Bigeminy making me crazy!

[sinead_]

Hi everyone.... been a long while since I've been around... had to re-sign on actually!  hence the _ after my name now!  

I am GOING CRAZY with the Bigeminy lately.  Does anyone else here deal with this?  I finally had an Echo done & was told me heart is 100% "perfect".... but I am still dealing with what an event monitor for 2 weeks documented as "significant episodes of pre-ventricular bigeminy"... sometimes it goes into that hard slow thump for a few minutes at a time... usually when I am laying down... if I sit up or get up & walk around it will quit. but it happens on & off all day making me feel ANXIOUS AS ALL HELL.... the bigeminy itself feels like high anxiety. This BS just came upon me 2 years ago out of nowhere... I am so scared when its constant.  Its freaking me out so that I am cautious about being out & about ALONE... I don't want to become an agoraphobic here!  Even though the echo was fine could I still drop dead from this???????????? I am really scared lately....

Anyone else know how hard these SLOW POUNDING BEATS are to deal with?
Please help... any words of encouragement are welcome!
Good to see some of the familiar names out here still!

xo sinead

[RNRita]

Hi there.  I go into bigeminy, too.  The longest time it ever lasted was 8 weeks and that was just about this time last year.  Then it abruptly stopped.  Now I have smaller bouts.  Just as I think I'm getting used to it, it disappears.  But when it first starts and you get NO break, it is horrible.  I worked with it.  lol  I'm a nurse and I've told this story before.  When I was working on the cardiac unit (I was there a long time), a 42 year old woman was admitted with bigeminy.  They did some tests and released her the next day...still in it.  She was fine with it.  Tell me how THAT works?  It made me realize that it is not going to kill me or they would have kept her longer.  It just FEELS like it will.

[bobad]

Hi Sinead,

I just wanted to tell you that you're not alone. My cardio docs tell me that bigeminy PVC's are harmless, and "many people aren't even aware they're having them". Small comfort that is when they drive you nuts, eh?  My theory on that is, some people are conditioned to feel high anxiety when their heart acts up. All your life, when you get startled, your heart thumps. You become so conditioned to that, when your heart thumps, you experience the startled feeling associated with the thumps. It's a simple Pavlovian reaction. At least, that's what I think. Unfortunately, I know of no simple or quick way to de-condition one's self.

If you have been checked out and can mentally endure the PVC's without beta blockers, you are better off. If not, I can tell you that beta blockers "soften" the pounding, and lessen the anxiety reaction. Instead of your heart going "thump thump thump", it goes "squish squish, squish", and doesn't trigger the automatic anxiety as strongly.  Beta blockers often have bad side effects, so if prescribed, go for the smallest effective dose. And be patient, they can take 2-4 weeks to become fully effective. If you reduce or increase the dosage, it can take nearly 2 weeks  to feel the change.

Best of luck,,,

[Momto3]

Hi sinead,

Sorry you're going through a rough patch with the PVC's.  : (

I used to be in bigeminy a lot and I know what you mean about feeling anxious. However, for me, I was not afraid, but just all that jumpy-jittery stuff going on made me FEEL anxious....UGH!!

Has your doctor suggested a beta blocker?  Some people have great success with BBs in reducing the intensity or frequency of their extra beats.  Inderal worked great for me for a long time.  Other people have been put on different BB's and have also had good luck.  Eventually, I found that I could take the Inderal as needed and it worked great that way!

Hope you are headed for calmer days.
connie