pvc induced cardiomyopothy? scared!

[EPC29]

I ve been told I have benign palpitations and like so many of you have a hard time believing that.Infact,I spend most of my time not believing it and feeling terrible. On my bad days I have sometimes 11 skipped or extra beats a minute and for a while now I have been experiancing something weird to me. For about 10 beats in a row my heart beats in a different way.Not a skip but just different and all this while in normal sinus rythym. My heart never races. Anyway, I dont understand how there are so many posts about not to worry about pvcs in a healthy heart but then you hear about pvc induced cardiomyopothy and ablations and svt and so many other things I know nothing about. Please help me understand the difference. Im so scared all the time that my pvcs will lead to something worse! Yes, Ive been to a cardiologist and he tells me to quit worrying. My report reads;Very mild mitral valve prolapse,mild regurgitation, benign palpitations due to an underlying anxiety issue, will repeat another echo in 5 years.

[Momto3]

Hi RNRita!

What a great post!!  You hit the nail on the head.....How many times we think..."Hey, they're gone."  BUT, they're not!!  Accepting them as frequent "house guests" (loved that analogy) is best  : )

[RNRita]

Momto3 is quite right.  Worrying gets you nowhere and it NEVER ends.  It is really a self fulfilling thing, as well.  You worry about PVCs, they come.  They make house!  Start saying, "Go ahead, kill me."  They won't.  You never REALLY get used to them, but you will handle them better.  Also, I've had them for 31 years and have experience so many different feelings that I wonder what could POSSIBLY be going on in there....a party perhaps?  Right now my heart is calm, but I'm not dumb.....they'll come back.  I will freak out, calm myself down and they'll go away again.....eventually.

[EPC29]

Thanks for the response. Ive just been having such a hard time lately!You are so right about the anxiety too. Ive deffinatly noticed an increase in pvcs when I focus on them constantly.(wich Ive been doing alot lately.)

[Momto3]

Hi EPC29,

It doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about.  Yes, having lots of PVCs is annoying, and sometimes scary, but it truly is a benign condition.

PVC-induced cardiomyopathy is a very rare result of having thousands of PVCs/day for a long time.  I did develop the condition, but was in the 20,000 range (per day) for many years.  In addition, I have moderate MR so I guess that doesn't quite constitute a structurally normal heart.  I've had PVCs for at least 30 years, and I'm still here.  When I developed the PVC-IC, I opted for ablation therapy and it was very successful.  I still get occasional PVCs, but the CM has resolved.  

Please try not to worry....the anxiety is much worse than the PVCs.  Think about people who suffer with migraine headaces (another benign condition). That's also scary, but they're also fine.

Mild MVP, MR is generally not a problem.  A 5-year follow up is pretty standard.