritually (turning our condition over to "a higher authority" and keeping the faith) and even helping our bodies by exercise, meditation or other calming techniques.

It took me a long time to fully accept my PVCs. I had to accept that I didn't have 100% control over them. I fought it all the way -- my body can't possibly be doing this! But guess what?  It was.  So accept it and move on.  Easier said than done, but practice letting go and doing things in your life that you like to do.  Take your focus off of them -- get busy doing something else and they just might not have the impact they have on you now.

Hope this helps.  And thanks for the compliment.  Here to offer what I know to everyone; and I too receive it back.

Beth

[jaz5802]

I don't think there is any harm in calling your doctor for reassurance about your test results and your heart.  I once called my GP 3x in one day.  By the third call I could tell he was getting a bit irritated but what he said to me at that time eventually made sense: "You're doing it to yourself."  I had gotten myself so worked up about my irregular heartbeats that I was actually creating more irregular of them!  So, give the doc a call, believe what he has to say and then get on with your life.  Helps to make a list of questions before you call.  You can scribble the answers next to each question (good for future reference -- I save everything)! If what he says still doesn't sit right with you for some reason, there's always a second opinion available.

Beth

[valger]

Thanks again for all of the help, and Beth, thanks so much for the encouragement, I really don't know how I would have done it without you!!  This board is literally a life saver!!  I am so glad I finished the test, because when I first laid down to get the first pics, I was having so many PVC's, I really thought I wouldn't make it through the whole thing, and then wonder forever if it would have shown something.  But, I kept thinking "be brave" and just tried to calm myself down.  It's weird, it's not like I have less PVC's when I try to calm down, it's just that if I don't let them bother me, they seem less demanding or something.  I really could feel them hard when I was laying there, though.  Do you ever have some times in the day when you get them, like a couple or a few a minute?  I get like that sometimes.  I am staying here in Reno right now with my Mom, cause my Dad passed away, and tonight I had to drive my older daughter over to Carson City (about an hour drive) and I was so worried about the drive, and then I just did it.  Afterwards, I felt so good that I had done it, so it seems like if I really try to not limit myself, and just do anything with these, then it's like you win over them or something like that.  I know that sounds stupid, like what's the big deal with a one hour drive, but that's a big anxiety thing for me when I'm going through a time with alot of these PVC's.  So, now that I've had the nuclear test, and a holter, does that rule out any serious thing with my heart?  From here, do I just try different things like vitamins, and maybe go to some other type doctors, like acupuncture or something?  I was thinking that I still have some blood tests to take, and beyond that, I could go get my hormone levels checked or something, and then I heard something (maybe it was on this post) about chiropractors, and the connection between your nerves in the back, and your heart.  I was just wondering if there's any other test you think I should have.  I guess it wouldn't hurt to do another echo, the one I had was years ago, and I suppose things could change.  Well, thanks again so much for all the help, I wish I could do the same!  I am such a hypochondriac, I actually thought the call from the heart doctor saying my test was normal was a crank or something.  I sat there thinking, something is not right....anyway, thanks again!!  Val