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Avatar universal

Heart stu stu stu...still stuttering

Hi All,
I am a 28 year old male, very active until onset of arrhythmia 2 years ago. I noticed arrhythmia 2 years ago after long nights of drinking, coffee during day and 100 hour work weeks (wall street). My heart would 'double' it's beats for 30 seconds and then go back to normal. I didn't think much of it at the time but then one morning after a heavy drinking session I had a terrible episode where I had a bunch of dropped and coupled beats in chaotic rhythm of no real organization that turned into a very rapid tachycardia (250-300bpm) for 3-5 minutes. Never any pain/dizzyness other than what I would expect from severe mental distress (and I've had a terrible time convincing the non-MD's that it's NOT a panic attack..I have several MD's in my family and I know the difference). After a few more episodes during exercize, I went in and saw a doc that said I'd be fine. I didn't trust him so went for a second opinion to Dr. Anthony Aizer at NYU. He is amazingly diligent, patient and willing to walk you through your issues. They did find some 'likely benign' issues and performed a Cavotricuspid Isthmus ablation to cure the CVNRT (made the pathway singular to cure the circuitous problem that made me go into rapid heart rhythm) and found an area that could be generating spontaneous pulses but since they had me on the table for 9 hours, decided to leave it for another day. Things were pretty good for a while but I never did get back to exercizing as I would often have skipped beats as I came down from 150bpm to 120bpm. No more drinking alcohol. But then last week, after a lot of stress and coffee the previous month, I got a bunch of extra or dropped beats, I'm guessing PVCs (feels like a 'ka-chunk' in my chest) a few times a minute, maybe 100 times per hour. It really distresses me and I immediately jump up, get my shoes on and head for the er. I've been admitted once and have slept in the waiting room 3 times in the past week. Seems the only way I can get to sleep is to take 50mil benzodiazapine and wait until I'm so exhausted that I don't care if my next beat is my last. And this is a circuitous feedback loop: tired at work > poor performance > lose money > get angry > cant  relax > have pvc > get tired > tired at work etc... No doubt that there is a psychological element but I know it's also largly physiological. And I've gotten good at calming myself down but even when I'm very relaxed I get them. I have had no (knock on wood) pvc's tonight as Doc Aizer perscribed some Atenolol. I can usually feel when the jump is going to come (I'm only guessing that it's a pvc) and think it definitely has something to do with adrenal uptake. I can feel a certain undescribable 'queezyness' in my chest sometimes for a split second before as if a chemical were injected (and this is from no aparent stimulus) and then get the jumped beat. I can feel the electricity swallowing my heart muscle in a quick gulp.
Can anyone put my mind to ease that this is likely nothing serious? Logically, I should not worry. I have one of the best electrophysiologists in the country on my case and he's explored the inside of my heart in finest detail, has done every test, and knows what is most likely wrong. But I had a non-biological uncle who died at 22 of sudden cardiac death and cause was never found (and his father was a top sergeon who made sure of a proper autopsy). I just don't quite understand what makes the beats keep coming and am scared that they will spontaneously stop all together or that they'll go into overdrive or that one pvc will turn into a long strand. It's sort of comical when the er doc says "you won't need to come back unless you pass out" and it's that assymetry of outcomes that worries me: either its ok or we'll know it's not because you'll be dead. And this is where it's definitely a mind block for me: it's almost like I have PTSD from the whole experience. Do people die from these skipped beats? I'm sure there are a few unsolved cases but what generally makes structurally healthy people die from arrhythmia other than drugs?
Thanks for any advice, opinion or comment.
Best Regards,
Me
7 Responses
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Avatar universal
Great forum, and like everyone else, a relief to share the misery. I realize I'm lucky to have the few PVCs that I do.

I've also been told by a cardiologist that my "barump" heart beats are nothing to worry about. Of course, the language is always "unless you feel faint or they go on for a long time." Do I feel faint? I don't know...I think I'm about to die and so, yeah, I might feel a little dizzy. Do they go on for a long time? Well, I've come to expect my heart to beat about once every second, so a 2-3 minute spell is terrifying. But, when asked, he means "faint to the point of blacking out" and by a long time, he means half an hour or more (hours, I assume).

He's much more intent on solving my moderate hypertension, which he assures me is a much more serious issue. I've learned to place trust in him while doing my own research and asking specific and pointed questions when I go back for checkups.

I unfortunately don't have any solutions for any of you. My own home remedy is to immediately go for a brisk walk, no matter the time of day or night. Oddly, this mild exercise seems to "put things back in place" for me and often the PVCs are done when I return. Of course, this may also be in my head and the PVCs would subside on their own, but it's nice to feel I have SOME control over things, even if it's fictitious.

Like many in the forum, I see a spike in PVCs after rich meals, heavy drinking, but also sometimes when I lay down at night. Some nights I can't lay on my back at all or I seem to sense them coming on. I roll to one side and I'm fine...but now I wonder if I'm just inventing supersitions and there's coincidence involved.

In any event, I think the key is to improve your over-all health, keep up with your cardiologist and stay informed (educate yourself and question your doctors). If at least some of the PVCs are generated by stress or worry, you can perhaps allay some of that by becoming informed.
Helpful - 0
212059 tn?1292938529
I have had PVCs for the last 17 years. It has only been the last three years that they have been non-stop. I have about 3-4 per minute on average, sometimes more. That's about 5,000+ per day.

Try the Atenolol! It will lower your heart rate and blood pressure just enough for you not to notice your PVCs as much. It might even reduce the amount you get at first. Metoprolol worked for me for a couple of months then, for lack of better wording, kinda wore off. It was great while it lasted. There's a very small chance that your PVCs could increase but the Atenolol has a short half-life and will wear off quickly.

Give it a try! Let me know how it goes.

Lori

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi...you said you have palps every day for the past three years? Do you feel them every time ? 5,000 a day computes to about how many a minute? I have about 4 to 5 aminute and it is very exausting tome.
It's hard to concentrate on anything when I have this pounding and skipping going on. It is so depressing thinking they are here to stay and will never go away. I had them a few years back and now they are back, caused from stress. I have cut out caffien and wine for a week now and they seem to be a little less but still every hour they are there. Thanks everyone for sharing. I have Atenalol here but don't want to take it from what I've read here. It'ssupposed tocontrol your heart rythm but some peoplehere on the threads statethat it causes pvc's. Doesn't make sense to me.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you all for your comments and well wishes. The Atenolol my doc perpscribed worked for 2 days but heart is acting up again tonight...was running around in Central Park all weekend and probably got dehydrated. Am going to have a 24hr monitor (again) this week and hope I can get some certainty that it's PVC/PAC.
Helpful - 0
212059 tn?1292938529
Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you are going through so much right now. Take a step back and breathe. PVCs won't kill you. My cardiologist said it best when he wished that all his PVC patients could stop feeling them because that is the problem. They feel horrible, they feel like your heart will stop at any moment and they scare the hell out of us. No one on this forum has died from PVCs. I have had them for over 17 years. For the past 3 or so years I have had 5,000 per day every day. You will be alright. Stop drinking caffeine. Drink alcohol in moderation and by all means, continue to exercise. Exercise conditions your heart. Please read through the posts on this site. you'll find a lot of support and hopefully we can put your mind and heart at ease.
Helpful - 0
701334 tn?1262853503
whatever you do,,dont let them put you on any heart meds such as ameodarone,,(spelling?)...this stuff is bad for you,as is most heart meds,and will end up killing you in the not to distant future1,,my fater has a arythmia issue,,was put on those very meds,and 10 years later died a horrible death from complication from side effects of this meds.
when asked about this to the docs,,i was told they all know these meds kill people,but at least with them,the patient gets to live a few years longer,,so be happy right?
i think these companys need to be accountable for there products.
Helpful - 0
376186 tn?1219279505
I am 63, have had some kind of palps my whole life....had an ablation for an extra pathway in 1993 which 'cured' my tachy.....but I get daily episodes of PVC's and PAC';s..thousands a day, sometimes ongoing for hours and hours. I get frightened even tho my cardio assures me that they are benign.  (They do not feel like they are benign.) Anyway, I have lived with this for all of my life....I was told that my mitral valve prolapse was a birth defect and prob what causes my skips......but they are not sure about this. I guess we never know about things in life from day to day so I try not to worry about all of this and my advise to you would be to have regular check ups, try to live a healthy lifestyle and relax!! For me, eating well, making smart choices with things like alcohol, caffeine, etc  are key to my well being.
Take good care~~~~
Helpful - 0
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