PVC's and related arrhythmias

[billy d]

I am a 49 year old male who since early child hood have had episodes of premature beats which are easily felt because I am thin. Past EKG's have usually shown normal sinus rhythms with occaisional pvcs.
Also on exercise I would have runs of rapid 120-140bpm (after) that sometimes went on for hours but kind of outgrew them. Some doctors hear a click or slight murmur. Recently have had more frequent bouts of premature beats that sometimes are accompanied by a spasm like sensation which can be felt with finger tips under the left breast. They only last afew seconds but also create a flush or rush sensation. I recently had a stress test, EKG, and a doppler echo. Stress test was normal and echo was also except for mild regurgitation of the tricuspid and slight of the mitral.
Through the years some doctors have said that I also have MVP but this has not been proven on the echo. I am currently wearing an event recorder and have had 30 events in two weeks which the doc says are benign. However, am scared about the shuddering sensations and incresing frequency of other symptoms. I don't smoke, drink, and have cut out all caffeine. I want to think that I am doing all that I can to ensure my kids have a dad to grow up with. However, the increasing frequency of the symptoms are robbing me of sleep and making me paranoid about travelling etc. They seem to come out of nowhere and last for varying lengths of time. Any suggetions would be most appreciated.
PS have never fainted with these symptoms but have felt faint occaisionally with them.

[Lauries]

I've suffered with PVCs for many years now, and I still get panicky when they occur.  This weekend I had an episode in a restaurant during my sister's wedding rehearsal dinner and had to ask my husband to take me back to the hotel.  I can usually stop an episode by coughing, but this time it didn't seem to help.  I started to panic.  I don't get them all the time, but I do have several episodes everyday.  I get cold and sick to my stomach, but I think it might be due to the panic I feel.  I also suffer from panic disorder and these don't help that situation at all.  I take 5mg. of Paxil everyday for the panic disorder which seems to help except for when I feel the PVCs.  I've had several holter monitors and EKGs and echocardiograms during the years and they all tell me it's a benign condition, but they seem to be getting worse as I get older (I just turned 45).  They are ruining my life.  Thank you for listening, I just needed to express my fears.

[Janice B.]

This is just a general post to all the PVC sufferers.  I find it very sad that with today's medical advances, we have to be stuck with this annoying heart condition.  I suffer PVC's and occasional rapid heart beats apparantly as a symptom of my MVP.  On some days it has consumed my life.  As I type this, the PVC's are occuring, not many, but enough to make me wonder if there isn't some kind of hormone injection or something to cause them to go away.  I'm on Inderal 3X a day (10 mg) and BusPar for anxiety.  Not much help for the PVC's. They are less forceful, but just as frequent.   Drinking alot of water seems to help, but I get waterlogged!  I always get more in the morning and less later in the day, and I always get them while I'm eating or right after, and they seem to be worse just before my cycles.  If I was prone to this condition, why didn't they show up in this frequency years ago instead of only in the last year.  I am 42, but not premenopausal according to blood tests.

[Jim Robson]

Yeppers Same here... when i eat sometimes toooo much i feel them... I know that i feel them more when i go close to 180 pounds too.. lol.. go figure.. i work out and don't get them,,, I do know one thing,, that stress test.. WOW.. what a workout.. the echo-cardiogram,, i think that was it,, where you see your heart beating after the Stress test was real cool... the doctore said it was perfect.. made me feel much better,,, they also said that PVC's are othing to worry about the most you can do is pass out.. I can deal with that.. unless i am driving!!! :)

anyway you can email me ***@****

[helen]

I understand what you all have been going through.  I am 44 years old, and always been in good health. I started to have irregular heart beats a few weeks ago when I went for a walk, and felt very faint and dizzy.  Since then my pulse was high, and my heart was skipping beats.  One night I couldn't lie down because my heart was pounding so much.  I had to sit on a chair, and try to get some sleep.  I had tried to take all kinds of herbs that are supposed to help, but nothing worked.  But, I had faith that somehow I would be healed.

Then a cardiologist prescribed me Atenolol which is used for high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats.  I usually don't like to take any medicine, but this time I had to give in because nothing else seemed to work.  My heartbeats became normal two hours after taking the first pill three days ago, and I haven't had any skipped beats since. Now I take my pills without questioning, and am happy to sleep my nights peacefully.

I hope that you'll find a good cardiologist that can help you.
God bless you all.
Helen

[Anne to Lisa re: PVCs/Arrthymias / eatin]

Hi,

I have had PVCs for six years, ranging between hundreds to 15 thousand a day.  These also include VTs.  I noticed eating meals caused the PVCs/VTs to act up quite a bit.  I asked my electrophysiologist and he mentioned that when we eat, our bodies release something (sorry, I do not remember what it was) that sends something to our heart (very vague, but a doctor should be able to explain).  The bottom line is, you're not imagining it at all.   Shortly before I had an ablation, I feared eating a meal because I knew it could trigger VTs.  You're not alone.

[charlie]

I have read through the discussion board and find I am having a similar experience with these PVC's.  I have gone to my doctor twice for EKG's and had the 24-hour halter.  The halter showed 100 to 150 PVC's per hour over twenty four hours. The doctor is now sending me for a stress test.   I have over the last two months gone from no symptoms, to palpitations continuously all day.  The worst episodes are when I eat, drink, or basically stop moving.  Sleeping has become the worst part of the whole thing. When I am sleeping I am ok, but the problem is getting to sleep.  I find at the worst times it is coming every 4 beats.  During the day I have just plain stopped eating on the job.  I work at a desk and think I would probably be better digging holes, maybe I would not feel them as much.  I do know my nerves/anxiety amplifies it by ten times.   After my doctor called and told me the usual news (they are not life threatening) I felt better for about two days almost like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  Then I started to second-guess the doctor, and got nervous, and they came back with a vengeance.  I am hoping they might fade away (maybe even if for a while) and give me a break.  I do know if I get good nights sleep that holds them off for the beginning of the day.    I also found my secondary problem is my frustration with the health care system.  My doctor and me seem to disagree on how serious these are.  Getting to see a Cardioligist is at least a four week wait.  The only thing these PVC's seem to be good for is losing wieght.  Fear of death diet.   Anyone want to email me ***@****