Please help interpret these results!

[alleyrock]

"Sinus rhythm, including sinus tachycardia and sinus bradycardia, with rare single PVC's, rare single and rare couplet PAC's"

I am on a beta blocker from the high heart rate that started a few months ago out of the blue. I am 27 (female) and my range was above 145 sitting and doing nothing or doing normal things I had no problem with before. I get this chest pain especially at night that causes panic attacks because the feeling of the sipped beat then the strong beat hurts and puts my body into this shock feeling. I should be seeing a cardiologist in the next month or so but right now I need a little help. I know what all the terms mean but the answer I get from the Dr is that you are fine for now and this is not related to immediate death. For now? Immediate? What does this mean for me in the not so immediate future? I am just confused, scared, and stressing is making it worse. Any answers would be appreciated!

[MichelleP_3811]

Abnormal beats are called ectopics.  They can be pacs in the atria or pvcs in the ventricles.  They are essentially just little extra heart beats and are of no consequence in an otherwise healthy heart.  Pvcs however, can be a bit disconcerting because they can feel pretty dramatic and some can hurt though the pain is usually pretty transient.  There isn't much they do about them unless a person is having upwards of 20 thousand or more a day which is why your doctor said to ignore them. the more you focus on them the worse they will feel.  Tachycardia is something different.  Right now you have been diagnosed as having sinus tachycardia which means they do not believe there is a source in the heart causing the heart beat to get caught in a looping reentry circuit which is what svt is.  So do you notice when you get a fast heart beat does it start and stop in what feels like one beat.  If it doesn't then you have possibly some sort of adrenaline response going on which could be from anxiety or from some other illness or issue within your body but not necessarily due to a problem with the heart.

In any event, it is good you are seeing a cardiologist.  It is important to get your heart fully evaluated to know for sure what is all going on and if there is anything you can do to correct the issue of if your best bet is to work on anxiety and your ectopic triggers.  The big ones are stomach issues, caffeine and stress/anxiety.  I know it is hard but do your best to not freak out when you feel a crazy strong beat.  Your heart is a strong muscle and can handle it.  The more fear you put into it the worse you will feel.

[alleyrock]

I have always had stress but when it got bad I would get bells palsy or my hands would break out in eczema dots. To be honest I was taking benadryl for allergies and Unisom to sleep and they have the same ingredient. I think it did something to my heart. I am not one to volunteer to see a dr about anything but in May, I was just sitting there doing my homework as usual, my mom was entertaining the kids so I could work. I was about halfway through my MBA then. I have been in school for several years and have experienced the hand eczema but this oh **** feeling, the whoosh that goes over your body, chest pain, arm and shoulder was numb. I was not doing anything I had not been doing the past several years. It just seems odd that the time I started taking both medications that this happened. I forgot they were the same ingredient I always took benadryl at night because it would work through the morning and most of the day without the day time drowsiness. Anyways, I just dont believe it is anxiety, or anxiety alone. In fact, I had moved out of an even more stressful living situation about 4 months prior so I was in a better, positive, and more relaxed environment. I just cant see it as the only answer. And at the same time my ears started popping and ringing I thought it was vertigo but no one is interested in my ears they are focused on anxiety. I got a referral to see an ENT and cardiologist sometime in the next month or so. I just cant sleep when that feeling happens.

[alleyrock]

My "conditions" listed on my file are palpitations and premature beats. They said sinus tachycardia after the ER. Then I switched health insurance and had to re-explain everything to them. Now on the third dr who says to ignore it.

[Joeylucy28]

You sound exactly like me. A couple of years ago I went to ER heaps of times with high heart rate and it was just sinus tachy, so normal but fast rythym. It was anxiety, in hindsight I can see that now.
But I didn't deal with my anxiety properly and now I get ectopics and possibly svt- all of which I'm sure if I had my anxiety and stress lefels under control I wouldn't get so many symptoms. Sure I would still get them but my heart health anxiety is through the roof. I'm 31, so they started at the same age as you... Get all the tests done, then try and deal with your anxiety please, I wish someone told me that a few years ago.
Take care

[scooteroufan1]

Sr normal ,beta blocker used for slowing down and your pc prob,have you been dx with svt? Superior ventricular tachycardia,?

[alleyrock]

My thyroid is great, right in the middle of the range. The tachycardia is what came out of nowhere so after a few times I ended up in a week long panic attack and finally went to the ER. After that a dr put me on a beta blocker to reduce my heart rate. When I feel the pain and skip my heart rate is normal. The results are about 3 months after I started beta blockers. I had EKGs show abnormal beats so they had me do the 24hr holster monitor. My heart rate goes up after I experience a lot of skipping or pain for an extended period of time. The bradycardia is most  likely from taking the beta blockers. I have normal blood pressure and the medication lowers it. It just hurts and tingles out of nowhere and the dr said to just ignore it.... well I cant do that. I am hoping the cardiologist can explain more. I did not see the actual test results that show the beats on the chart so I do not know how often it happened. I also know I was not doing a whole lot that day I pretty much sat at home while I wore it. I dont know how to ignore it. I have tried.

[MichelleP_3811]

I also see you have periods of bradyicardia.  Does your heart alternate between tachycardia and bradycardia or is the bradycardia happening at night which is fairly common?

[MichelleP_3811]

In general, issues with the atria are not a life threatening issue.  A constant high heart rate is usually caused by things outside the heart but it is good to get the heart evaluated to make sure the source isn't extra muscle fibers or something that can be fixed.  With that ruled out then it would be good to get your thyroid checked, hyperthyroidism is a big cause for a higher normal than normal heart rate.  I would also pay attention to whether or not the high heart rate starts and stops in one beat or does it simply start to elevate in response to what you sense is a skipped beat?  If it happens in what feels like one beat, starts and stops in an instant then it could be svt.  If you sense it rises in response to a skipped beat then it could be an anxiety response.  Or again it could be due to some illness outside the heart.  So I would not panic about your immediate safety but do take the time to investigate it fully to help ensure the long term well being of your heart.  Take care and keep us posted on how you are doing.

[Joeylucy28]

Have you had an echo holter and stress test?
Looks like you've had a holter and like me it should PACs and couplets. The more we stress about it the worse it feels. I'm trying to get answers too but if your echo has come back normal then you are most likely not in a life threatening situation.