PVC and seventeen

[bsbs4]

My daughter started getting PVC's as a freshman in High School but not real regular. She is now 17 and has had them constantly for two weeks with sharp pains when she dances/excercises. She has done the Holter monitor, EKG etc...the standard tests that everyone seems to have done and the doctors have all said no big deal don't worry. My big question is does anyone think that the heart ablasion surgery is helpful? I can't imagine her living with this pain her whole life. Dance is her life and she can't make it one minute into a routine. I hardly think that is "normal" for a teenager. Any advice or comments are much appreciated:)

[Danceswithheartbeats]

I went many years with just having pvc's and final found out I had other things with my heart as I got older. I was on a monitor five times in my life and the last one found something potentially serious. PVC's are not serious by them self but if your daughter has an arrythmia or heart disease with them then it is serious. So I would suggest every couple months get her on a 30 day event monitor and see what they find. A cardiac ablation is ment for pvc's with serious issues. In my opinion you don't want to run the risk of serious issues as with any procedure if your daughters heart is healthy and just has pvc's. I had a cardiac ablation and it did not work so you never know the outcome. I will pray for your daughters healing.
P.S. I know of people taking beta blockers to remove the pvc's and after a few years as your daughters body changes she could possibly come off the meds if it is a chemical imbalance.

[Momto3]

Hi and welcome to the Heart Rhythm forum.  We're glad you found us and hope we can help you (and your daughter).  You mentioned that your daughter has had he standard workup. Was that recently?  What does the doctor say about the pain?  Did he give her a diagnosis?

Because she experiences the pain when she dances, ask the doctor if he would prescribe an event monitor.  The monitor is generally worn for about 30 days, and your daughter would be able to record her heart's activity at the time the pain occurs.  That way, the doctor can correlate her pain to what is happening with her heartbeat.

Does OTC medication help? Ablations are not considered appropriate treatment for benign PVCs.  There are risks and I haven't met one cardio who was willing to ablate for benign PVCs.  

If you do not feel satisfied with the current doctor's diagnosis and/or treatment, please seek a second opinion if for nothing but peace of mind.