Too many PVC's

[CareBear59]

Hi!
I'm a very scared and frustrated person today. I've had many resting ekg's, a holter about two weeks ago, and an echo about 6 months ago, all were no problems.  I have PSVT for many years, but my problem is when you speak of PAC/PVC's most people get them sporadically, one here, one there.  I noticed in the last couple of days, and this was never caught on my holter monitor of course, that when I get them, they come really bad and close together.  When I start getting them, I don't just get one, I get maybe 10 or 15 every other beat, (like beat, beat, Pause, beat,beat, pause.) and the only thing that helped last night was too lay down. I get sooooo scared when this happens, I'm sure I'm going to die.  My question is how can this situation with them this frequent and close together be a benign situation?  There must be terribly wrong with my heart that they have not caught for the premature beats to be this close together when they happen.  I never used to feel this way and it's starting to really run my life.  Hope you can help!!!!

[What brings my pvc's on.]

My Dr. thinks I am crazy.I call him very upset not with my pvc's, but with the pain that accompanies them.   Every vacation of every summer I am ushered to the ER for severe pvc's..Sometimes I have a pain in my chest and arm, which when I had with the holter and pvc's simaltaneously, and he still said that pain was not related to my heart.  Even though each and every time I have a pvc, I have this pain.  Its like a quick flashdancey twinge right when the pvc occurs.  Anyone else have this? I have found that keeping myself hydrated,proper diet with postasssium, and "Sleepytime" tea will decrease them.  I have had an ekg, stress echo, all back fine.  It gets worse when there is hormonal fluctuations in my life as well.

[Butch]

I am encourage to read about the number of people who experience PVC's.  I first had them in 1992 and have been in constant battle since.  What I come to find out was, as I asked questions, some of my family members also had episodes of this same type.  But I could not understand what made mine so bad.  When I first had them I went into the Emergency Room of the local hospital.  And was later sent to  a cardiologist, following all the routine checks, i.e. holter monitor, ekg, echo,.  And everthing showed up fine.  The most relief I felt was while I was sitting in the Doctors office, i guess a feeling of panic was not there and it made me feel better to know I was around someone who could help.  I Had panic attacks, and still have them to this day.  Looking back it is hard to determine which came first.  I truly believe the Panic attacks I had was the underlying cause of the PVC's.  It seemed because of the anxiety attack my mind concentrated on the arrythmias and it became a catch 22.  I am a police officer and know that stress will always be a part of my life.  Although alot i trace back to childhood.  I addressed the stress issue and the panic attacks seemed to subside.  Although occassionally i have an episode of PVC's, although i usually can feel when i get stressed and have learned to anticipate that before it triggers my body to react.  Good Luck to all sufferers of PVC's, I know what you are going through.

[Gary]

Hi everyone. I just started noticing PVCs about a month ago. 2 visits to the ER, 4 ECGs and an echo later, I've had no answers just like the rest of you.  I have no interest in taking the drugs offered because despite what the doctors tell you, they are dangerous and can cause very serious complications in some people.  My extra beats were coming every other beat sometimes which drives me crazy and as you all know is very scary.  Delving into what I do best which is research, I happened upon some information that ginger tea can actually help.  This was fortunate, since I always keep a good supply of ginger root in my freezer (I've found it to be great for coughs).  After weeks of sheer desperation, I started taking the tea whenever I could feel the frequent beats beginning.  Would you believe it actually worked?  It hasn't stopped them but its definitely slowed them down and spread them out which is exactly what the "killer" drugs are supposed to do.  If you want to try it do as follows:

Buy several pounds of whole ginger root from the produce section of the supermarket (don't ever buy the kind that come in tea bags, it won't do anything).

Take one big root and break it in half.  Put the rest in the freezer.  

Take one of the pieces and slice it about four or five times.

Put the slice in a two or three quart pot and fill the pot almost to the top.

Let it boil until half or more of the water has evaporated (this increases the potency).

Add sugar to taste and sip. Repeat all steps as needed.

Its a good idea to make a thermos full to last all day.  I also started getting back into meditation after a long hiatus and I found that the extra beats stopped completely whenever I meditate.  I recommend that you find a local meditation class and jump into it with both feet.  I've found that the palpitations feed off of the anxiety you have whn they appear and will become more frequent as a result, so become proficient in meditation and breathing exercises.  I haven't completely licked them yet, but I'm getting there.  I have no intention of "just learning to live with them" as the doctors say or poisoning myself with these crazy drugs.  I'm scheduled for acupuncture this week and I'll let you folks know how it turns out. Good luck to all of you.

[Helen from Australia]

Hi, from the time I was 19. I am now 44years old, I have been having bouts of SVT's up to 239 BPMs(when I was in my 20s these episodes would go sometimes for days with me not being able to get out of bed!!)I seek treatment nowadays but its still not as bad as those days!! this has effected my entire life. for the past few years I have noticed these other skipped beats, they feel like a punch in the chest, then a horrible fluttering feeling with a rush of palpitations, sometimes if I lie flat on the ground, take a deep breath, then relax my heart will pound then a few more skipped beats then reversion back to normal bpm's at about 100 per minute, takes a few hours for it to drop back to the 80's again though. If this does not stop it and I feel dizzy and cant walk and feel short of breath etc. I go to the emergency dept. of the hospital where I am given "Adenacarb (Adenazine Triphosphate) 12mg IV which reverts back my heart to sinus rythem. This feels a bit yuck but it stops it dead in the tracks!
I am on Digoxin for this. I have tried all the Beta Blockers over a 10 year period with no help from them, for the last 8 years just on Digoxin only...
I have found that Verapamil gave me nasty feelings in the chest about 40mins after digesting.
things I have found bring this on are..
Drop in blood sugar levels...
To strick dieting, not eating small amounts every 2 hours.
Hormonal, surges of hormones, PMT, just before period due etc.
rushing around and stress.
Not enough sleep and being too hot while in bed
and some foods eg: onions, spicey foods, caffine, diet coke,cigarette smoke,
low levels of magnesium and potassium in the blood.
I took a couple of sleeping pills a few years ago (mogadon) and this brought on a few skipped beats.
A trip to the dentist (local pain killer) brought them on also..
I found that now i have brachycardia as well sometimes when Im relaxed my beats can go down to 55 bpm's but I feel alright but if I'm trying to go to sleep and they drop too low I have a strange feeling like I'm fading away then a slight shock in my chest then a skipped beat then fast beat then normal again, thank goodness this only happens when I'm over tired...
I am not having the abalation procedure as I'm frightened to as I beleive this might only stop my SVT's but wont my skipped beats. So I gave learned to live with them!!
My recomendations to ease this annoying problem are......
Get plenty of sleep
Cut out stress
No smoking or drinking
Have blood levels for electrolites checked ie: magnesium and potasium etc.
Eat plenty of calcium rich foods, veges and fruit
Have small healthy snacks every 2-3 hours
Check hormonal levels if your a woman.
I take Evening Primrose oil tablets 500mgs twice a day plus E
and a natural progesterone cream rubbed into skin at night.
Walk at least 30mins a day and ride bike or do other excersise.
Keep a resonable body weight.
Keep cholesterol levels down, dont eat fats, and sugary food.
Its good for me to hear about other people with the same problems and hopefully my suggestions on what help for me might help someone else manage their missed and skipped beats.

[laura,34]

Hello everyone.  I am so thankfull for this sight.  Just an update on how I am doing.  My primary physician with Mayo finally decided to send me to a cardiologist.  I have gone thru' another ecg and a echo/stress test echo.  Can I just say that I am now more confused than ever.  I guess it is not life threatening that I have a PVC almost every 10 seconds of my life.... but now I am having PJC's as well.  Does anyone know what this is?  Also, can there be any relationship to this with Trigeminal/Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia (which I have been diagnosed with)? I have often wondered about the involvement of the Carotid Artery and Vagus nerve with both of these and my PVC's and PJC"s. I just feel that I am way to young to be having such issues!! On top of all of this.... it is also thought that I have an autoimmune disease...I have always had elevated sed rates , postivie ANA and positive RH factor.  I do not, however, have Lupus (which my Mom does) and my sister has experienced most of the same issues.
Bad genes, huh?

Everyone take care and I am hoping that someone would please answer me.

[n wiley]

Hello,
I was diagnosed with PVCs early 1997,this was due to stress. I was 33 at the time.Took some beta blockers and it eventually went away. On sept 7,1999,I had a panic attack and my life has not been the same since. I was diagnosed with anxiety in which I was taken xanax,buspar,klonopin and prilosec for the ulcers(bought on by the anxiety). I am now having PVCs but could this be the side effects of the klonopin(in which I am now weaning myself off of)and the prilosec(80mg per day)?

[Court]

I first experienced PVCs 14 years ago when I was 36, immediately after recovering from a severe case of the flu.  The sensation was of a skipped beat, and after the pause a beat so hard it would shake my body a little while lying quietly in bed. Although I was in very good physical condition, like many of you, I was afraid I was on the verge of a heart attack (I thought the flu might have attacked my heart somehow). I had an ECG and was diagnosed with PVCs and told they were benign, and they have proven to be no problem. In my case they disappear with exercise, and lying on my right side at night minimizes the sensation. I have found that they come and go over time; sometimes I am unaware of them for months on end. However, what prompted me to do a search and find this site was that a few days ago I began having very pronounced and frequent PVCs, several times a minute day and night. There's nothing different in my life--no extra stress, unusual caffeine or alcohol consumption--so I don't know what is causing this flare-up. Any ideas, anyone--especially you MDs?

[Ann R.]

I have been experiencing palpitations for the past couple of weeks.  Sometimes I feel a sharp thump in my chest that will jolt me out of a sound sleep and leave me with a tight feeling in my chest, some chest pain and a pounding heart. The terrible anxiety afterwards is what I have the most difficulty dealing with.  It takes hours to calm myself down enough to go back to sleep. Other times I will experience a fluttering sensation in my chest.  I am waiting for results of a Holter.  I doubt it will show anything as I experienced only some mild fluttering while I was wearing it. I had a stress test about 5 months ago that was normal and an ECG two days ago that was normal as well.  I am hoping these are only the benign variety of PACs that I am experiencing and am wondering if there is any special diet I should follow to improve my situation other that avoid alcohol and caffein.

[Susan]

I have had an EKG that showed PACs - I feel them almost continously, particularly in the afternoon and night.  I had an echo that was normal and am supposedly going to be scheduled for a holter monitor.  My question is this -- could the medications I take cause these PACs?  I am tapering off of clonazepam - was on .5 a day, now down to .25 (heartbeats became irregular before I began tapering off) I am also taking 15 mg of Buspar - and a routine blood test showed a low thyroid level, so I am taking 50MCG of Levothroid.  I never noticed these heartbeats until I started the levothroid.  I had a lot of job related anxiety which is why I started the anxiety medications, but that is over, so I am going to wean myself from the clonazepam and then the Buspar.  It seems too coincidental that these heartbeats began sometime after the medication.  Do you have an opinion on this?

[maryann]

To Lynme, Message dated January 7, 2000.
I was diagnosed with costrocondritis about two years ago after much testing for gallbladder problems.  Sometimes the pain is so sever (my right side) that I have to go to the emergency room for pain relief.  I also have fibromyalgia (20 years).  About a year ago, I started having PVC problems - not many, just now and then.  I mentioned this to my internist and she said we would monitor the situation, but not to worry.  I also wore a halter monitor but it caught nothing.  Since October of 1999 the PVCs have become more annoying and I am seeing my doctor tomorrow about them.  I do not take any medications and try to handle the fibromyalgia with massage, heat, water aquatics, etc. It is very difficult at times, but I try and remain positive.  What are your symptoms of costrocondritis and how did your doctor arrive at the diagnosis?  Also, what do you do for the pain?

[Lynme]

I'm a 29 year old female.  I've been diagnosed with costochondritis (which is inflammation of the cartilages that attaches to the sternum) last March.  Also at the same time I started having what I think are PVCs.  I had 3 ECGs done in the last year and all normal.  Sometimes I can feel a big hard beat (maybe once every two weeks).  Almost every day I can feel extra heart beats and then other times it's like (it's hard to explain) something is moving (weird feeling) in my chest and I can feel it in my throat.  So I'm not sure if those are PVCs or not.  I guess my question is, is it possible to notice more the PVCs if I have costochondritis?

Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Laura. 34]

I have recently been diagnosed with PAC's and I can really associate with everyone of the comments above.  It has been very stressful for me as they have continued the same pattern since October 27th.  What is most frustrating for me is that they just  occurred out of the blue and will not go away.  I wore a holter monitor for 24 hours and in that period I had 9,450 PAC's!  Incredible, right?!  How can this be normal?????  I am overweight and have glosspharygenal/trigeminal neuralgia and when these arrythmia attacks began I was battling an extreme attack of the neuralgia.  Could there be a link to this???  Maybe the Vagus nerve?  I guess, what scares me most is that this wont go away even witht he beta blockers I am on.  I am so afraid that this could take me away from my family.

My physician has assured me that even tho' I am 75 pound overweight for my 5'8 frame... I am vry healthy with very good blood pressure (114/74) and excellent cholestoral.  I do however have a possible underlying autoimmune dissorder (not lupus, even tho' my Mom has it) because my ana tests positive, my rh factor positive and my sed runs around 50.

Does anyone see any connections with any of this??  Should I just ignore?

[Sara L.]

Hi,

I am trying to get an event monitor too, but my insurance won't pay for it, even though my cardiologist seriously wants me to have one. Holter has already shown the PAC's and PVC's to some degree, but I am very symptomatic with the BIG RUNS... which feels like my heart sort of catches (like a skipped beat). A good one will last about a beat. A bad one will last thirty seconds! That's when I faint. After I get HUGE surges of pounding beats, and then a rapid flutter for a bit. Other times I just get an all day (or weeks) mild fluttery feeling with lots of skipped beats (maybe every third or so, maybe a few in a row here and there) and when this happens I get dizzy. Also, sometimes I have a bad, obvious dropped beat, where I just have no pulse (or very, very faint pulse, for a few seconds), but no hard beat after and then a second or two later I get severely dizzy and lightheaded and flush beat red and have to immediately lay down. Sometimes when the fluttery all day feeling goes on I feel slightly dizzy all day. Also, this is almost always induced by exercise.

I have no idea what my problem is, but holter wasn't revealing and clearly there's no way to catch this problem, it just comes up out of the blue. Seems to always happen on the weekends (Murphy's Law). I did have one on a Wednesday night, promptly called the cardiologist, from the floor, and was told to come in the following Tuesday for a holter, but by then it had resolved. At any rate I also have tachycardia sometimes, and take nadolol, which doesn't help my other problems a speck and perhaps makes them worse. Anti anxiety medicine sometimes helps the stress caused by my problem, but clearly doesn't help the actual disorder going on.

I've had this since I was a kid, but it's gotten worse. I don't have the money to go to many specialists anymore, and am really strapped as to what to do. Let's hope we all feel better soon.

If anyone, out of the goodness of their hearts, has any idea what I could look into (besides anxiety, depression, MVP, vasovagal syncope, endocrine probs, chronic fatigue, etc... that have been ruled out) please post, God Bless.

[wondering]

ok, i will ask for specifics from the doc, but could you answer about the heredity question? i am really  curious about this. thanks

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Wondering,

Probably the best test in your case is an event monitor, which is like a Holter monitor but can be worn for several weeks at a time.  As far as specific results on your ECG you will have to ask your doctor.

[wondering]

sorry, but at least you can answer in one post. on my ekg, about 2 years ago, it was noted that there was a st depression, and some type of defects (i remember that they said "most compatible with soft tissue attenuation") can you tell me what this means. is a st depression cause for any concern, or further investigation? should i have follow up ekg's to monitor anything. i have had no further testing. sorry to ask so much at one time. thank you for your time.

[wondering]

i have had several "runs" of the pvc's that feel like no beats occur in between, just stop, bam, stop, bam etc for up to 9 beats at a time. i have worn a monitor 1 time for about 18 hrs, but of course this didn't happen. there is some pain and lightheadedness and sometimes things fade briefly but i dont pass out. i also have dizziness on rising occasionally, the monitor did catch pvc's that i didnt feel, and  psvt that i didn't feel, but the really racing episodes that i get didn't occur. when these happen, i cant miss them. should i request a second monitor, even though its impossible to predict when these happen. the thought has occured to me to call 911 and have paramedics hook me up during an episode. its about the only way to catch ti since we live almost an hour from the nearest hospital. or should i just " ignore it until it goes away"? my dad had a massive coronary at age 46 with no prior warning, and finally died of a heart attack. i also have several uncles who have died of strike and heart complications. all the females are healthy. does this make a difference as far as heredity goes? i am 45, and a smoker (i know, not good). i have also been severly depressed for a long time. i know that makes a difference in diabetics, but it has no effect  otherwise, right? sorry this is so long.       thanks

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Thanks for your comments.

[Mommydee]

Hi again Joan
I don't take any medication now.  I used to take beta blockers which did ease the symptoms of the extra beats but also gave me other symptoms such as: too low a blood pressure, brachycardia (heart rate too low), fatigue, and they also aggravated my asthma.  I was taking them because in the 1980s they said the arrythmia was dangerous and I would have to be on medication for life....in the last few years this changed when research indicated it was better NOT to treat the arrhythmia if it was only PVCs.  So now I take nothing....most of the time I deal really well with them now....sometimes they still bother me, but since I know they are benign I just wait for it to pass.  Yes, my PVCs often come frequently, every other beat, every third beat, every beat....one of the monitors I wore picked them up even four extra beats in a row before a regular beat finally kicked in.  When they come frequently like this, that is when I get the worst symptoms.  Stress, fatigue, illness, medications, caffeine, and lack of sleep are sure ways to make the symptoms worse.  Some herbal remedies can also trigger these....some herbs contain caffeine or other cardio-stimulant properties.  As for the event monitor, at age 12 my daughter was having problems, and she wore an event monitor for 30 days.  It was very easy to use.  The hardest part has been getting it paid for by the HMO, but then that is not unusual...I have to fight for everything.  There's another trigger for the PVCs....fighting the insurance company!
Dee

[mindy]

I've had benign PVCs for about 15 years now. They occur mostly at rest at night. I've only been symptomatic one time, eight years ago - had a long run of bigeminy (every other beat), and felt faint. I was hospitalized for it and the battery of tests they ran all were within normal limits. I was on Verapamil for PAT or PSVT (had a short episode while in hospital), for a month or so and now am not on any antiarrhythmics. Although I am essentially asymptomatic with the PVCs, feeling them is very disquieting. What works for me to convert is to increase my HR by increasing my activity when I have an episode - I'd walk on the treadmill or jog in place or around the house. I've also eliminated all caffeine and have been doing aerobics. I notice that my arrhythmia gets worse when I don't exercise.

[martie]

Joan, You are not alone with frequent pvc's. When I get alot of pvc's, they are the beat beat pause beat beat pause that you described. I get them like this for hours at a time, and in fact had them for several hours yesterday, with a house full of company! I was really hoping to get through Christmas day without a bout of pvc's and I was really disappointed and alittle upset. I was at my doctor's just several days ago because of the frequency and for the first time in 10 years he actually got to feel them in my pulse and to hear them in his stethascope. He understood how uncomfortable I was feeling but he still said there is nothing to worry about. My worry isn't about dying, it is about living the rest of my life with these things. I have had them for ten years but since June they are VERY frequent with only several good days every so often. I take a beta-blocker which doesn't seem to be helping anymore. My doctor increased the dose but I haven't started the new dose yet. I hope knowing that you are not alone will ease some of your fears. Martie

[joan]

Hi Mommydee!!
You helped ease my fears a little bit. Do you take any kind of med for those frequent extra beats or a beta blocker. Do yours sometimes come as close together as every other beat?
Thanks so much for responding! Hope you had a nice holiday!

[Mommydee]

Hi Joan, I know exactly how you feel.  When the PVCs come really close together it is a horrible feeling.  I have had PVCs since 1984 (back then the docs freaked about it and put me on medications and like to have scared me to death!) but as the years progressed the docs have learned more about PVCs and don't really worry about them any more.  Of course, when it is happening to you, it's hard not to worry.  I also have periods of time when the PVCs come very frequently, with multiple PVCs in a row, and lasting for hours at a time, accompanied by pain, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue where it feels like it is impossible to go on.  Nonetheless, I have had the same tests you have had and all have come back basically within normal limits.  I have had these episodes of frequent multiple PVCs captured by EKG and Holter, and when I had the echo the technician said there were so many it was difficult to get the images, but nonetheless everything still came out normal....I also had an exercise stress test due to the continued chest pain with exercise that resolved with rest, but that too was within normal limits.  So I try to ignore it as much as possible.  I have increased my exercise, eat better, have eliminated caffeine, and stayed away from over the counter drugs...and am aware that when my asthma acts up some of the medications are going to make the PVCs worse, but my asthma doc has been good about experimenting with asthma meds to find a combination that will be less likely to aggravate the tachycardia and PVCs...he is just happy it is not a dangerous heart condition...he was the one that was most worried when it became so persistent.  Now I have good days and bad days....but certainly the pVCs don't bother me near as much as they used to...and while I used to notice them all the time....over the years I have learned to ignore it more and now most of the time I don't even notice it anymore unless it becomes very bad.  I hope yours ends up being benign also.
mommydee

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

We see this all the time, a person has arrhythmias but during the time they are wearing the Holter monitor they don't have them.  The answer to this is a device called an "event monitor".  These devices can be worn for a month at a time.  Once the rhythm is "caught" it can be determined if it is dangerous or benign.  Talk to  your doctor about obtaining one of these tests.