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When is it too many PACs/PVCs?
Earlier this week I went through a period of 4 plus hours when I was having 15 to 18 PVCs/PACs per minute. I was relaxed, sitting and watching TV. I had no other symptoms and getting up and moving around did not affect them. This was still going on when I went to bed. Typically, I experience 4-6 PVCs/PACs per minute. With a resting pulse of 60-70, this was one every 4th beat, although they were not that regular.
When is it too many? Should I have gone to the ER? Could it have been something other than PVCs/PACs? The next morning, I was below 10 per minute. I made an appointment to see my cardiologist to discuss this but I am now anxious to understand if I should have done something.
Thank you very much for reviewing my question!
When is it too many? Should I have gone to the ER? Could it have been something other than PVCs/PACs? The next morning, I was below 10 per minute. I made an appointment to see my cardiologist to discuss this but I am now anxious to understand if I should have done something.
Thank you very much for reviewing my question!
Hello Susan,
I found your letter from Australia very interesting (I have you
beat by 5 years in the age department. I've had PVCs off and
on for over 6 years. I've read of many who have had them for
30 years or more - yuck. I don't know if that's good news or
bad, do you? wonderful to hear your father's disappeared never
to return! That's my dream! Mine seem to be connected with
digestion, reflux or something like that (stress doesn't help.)
My e-mail is ***@**** if you want to write. Thanks,
Henriette.
I found your letter from Australia very interesting (I have you
beat by 5 years in the age department. I've had PVCs off and
on for over 6 years. I've read of many who have had them for
30 years or more - yuck. I don't know if that's good news or
bad, do you? wonderful to hear your father's disappeared never
to return! That's my dream! Mine seem to be connected with
digestion, reflux or something like that (stress doesn't help.)
My e-mail is ***@**** if you want to write. Thanks,
Henriette.
Well I think I can qualify for the old timers category! I've had these buggers(pardon my french) for 21 years and have had to just get used to them even though I still hate them with a passion!Mine are relatively occasional compared to some of you other sufferers.They vary between single "skips" to multiple flutters and are sometimes accompanied by anxiety lasting several minutes.I get them only once or twice per day and sometimes none for several days.In the past ie. when I was in my early 30's I also had bouts of tachycardia usually at night when asleep.These were usually associated with excesses of alcohol and/or caffiene.Once I reduced those significantly the tachycardia has been very rare.My various tests over the years have all been normal(ECG,echo,stress tests).I finally agreed with my physician to wear a 24 hour Holter monitor just last week and I'm still awaiting the results.The main supplement that I've found is helpful has been magnesium at about 400 mg. 3 times a day.I've pretty well accepted that I'm going to have this problem for the rest of my life but it's also good to hear of people who've had spontaneous remissions!Thank you all for sharing your experiences and suggestions.Life still goes on!!!
Hi all - this is my first time posting on this site. Someone asked "where are all the old-timers" with these things. Well I don't consider myself old at 40 but I have had both pac's and pvc's for the last 13 years with breaks of up to 6 months occasionally but on the whole they are more or less pretty much constantly around.
My Dad had them from his late 20's when they abruptly stopped in his late 40's (NEVER TO RETURN!!! - hope that gives people hope!!)
I've been interested to read all of your posts Arthur because you seem to know so much about the foci related stuff. My pvc/pac's are multi-focal and I definitely notice a postural and movement issue with mine. I can actually bring them on by lying down suddenly on my right side and then stop them again by sitting up which of course scares the hell out of me!! Hence I never, ever lie down straight onto my right side. I've heard there are "stretch receptors" in the heart which can bring on this electrical irritation and I guess that's what you are talking about when you mention the foci getting stimulated.
Anyway after having these things and so very many tests for the last 13 years I would like to reassure everyone that I am still alive and kicking and intend to keep doing so. Having said that though I have been through bouts of sheer depression and misery, anger and my first marriage broke up because of my ex-husbands inability to understand the devestating effect these things can have. Now that I have had them for so long I've lost my fear of dying from them but still hate them with a passion. I've found that getting angry is better than getting scared and also have found it's really important to keep well hydrated with plenty of drinks of water during the day.
I'll continue to read all the posts with great interest and thanks to all of you out there - it's nice to know I'm not alone.
From Susan in Australia ("old-timer" :) :)
My Dad had them from his late 20's when they abruptly stopped in his late 40's (NEVER TO RETURN!!! - hope that gives people hope!!)
I've been interested to read all of your posts Arthur because you seem to know so much about the foci related stuff. My pvc/pac's are multi-focal and I definitely notice a postural and movement issue with mine. I can actually bring them on by lying down suddenly on my right side and then stop them again by sitting up which of course scares the hell out of me!! Hence I never, ever lie down straight onto my right side. I've heard there are "stretch receptors" in the heart which can bring on this electrical irritation and I guess that's what you are talking about when you mention the foci getting stimulated.
Anyway after having these things and so very many tests for the last 13 years I would like to reassure everyone that I am still alive and kicking and intend to keep doing so. Having said that though I have been through bouts of sheer depression and misery, anger and my first marriage broke up because of my ex-husbands inability to understand the devestating effect these things can have. Now that I have had them for so long I've lost my fear of dying from them but still hate them with a passion. I've found that getting angry is better than getting scared and also have found it's really important to keep well hydrated with plenty of drinks of water during the day.
I'll continue to read all the posts with great interest and thanks to all of you out there - it's nice to know I'm not alone.
From Susan in Australia ("old-timer" :) :)
Scott,
I am 43 and have had arrthymias (PVCs, VTs, ATs, AFs) for 9 years. It's not over ten, but I have a good feeling I will keep going. (smirk) But I had to laugh, it is strange that there aren't many older folks with these conditions which we can learn from!
Two years ago I had two ablations, back to back - due to cells surfacing or reproducing after the first procedure, creating a worsening condition. I survived and still have some of the above arrthymias - not as frequent, thank goodness. It has been recorded that I have had as many as 35K + in a 24 hour period prior to the ablation. There is no limit to the person who asked in a previous post. :-) These PVCs were recorded way before they were doing ablations.
As for the arrthymias indicating an underlying issue - I believe the medical field has determined that they can possibly be associated with other heart conditions, but they can be their own condition, with nothing else happening. It's like having electrical problems in your home.
If these persist, I think I'll go the whole nine yards and insist on a pace maker. I think that may be part of the reason we don't hear about the older folks having PVCs.
Regards,
- N
I am 43 and have had arrthymias (PVCs, VTs, ATs, AFs) for 9 years. It's not over ten, but I have a good feeling I will keep going. (smirk) But I had to laugh, it is strange that there aren't many older folks with these conditions which we can learn from!
Two years ago I had two ablations, back to back - due to cells surfacing or reproducing after the first procedure, creating a worsening condition. I survived and still have some of the above arrthymias - not as frequent, thank goodness. It has been recorded that I have had as many as 35K + in a 24 hour period prior to the ablation. There is no limit to the person who asked in a previous post. :-) These PVCs were recorded way before they were doing ablations.
As for the arrthymias indicating an underlying issue - I believe the medical field has determined that they can possibly be associated with other heart conditions, but they can be their own condition, with nothing else happening. It's like having electrical problems in your home.
If these persist, I think I'll go the whole nine yards and insist on a pace maker. I think that may be part of the reason we don't hear about the older folks having PVCs.
Regards,
- N
Well, what I've been wondering is where are all of the "old timers" with frequent PAC's/PVC's? I started having them a couple of years ago and I'm 31. What's it going to be like when I'm 70? Has anyone out there had them for over 30 years? If so, what happens as you get older? I don't believe that I have ever seen a post by someone who has experienced these arrhythmias for over 10 years. Now to me that means that either 1) these weren't diagnosed 30 years ago, or 2) These "old timers" aren't computer savvy and thus we don't seem them on this site, or, and I hoping that this is not the case, 3) people with these issues don't generally tend to live long when faced with these issues (hence the opinion that these arrhythmias are a harbringer for something more serious)..... wish I knew...
Hankster, thanks for the comments about the beta blocker. I was wondering if it was making things worse. My logic is that if the beta blocker slows the heart and my resting heart rate is now 60 instead of 75 bpm, a reduction of 20%, then my heart is pumping more blood per beat, 20% more, assuming constant blood volume per minute. Therefore, the next beat following a premature beat should have even greater blood volume and be more noticeable?! So the slower my heart rate, the more noticeable the PVC/PAC. This seems to make sense to me since my most noticeable PVCs/PACs are when I am very relaxed. For me they are less noticeable after excersize and when I am more active. Does this seem reasonable?
SamR, thanks for the comments about Magnesium and Potassium. I have seen that mentioned in other comments in this forum. I am going to get some and give it a try after I ween myself off the beta blocker.
Has anyone heard anything about the effect of CoQ10 on PVCs/PACs?
SamR, thanks for the comments about Magnesium and Potassium. I have seen that mentioned in other comments in this forum. I am going to get some and give it a try after I ween myself off the beta blocker.
Has anyone heard anything about the effect of CoQ10 on PVCs/PACs?
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