Aa
constant palps
I am new to this forum and feel right now that it is the one thing that is helping me with these palps. I have been to the dr 100 times in the last year. I have these things constantly. It is terrible. I am losing my mind, I am sitting here crying because I literally suffering from these thoughts of dying. I have 3 kids and am trying to finish school, so my life is hectic, but I love it. This is the one thing that I cant handle. They say I am fine, and the only test I did not have done is a stress test which I go for on the 17th. I am terrified of that. I just wonder why I have them constant. Everyone else seems to get them occasionally. Does anyone else get them all the time. Like the flip flop and the skips, two times I had episodes that felt like a machine gun. That one is the one that scares me the most. Has anyone ever had that one? This is crazy. I took a half a xanax about an hour ago, bc my mind is racing. Any advice on something that can help me to relax.
It is true that so many folks have these annoying palps. I for one have thousands a day, concentrated around times of stress and times of eating (or more technically times of digestion I suppose). I am only 34 and have had these bad boys for about 2 years solid now, following my tuning in process due to having some bad bouts of SVT (AVNRT). I had two ablations that finally did away with the SVT, but was left with a new gift of PVCs. I blame them in part on my anxiety and unintended biofeedback; my own involuntary heart sensitivity training. It is a terrible lesson, but for all of you new to these beasts, please try to learn that you are not doing yourself any good by focusing inward too much. Stop checking your pulse and feeling for every little pause and tremor that feels amiss. I wish you all well and sinus rhythm.
I didnt realize that so many of us had them so bad. I felt like no one could imagine how terrible this is and how hard it is to go about your day and "try not to think about it" I am one like PVC man, very aware of my heartbeat and sometimes when I am lucky enough to not have them it is almost like that is the wrong way. Its weird. I must say this, talking with all of you has been extremely beneficial. I am going to school for medical transcription and will be spending alot of time typing which will take my mind off them alittle. I hope that we can all keep supporting each other, b/c it is great. I must say the only pills that I take anymore are fish oil pills, and a magnesium, calcium, zinc supplement. I have not taken a xanax for awhile. I am not one to take pills, I hate it. My dr had a hard time getting me to take anything at all. I took toprol for awhile and I didnt like how it made me feel and it didnt get rid of the palps. I feel pretty good today, it was a hectic morning getting 3 kids to school and I couldnt find my car keys so I walked to my moms and got her car and one of my kids didnt want to go. blah blah I have palps but they seem better today than yesterday. I do have a cold and I am pms'n. sorry guys, sure you dont want to know that, but I hear it could be why I get these things. I cant believe all the things that can cause them. wow,. no wonder so many people have them. So if I dont feel light headed and dizzy, I shouldnt worry. Good. I am gonna try really hard not to get myself worked up today. Yesterday was terrible. All those horrible thoughts in my head and all. No more of that. I wish you all well, and hope that all of you have a great day. Again, the support is wonderful and I appreciate all the time and words you give me. Lets keep it up. Thanx so much.
Wow-great comments all-I too, as I have posted before, have suffered with PVCs since about age 17 and I am now 42. I KNOW for CERTAIN that I have had many days where I have had several thousand of them. Like Artaud I feel every last one and I am VERY aware of my heartbeat...just goes with the territory.
I have had times for YEARS in my life when I have not had a single PVC and could drink, have very little sleep, or do whatever I wanted with none. Then there are times in my life that I can do EVERYTHING right and still get thousands in a day.
One recent strong link I think I found for myself was a sudden change in excercise level so I would STRONGLY suggest building up slowly...be especially careful in the heat and stay hydrated.
As someone said above... I too told my cardiologist I was sometimes getting thousands of these things...he had caught my PVCs on a stress echo before and he was NOT concerned... he told me that unless I was getting real dizzy or passing out NOT to let it ruin my life. He is pretty good at listening and suggested that if I had symptoms that were really disturbing me I should consider increasing my B-blocker (Atenolol 25mg has worked VERY WELL for me at some points in my life;) he also said I could consider a xanax but I declined.
Intrestingly, when I was a teenager my old family doctor prescribed phenobarbital for me and I remember that it really helped a lot. It must have been a small dose as I wasn't walking around stoned all day and I stopped it pretty easily. I guess it just must have mellowed me a little bit. I have always been VERY type A. As for me, if I had lots of weeks of getting thousands daily, I would probably ask my doctor for something like the phenobarb only because I did ok with it when younger. Phenobarb, though, I'm almost certain coul;d be habit forming (narcotic.) But I would be willing to take a smaqll dose because thousands of PVCs do interfere with my daily routine. As an alternative, Imight ask him for a good sleeping drug, as I feel lack of quality deep sleep is a BIG PVC trigger and PVCs can interfere with sleep so it is a nasty cycle. I probably would ask for a sleeping drug before asking for Xanax, but only because I don't feel anxiety is a real problem trigger for me...there are times when I can be sitting and relaxed and getting tons of them.
Anyway, I digress....keep the conversation going guys...its good to learn froim each other.
PS: Since I moderated my excercise (walk 1.5 miles run 1.5 miles rather than run 4) I feel MUCH better so just start excercise SLOW and build up, ESPECIALLY in the heat.
Be well all.
I have had times for YEARS in my life when I have not had a single PVC and could drink, have very little sleep, or do whatever I wanted with none. Then there are times in my life that I can do EVERYTHING right and still get thousands in a day.
One recent strong link I think I found for myself was a sudden change in excercise level so I would STRONGLY suggest building up slowly...be especially careful in the heat and stay hydrated.
As someone said above... I too told my cardiologist I was sometimes getting thousands of these things...he had caught my PVCs on a stress echo before and he was NOT concerned... he told me that unless I was getting real dizzy or passing out NOT to let it ruin my life. He is pretty good at listening and suggested that if I had symptoms that were really disturbing me I should consider increasing my B-blocker (Atenolol 25mg has worked VERY WELL for me at some points in my life;) he also said I could consider a xanax but I declined.
Intrestingly, when I was a teenager my old family doctor prescribed phenobarbital for me and I remember that it really helped a lot. It must have been a small dose as I wasn't walking around stoned all day and I stopped it pretty easily. I guess it just must have mellowed me a little bit. I have always been VERY type A. As for me, if I had lots of weeks of getting thousands daily, I would probably ask my doctor for something like the phenobarb only because I did ok with it when younger. Phenobarb, though, I'm almost certain coul;d be habit forming (narcotic.) But I would be willing to take a smaqll dose because thousands of PVCs do interfere with my daily routine. As an alternative, Imight ask him for a good sleeping drug, as I feel lack of quality deep sleep is a BIG PVC trigger and PVCs can interfere with sleep so it is a nasty cycle. I probably would ask for a sleeping drug before asking for Xanax, but only because I don't feel anxiety is a real problem trigger for me...there are times when I can be sitting and relaxed and getting tons of them.
Anyway, I digress....keep the conversation going guys...its good to learn froim each other.
PS: Since I moderated my excercise (walk 1.5 miles run 1.5 miles rather than run 4) I feel MUCH better so just start excercise SLOW and build up, ESPECIALLY in the heat.
Be well all.
Yep, it's definitely ok to have them all day long, thousands in fact would still be ok with a structurally normal heart shown by echo. The thing to remember, IMO, is that coping with Zanax or Klonopin can lead to addiction. I have never taken Zanax but the withdrawal is not fun I read. I think that many cardiologists are now prescribing anit-depressants instead of the benzos b/c it is so easy to get addicted. Please think about it.
Hi,
As long as an individual has a complete work-up at the Doctor's Office and the arrhythmia is otherwise deemed to be benign, the significance of the arrhythmia would likely be if other symptoms are present. Dizziness, light headedness, fainting (syncope), would be reasons to treat the arrhythmia. Apparently treating the arrhythmia has the potential to cause problems as well, since the stronger medications used to do so may cause other arrhythmias. (I am talking about specific anti-arrhythmic drugs, not Beta-Blockers) During one of my visits to a Cardiologists over the years, he said "I don't care how many PVC's you are getting, can you walk up two flights of stairs without any problems?" This I could and still can do. If I remember correctly, you are awaiting a stress test. Wait until you have been given the OK after the Stress Test to exert yourself before you would try to do anything that is not now part of your daily life.
What I would give to be unaware of my arrhythmia, as long as it is benign. I can't imagine not feeling every missed beat. Just because we can feel them doesn't mean they’re dangerous.
The more I am aware of the missed beats, the more it seems to sustain the episode. Funny, when I sit to write, I am often free of any problems. I had mentioned in another post that the car my son was driving was destroyed by a drunk driver. My son is OK so far, neck strain and such, but when I arrived at the accident scene my heart was going a mile a minute. I wasn't throwing any missed beats though, oddly enough. When I got home, my heart was quite erratic. I was to the point that I thought I was going to need to go to the hospital because of my missed beats, ironically since my son and wife were there waiting to be seen for his neck strain. I sat down and did some typing for work, easy stuff, the minutes from a meeting at work. My heart calmed down and the missed beats stopped.
Well wishes for your health.
As long as an individual has a complete work-up at the Doctor's Office and the arrhythmia is otherwise deemed to be benign, the significance of the arrhythmia would likely be if other symptoms are present. Dizziness, light headedness, fainting (syncope), would be reasons to treat the arrhythmia. Apparently treating the arrhythmia has the potential to cause problems as well, since the stronger medications used to do so may cause other arrhythmias. (I am talking about specific anti-arrhythmic drugs, not Beta-Blockers) During one of my visits to a Cardiologists over the years, he said "I don't care how many PVC's you are getting, can you walk up two flights of stairs without any problems?" This I could and still can do. If I remember correctly, you are awaiting a stress test. Wait until you have been given the OK after the Stress Test to exert yourself before you would try to do anything that is not now part of your daily life.
What I would give to be unaware of my arrhythmia, as long as it is benign. I can't imagine not feeling every missed beat. Just because we can feel them doesn't mean they’re dangerous.
The more I am aware of the missed beats, the more it seems to sustain the episode. Funny, when I sit to write, I am often free of any problems. I had mentioned in another post that the car my son was driving was destroyed by a drunk driver. My son is OK so far, neck strain and such, but when I arrived at the accident scene my heart was going a mile a minute. I wasn't throwing any missed beats though, oddly enough. When I got home, my heart was quite erratic. I was to the point that I thought I was going to need to go to the hospital because of my missed beats, ironically since my son and wife were there waiting to be seen for his neck strain. I sat down and did some typing for work, easy stuff, the minutes from a meeting at work. My heart calmed down and the missed beats stopped.
Well wishes for your health.
hey an 48 have had the pac/pvc since i was 23, i get them for 6 to 9 weeks at a time with no letting up. over 3000 a day they have been recorded so i know they are pac. they come not in singles but in couplets , every hour for weeks, than poof they are gone, i dont know why i get them no reason, when am really stressed they do not come, i can eat /drink lots they not come , they just come out blue when they feel like it so am not sure what triggers mine, but know they wont hurt or kill you , ther are a few on here who have over 30,000 a day for years . so relax and try not let them rule your life.
So your dr. says it is OK to have these things all day long? I have them pretty much all day long as well and I always think that my heart is gonna get tired or something. My dr also says I am fine, but it is so hard to grasp that when you are feeling that flopping around in your chest all day. The forum helps me alot to get thru all of this.
Hi,
I am 50 Years old and have been suffering with an arrhythmia of one sort or another since I was about 15 years old. Traditionally, the arrhythmia would occur in bouts, I would have it for a month and a half, then be free of it for several months or more. Over the last year or so, they are becoming almost constant (by that I mean every day, usually Trigeminy for ten beats or so, then 30 beats normal, then trigeminy for 10 beats or so, eventually with breaks of 10 minutes or more in between one occurrence and another.) My Cardiologist is unconcerned, but that did not change my fear of them. Recently he start me on Paxil, something that I did not want to take since one of the side effects can be (but not likely) an arrhythmia. So far, after taking 10 mg at night (half the dose he prescribed, I am working my way to taking the full dose, as directed by him), I become arrhythmia free that night. I did not get the same result from the Klonopin (similar to Xanax) that I was taking. The odd thing is that during the day, I still have the arrhythmia as described, but my tolerance for it is increasing. (in other words, I don't get as frightened).
I have confirmed MVP (likely not significant), and probably MVP Syndrome, and part of the curse of some people with MVP Syndrome is that they feel EVERY missed beat of their heart. (They may be considered as Hypersensitive, and I am not using the term negatively) My wife works for a Cardiologist, and she gets patients with arrhythmias that they are unaware of. Their heart is so erratic she needs to use the EKG Monitor to get their pulse rate. She doesn't make them aware of their arrhythmia, rather the patient is eventually seen by the Doctor. The Doctor, having examined the patient's history, EKG, etc., takes the patient's pulse, and casually asks the patient if they ever get any palpitations. If the patient answers no, the Doctor doesn't make them aware of the situation for fear of them obsessing about it. In other words, the patient has been examined and is otherwise healthy, (they likely were referred by their Family Physician who was concerned about the arrhythmia), has no symptoms, and is not informed about something that is quite normal for many people, just that some are lucky enough not to notice them.
My arrhythmia has consisted of Isolated PVCs, ( I feel them bang quite hard) for a few weeks, but occurring many many times during the day. I have had PSVT, this produces a racing heart, quite scary, until I wore an event monitor for a few weeks, every time I called it in, the call taker would say "It's just PSVT". She was unconcerned, as was the doctor, so I eventually lost some of the fear of them. (They didn't last for more than 15 seconds or so). Now I have this darned Trigeminy, I found I can break the cycle simply by holding my breath. It's pointless though, since they usually start back up within a couple of minutes.
Always consult a Doctor about problems such as you are experiencing, (which you have and continue to do), and work with the Doctor concerning your symptoms and fears. But remember as I have said above, that many people are living quite healthy lives blissfully unaware of an arrhythmia that they have. How they could be unaware is beyond me, but I have heard it so many times from my wife and Doctor that I am sure that it is true. Some of us are very sensitive to the workings of our bodies, others not so sensitive.
Well wishes for your health, both physical and mental.
I am 50 Years old and have been suffering with an arrhythmia of one sort or another since I was about 15 years old. Traditionally, the arrhythmia would occur in bouts, I would have it for a month and a half, then be free of it for several months or more. Over the last year or so, they are becoming almost constant (by that I mean every day, usually Trigeminy for ten beats or so, then 30 beats normal, then trigeminy for 10 beats or so, eventually with breaks of 10 minutes or more in between one occurrence and another.) My Cardiologist is unconcerned, but that did not change my fear of them. Recently he start me on Paxil, something that I did not want to take since one of the side effects can be (but not likely) an arrhythmia. So far, after taking 10 mg at night (half the dose he prescribed, I am working my way to taking the full dose, as directed by him), I become arrhythmia free that night. I did not get the same result from the Klonopin (similar to Xanax) that I was taking. The odd thing is that during the day, I still have the arrhythmia as described, but my tolerance for it is increasing. (in other words, I don't get as frightened).
I have confirmed MVP (likely not significant), and probably MVP Syndrome, and part of the curse of some people with MVP Syndrome is that they feel EVERY missed beat of their heart. (They may be considered as Hypersensitive, and I am not using the term negatively) My wife works for a Cardiologist, and she gets patients with arrhythmias that they are unaware of. Their heart is so erratic she needs to use the EKG Monitor to get their pulse rate. She doesn't make them aware of their arrhythmia, rather the patient is eventually seen by the Doctor. The Doctor, having examined the patient's history, EKG, etc., takes the patient's pulse, and casually asks the patient if they ever get any palpitations. If the patient answers no, the Doctor doesn't make them aware of the situation for fear of them obsessing about it. In other words, the patient has been examined and is otherwise healthy, (they likely were referred by their Family Physician who was concerned about the arrhythmia), has no symptoms, and is not informed about something that is quite normal for many people, just that some are lucky enough not to notice them.
My arrhythmia has consisted of Isolated PVCs, ( I feel them bang quite hard) for a few weeks, but occurring many many times during the day. I have had PSVT, this produces a racing heart, quite scary, until I wore an event monitor for a few weeks, every time I called it in, the call taker would say "It's just PSVT". She was unconcerned, as was the doctor, so I eventually lost some of the fear of them. (They didn't last for more than 15 seconds or so). Now I have this darned Trigeminy, I found I can break the cycle simply by holding my breath. It's pointless though, since they usually start back up within a couple of minutes.
Always consult a Doctor about problems such as you are experiencing, (which you have and continue to do), and work with the Doctor concerning your symptoms and fears. But remember as I have said above, that many people are living quite healthy lives blissfully unaware of an arrhythmia that they have. How they could be unaware is beyond me, but I have heard it so many times from my wife and Doctor that I am sure that it is true. Some of us are very sensitive to the workings of our bodies, others not so sensitive.
Well wishes for your health, both physical and mental.
PVC Man, I forgot to mention... right now I'm taking two of those mag/zinc/calc tablets per day, I figure 66% RDA (100% on the D) is enough from supplementation since I eat a decent regular diet and the remaining 33% or more is likely coming in from food.
palpgirl, maybe instead of eating salty snacks and salty food, eat regular stuff even low sodium, and the just sprinkle some organic sea salt on it. Definitely avoid the processed food as much as possible. I know in our modern world its impossible to avoid fod processing but for Heaven's sake don't seek out high sodium processed stuff-- the sodium in it is not in the optimal & natural form and your body doesn't like to get its sodium that way. Not to mention all the other funky additives that are in a lot of highly processed off-the-shelf food products.
The potassium-sodium balance in your body is pretty important, even more so for us with palps and pvc's.
PVC Man I take a magnesium/calcium/zinc combo supplement by Nature Made brand, each tablet is like 33% of Recommended Daily Allowance for each of those minerals. It also has 50% RDA of vitamin D. Too much magnesium will give you cramps and loose stool and/or diahrea. Magnesium usually needs to have zinc with it because the zinc is needed for the body to absorp the mag properly or something. You can get it just mag and zinc together or like the one I take with calc thrown in-- I take the one with calc and vitamin D because I'm trying to cut out a lot of dairy products lately (even though I love cold skim milk) and so I figure I need to supplement calc & D if I'm not drinking as much milk as before.
The potassium-sodium balance in your body is pretty important, even more so for us with palps and pvc's.
PVC Man I take a magnesium/calcium/zinc combo supplement by Nature Made brand, each tablet is like 33% of Recommended Daily Allowance for each of those minerals. It also has 50% RDA of vitamin D. Too much magnesium will give you cramps and loose stool and/or diahrea. Magnesium usually needs to have zinc with it because the zinc is needed for the body to absorp the mag properly or something. You can get it just mag and zinc together or like the one I take with calc thrown in-- I take the one with calc and vitamin D because I'm trying to cut out a lot of dairy products lately (even though I love cold skim milk) and so I figure I need to supplement calc & D if I'm not drinking as much milk as before.
Boy the more that I am here the more I feel better and the more I learn. I was never told about the salt thing. I typically have low bp, so I try to eat salty snacks and food. I have these freakin palpitations constantly which I continue to remind myself are ok, all the time. I went today for blood wk to check my magnesium and they say it is good. I have been takin a supplement for about a wk now, cvs brand, and it actually seems to have made a difference. I actually get acouple of minutes inbetween the dumb things. I have 3 kids and gettin them off to school in the morning sometimes seems to strike up a few. I never tried the fight back theory where u let them know they cant bring you down. I would have a few choice words for them. I hate this **** and pray that living with them will become easier which they have already just by having all of you here with me thank you
Glad you joined the site...excellent suggestions by all...
I would add that triggers for us all seem different but with a LOT of similarities. My worst triggers are lack of sleep, caffeine (of course), red wine, and anxiety.
Oh and a BIG one for me is "rushing around" as in rushing to work, rushing to get my kids ready, etc, etc.
Recenlly also, I really stepped up my excercise all at once and my body had a BAD reaction with constant PVCs for about 6 weeks. I moderated my excercise down and I feel MUCH better with only PVCs for a couple of hours a day. My point is that I feel excercise is VERY beneficial but a SUDDEN change in your habits like excercise may trigger an onslaught...it did for me.
Also, it may seem weird, but I get attacks when I have a life schedule change. For example, my wife works very early in the AM and in going from summer schedule with my kids to fall schedule of getting up earlier and rushing to get them going before I go to work I find brings PVCs on BIG time.
Oh and if you find a med like a B-blocker that is helping...STAY ON IT because I have also screwed my body up by trying to taper...if it works...LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!!!!!!
I think it is a great idea to keep a diary with different factors listed; e.g. foods eaten, alcohol, HOW MUCH SLEEP, was I rushing around, and list roughly how bad PVCs were that day. You really may find something that your doctor or you missed.
By the way,how much mag. do you guys take in a supplement? Is there a certain brand that's good? Can't too much mag. be bad for you?
Oh and aussie, I too talk to them!! LOL; I have definetley used the "is that all you got?" line LOL A lot of the other talk is filled with expletives.
Sorry to drone on...
I would add that triggers for us all seem different but with a LOT of similarities. My worst triggers are lack of sleep, caffeine (of course), red wine, and anxiety.
Oh and a BIG one for me is "rushing around" as in rushing to work, rushing to get my kids ready, etc, etc.
Recenlly also, I really stepped up my excercise all at once and my body had a BAD reaction with constant PVCs for about 6 weeks. I moderated my excercise down and I feel MUCH better with only PVCs for a couple of hours a day. My point is that I feel excercise is VERY beneficial but a SUDDEN change in your habits like excercise may trigger an onslaught...it did for me.
Also, it may seem weird, but I get attacks when I have a life schedule change. For example, my wife works very early in the AM and in going from summer schedule with my kids to fall schedule of getting up earlier and rushing to get them going before I go to work I find brings PVCs on BIG time.
Oh and if you find a med like a B-blocker that is helping...STAY ON IT because I have also screwed my body up by trying to taper...if it works...LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!!!!!!
I think it is a great idea to keep a diary with different factors listed; e.g. foods eaten, alcohol, HOW MUCH SLEEP, was I rushing around, and list roughly how bad PVCs were that day. You really may find something that your doctor or you missed.
By the way,how much mag. do you guys take in a supplement? Is there a certain brand that's good? Can't too much mag. be bad for you?
Oh and aussie, I too talk to them!! LOL; I have definetley used the "is that all you got?" line LOL A lot of the other talk is filled with expletives.
Sorry to drone on...
palpgirl if you use table salt, stop using it. Try organic salt. Organic sea salt. Table salt may have some carry-overs from the refining process that cause it not to balance right with potassium in the body and thus upset the sodium/potassium balance. Just substitute organic sea salt where you would normally use retail packaged table salt.
Hi first off a BIG welcome to the forum !!
I was just wondering if your husband has read any of the post on the forum?? Maybe it may help him understand a little more. For me in the beginning I felt so much like you. I felt my husband either did not understand or maybe did not know how to deal with what was going on with me and my heart also how it effects you not just physically but mentally as well.
All i can say is take it day by day !! YOU WIIL GET THERE !!
I feel the best medicine for us most times is this FORUM !!
This may sound totally loopy but now i've got to the point of taking to them (LOL) for ect "god your really jacking me off" and "is that all you've got" and my all time classic "what ever"
I know I know LOOPY but hay if the glove fits....
Take care (I think i'll change my user name to "loopy aussie mum")
I was just wondering if your husband has read any of the post on the forum?? Maybe it may help him understand a little more. For me in the beginning I felt so much like you. I felt my husband either did not understand or maybe did not know how to deal with what was going on with me and my heart also how it effects you not just physically but mentally as well.
All i can say is take it day by day !! YOU WIIL GET THERE !!
I feel the best medicine for us most times is this FORUM !!
This may sound totally loopy but now i've got to the point of taking to them (LOL) for ect "god your really jacking me off" and "is that all you've got" and my all time classic "what ever"
I know I know LOOPY but hay if the glove fits....
Take care (I think i'll change my user name to "loopy aussie mum")
I am sorry that you all have to suffer like this as well, and I thank all of you for your support and kind words. I have stopped telling my husband anything about it, b/c I know he thinks its all in my head. He did sit with me at the hospital and saw on the ekg how it was like every fourth beat I would get one. Again, they say I am fine. I have to keep saying that. The xanax is a real help for me as well. I do take a calcium, magnesium, zinc supplement and fish oil. This is pretty new and seems to be helping. I thank all of you again for being here and hearing my story. It is very therapeutic.
I assume you've tried supplementing potassium by eating potassium rich foods, and made sure you're getting enough magnesium because magnesium helps regulate potassium. Also, make sure you're getting enough Omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed oil or fish oil softgel tablets, etc. If you've already done this, I apologize.
When I feel a run of palps trying to setup, like the machine gun description you gave, I immediately try to break them, what works best for me is a very quick rapid exhale, has to be very quick and fairly forceful. The bearing down like you're trying to initiate a bowel movement doesn't really break a run of PVC's for me, the coughing super fast exhale usually does though. It doesn't stop individual PVC's but it does seem to end a machine gun run of them trying to setup.
I've found that if I'm getting tons of palps, that sitting around idle and thinking about it is no good-- I usually get up and go do something to take my mind off it. If i have them while laying in bed trying to fall asleep I'll just get up and watch tv or somthing, even turn on the PC and play an online video game (call of duty, etc), anything to take the brain off the heartbeats.
I do take a Xanax .5mg before bed, though, and it helps relax some. If I'm having a lot pf palps, the only way I can go to bed successfully and sleep is if I take the xanax an hour before and then read or watch tv until I can barely stay awake, then there's no time to think about the palps before I'm snoozed out, and also the Xanax does seem to reduce the intensity of the palps.
Please do not fear the stress test you have coming up. You are going to get through it okay. It does sound like you are getting caught up in the viscious circle of the palps increasing your anxiety which in turn pre-disposes you to more palps. You have to try and break the anxiety cycle. I know that is a big thing to ask, I've been there as has most everyone here. And it doesn't help when friends and family that don't have palps just don't "get it." And they don't. I probably wouldn't either if I didn't have the condition, too.
Just know that you're not alone, for all of us posting online about it there are tens of thousands more people with the same condition. Be glad you've foud this forum. I'm glad I found it.
When I feel a run of palps trying to setup, like the machine gun description you gave, I immediately try to break them, what works best for me is a very quick rapid exhale, has to be very quick and fairly forceful. The bearing down like you're trying to initiate a bowel movement doesn't really break a run of PVC's for me, the coughing super fast exhale usually does though. It doesn't stop individual PVC's but it does seem to end a machine gun run of them trying to setup.
I've found that if I'm getting tons of palps, that sitting around idle and thinking about it is no good-- I usually get up and go do something to take my mind off it. If i have them while laying in bed trying to fall asleep I'll just get up and watch tv or somthing, even turn on the PC and play an online video game (call of duty, etc), anything to take the brain off the heartbeats.
I do take a Xanax .5mg before bed, though, and it helps relax some. If I'm having a lot pf palps, the only way I can go to bed successfully and sleep is if I take the xanax an hour before and then read or watch tv until I can barely stay awake, then there's no time to think about the palps before I'm snoozed out, and also the Xanax does seem to reduce the intensity of the palps.
Please do not fear the stress test you have coming up. You are going to get through it okay. It does sound like you are getting caught up in the viscious circle of the palps increasing your anxiety which in turn pre-disposes you to more palps. You have to try and break the anxiety cycle. I know that is a big thing to ask, I've been there as has most everyone here. And it doesn't help when friends and family that don't have palps just don't "get it." And they don't. I probably wouldn't either if I didn't have the condition, too.
Just know that you're not alone, for all of us posting online about it there are tens of thousands more people with the same condition. Be glad you've foud this forum. I'm glad I found it.
Please don't get discouraged. Somehow we need to learn to live like this. I've had palps for the past 15 yrs. Today even, my heart started going real fast at work. I took a beta blocker and left to go sit at the hospital to see if it would stop. I also have SVT that goes around 170 bpm, happens maybe twice a year. Anyway it slowed (didn't check in) down but now I have these PACs and PVCs. It feels like my heart skips a beat every 10 seconds NON-STOP. I'm at home just wondering should I wait it out or go to the ER. Even after 15 years it concerns me and I'm confused. I've been taking magnesium 800 to 1000 mg a day which has helped alot (until today). I know that no matter how hard we try we will always feel anxious but I am trying to learn to deal with that. I've taken different medicines and have even had ablations for my fast rythm. It gets discouraging. Believe me I know. But I also know it will not kill you. Coming to this forum and reading helps me so much when I feel bad. It assures me I;m not alone. That's why I'm here today.
boy does it help to hear some encouraging words. I cant say that I accept them completely, but I believe with alot of support and words from people who understand. I think that my husband gets tired of talkin about it and thinks that it is my head. It is very difficult and I literally suffer from this and the terrifying thoughts. I appreciate all the insight and hope to get better with this. I will absolutely check out the book, thank you.
Hi
The key word in your last comment is accept. I promise you that once you do (and I mean really do) they will let up. I have suffered with palps (all kinds, including that machine gun you describe) for 20 years. I let them ruin too much of my life. I'm still here and every year my doctor tells me that they aren't going to hurt me. After 20 years, it is time to belive him. Same for you..don't look back 20 years from now and have to say to yourself "why didn't I just believe him back then."
The book title is: "Hope and Help for Your Nerves" (Signet) by Claire Weekes (author)
That booked saved my life, and for over 10 years I have not worried to much about my heart. Now I only "crazy" worry if I have an appointment or test. Sometimes the PAT's set me back a day or two as well. I don't like the long pauses that turn into the fast beats. Fortunately I only get them a few times a year. I'm sure it is because I have learned to relax more and again that is due to the book.
take care
Frenchie
The key word in your last comment is accept. I promise you that once you do (and I mean really do) they will let up. I have suffered with palps (all kinds, including that machine gun you describe) for 20 years. I let them ruin too much of my life. I'm still here and every year my doctor tells me that they aren't going to hurt me. After 20 years, it is time to belive him. Same for you..don't look back 20 years from now and have to say to yourself "why didn't I just believe him back then."
The book title is: "Hope and Help for Your Nerves" (Signet) by Claire Weekes (author)
That booked saved my life, and for over 10 years I have not worried to much about my heart. Now I only "crazy" worry if I have an appointment or test. Sometimes the PAT's set me back a day or two as well. I don't like the long pauses that turn into the fast beats. Fortunately I only get them a few times a year. I'm sure it is because I have learned to relax more and again that is due to the book.
take care
Frenchie
Funny you say about anxiety, I never dealt with this before and now I find myself taking an occasional half xanax just to get thru the day without going out of my mind. I did just start a calcium, magnesium, zinc supplement, as well as fish oil. I heard that is good for your heart. Do you have any knowledge of this? I would do anything to get these things to go away, but I guess the best thing to do is just accept that I am one of many sufferers, and deal with it. I actually felt a hundred times better after being here. I am new to the forum and can tell already that it will be very beneficial to me. Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me.
I am 33 and have had them off and on for 15 years! I have days on end where I have the hard thumpers and others where I have them really fast three or four in a row like a "machine gun" that you were descibing. I have all of the tests done (except stress test) but I have been to the doc many many many times as well and the bottom line is, the best the can do is re assure us that they will not kill us! This is something I have been struggling to deal with even to this day, however, in my head, I know that this has become more of an anxiety/panic/Obessive disorder at this point..I know it is hard because we are trained to believe that the heart is supposed to work one way so when it does something out of the ordinary, our brain sends out adrenaline through our body and then we start to panic. It is a very diffucult cycle to break....keep yourself hydrated..lay off caffeine and chocolate...maybe take a magnesium pill...these things can help...no ONE trigger is ever specified but these are the most common things that cause them...oh, and alcohol too! Point being, you are not alone....don't be scared...that is what this forum is for!
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