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PVC Questions

I am 28 yrs old, 175 lbs, 6ft, white male. Have had Echo, EKG, ECG, X-Ray, Holter Mon, MRI all came back fine. Im on 200 mg Toprol XL. I notice a different feeling beat when doing a military press, or working with my arms over my head, or bringing my knees to my chest when lifting with my legs or sit ups. I also notice them more when I know Im nowere close to a hospital which is my anxiety im sure! My questions are is 200 mg to much? Does an increase when arms are over head signify anything? And does it sound like I have had a good cardiac workup?   Im a non smoker (6mnths now) Good BP,excersize regular, no caffine, limited sugar. Thanx in advance
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Avatar universal
In all these PVC postings I can't believe no one mentioned hypoglycemia as a root cause.  It was for me and it is easy to cure.  The heart and nervous system run on glucose and when it is low --hypoglycemia--it starts hiccuping.  There are many books on it and heart palpitations is caused by this--and sure--other things too.  Get a book on it but simply:  eat every 4 hours, no starches and sugars.  Do not miss any meals.  Get up at night and eat a piece of cheese.  Hypo causes nerve problems and anixiety which causes palps which causes more anixiety which worsens hypo. Get the picture.  Also, dehydration contributes to palps.  You may not feel thirsty but if your urnine is pretty yellowy you are dehydrated.
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Avatar universal
Sorry, forgot to mention that I have around between 80 - 100 ectopic beats some days, around 3 - 50 other days.
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Avatar universal
Hello there.  I'm a 29 yr old female living in Wales, UK.

I've not posted a thread onto this forum and I'm also not familiar with the medical jargon either, so please bear with me.

I've been having 'ectopic heart beats' now for 2 years.  They have increased since my father died suddenly of a heart attack back last May.

On a couple of occasions, I've had around 3 in a row, which as you would all know, has caused me to go into 'panic mode'.  I've seen a Cardiologist who said apart from the ectopic beats, that my heart muscle is fine......I went into the Medical Emergency Department a few wks ago because whilst I was asleep, in the most comfortable position you could imagine, I was awoken by these skipped beats - they continued for around 25 minutes with no break in between.......low and behold, when I arrived at the Hospital, my heart was in 'normal sinus rhythm'  HOW TYPICAL IS THAT?????......mainly put it down to anxiety.  But believe it or not, I'm probably the most relaxed person you could ever meet by norm.

I take one tablet of Inderal Capsules per day which I must say has not curbed my symptoms but is doing something great for my heart apparently and have been told that right now, there is nothing more to be done medically wise about my ectopic beats unless it is affecting my every day life.

To be honest, when I get these silly beats, I panick.....my family and friends believe that perhaps if I did not have panic.......then my ectopic beats would stop.  Its hard to persuade them that its actually the ectopic beats that come first, followed by panic......not the other way around.  If it weren't for the ectopic beats, that I would not panic???

I have two young children who I idolose.  My son is 7 and my daughter is 4 and time is hard bringing up two children on your own and it is stressful, but surely our bodies should be able to feel a little bit of pressure without our hearts going haywire????

My main concern as you could appreciate is that when I'm alone, driving the car with the two children in the back, in the past, I've had a run of ectopic beats whilst driving.  I feel sick to think of what 'might' happen......the what if's.......I've had to teach my son about what to do should anything happen.......how awful is that.  But as you can all appreciate, some people say that a run of ectopic beats can be dangerous and should anything like that happen again whilst I'm asleep, I would hate to think that the children might be frightened and not sure of what to do....so I felt I had to at least show them what to do but reassure them that chances are, its never gonna happen, but just for piece of mind.

One other thing, with this problem, I feel that opinions as to how serious these things can get can be slightly conflicting.

One medical professional has said to me that its ok, just ignore them, they won't harm you........another has said, that they can go into a dangerous rhythm and to dial emergency services......there is a lot of conflicting information going on there that its hard to quite know how serious these things are.

Anyway, I'll stop moaning about this now, bet you're bored of reading it lol - thanks all for at least reading this.......take very good care. S x
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Avatar universal
Hello i am a 22 year old male, 3 weeks ago i felt extreme shortness of breath and very extreme retching.. this continued into the second week where i also vomited all my food... ecg was normal, 24 hr holter shows ectopic beats i was a smoker i quit after this happened... its been three weeks the ectopic attack comes everyday for about an hour where i fel my heart pounding light headedness and diziness retching is always there... shortness of breath is there through out the day, did an exercise test , ectopics dissapeared in that.... when i sleep i have no problem but when i wake up the shotness of breath stays there till i sleep again..

should i take beta blocker... is this normal.. i am reallly scared??
Thank you
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Avatar universal
Hi, I'm new here. Has anyone tried alternatives to drugs for pvc's, such as herbal remedies?
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Avatar universal
GNV
I don't know if this is the right place to post this question, so please forgive or guide if so. I recently a holter monitor test done. I have the results, but an having a hard time finding "normal" ranges. My dr recently became ill and I don't want to bother her right now. I f I could find out some parameters, would help. Like, for a physically active 62 yr old female, 5' 4, 140#, what is  a high VE total? (mine was 81) What's the range for SDNN-24hr, sdann index, sdnn index, rmSSd, pNN50, spectral power 24 hr, min spectral power hour, max spectral power hour,, What does ST segment nalysis mean? Again, wht is Max Delta ST depression, elevation, max st episode, and all the stuf under supraventricular ectopy. I understand what they are, but what's a lot? This info must be available somewhere. Any ideas?
Thanks so much.
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21064 tn?1309308733
Sorry, that last post was meant for you.  Hand spasm : 0
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21064 tn?1309308733
That's exciting that you were able to see one of THE experts. Maybe your appointment will shed some light on why your cardiac problems are so significant.  You're right in that you are way too young to be facing these types of chronic issues.  Hopefully, some answers are nearby and you will find some positive resolutions.

I have seen 3 cardios at the CCF and will likely return there IF I end up needing mitral valve repair/replacement.  Otherwise, I have a regular cardio (EP) at another large hospital in Cleveland.

Sorry to hear you were so tired and nearly passed out as you trekked through CCF. Could it be that you were just under a lot of stress from traveling as well as the anxiety associated with your overall health concerns?  You've got a lot on your plate and you may have been overwhelmed.  I moved to North Carolina several months ago and now I have to travel to see my cardio in Cleveland. It is quite different than just driving 30 minutes and popping in an out for appointments.  I defnitely feel the added stressors of traveling and taking care of everything at home.  When I go up to Cleveland for my appointments, it's like being on a whirlwind medical tour! Everything is on the clock and it is exhausting.  Next time, I may schedule an extra "vacation" day so I don't have to run through the airport...Hey, don't be embarrassed about your dad having to hold your arm and escort you--it's beats falling down and I'm sure he was happy to help. WTG dad!!

Great to hear you are comfortable with your current doctors...makes all the difference in the world!!  I'm not familiar with a calcium scan...Would that tell you if there is calcium buildup in your vessels?

Have you always had to take cardiac meds?  Can they do anything for the arrythmia?  Are you a candidate for ablation?  Can't they administer the tests without meds while you are in a supervised setting?  What about the stress test w/o the treadmill?  Same risk?  I remember having to be off meds for my ablations, but not for stress tests and other tests. Is the angina dangerous or more painful?  

I know what you mean about the differing opinions from surgeons, invasive cardios and others.  Hard for patients to know what to do. I was just wathing Good Morning America and they were talking about this up and coming scan of the arteries in 3D!  It is not available everywhere, but I wonder if a test like that would help decipher what's going on.

You want bypass surgery?  Why do they object?  Sorry for all the questions.  I'm fascinated by your story and by your strength. You're right...life limited by meds is no fun, especiall if there could be a better alternative.  I fought like crazy not to take the ACE (lisinopril), but I lost : (  All in all, it's no big deal, it's just that I'd rather be med-free.  I remember sitting in the cardio's waiting room when I was in my 20's and 30's...told the doctor I was the youngest patient out there...I could be the grandchild of those folks.  Not quite that young anymore, but still in the minority.  

Hang in there AlDente!!  You are a great inspiration to so many people on this board.  You have a positive outlook and so much knowledge about cardiac issues!!  It appears you have been on a long road, but look at all you've learned and all those you've helped : )

Good luck with your test results. We're rooting for ya!!
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21064 tn?1309308733
CCF is like a city!  You're right in that there are some neat places to grab a yummy bagel or some delicious pastry!!  I love stopping at the bakery, but can't remember the name just now.  I think it is after 3:00 that they lower the prices by 50%...I stop no matter what time it is...even if it's just to look and take in the aroma of fresh pastry.

Are you planning to see a cardio at the CCF?  I thought they were going to try and help sort through your medical problems. Hope you are able to get some more answers.

Wishing you the best possible outcome with your recent tests.

Connie
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Avatar universal
I believe it is Federal law (HIPAA perhaps) that mandates they give you a copy upon request.

You might have to get a lawyer, hopefully not.
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97628 tn?1204462033
Raise my arms, get palpitations. I get them and or dizzy spells even if I cross my legs, my ankles, or stand on my tip toes ( I'm short I have do that a lot).
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84483 tn?1289937937

Wishing you the best of luck on your visit to CCF, you sure have alot on your plate for such a young man.

Did I read right that you had an ectopic run of vfib, Did you lose consciousness? That must have been frightful! I read of a few cases that vfib resolved itself but apparently most of the time it doesn't. Good luck and keep us updated.
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Avatar universal
I agree and have almost given up exercise because of the pvc's when I do. I have a back problem and suppose to lay on my back to do leg pull-ups and such, also suppose to lay on my back with the stationary bicycle. Every time I start an exercise program, my pvc's return.   When are Doctor's going to get the message that this is a very real problem that makes one feel so bad sometimes. There are a lot of conditions that won't kill you but are treated with more concern than this one.  Give me pain any day!
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Avatar universal
At least i know im not the only one. Ive never lost hearing or anything but they are way different and send me into a near Panic!
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Avatar universal
Hello, I am woondering whether getting 2 and 3 beat runs under a normal cardiac workup ie: normal echo, stress, holter etc ... is still considered benign? I have noticed that i am more prone to runs now or maybe feeling them more now more than ever.

Pls advise, I thought i would ask as i have seen you post before and sound pretty knowledgeable? Have your doctors ever discussed this with you.

with thanks

abey
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74076 tn?1189755832
Hello,

Sorry to hear about your PVCs.  I assume they caught the PVCs on holter and it correlated with your symptoms.

The workup sounds very appropriate.  With a normal echo and EKG, there isn't much else to do for someone your age.

Toprol XL is a good medication.  It may decrease the sensation of your pvcs but will probably not decrease the number of PVCs. 200 mg is a lot, but if you aren't having symptoms with that dose, there is no reason to change it.  That is unless you don't feel any better when you are taking it.

There is no clinical signficance to the increased sensation of PVCs with different positions. This tends to have more to do with body position (heart closer to the chest wall) or changes in the loading conditions on your heart. Your blood pressure increases with weight lifting while you are actually doing the lifting.

Congratulations on the smoking cessation.  That pay huge dividends over time!!!

Good luck.
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