PVC's / anxiety.. what is causing what?

[YENOM11]

Hello, So I have had panic attacks since I was 17 years old. I am now 34. Female. Pretty healthy. 5'5. 130lbs. Do not drink, smoke, drugs, ever.  Do not drink any form of caffiene. Except for the chocolate on occasion.  Eat pretty healthy, lots of fruit, vegtables, fish, salads ect.. When my panic attacks started, they were a racing heart. shortness of breath, hyperventilating, really scary, and new. I rushed myself to the ER many times. But once I got there. Nothing. Years passed.. and I slowly got better from 18 to 23, I didn't have them too much. I had trained myself to be able to stop it before it got out of control, and calm myself down. At age 24 I remember sitting on the sofa watching jaws of all things. And thats when it happened. My first (felt) PVC.  
In fact it was one after the other after the other! I rushed myself to the ER, driving thru red lights and all. Knowing that I was going to die. When I arrived, they had calmed down, and I was told I was fine. Panic attack. I took my first anti anxiety Oxezepam 10mg and went home. I remember although its been awhile that for weeks after that, I was living in terror. I mean.. I know my heart is going to stop any second and die terror. I was literally a prisoner of fear. Scared to go anywhere, do anything. Go to work, I was embarrassed that I was freaking out, and scared. I went to a cardiologist that did an ECHOCARDIOGRAM, and said my heart was normal, although possible BENIGN MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE. AND BENIGN PVC'S. He wrote on the paper.. " you are fine, take anti anxiety, and cut out the cheese out of your diet."  after that, I don't remember how long it took.. but it came and went. sometimes I was totally fine. and some days or nights especially I could feel it do a skipped beat followed by a stronger one here and there, sometimes for hours in a row, and the anti anxiety  did help.

  Between 26 and 33 those years, I didn't have any major panic attacks anymore. I knew how to talk myself out of it before it blew up. And I felt the pvc's some weak, and sometimes a really strong one that litteraly took my breath away,and makes me want to cough, for some reason when it happens, but I would feel them sometimes one a day, sometimes one a week, or a month, or months of nothing at all. I was living my life, and able to even do a little traveling, go on dates, go to the movies, and be " normal" as I can be with this disorder... SUDDENLY, about A WEEK AGO, NOW 34.. I felt a really strong palpatation (pvc), ignored it as my usual. and then felt another. and another.. Hmmmm.. ugh oh. Kept feeling them, all day, maybe 10 an hour. Now I'm scared. worked up. Went right down to my cardiologist whom I have not been to or seen in 10 years! and he did EKG, totally normal. Then took blood. Normal on mag/pottassian/ thyroid, ect ect.. Then he put a event monitor on me.

I've been wearing it for 6 days now. Its caught many many of these pvc's that I have now been having for 6 days. straight. non stop. I don't feel them when I sleep, but I feel it the second I open my eyes in the morning til I go to sleep. sometimes more when I get up to walk around the house.  take a shower. brush my hair. do the dishes, simple activities. also when I'm laying down, or sitting too though. just seems like maybe not quite as many.  They are all really strong feeling. I've had 3 EKG's this week. All normal. 2 blood test testing for all that they do.. and normal. My cardiologist called me and said he is seeing my event monitor activity and that I'm having benign PVC's. and that they are not dangerous. BUT NO MATTER WHAT HE SAY'S FOR SOME REASON.. I CAN'T STOP CRYING AND BEING UPSET ALL DAY, WAITING ON EDGE FOR THE NEXT ONE, THINKING about ALL THE THINGS IN LIFE I CANNOT HANDLE OR DO WITH THESE PVC'S. I ALSO KEEP THINKING CAN I SUDDENLY BE GETTING HEART DISEASE AND THATS WHATS INCREASING THEM NOW? ALTHOUGH I HAVE HAD THEM FOR 10 YEARS. JUST NOT THIS MUCH, THIS MANY. THIS IS UNBEARABLE TO ME. I AM VERY UPSET, AND WONDERING IF THATS MAKING THEM WORSE AND WORSE. I'M SCARED TO TAKE MEDICATIONS OTHER THAN ANTI ANXIETY, BUT MY OXEZEPAM 10MG IS NO LONGER HELPING THEM ANYHOW. I AM A NERVOUS WRECK, ANGRY AND UPSET AT THE SAME TIME. I KEEP THINKING HOW CAN I HAVE GONE 10 YEARS WITH THEM BEING BEARABLE.. ONCE IN A WHILE TO ALL THE SUDDEN ALL DAY LONG? WILL THEY CALM DOWN AGAIN? OR IS THIS HOW ITS GOING TO BE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE???...

[saimon282]

I have pvcs since Seven years ago ,but the last five months has been non stop, I went to see a EP and cardiologist,but everything came back fine and it stop for almost a month and yesterday I start again having them all day and every few beats, I hate them so much and is making me feel so much anxiety.  I hope some day they will find something that will make them go away for ever.

[YENOM11]

today I woke up and didn't feel palps from like 7 to about 10. I was feeling happy, but didn't want to be too happy.. and jinx it. But, alas.. they started up around 11.. ish... and went from maybe 1 to 3 an hour , and I tried to relax and ignore, and not get upset, but now from 6 to now almost 9pm.. they are every 5 min or so, really strong ones, sends a shock thru my body of fear like a electric jolt.. and a nervous feeling in my stomach. Not to mention the mounting depression and being upset that its coming full force now.. .

I wish I could remain more positive.. well I finally see a counsilor on thurs. I know thats not a cure, but maybe it will give me some form of  peace in one way or another. .. I want so badly to feel like a normal person again.

[sleepsleep]

Also note that Ive been away from this site for a long time actually (think a month or more).- And think it helps to not be to focused on all the issues, including others while your at your worst. But yeah- Thats it for me now.
God day/night to all.

[sleepsleep]

Hey hey- Well I can relate. Ill admit it, mine still scare the crap out of me. And ive had the same exact thoughts as you.
Are the beats causing the anxiety or is the anxiety causing the beats?

But at this point im actually shifting more towards. . . .It doesnt matter,.
If i should figure out the answer, it would not change anything. I still have both and thats what I should be thinking about.

IVe been on Satralin now for. . . .2+ months? and recently upped up to 150mg.

Not sure yet what effect they are gonna give me, but so far they seam to have helped me to not go into panic mode. (you know, getting short of breath, dizzy and all that)- But still have all the thoughts of course.

But the last 3-5 days ive had zero pvc/extrasystoles- until about 30 min ago where a huge one had me surprised.
(while still frightened of them, we kinda get used to them pop up if you know what i mean.....) and after so many pvc free days, it made me jump a bit in my chair. But thats that. Still here and writting this feeling fine.

So yeah- Dont think you should focus to much on why the beats come, but try to just do whatever you can to stay happy.
While upping my meds ive kinda had the attitude that im gonna do what i wanna do. If i want to postpone doing laundry for tomorrow. Well then im not make myself do it today. If i feel like staying in bed for an hour extra just enjoying the embrace of my bed.... Im just gonna go with it.
All in all. . . .I feel kinda better. Not stressing about everything and not irritated that im not spending my time on what i want to spend it on.
Not a major miracle, but works.
When i used to go to the supermarket, i usually got uncomfortable when there was a long line to the cash register.
(like, omg how long before i can get out- i fell trapped here. )

Now letting old people and kids skip in line and just taking it easy.

Think that is a good way to go. And might be hard as hell when ones anxiety is screaming at you all the time-

And not saying one should live their lives like that forever-
But hell, im out of a job atm so why not just take it easy while im seeing if the meds do the job then try to get back into the usual pace in my daily life.

Of course this doesnt mean i never ask the doc about medical issues. . . .I go there 1-2 times a month mainly to talk about how the meds are working and if we should up the dosis or try something else, and of course i unload all my worries then. But after that i just chill around until the next appointment.
But hopefully in the next 2 weeks i can feel some greater change and then get farther back into "real" life.

But yeah.- Just sharing my thoughts- No idea if any of that can help in any way. But take what you can. And good luck.

[YENOM11]

Thank you Rnrita, so you have had them for a long time. And yours are doing what mine kind of did? where you have a bunch of them.. and then for awhile none, then some, then none, and at times tons? See, thats what confuses me, many people on here talk as though they have PVC's and thats that. So I wonder if there are ever times where they stop for people. For me, like I said, ten years ago I remember they were back. Then in between then and now, ... I would get them spiratically. Now its been two weeks of sometimes 1 to 3 a minuted. or every 5 min.. thing.

I am starting to get at the point where yes.. I have to go to work, and have to continue to make a living.. with or without the PVC's. Recently I bought a mulitvitam and CO Q10, and another vitamin called Busy brain release. Which is all the B vitamins, plus alot of lavender, Kava, Skullcap, but boy does that make me feel all druggy! weird! the vitamin makes me feel more drugged up than a simple Xanex!  

I really want to start accepting them, and not fighting them, and hoping that maybe like you, they will calm back down.  I don't want to miss out on my life. And I have missed out of more than you know ( or maybe you do) in my life, since I was 17. I have never been big on movie theaters. I don't go to amusement parks. I don't travel. I don't like long car trips.  I don't like going places there is no hospital nearbye... People I've dated never understand, and look at me as someone thats a downer.. So I hide it.  I've left smack in the middle of family functions, parties, and eating in restaurants.. because of anxiety.. ugh. I sound like a fun person huh?

I feel like if it wasn't for these I could be who I wanted to be. But maybe if I just accept them, no matter how strong and uncomfortable they are.. that I can be happier than I have been.

I'm tired. Of searching for the nearest hospital, and going in to doctors, and being poked with needles, and sitting in waiting rooms, and more and more doctor bills.. all for what??

I know I'm not alone. Thank you. I just pray that we all find relief and happiness.

[RNRita]

HI there.  Your story sounds so much like mine. I started at 19 and am now 54.  I have had more episodes than you can count of different PVCs, PACs, the whole gambit. I'm still here.  I always thought, "this is the big one," whenever I was having an unusually difficult time. I had bigeminy for over 6 weeks once.  NOTHING would stop it. I cried all the time, like you.  Then I realized I had to work, sleep, take care of my family and do it all while having PVCs. Once I gave in to them as being my new "normal" they stopped. I don't think I even realized they did.

Don't stop doing things.  Tell yourself it just doesn't matter.  Don't be afraid of the atenolol.  I started at 75 mg and am now at 12.5 mg daily after 24 years!  I also take a benzodiazapine when needed.  Neither of these drugs stop PVCs.  They just make them more tolerable.  

The best thing you can do is keep living.  Start taking calcium in the morning and magnesium in the evening.  You'd be surprised at how much that has helped me.

And you certainly are not alone!!!