Sudden onset of frequent PVC,s

[shan1727]

Hello...I am a 41 yr old female...about three weeks ago I started to notice a "flutter" in my chest.  Of course, I ignored it for the first few days thinking it was nothing.  When the fluttering persisted I checked my pulse.  The flutter I was feeling was insync with what felt like skipped beats.  After three weeks of this I took myself to ER, was put on telemetry, and they were actually PVC's.  Now, the doctor claimed it was quite common and that I had probably been having them for a long time.  That iss ridiculous.  I certainly would have noticed had this been going on for years.  Blood work was done, cardiac markers normal as well as all other labs with the exception of slightly elevated Hgb and Hct. This is making me crazy with worry.  What could be the cause of the suuden onset of PVC,s?  I have a hard time accepting that its common and can be normal.  SOMETHING had to have changed for these frequent PVC,s to just appear (3-4 per minute) Please....I am in need of sound advice and info.  Thanks for your time. There is a little more history involved here but didnt want this to turn into a "novel"  

[Bromley]

Be sure to keep caffeine and alcohol consumption, and any else that can antagonize your PVC's, to a minimum.  Having PVC's caused by stimulants just adds confusion if you are attempting to identify the source of an actual problem.

[Bromley]

Hi. Be sure to keep caffeine and alcohol consumption, and any else that can antagonize your PVC's.  I know for  a while there I would rarely experience bouts of PVC's that were brought on by a particularly strong type of coffee I was using. When I stopped using that particular coffee, I stopped having the occasional PVC bouts.

Although is seems unlikely that 3 or 4 PVC's a minute could create much of a problem, having PVC's can be a sign of other problems. For this reason, it does seem like there should have been an explanation offered for your elevated HCT and HgB. Also, I totally agree that if you can feel your PVC's now, but never felt them before, there is a question as to whether they could have been "going on all along" without your knowledge of it. I have run into this sort of situation before with my EP's and find it very frustrating when a doctor won't listen to what I am telling them.

My suggestion would be to press for  more answers. I would want to understand the HCT and HgB findings and to know why the PVC's have just popped up where there were none before.  You could always pursue a second opinion.

[claytex]

Dear Shan:  I used to have some pvcs... This was my experience... I have a hiatal hernia that is not very bad.. Have had it checked and its not bad enough to do anything with.. but it can get inflamed from consuming too many acidic foods.. ie oranges, orange juice, grape fruit, also carbonated soft drinks and chocolate foods... well I cut them all out for the most part especially the acidic foods and carbonated drinks... and I no longer have pvcs..The EP and the internal doc i go to both told me the hiatal hernai in the esopagus can cause pvcs when it becomes irritated...Hope this is some help..  Claytex

[Mom2four85]

What you're describing is "normal", just about everyone here knows what you're saying and feels the same.  Sometimes they just seem to pop up out of no where and hit us, and others are more in tune with their bodies and feel even 1 pvc.  If you research, you'll find pvc's and arrhythmia's are one of the most common ailments in the world and one of the top reasons people go to the ER or seek emergency help.

95-99% of the time, pvc's are benign; it depends on where they originate, if you have any structural damage and the amount of them you're having a day - did they do a holter or other monitor to measure how many in a 24 hour period of time you're having on average? If not, you need to have a full cardiac workup outside an ER (A&E) type setting.  Ekg, 24 hour holter monitor, echo etc

Anything could have changed, your metabolism, blood levels, stress or anxiety, weight, diet etc etc etc there's a ton of things that affects the rate of these monsters.

if it's any help, virtually everyone on the planet suffers some type of arrhythmia's at different times in our lives

now if yours are multifocal, you have heart dysfunction; symptomatic such as fainting or dizziness with them or very frequent pvc's - in the amount of over 15% of your total 24 hour daily heart beats, then I'd really worry