PVC during workout worries me.- (allot of text)

[sleepsleep]

SO pvc it is i guess.- Ive written before but didnt get a answer last time.
Short .Male 24 diagnosed with anxiety. No family history of heart conditions.

But heres the deal. Since i was 17 i started noticing allot of things happening to my heart. Rapid heart beat. Skipped beats and extra large beats.

Now im at a point where im....well scared that my heart is damaged or something.- BUT. . . . .
I have good faith in if i can get more detail about it i can calm down a bit and move on.

the thing is when i get these pvc (which i mostly feel as a light quick pressure from the inside of the chest. . . .It doesnt bother me much.-
but when im doing something a bit more craving such as working out, they feel much worse and then it freaks me out (kinda feels like getting shot with a tennis-machine- just second pressure and its gone).
Now of course. . . Logic would say :" your heart is beating faster and harder since your body needs more oxygen for what your doing atm, so when the PVC come its gonna be a larger hit."-

But my fantastic anxiety dominated brain clings to the question.
why do they feel worse while working out?
Why do they happen during and not after a workout (as ive read is most common)?

The thing that keeps me scared is the data about PVC. ,As i understand from different sources, they are common and harmless. . . But in a small % they can be a sign of something else. (so i cling to those last %)

A quick history of the tests.
Had a handful of EKG done due to my panic in the past.
Most of them where the 10 sec ones at the doctors office and one was about 30 min long at the hospital after a huge freak out.
I got a holter for a weekend......
(9and then i guess some blood analysis, but cant really remember. )

But none showed any pvc/extrasystoles. - And from what ive been told you cant really label them as harmless unless you catch one on the test. ?

(every info i put out there is like one big question you may correct if you want. Only trying to expand my knowledge on this. )

But yeah-. . . . So when i was about. . . 20 i kinda got over the fear after all the tests and got busy working and kinda had the upper grip on my anxiety.
Then got some crazy flu, where i had issues breathing and felt like crap for 2 weeks and my anxiety returned and its been a battle since i was 22 now.
(im rarely sick, but when i do get sick i go all in. So yeah not uncommon for me to get like the flu once a year)

Anyways. . . .Not many days ago i started getting some pvc while doing some minor workout. .  . Some kinda got me in the panic state again. One evening while i was sitting in-front of the pc i felt something funny and checked my pusle (common angst mistake i guess) and noticed my heart skipped what felt like 3 beats then started racing. I stood up and felt like i froze. Panicked and called the doc. (i thought i was having a heart attack but thinking of it now, it feels stupid. . . Why would the heart stop and then just start again? )

But monday i got to the doc and got another EKG. All looked good he said- and looked at the blood pressure, and he said it was a bit high, but also mentioned that was common since i was sitting talking to him. ?  :S sounds weird to me but okay?
Told him about what i had gather of info about the PVC and that to rule em out you had to get them on paper in those situations. . . He was of course skeptical (and sure i was challenging him as a doctor) but he called some professional heart guy, who said i should get an appointment for an stress EKG. -

So im happy and scared at the same time now.

I mean... .Finally im getting a stress test and hopefully they catch a pvc on there and tell me its a harmless one.
But same time Im just waiting for a damn letter to drop so i know when im going.
Also that he advised me to get the test, kinda fuels my fear of :" hey so they didnt test it to the fullest the first 50 times? " -

Anyways. . . Ive rambled allot, and think its clear to make out that i have anxiety. and have no issue saying that all these symptoms might be anxiety caused. . . . . .

But yeah. . . what are your thoughts?

PVC during workout. . . .Are they harmless? Did i get advised to do the test just to easy my mind or cause i was right, that they cant rule it out with EKG and holter?


BTW. Doc always ask the standard questions, so might as well fill them in here too just in case someone needs them.

during these PVC's i dont feel any pain really. More the pressure i feel. but goes away within a second. They can happen multiple times a minute. ( i have on 2 occasions felt pain- a quick stabbing like pain in the chest that only lasted as quick as it came. )

shortness of breath: Not really,. ,. . . I mean. .. .(please i know its dumb in any way)- but been smoking since i was 10- So a battle trying to quit. (planing to quit tomorrow so cross your fingers)- But yeah, that kinda ruin things. But could be allot worse. Before the anxiety i was very active, so its nothing near fighting for air, but on occasions i can feel the effect of being a smoker.  

Chest pain general.  well my chest often feels tight- but think its due to a bad posture while sitting. (i arch my back a bit pressing the top and bottom of my torso together. (like at the solar-plexus area) so just think its muscles and such thats causing it. (plus it doesnt feel like the "tightness" comes from the inside)
I have reflux so i get heartburn from time to time, but has been greatly relived due to some fluid "link" medicine. now i just burp allot most of the timeO.o

So yeah hope people will see through this chaotic post.- and might fill in the blanks/question-
And i just want honesty. Dont think "Oh sohuld i say this to someone with anxiety, might just freak him out"-
Well im asking cause i need more knowledge on the subject.
Cause i honestly think i have a better chance of fitting the anxiety that way.
After all fear comes in situations we dont understand. (well most of the time).
Also would be great to be able to go to the stress test and be confident that thats all thats needed to clear me out.
otherwise having the right questions to ask when i get there.

So yeah ill stop now. . .. Promise. ;)
A good day to all. and look forward to the responses.... If any
(RESPOND)

[Quantav]

What was the prognosis?  Everything ok now?

[sleepsleep]

yeah sounds reasonable enough- Ive started getting a quick "tickle" feeling in my chest at times. (feels like adrenalin just rushing through for a quick second. and guess thats just what it is. ) a quick release of some sort that goes through. But yeah- Cant wait to get this test over with and keep moving. ;)

[is_something_wrong]

No doubt you have premature beats, but it's not at all certain that they origin from the ventricles (PVCs). Young healthy people often have PACs (atrial beats) with high stress levels.

If you had this for many years you are still alive, you can be pretty sure they are benign :)

I know how discomforting premature beats during exercise are. You notice them better too, because your circulation is higher and the heart fills even more up during the pause, which makes next heart beat extremely hard.

Medications are sometimes useful, too. I bet a small slice of a beta blocker pill will make the premature beats during exercise go away. That's often a good idea for a while, and during that time you exercise, strengthen your heart and your mind. They are prescription drugs, so you need to ask your doctor. Maybe it's not even necessary.

Try to remember; this is not heart related, but it gives symptoms through that organ. This is different from person to person. Some people get an upset stomach with anxiety, some people get tremor and some people get palpitations.

[sleepsleep]

thx man. And yeah not sure i have all the names right : P - we just go by the name Extra-systoles here. but nothing called that in the "options" here.
But sure. . . The first question... How do i know. Well of course i dont know a 100% but it feels very real.
And not sure what else it could be,.
Also that it has been there since i was 17 and showed up in situations where i had my anxiety under control.
(of course some one as me (maybe you) never really get a full grip on anxiety- but we do have periods if lucky where we feel no anxiety is on out shoulders)
As about 3 years ago now where i was pretty confident about my whole situation and went to the beach with some friends at every chance we had that summer.

We got a new hobby where we would play American football i knee high water- (which of course just makes it allot harder)
but after a hour one day it took only one "beat" in the chest to make me say "im out" and go sit by the edge of the water the rest of the time we where there that day-

so yeah. Many times it just feels like it comes out of the blue.-
So it bugs me ive never had it while doing the tests.

But i try to cling to the logical part- (like mentioned being very active in the past- rollerblading for miles every day and such) and that the "violent" extra-systoles have been there since i was 17-  So while my mind has gotten kinda worn out the last 7 years, it doesnt seam that it has gotten any worse since then.

But yeah im gonna take the test for sure. Just waiting for the mail telling me when to show up- So its the waiting thats killing me ;)  
Also just want to be sure i have the facts straight so i know what to ask and not ask when i get a chance to speak with an expert up there.

But thx for the respond man.
All in all it seams by your words i shouldnt worry much so helps a bit with the waiting :)
Also bums me out i kinda fear doing workout. So also good to see you saying youve found the way to get back up after two years. Gives hope.
-(did martial arts when younger so miss that too)-

[is_something_wrong]

Hi!

I can see you're going through a hard time. You have this classical cardiac neurosis which many young men have.

First: If no PVCs are found during the tests, how do you know you have PVCs?

I would say (possibly against better knowledge) that a young healthy man with panic attacks, sustained anxiety and "skipped" beats during exercise is suffering from PACs, not PVCs. I was exactly where you are now. I got mine monitored on Holter, luckily. They were PACs. They are benign. But they felt terrible. I didn't exercise, and hardly walked anywhere, for almost two years.

Now I'm doing cardio exercise 3-4 times a week. I can run for miles. I still have PACs but during exercise they luckily shut up. It's all a matter of accepting that you're not one of the few. It's about accepting that your heart doesn't (and shouldn't) tick like a metronome.

To answer your questions:

Malignant PVCs occur in people with unhealthy hearts. If the heart have some kind of electrical instability after a heart attack, a PVC can fire off from the healthy part before the unhealthy part is recovered, causing a so-called re-entry arrhythmia. This is advanced stuff, but you haven't had a heart attack, so no need for you to learn it, if you're not as stupid as me, scaring myself by reading things I shouldn't.

PACs can occur in lines. If you felt skipped beats followed by a line of rapid beats, you probably had a brief supraventricular tachycardia (you didn't have skipped beats but the first beats produced a low cardiac output so no pulse was sensable). This is often caused by excess adrenaline and isn't dangerous.

If you have chronic high adrenaline levels during exercise (which also increases adrenaline), then yes, you will get ectopic (premature) beats during exercise and yes, they can feel violent. It's always a good idea to capture the beats on EKG, so if your doctor tells you to do a stress test, then do it. That way it will be easier for you to relax.

You have given the answer to your chest pain, so I won't comment it any further ;)

I think you need to talk to someone concerning your anxiety. A psychiatrist is best, because he is a MD and can tell you more about the heart than a psychologist can. good luck, and don't hesitate to follow up!