PVC ? For the DR.

[jrbeans08]

I have been having allot of weird fillings in my chest it fills like y heart is skipping beats or posing for a few seconds i went to the er and they did a EKG but of course nothing happened and they said my heart looked beautiful on the EKG but because i have had this problem before when i was 18 and then i was put on a monitor for 1 week this time they told me i should have a new one done being i am now 30 so i went in to see a cardiologist and he just listened to my heart taped on my chest my back and had me hold my breath why he listened to my heart but then when he looked at the EKG from the er he told me i was fine and that i was just having PVC that i didn't need to wear a monitor and that there was meds for them but that they can kill me so he didn't want me to go on them and said he was sorry i had them but it was something that i would just have to live with now given the exam do u thank i should get a second opinion or is he right and was he just able to tell from lansing am i just having PVC please help me so i know what is going on o and when i had the monitor done when i was 18 thay sead all was fine and the skips I'm filling now don't sound like what i read others described as PVC they fill like someone is squeezing my heart and then letting go and then i cough after it is over o and the cardiologist told me he would bet his Jakob that i am just having PVC what do u thank dose it sound like PVC and can he make that kind of diagnosis without blood work or a monitor or x ray please help thank u

[samhayward]

i get the lot and allways think im dieing but this week i have them realy bad like 6 a day big skip beats not good fills like its going to jusy cut out

[MFM008]

:)

[jrbeans08]

lol thank u u made me laugh and gave really good advise thank u sooo much

[MFM008]

I dont know what kind of Dr. you saw. By the sounds it was a witch dr.
Drs.start out usually with the EKG, then bloodwork, Xrays, a Chest cat scan, a holter monitor for 24-48 hours, an echocardio test and for good measure I had a calcium score to measure the hard plaque in the heart veins. I had 0 percent. All those tests were negative. Zip, nada. PVCs, PACs.
In the past month my pvcs have become constant. They did bloodwork again and im in menopause. freakin hurrah.
Its wonderful when the thing your afraid of becomes almost constant.
You need to find another Dr, or get very vocal about what you need to help yourself feel more informed.
Dont fiddle with to many  supplements. Researchers have said to much calcium can cause heart problems. The less drugs you take the better. If your prone to anxiety or panic,  zoloft  is the drug tailored to panic/anxiety other than the tranqulizers and is the best choice--give it time to work. I also use low doses of  Klonopin.
These were very helpful 10 years ago, they saved my sanity.
Now if I can just work this menopause thing out.......

[mtgardner]

I would not recommend trying a potassium supplement unless you know you have a potassium deficiency as potassium can really effect your heart.  It would be better to have blood levels checked.  This is something your regular doctor can check for you.  HE or the cardiologist could review your meds to make sure nothing you are taking could contribute to the problem.  Maybe they already did that.

Some people have small deficiencies that are readily fixed by eating bananas and other foods high in potassium.   Other times potassium has to be prescribed.  

Again good luck on identifying the problem.  Marie





  

[jrbeans08]

The cardiologist i saw came highly recommended by a family member and that's why i went to see him the Dr also told me he has had them ever since he got out of medical school o and he told me i should get on melds because they will cause panic attacks and i already suffer from those so i  did i was put on Zoloft but after reading this I'm wondering if i just might be low on  potassium and mabby i should find some supplement's for that and i went to the heart institute here and saw a cardiologist so i thought he would know what he was doing but now not so sure  o mabby he was just that good and could tell by just listening  without the monitor or blood work and stuff i don't know its all so very frustrating Theo

[mtgardner]

I agree a 2nd doctor is a good idea.  Did anyone do any blood tests and did they scrutinize your list of meds?

I have had skipped heart beats due to low potassium.  I have also had skipped beats and some chest pain when on two different meds that can cause arrhythmia's.  One of these was a tricyclic ant-depressent in a small dose given to me by a doctor for the pain of a pinched nerve in my back.  I had been on it for three months when I noted having the skipped beats and chest pain.

I think one of the things that bothered me at the time was when one medical person told me that skipped heart beats are common at my age and not to worry about it.  I thought that was a red flag. I had never had them before. I talked to a different doctor who really listened to what I was saying and tried to figure out what could be wrong.  In my case it coincided by a few months with changes in meds so we tried going off the meds as a trial and that worked.  

Hope you get some resolution.  Marie

[rd929]

jrbeans08,  I'm wondering if you saw a regular cardiologist or an electrocardiologist.  I've had syncope issues for some time with irregular heartbeats.  I have the beats pause and start again.  I don't have the cough and I really don't have any pain when this happens.  I only have chest pain if my heart is racing.  I've never had much luck when I go to standard cardiologists.  The standard cardiologist normally don't find anything at all when they examin me and tell me I'm having panic attacks.  Electrocardiologists have always been able to pick up exactly what is happening by doing either a 24 hour holter (spelling?) test or one of these new 1 month versions of the old holter test that has a little computer with it.  If you are uncomfortable with your doctor's answer and are experiencing a squeezing sensation, it might be a good idea to go to someone who would do a longer test.  

Another thing to think about is what I've just run into.  I was having pressure in my chest and breathing difficulty that would start and stop suddenly.  My electrocardiologist found nothing.  I kept asking my my doctors about it and was finally sent to an ENT who found out I was having acid reflux that wasn't making it's way into my throat.  

I hope you find out what the problem is.