ARG, I am so sick of these PVC's!

[steph4501]

Hello all...

I read all the time and sometimes post...

I have pvc's and have had them for at least 10 months or so, or more....?

My last holter in March recorded 4,280 skipped beats, with 926 occurring in 1 hour alone while I was sleeping.  Of course that freaked me out!

Long story short,I have been trying to learn to live with these..  I have been doing pretty good for the most part in just trying to relax when I get them, distract myself, etc...

Well, last night I was really tested.  I was sitting on the couch, just minding my own business, not stressed out or anything, and the pvc's started coming realy fast and my heart rate was fast too.

I was in constant bigimeny (beat, pvc, beat, pvc, then beat, beat pvc, and on and on for a couple hours!)  While this was going on my heart rate was really fast (maybe 130-140 bpm?) and I started shaking (probably because of being scared)...  

Have any of you ever had them come on like this?  I mean, I always get pvc's like every 6 or 10 or 20 or whatever heart beats, but this started out of nowhere, and the beats were so close together.

I really thought I was going to die!  Like I said, I have been doing fairly well, with coping.  Some days I get just a few, and some days I get lots but they are more spaced apart.  They bother me, but I usually can focus on something else, or not let them get to me, but the ones I had last night and even today are *getting the best of me*

I just HATE these!  How can folks with normal hearts just HAVE these?

I do not take any medication, because I choose not to.  If these are benign, then I will just let them runs its course....

Being on meds makes me more anxious which is not good for these extra beats...

Anyway, just looking for some reassurance...

Thank you!

Steph

[artskip]

I know that question "why me?" I've asked my self that so many times.  I try not to get into the oh poor me mode. But it's not easy.

Steph, meds should help the situation not cause other problems. If you choose to try something, be open to the idea it may take a few trys to get something that can help you. Ask for the lowest dosage to start with. If you start with something thats not long acting so it's only in your system for a few hours not 24. And you can take it when needed.
I guess I have gotten some better coping skills,mostly from the many kind people on this site.  I don't think I'll ever be able to ignore the PVC's. They are my constant companion.

[WvMomof3]

I just wanted to let u know how much I admire u both...I have been going through the same thing u are and I ask the ? why me about a thousand times a day...I keep praying that with time...I will be as strong as both of u are...

God Bless...
Cathy

[steph4501]

Thank you!  You make a lot of sense..  I am sorry you have to go through these as well and for 15 years!  Wow!  Do you find after time they are a little easier to deal with?  I am fairly new to these, so being fairly new I think I am coping OK, but it's the runs of them I get that scare me, and oh once in awhile I feel sorry for myself and think WHY ME, WHY can't I be like I was before these...  But you are right, we can't think about how good we *use* to feel, but deal with the cards we are being dealt now.

I imagine there are much worse things we could have like terminal cancer, heart disease, and on and on and on....

It's just I don't like the way they feel.  Like when you have a close call, when a car pulls out in front of you and your heart drops, that is how mine feel...

Sucks, but we will all get through it like we do each day and we should be proud of ourselves for being so strong to get through it!

I have a Dr. appt tomorrow with my internal med Doc.  I will talk to him about possible meds....

Thanks again...

Steph

[artskip]

Yes, I get this, sometime my heart rate is very fast and the PVC's feel like snapping in my chest they are happening so fast. I agree, how can we with normal hearts have these. I don't know.
I didn't want to take beta blockers, but the med that I took for years, stopped working. So inorder to have some peace I had to try them. I take inderal at the lowest dosage to take the edge off of the palps. Inderal works really well for me when my heart rate gets high, it does not stop the PVC's, but it slows my heart rate really effectively, and I can't feel the PVC's as strongly. I take the quick acting so when my heart gets going I can give it a dosage.I take it as needed.  Long acting or preventative methods don't work for me. I take xanax only occasionlly, when the PVC's don't let me sleep.
The thing is your not going to die, well not from PVC's. If that was the case I would have been long gone by now. I've have PVC's for about 15 years, but the last 2 have been non-stop.
There are alot of conditions besides PVC's that are benign(migrains, gerd,sciatica and a ton of other problems). I remember reading that the people who are scared to take anti- anxiety medicine are just he ones who need it. But to be able to function in this world sometimes you need to take something to get you through the day. I spent alot of time, thinking that anything I did is going to make them worse or bring them on. It's such a waste of time. There is some comfort in knowing that if my heart gets going I can take alittle inderal and it will slow things down. My EP said there is nothing (med) that will stop the PVC's. They don't know why they start and  can disappear for no apparent reason.
Right now I try not to think of how good I used to feel, and just accept the cards I've been dealt now.