RUN'S OF PVC'S

[carie]

I am a 40 year old female, very healthy other than heart palpitations.  I suffer PVC's and runs of PVC's.  I have been for two EP studies and the doctors cannot find anything wrong with my heart.  I am on Celexa 10mg because I have always been worried about my palpitations and they were really controlling my life.  I just would like some reassurance from you on the following:

1.  Usually at night when I am laying down I will get what feels like a run of hard fast beats (5 to 8 in a row).  My hands get tingley and I feel like a I am going to go into major panic.  It goes hard and fast and then does a pause and a big thump and then back to normal.  Do you think that is a bad thing?  Do a lot of other people get things like that.  My doctor said that I am just very aware of my heart beat and not to worry because I have a normal heart (very hard to do).

2.  I can sometimes go for several days without any skipping or runs in my heart and then it will happen everyday for a week.  Is that normal?

3.  Anytime I feel anxious for any reason I can feel my heart go irregular (just very temporarily) and I can take a deep breath and it will go back to normal.  Is that anything to worry about?

4.  Ten years ago I had a holter monitor on and it caught a very short run of nonsustained v-tach.  I have really let this haunt me for the last 10 years and I think that is why I am so scared about everything I feel my heart do.  I went for the EP studies because I was so horrified about these runs of beats but they could not find anything to ablate.  Anxiety related?

Thanks.

[LORIANDTOM]

Hi. I too, am having problems with shortness of breath or having to take a deep breath to get some good air!  I cannot tell you if it is anxiety, the pvc's or something else, but I do agree with you the more fixuated you are on it- the worse it is.  However, it isn't exactly an easy thing to just forget about.  The breathing part of this is just annoying as my pvc's are and one of my chief complaints.  

I try to relax, get my mind of it, excercise etc.. and do ok for a bit but it still is a big problem.

At least I am not the only one! That's comforting, but I would love a definitive answer to this!

Lori

[jarbo]

Hi all - I've done well with homeopathy for my palpitations, Check out my comments in the question just above this one -- John

[Mister]

Hi there. You sure aren't alone. And you sure aren't mad. Your doctor isn't mad either, he just doesn't understand. How can he?

You must always remember how powerful the mind is. If you feel depressed, your body gives you signals, such as PVCs etc. Nothing to worry about. But you do.

It all takes time. And learning.

Have you read Dr Claire Weekes' books? It helps understand.

Change your thinking and smile more, if you can.

It's interesting, if you take your MIND off your problems, your problems go away.

[laneyr]

I have been having these damn things for years now and I always take a deep breat after experiencing one (or a few.) It drives me nuts but it is just an automatic thing now.  My palpitations stopped for a year and have just started up again in the last 2 months and are even worse.  I find them worse at night and I lay there trying to control my breathing and worrying about it.  
I did visit the doctor when they first started and he tried to convince me it was all in my mind - well either I am mad or he is.
I find laying on my left side helps at night and watching a bit of tv (distraction).
I am glad im not the only one suffering this and im not going mad.

laney

[Mister]

Thanks for the swift reply; it is so good to have somebody to communicate with who knows what it's like. You just responded once and yet you have brightened things up as it's a step nearer to getting it sorted in my head that it really is not anything to worry about. It's catch 22 as worrying is what probably causes the stress and therefore the breathing becoming erratic and then the PVCs appear. And then you're in a vicious circle.

I shall begin some exercise!

With regards to the breathing (always sighing and yawning) I have begun my new job in sales and this has, so far today, taken my mind off this habit. So I know the more I concentrate on my body, the more I stress and the more I want to take a deep breath.

So it's a case of diverting my energies towards something more useful.

Also, little things have made me feel better about PVCs. For example, there is a programme called 'Heartbeat' in the UK, about a police station set in the Yorkshire Moors in the 60s. Nothing to do with the heart, except for (and this is the point) the theme song, entitled 'Heatbeat'. I forget who sang it. But it goes.....ahem.......'Heatbeat, why do you miss when my baby kisses me........?' So you see, it is common, part of life and, in this case, associated with love and happiness. There was also an advert in a magazine which, advertising women's underwear (Hey, I just happened across it) and the punch line was, 'Cause sweats and palpitations'. There you go, all part of life and all in the mind. It's just a nervous reaction and is common, hey, it's used in advertising so every human is open to it.

We've just got to keep talking to as many people as we can to get our heads around it. I was thinking (Don't think too much!) that soldiers must be stressed and pumped full of adrenaline all the time. If they started noticing their heartbeat they'd probably freak, for no reason!

I guess we have to start thinking differently, know what we are like and how we react so that we can adapt and learn to change. It's pointless saying 'Come on, sort it out!' as it takes a long time and understanding but it's a start.

I also have kicked the drink and not had one since August! I go out and dance all the time. I don't need drink as I'm that outgoing kind of person (which is why I never thought this would happen to me) and do quite okay with the women so I can construct better sentences! Most of my mates have a go for me not drinking but later on in the evening they turn around and say that they admire me for it, saying they couldn't do it. I think a lot of them are envious.

Just do what makes you happy.

Anyway, I'm interested in anybody who has anything to say, particularly with regards to this habit of wanting to take a deep breath all of the time as I find this the most annoying thing.

Thanks once again, Arthur.

I'll be checking this site all the time so let's share info, people!

[arthur]

You are going through something I think most of us have also gone through...complete anxiety and fear due to these "skips", however frequently they occur.  In my own case, being an athlete, I was devastated and so anxious that I was afraid to get out of bed.  The tension that built up as a result, would often have me stretching and yawning, and precipitating dreadfull feelings of tachycardia (even if it wasn't really happening) and more skips.
This was definitely all in my head.

I had a lone atrial fib condition, largely brought on by adrenaline pulses during exercise...what a thing for an athlete to get!  So I was depressed, big time.

By gradually learning more about my condition and going through a variety of physical exams for every disorder that could explain my symptoms, I became more relaxed and more confident.  I resumed exercising and even though I precipitated further AF episodes, I knew WHY they were occurring and I was able to map out a plan of action (which led to a rf ablation of a PV focus which was responsible for the whole thing).  It's been a year and a half since the ablation procedure, and I still get minor bouts of "skips" which appear to be less and less troublesome...since I now make a real effort to ignore them, which actually works to keep my spirits up.

So, it's a long road...shortened if you get the information you need to understand what's causing your symptoms.  Believe me, if they are PACs or PVCs, they are indeed benign.  I play competitive soccer and at age 54 I can still score against 20 year olds.  I run my head off in practice and in games, with the result that I have recaptured the life that these buggers attempted to take away from me.

Good luck with your data gathering and rebuilding your confidence!