33 yr female, RBBB, triathlete, PVC's HELP IM SCARED!

[scared33]

I hope some one can help me.  I had started having some PVC's (or what I was told was PVC's) about 4 days ago.  They were very frequent for about 2 days and have since died down (frequent being 6 an hour)

Anywas, I went to my family doctor and she recommended an EKG and Holter for peace of mind, but assured me that I was fine.  I run about 6-8 kms a day and swim and teach aerobics as well.  I consider myself to be in very good condition right now.  I should mention Iam a 33 year old female.

Well the EKG showed some RBBB's, unfortunately, I saw the printout before the doctor even got it and freaked out when I read at the top of the page "right bundle branch block and possible low myocardial infraction - age input needed"  i know I shouldnt have looked at this as the machine will pick up everything and spit it out, but growing up with a Father who suffers from heart disease and always being proactive about my health I couldnt help it.

So, I freaked!  I demanded the nurse find out right away what the RBBB meant but forgot the term following due to my being distraught, so didnt ask about the myocardial stuff.  Anyways, I received a call later that day and they told me that my reading was within "normal limits" but that I should still come for the holter reading tomorrow, and that its very important.  They said I could continue to run as per usual.  

I also am about to start a whole slue of medications for an in vitro fertilization cycle to try and concieve a baby.  The cardiologist said go ahead.  This is a very costly endeavor ($10, 000.00) and now Im so worried.

Someone please tell me what all of this means, I really need help on this one!

I should mention that as a child I suffered from vasovagal syncope, but no one ever mentioned anything about my heart.  And also, i dont have PVC's when Iam working out, only while Iam at rest.  I do have some discomfort in my arm too, but now Im not sure if its muscular or weather its all in my head, I feel like Im going insane!  I have some dizziness too when I put my head down to type (I know, I shouldnt look at my fingers anyway :-) my resting heart rate varries from about 42 BPM to 52 BPM
Sorry to ramble, I just didnt want to forget anything!
Thank you in advance,

scared33

[oldie]

I have both left and right bundle branch block. I have recurrent PVCs and bigeminy and feel ill when they hit. I take 200mg Amiodarone 5 days a week for the past six months because a Holter showed I had a ventricular tachycardia for too long to  be safe. I walk 7kms three times a week . I'm 80 next year. What have I learned? That Amiodarone does not stop PVCs. That PVCs can be related to stress. Often I can clear most of the fainting, nausea etc with .25mg alprazoam under any of it's brand names.That 'till now, however sick I get with the PVCs and sometimes without them, I'm still around

[scared33]

Thank you everyone for your input.  Im trying not to worry too much, and with the current IVF cycle (fertility) I have something else to focus on.  Im just hoping that the doctor would not have given me the green light to attempt to get pregnant if there were a major problem.  I have yet to formally receive the results but will hopefully get them next week.  I continue to run everyday and swim twice per week in preparation for my upcoming half ironman.  Im pretty confident that I will still compete, unless of course Im pregnant :-)

Thank you again, and I will check back in soon.
Chers!

[sueinns]

Hey runman.  I have SVT which makes it very difficult to run because I get very light headed, dizzy and need to stop or I'll pass out.  If it wasn't for that symptom, I could probably live with them because I know my heart is structurally fine.  Did really well on calcium channel blockers but they have stopped working.  Am now on the urgent waiting list for an ablation.  A friend of mine (an elite triathlete) had an ablation about a year ago for atrial fibrillation.  He was given a 50% chance of it working.  He just went for his follow-up and was told that there was no need to see him anymore.

Congrats on your marathon.  I'm hoping that post-ablation I'll be back enjoying the race circuit.

[Runman]

Thanks for your post....I also am an avid runner who suffers from pvcs....and have for over 40 years....I'm 61 and have posted on a couple of other sites in this forum....by my cardiologist has also told me that with my slow heart rate (around 42 per minutes because of all my running) that i'm more prone to pvcs....but my heart is structurally normal and i'm in perfect health....did a marathon this past Sunday and had many pre and post race pvcs.......I try to tell myself that i'm still here so i guess the drs. are right - they're harmless.....but mentally they still sometimes get to me.....hang in there.

[deedle1976]

Hi there,
Just wanted to reassure you that 6 PVCs per hour would not be considered frequent PVCs. In fact it would probably be considered very occasional or even rare PVCs. Studies have shown that roughly 5% of the general population have more than 300 PVCs per day. So an even greater proportion of people must have more than your 144 PVCs per day.
Marlinspike referred to a study I posted before which showed that people with PVCs had the same mortality rate as the general population. The average number or PVCs people had was 500 per hour, yet their survival was normal, so you should really try not to worry about 6 per hour.
PVCs are completely normal and you'd be hard pushed to find someone who doesn't get them. Another recent study showed that 64% of the population had at least one PVC in 24 hours, 8.8% had 2 PVCs in a row. If these people had worn the holters longer the numbers would be much higher.

[PikaPika88]

I got RBBB when I was a teenager.  Dr put a pacemaker in around my mid 20's.  Now I got LBBB.  All block now!

[dolfnlvr]

Hi there.  I found the following post and response on the doctor forum and thought it might help you.  You are in wonderful condition, and I am certain that your doctors are not concerned.  RBBB and PVC's are not alarm ringers for cardiologists, though, for the healthy person hearing these terms it sounds like a death sentence.  
I have so much to tell you regarding PVC's and living life with PVC's, but I think the messages below are what you really need to hear right now.  

Take care,


Roy

03/28/00
    This past summer I experienced a lot of PVCs. My doctor put me through a series of tests. The echo was negative, the thalium stress test was positive and so I had a catheterization which showed no blockages or problems. A little bit later the PVCs stopped and I thought my problems were over.



I just completed a company physical. The EKG indicates that I have a right bundle branch block.  I am 41 years old and have no symptoms, I am not overweight nor smoke, and I exercise regularly.



Is the RBBB related to the PVCs I was experiencing? Is it an indicator of more problems to come? Should it have shown up in all the testing I had last summer? I have a followup appointment with my cardiologist in a couple of weeks. Will I need to go through more tests? What kind of questions should I ask him? I guess I am concerned that there is something seriously wrong with my heart even though I feel perfectly fine.



Thank you very much for the opportunity to ask these question. I appreciate this forum.  
CCF CARDIO MD - DLB



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CCF CARDIO MD - DLB
Cleveland - OH  



03/28/00
    A right bundle branch block represents an abnormality with the heart's conduction system. However, it can be present as an isolated finding in people who are otherwise healthy. In this latter circumstance, it requires no specific evaluation or therapy. Some doctors do perform stress tests for newly discovered right bundle bracnh blocks, but it sounds like you have already had this sort of testing. The RBBB is not directly related to the PVCs, though both indicate a mild level of abnormality with your heart's electrical system. In the absence of symptoms, you would not need anything like a pacemaker. If the degree of block were to progress (which it rarely does), a pacemaker would be the indicated therapy. Also, the RBBB may be old; your doctor may just not have thought it worth telling you about.  

[scared33]

Thank you for your replies,  so does all this mean that a PVC happens because I have a right Bundle branch block?  Or are they even related at all?  Or...  is it that almost all people have a little RBBB at times, cause the nurse made it sound like the RBBB wasnt such a big deal.  I can understand that when you are comparing me to the other people in the office who are coming in post triple bypass, but for someone who is fit and young, this is really a set back, both emotionally and physically.

So if anyone knows if the 2 are related???  Please let me know... (the 2 being, RBBB and PVC's)

[marlinspike]

If your doctor was worried after the ekg, he would have had you admitted to hospital. It is hard for us to accept, but doctors see pvc's etc all the time and they are very often benign. They are alarming to us because we feel them, but many of us on here have had thousands a day for several years, and still we are told we are okay. Do you think the stress/anxiety of embarking on ivf could be a factor? Stress and diet affect many people's pvcs. I am sorry I can't help you with the medical terms, but once you have done the holter monitor you will have a better idae of what is going on. I read some good info on here the other week - I think from Deedle - a longterm study showed that people suffering from benign pvc's had the same mortality rate as everyone else. That is, if you have benign pvc's, however unpleasant, they are not doing you any harm. Let us know how the holtor test goes.

[sueinns]

A friend of mine sent me an article from the British Medical Journal that stated athletic folks are 5.5 times more likely to develop arrhythmias.  They don't know why that is.  Speculation is it's due to our low heart rates.

My PVC's are exercise induced.  Have always been an avid runner and when I have an attack, I feel like I'm going to pass out.  It's much worse post-workout.  Yes, it is very scary but the majority of us do have structurally normal hearts.  Your options are live with it (tough to do), medications or ablation.

[jayjay07]

i had something similar.

I was training for the london marathon, running 36 miles a week to start with but i had my problems before i started running. Whilst i ran i had a few of the 'extra/skipped' beats, some big, some small but i pushed past them and carried on. There was one time when i worked myself up so much, and ended up stranding myself because i was scared to walk the 6 miles home in the dark.

Doctor tells me on a monthly basis that i am fine but still wants me to go for an echo, he booked the test a while back, still waiting for the date.

Im pretty sure that the doctors want to know whats going on as much as you do and they have to follow certain paths to rule out certain things. Even though the doc knows full well your fine .. ish' he still has to make sure its not something unexpected.

I have learnt that life is a battle, i know hundreds of people my age (23) in the same shoes, some call it a problem, others just live with it and some rarely notice their hearts being naughty.

Im sure your fine, but the doc has to know you are before he can give you the big tick. Do what needs to be done.

James