Large number of PVC for past few days.

[philip341]

For the past few days i have been feeling a lot of PVCs. Although I get them regularly I ussually only feel a few of them a week. I have been having more then 50 every hour and really getting worried. I went to the ER yesterday were they did an EKG which was normal except for the one PVC that it caught. I have had an echocardiogram last year which was normal. A chest x-ray was normal as well. I also get short of breath pretty frequently and have chest pain as well. How dangerous are PVCs ? I am afraid to go anywhere now for fear of geting v-fib which could lead to cardiac arrest. Both the ER doctor and my family doctor seem to think it is not serious. I am seeing him again next week and will ask for a holter moniter. Can somebody please share some info. As I was typing this I was getting several of them!

[cindy707]

Hey phillip i'll toss in my two cents were here to try to put it into perspective a little bit....the human heart beats over 100,000 beats in a day.....so that ain't too bad if you are getting a "few" PVC's in an hour.  PVC's are more common than you would ever believe and i forget what the % is of people who have them but i know its high.  Most of the time they are very very harmless...sounds like you got the green light from the docs....time to go out and play now Phillip......good luck to you......

[philip341]

Thank you for your responses.

I was in the ER again today and this time they did a few more tests. The EKG was once again normal and my electrolytes were also normal. They also told me that my heart is okay and I have no reason to worry and that I should just relax and focus on a good diet. Well I will go ahead and give it a try. The PVCs are still continuing but I am not as worried anymore. Hopefully it will clear up soon and return to normal.

[no_fate]

50 per hour is only 1200/day...
that's probably not damaging your health at all.

if you could only have 1200/day and stay at that level,
there's no reason for concern.

fear or worry you will develop more pvc's can lead to develop more,
because adrenalin is good at creating more pvc's.

[LindaTX]

Chicky above is right...you do need to try calm down the best you can.  Something must be triggering them to be having soooo many.  You are young and probably have a very strong heart.  I don't think you have to worry about going into v-fib.  If I were you, I would concentrate on your diet, be sure you are eating enough of the right foods.  Stay away from caffeine and sugary foods, even processed foods high in carbs like top ramen noodles, pizza, burgers with big buns, any processed carbs.  I know that sounds cruel to a teenager but if it could cut down on these awful symptoms it would be worth it, right?   I would even cut out the sugary carbonated soft drinks. Try to stick with fruits and vegetables and see if that makes a difference. There is a chance your vagus nerve is coming into play here .  You can read about it.  It can affect your heart rhythm as well as digestion.  There are threads here on MH about it.  It runs from your brainstem all the way down to your colon.  It's a very interesting association.  

[chicky2001]

Try to relax.  If your heart is healthy and the doctors you have seen don't think it's serious, it isn't.  You can have PVCs that are benign in nature.  I was once told most people's hearts do miss beats, but there are those of us that are very heart aware and feel everything.

Do you have a cardiologist?  Have you had a stress test?  Has your doctor done an EKG also?  The holter monitor is a good idea.  It's hard, but you have to try to believe your doctors when they tell you it is not serious.  There are medications you can take to feel more comfortable.  I was told I had the choice of taking meds or learning to live with the PVCs.   I am on meds.  

I know how terrifying this is.   I have had them most of my life and haven't died yet.  They come and go.  Right now, I have been in a month long session after being fine for a very long time.  It doesn't get any easier for me.  I still get terrified.

Good luck.