Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Frequent PVC's

I'm a 47 year old male who has been dealing with PVC's off and on for years. I've never smoked, drink rarely, don't do drugs, take 50mg of Atenolol (have for years). Recently they've become increasingly stronger and more frequent. I've had every test done that can be thought of... Holter (24 hour) monitor, Event Monitor (30 day), Echo, MRI, Stress, Tilt Table, Angiogram, EP study, blood work, etc. I've spoken with two Cardiologists and have been told that my heart is structurally normal and that the PVC's are benign. Fine, they're benign to you, but they're not benign to me!! I'm the one that has to deal with them. When I get them two, three, four times in a row, I feel like it might be my time to "check out". Hard to get to sleep or just function normally from day to day when you're not sure if your heart is going to continue to beat erratically or at all.
I do try to keep in mind what the Cardiologists say as they see cases like mine each and every day, so they have more real life experience to draw on, however I still freak out slightly when it feels like there's a soccer game going on in my chest.
Anyone else share my concerns or have similar stories?
6 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
I hope you get this.  I can unfortunately relate. I will be 50 this month, female and not having fun with PVC's.  I started having little flutters on a blue moon occaision starting in my early 30's.  Was told by an allergist that it sounded like broncospasms.  Then in my early 40's the blue moon "flip-flop".  Was told by  CRNP that I worked with that it was probably PVC's, nothing to worry about, that I was coming into "that age group now" and not to worry unless they started coming in sets and frequency.  Have an unfortunate history of being raised in a household with abusive alcoholic father, enabling mother, stressful living conditions for a child, YEARS of chronic lack of sleep.  Started to have panic attacks around 19 years old. Only had about 4 or so and because there was not term for it, just kept telling myself "mind over matter, mind over matter.  Then they went away.  Life goes on, 2 children one ex-husband and a nursing career later, I was involved in an MVA during 2009 - hit hard from behind. Then 1 year 4 months later, the EXACT same accident happened again even though I was still doing physical therapy for the first one.  The 2nd MVA thru my heart and the flip-flops into the stratesphere !!!  2 weeks later, back into the hospital - they ruled out a PE, finally started Metoprolol 12.5 mg daily, then did halter monitor for 24 hrs, was told I had PTSD, nothing wrong with my heart and 'YOU NEED TO GET ON SOME ZOLOFT ".  
Zoloft did seem to help significantly to decrease the frequency, and intensity of the flip-flops, but it made me want to sleep all the time and I couldn't function like that.  Took it for about one year and stopped and that was only 25 mg daily.  Stopped the Metop. after almost 2 years.  I didn't feel right about taking higher doses as I was concerned about my pulse rate and metabolism.

Being my age i feel as though im somewhat between a rock and a hard place. A few months back, was having the flip-flops 3-4 in a row, they were very distinct and very well structured and they were causing my heart to skip beats.  I finally went to the ED - was told that the EKG showed a kicked off a couple PVC's.  But that I had RLL pneumonia, something I never had before.

I began to notice, that the PVC'S were coming in intentsity and increased frequency 1-2 weeks leading up to my period, i would start my period, then 1-2 days after they would be almost gone !  Tried to explain this to my dr's, asked for them to test my hormone levels and they both said no.  Gyn started me on 100 mg progesterone nightly, taking 1 week leading up to my period.  That wasn't good because while i noticed a huge decrease in the PVC stuff, it gavbe me BAD anxiety !!! stopped that and here I am.
My chest still flip/flopping as I type.

So here is what I have learned and my advice to you from a fellow sufferer.  Do all that you can to educate yourself on your body.  If you don't feel the doctors you see are helping you or not listening to you, move on to someone that a true friend or close relative would recommend.  Take a good hard look back into your past, your current situation and where you would like to be.  Take another hard look at your diet, activity level, weight, stressors you deal with and make the necessary changes.  

I will start taking chelated magnesium soon as i go and buy it from the vitamin shop as my research on the internet shows that most americans are magnesium deficient and the mag oxide in my daily mutliple vitamin says it's giving me only 25% of my RDA and because it's been mag oxide, it's barely absorbed anyway, something that I didn't know and Dr's didn't tell me.

One more thing.  I am going to look hard for a homeopathic doctor.  I have had it with the way modern medicine/healthcare in this country works.  You get sick, you go to see a Dr, they rush you through the eval after you have been waiting for 1/2 an hour or so, and they give you a pill.

They don't have time to listen to your concerns and they are so drivin by insurance dictators and the money-hungry pharmaceutical companies, that it has just gotten out of hand.  I'm not saying that modern medicine doesn't have some miraculous cures/therapies, because it does.  

But for taking control and ownership of your everyday health and positive lifestyle changes, they just don't have time to go into all that with you.  I AM 50 YEARS OF HISTORY HERE AND IT ALL SHOULD COUNT BECAUSE IT LEADS UP TO WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ME AT THIS VERY MOMENT !

Good Luck jdaveca - keep trying to help yourself, know you're not alone and I hope you find a way to eliminate your PVC's.

Mona
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
If you can even get to the point that the sensation of the PVCs is less intense, that will help a lot, even if they continue to be frequent.  There are PVCs, and then there are PVCs.  The ones that I have now are only slightly noticable, whereas before, it felt like my heart was flopping around like a fish out of water.  Now, I have to actually pay attention to the sensations in my chest, in order to even know if I am having PVCs or not.  Part of that is that I have learned to ignore them, and part of it is that the palpitations truly are much less intense.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I do get it.  You have a soccer game going on in your chest; I've had a fish flopping around in mine.  Taking a chelated magnesium supplement has helped me a lot.  This forum has at least a couple of other threads on the subject of "benign" PVCs -- long threads, that have gone on for years -- that you could look up.  I recall from those threads that magnesium supplementation has helped some other people, in addition to myself.  If you decide to try it, you shouldn't necessarily expect instant results.  For me, the results have accumulated over a long period of time.  I've been taking 400mg of Solgar chelated magnesium per day for about 18 months now and have experienced ever fewer PVCs and ever more normal blood pressure, with both the PVCs and the hypertension still slowly continuing to improve.  Magnesium oxide is cheaper than chelated magnesium, but for most people the magnesium oxide tends to cause a side effect of loose bowels.  I stay away from magnesium oxide, unless I happen to need to be a little "looser."  

And BTW, I also was on a beta blocker (metoprolol) for the PVCs for years, but eventually that stopped working so well to control the PVCs, and also the side effects of the beta blocker got worse and worse.  Eventually, I decided to taper off of the beta blocker, and now I find that I no longer need it.  I don't really recommend going off of medication on your own, although I did it, but if you want to try getting off of the atenolol, you can talk to your doctor about doing a slow tapering of the dosage.  For me, the PVCs got a lot worse during the taper, and then after I was completely off of the beta blocker, they were better than they had been for years.  If you have another reason for being on atenolol besides the benign PVCs, then all of what I have just said is moot, and there may not be any possibility that you can get off of it.  Talking to your doctor about it is the wisest course.

Good luck, whatever you try.  
Helpful - 0
378273 tn?1262097621
It sounds very uncomfortable for you and I know what you mean because I have Afibs. Afibs are different and can cause a stroke so they do worry me. I'm on medication, but still freak out when I have an episode where the HR goes over 100, I feel dizzy and shaky. I try to drink a glass of water, and do some housework or other activity. That usually helps.

Bear in mind, yours are benign. Just keep telling yourself that----

For me, I have to keep thinking, you are on a blood thinner, you won't stroke out----you won't stroke out---
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
An update... I just got home from the hospital. I woke up in the middle of the night with beat..thud..thud..thud..thud..beat..beat..thud..beat..thud..beat..etc. It went on for almost an hour before I decided to Once Again go back to the E.R.
As I said, I just got home. The doctors there did the EKG, blood work, an X-Ray, and said... (drum roll).. They're benign PVC's. Argh! Not sure how much longer I can stand this. They once again gave me a Holter monitor so that my cardiologist can see if there's anything different going on. I really hate to think that this is how I'm going to spend the rest of my life...
Helpful - 0
159619 tn?1707018272
COMMUNITY LEADER
I'm 54 and been living with these all my life. They used to bother me but not so much any more, if  they haven't killed me by now they never will and there;s nothing more I can read or learn about them that can tell me something I don't already know so the heck with them. When mine are acting up I hop on he bike and take a ride and get my heart rate up, that knocks them back down for a few hours. I too can have them 10 times per min and it feels like some body bowling in my chest. Like I said, I've had it since I was a small child, I've been checked out and told not to worry and I'm still kicking so why get worked up.

That's just me and I know it's easier said than done but anymore I just don't waste the time or energy on them
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community

Top Heart Disease Answerers
159619 tn?1707018272
Salt Lake City, UT
11548417 tn?1506080564
Netherlands
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.